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Table of Contents

I: Acknowledgement from Authors...... 4

II: About this Book......... 5
III: Prologue....... 7
Chapter 1: Gods Timeline..... 10
Chapter 2: Creation........ 13
Chapter 3: Eden. 15
Chapter 4: Sin.... 18
Chapter 5: Pre-Flood...... 22
Chapter 6: Post-Flood..... 28
Chapter 7: Sons of Noah. 30
Chapter 8: Tower of Babel.. 32
Chapter 9: Abram....... 34
Chapter 10: Cannon.... 38
Chapter 11: Abraham...... 40
Chapter 12: Gods Covenant with Abraham...... 42
Chapter 13: Sodom and Gomorrah.... 45
Chapter 14: Abrahams Test..... 49
Chapter 15: Nation of Islam.. 53
Chapter 16: Jacob.... 56
Chapter 17: Israel.. 59
Chapter 18: Joseph..... 62
Chapter 19: Moses..... 65
Chapter 20: Exodus.... 72
Chapter 21: The Law.. 79
Chapter 22: Judges...... 86
Chapter 23: David... 92
Chapter 24: Solomon. 100
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Chapter 25: Israel and Judah. 104

Chapter 26: Promised Messiah.. 106
Chapter 27: Rome and Judea.. 111
Chapter 28: Sky Over Bethlehem.. 113
Chapter 29: Christ Conceived.... 116
Chapter 30: Birth of Jesus.. 119
Chapter 31: Gospel Accounts..... 121
Chapter 32: Early Life of Jesus.. 123
Chapter 33: Baptism... 128
Chapter 34: Temptation.. 131
Chapter 35: Who Jesus Was....... 134
Chapter 36: What Jesus Said... 141
Chapter 37: What Jesus Did.... 147
Chapter 38: Why Jesus Came..... 153
Chapter 39: Final Events of Messiah.. 157
Chapter 40: Triumphal Entry.. 160
Chapter 41: Trial..... 164
Chapter 42: The Passion. 168
Chapter 43: Resurrection.... 173
Chapter 44: Early Church... 181
Chapter 45: Paul..... 184
Chapter 46: Age of the Gentiles. 191
Chapter 47: Roman Catholic Church.. 196
Chapter 48: Protestantism... 210
Chapter 49: Ages to Come.. 216
Chapter 50: Return of Jesus.... 222
Chapter 51: Stars..... 232
Chapter 52: Gospel..... 241
Chapter 53: Questions.... 252
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I. Acknowledgement from Authors

Special acknowledgement to my co-author, brother in Christ and true friend. The Lord brought
us together years ago and what a journey it has been! You were the first person who ever invited
me to share the gospel, leading by example and showing me what a life of obedience looks like. I
am so grateful for your friendship and encouragement through this transformational journey
together. Thank you for strength when I was weak, prayer when I needed guidance, and truth by
pointing me back to Gods Word. I am beyond honored to have you in my life and for this
opportunity to serve God together.
Shout out to a man worthy of respect who fears God. Your love for Jesus is amazing, and you are
a friend that I would go to the ends of the earth for. This book has been a journey of
transformation for myself, and my relationship with God has been challenged in every way
possible. Thank you my brother, for showing me the Lords love. I cant wait until we both
appear before God and He takes us in His arms and tells us, Well done, my good and faithful
servants.
Above all else, we acknowledge you Lord. Thank you for your amazing love. You have shown
us your love in every page of Your Word, please let this book be a testament to that love. By the
fruit you have already shown, this book is 100% Yours. Your Holy Spirit directed every single
word in this book and we are not even worthy of having our names written. Thank you for the
privilege of telling your love story, thank you for Your Son and for showing us our home in
heaven. Please use this book to reveal Your glory and wake up the world with Your love.

Your faithful watchmen.

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II. About this Book

Gods love story will be different from any book you have ever read. Although this is a bold
claim, you will soon come to see the Holy Spirit at work in the pages and in your heart. You may
be picking this up with a skeptical heart, and that is completely fine. You may have been given
this book by a friend or relative, unsure why in the world you are reading a book about Gods
love: that is completely okay. You may be on your walk with God already and looking to expand
your knowledge and understanding of who God is, and that is completely awesome!
Regardless of who you are or how this book came to you, Halleluiah! We have such an amazing
God who loves you enough to bring this special message to you. It was not mere chance you are
reading this, God has worked more behind the scenes than we could ever comprehend to deliver
this message to you. Regardless of your view on God, yourself or the world, the message in this
book will get through.
Gods love story is not meant as a substitute to the Bible, this is another tool in spiritual growth
and knowledge of the world in which we all play a part in. Our goal is for you to dig deeper into
Gods Word after this with a renewed sense of purpose and motivation, as the Bible is literally
the best book ever written. God has a funny way of making amazing things take place, if you are
willing to open your eyes to the reality around us.
This book was written by two broken men who have been made whole through Gods love. We
have chosen to remove our names from this book, because this book is not about us. In fact, we
are completely unworthy and undeserving of this amazing privilege of being used in this
capacity, and God gets all the glory, honor and praise. We realize how unconventional this is, yet
we are serious about this being an unconventional book!
If you have ever picked up the Bible and tried to read from beginning to end, more than likely
your quest was short-lived. Because of the sheer scope and context of the Bible, most likely you
have had difficulty making heads and sense of what is being said and what is important. If you
have ever gotten frustrated in your reading attempts, you are not alone.
Gods love story was written to provide clarity, context and evidence to the Bible in a way that is
enlightening, relevant and challenging to your current views on yourself and God. So often the
message of love gets lost in translation somewhere, yet the whole entire Bible is a message of
love. Use this book as a reference to help you understand scripture better, and as an invitation for
others who need Gods love in their lives.
We will be going outside the normal realms of what you have read before. The majority of Gods
love story will be taken directly from the Bible, yet we will be pulling from books not in the
current canon of todays Bible. We will be given context and additional information from books
like Enoch, Jasher, and Jubilee while referencing scientific, historical, astrological and
philosophical works aimed at expanding our understanding of the Bible.
If you do not agree with everything you read, that is completely fine. Our entire world revolves
around disagreement, so please keep an open mind. Who knows, you may end up having a
change of heart after reading this book. The point is, please do not discredit the entire message if
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you disagree on some points. Allow yourself the liberty to challenge the status quo, allow
yourself to believe there is a God who loves you and created you for something amazing, allow
yourself to have some fun and learn more about the world. The creator of heaven and earth
masterfully crafted you, and He did so because He loves you.
If you are a left-brained and logical thinker, you will find plenty of amazing evidence and
deductions that will really speak to you. Allow yourself to get creative as well and feel the
emotions housed inside you. If you are a right-brained and creative individual, strap in for an
emotional rollercoaster that will really blow your mind. Allow yourself some flexibility on topics
more structured and documented, as this will expand your mind and understanding to a new type
of learning.
For the men reading this book, realize its okay to talk about love. Its okay to get emotional and
even break down from time to time, its natural and not anything to be ashamed about. For the
women reading this book, we will be going on the biblical understanding and role of women, so
please do not get offended if you see the words man or men quite often. This is not meant as
any offense to you, women are amazing and super great, the Bible just has not been the kindest
to women for thousands of years.
For any married couples reading, allow your definition and understand of love to expand even
beyond the love for your spouse. For any single people reading, you will find your spouse after
reading this book! (Just kidding, maybe, just know you are already loved more than you know).
For any parents with children, Gods love extends even beyond the love you felt that day in the
delivery room when you held your child for the very first time. As much love as you felt that
day, thats just a glimpse of how much you are truly loved.
It is one thing to read about this love, another to experience this love firsthand. The Bible tells us
about love, yet without experiencing that love you may have missed the message. Forget what
you know about love for a minute and read like you are falling in love for the first time. Lets
dive in to the message prepared for you and give God the credit and glory for loving the
unlovable, teaching the unteachable and reaching the unreachable!
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III. Prologue

It is the oldest book in history. The most printed, most sold, most stolen, most quoted, most
controversial, most loved and hated book of all time. It has been translated into more than 2,000
languages, with 40 different authors, been the source of inspiration for love, war, revolution,
prophecy, art, music, architecture, theology and society. That book is the Bible.
Isaac Newton said, I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane
history whatsoever. Abraham Lincoln said I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever
given to man. All the good of the Savior of the world is communicated to us through the Book.
Theodore Roosevelt said, a thorough understanding of the Bible is better than a college
education.
Mark Twain said it aint the parts of the Bible that I cant understand that bother me, its the
part that I do understand. George Washington said, it is impossible to rightly govern the world
without God and the Bible. Napoleon said, the Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature,
with a power that conquers all that oppose it.
In the most recent Gallup poll, 24% of Americans believe the Bible is the literal word of God.
26% believe the Bible is a book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.
47% believe the Bible is the inspired word of God but that not all of it should be taken literally.
For the first time in history, more people believe the Bible is myth than fact. 81% of Americans
said that morals are declining in America. What could be the cause of this?
20% claimed to have read the Bible in its entirety, 10% never have, 13% have read a few
sentences, 15% have read at least half, 12% have read almost the entire thing, 30% know a few
passages or stories. 9 in 10 households own a bible, with most owning at least 3. The most
common reasons for not reading are not prioritizing (27%), not enough time (15%) and already
read enough of it (13%).
If people were honest with themselves, the reason most do not read the Bible would look more
like: Dont find it relevant, difficult to understand, believe there are contradictions and errors,
science, too many shows to watch on Netflix, dont want to know, open to interpretation, dont
know where to start, bad experiences in the past, dont want to read a book of rules, afraid of
being held accountable, fear of what may happen if everything written is actually true.
Most people in the world would agree there is a higher power, yet we cant seem to all agree on
who that is. Pascals Wager illustrates a great point of the existence of God. Pascal argues that a
rational person should believe and live as though God exists. If it turns out you are wrong, you
lose out on possible finite pleasure, luxury, or whatever else you want. If you are right, then you
gain eternal life and gains. The alternative would mean the gain is finite pleasure, and the loss
would be eternal damnation and punishment. Lets not toss a coin with eternity at stake!
This book is not about damnation, rather salvation. The message is not one of a bigoted, narrow-
minded or judgmental told-ya-so finger pointing crusade; this is Gods love story. This book will
be unlike any you have ever read, guaranteed. To explain this point, lets talk about love.
Love
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With no intention of taking the mystery out of it, we can scientifically observe and quantify the
different stages of love. The first stage is the blissful infatuation stage. The term madly in love
ironically is fitting, since our brain chemistry is literally reshaped to the point where our
consciousness is altered. Dopamine is released in our brain, giving the feeling of bliss and that
light as a feather feeling. Norepinephrine is another chemical released that is similar to
adrenaline: your heart races, excitement builds, and you feel like you can do anything.
Serotonin, the chemical responsible for regulating mood balance, actually experiences a
deficiency when you are not around your love, leading to obsessive and compulsive behavior.
Your frontal cortex, or part of the brain responsible for decision making and logic, reduces
activity when near or thinking of someone you are extremely in love with. This means your brain
basically stops thinking clearly, and is perhaps why we overlook some things we shouldnt!
The relationship will naturally lead to the next stage, the mature love stage. At this point, those
awesome chemicals your brain was pumping out start to diminish. You stop getting that butterfly
in your stomach feeling every time you think about your partner. You start noticing they leave
the toilet seat up and didnt fold the laundry like you asked. Your frontal cortex resumes more
normal activity around each other, so at this point the relationship will continue to mature or end
its cycle.
If the relationship makes it past this point, the good news is the most real and rewarding love is
built. Suddenly, oxytocin and endorphins are mixed into the equation, your brain starts adjusting
to normal activity but with a heightened sense of intimacy. Unless actions are taken that
rejuvenate that flame, every love relationship risks losing that feeling of love, or the balance may
shift with one person not feeling the same as the other.
Please do not let this retract from the beauty of love! The point of going over this is to show the
biological and physiological effects of love to our bodies. As we can attest to, for better or worse,
we have either experienced or seen examples of this is in our lives. Love is the most powerful
drug, literally. The sheer chemical effects of love will stimulate more areas of the brain than the
most potent concoctions we can make.
Of course, this is only measuring the effects of love; its the how not the why behind love. If
your husband or wife were to ask you why you love them, answering that they make your brain
release awesome chemicals will not get the best reaction! It would be like saying you go to the
gym to lift heavy objects repeatedly in order for your motor neurons to replacing muscle fiber!
The mystery behind love is still intact. We cant logically explain the why behind love; sure, we
could come up with some good theories, but what if there was literally an answer to this
question? What if we were somehow created to be in love and be loved? What if from the
moment we came into this world, the need to love and be loved was there and never stopped?
In case you missed that, God created us to be in a love relationship with Him. God created us to
be loved by Him, and we were created to love Him. Maybe you were at one point, just like the
blissful infatuation stage, and you felt the spiritual high of being in love and loved by God.
Maybe something happened along the way and you fell out of love. Maybe you never have found
the right person yet (God), and have been burned so you keep your guard up.
Maybe you have been looking but cant seem to find Him. Maybe you already have a few
partners and want to keep your options open. Maybe you found Him and your love passed the
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initial stage and matured into a long-lasting partnership. Maybe you tell yourself youre better
off alone.
Regardless of where your love life is, know this: God has never stopped loving you. Let that sink
in for a minute: before you were born, the creator of Heaven and Earth has loved you with an
unimaginable love that dwarfs any explanation we have. Seems almost too good to be true you
might say, yet the oldest book in existence has revealed this truth to us. The Bible tells the most
epic romance novel of all time.
The amazing part is, this is a non-fiction novel. This is a 100% true story, written by God,
through man. Although something got lost in translation, Gods story has never changed. We
have changed, but God has not. The glasses we have been reading with may be the wrong size,
meaning, the lens we view the Bible from may have gotten distorted. If you are willing to try on
this new pair of custom made, heavenly glasses, you will begin to see and experience Gods love
like you did not think possible.
You will discover romance than any Nora Roberts heart-crusher, more serendipity than trying to
lose a guy in 10 days, more violence than any Targaryen or Lannister war, more enlightening
than taking the red pill, its pretty risky business, more thought provoking than any Stephen King
thriller, get ready to kick off your Sunday shoes, its time to start living on a prayer, lets go to
infinity and beyond!
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Chapter 1: Gods Timeline

In the Beginning
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Arguably the most recognized first sentence of any book in existence, Genesis 1:1 begins Gods
story. As with any story, we have diverse characters, plotlines, war, suspense, love, and just
about every example of human emotion possible.
We have stories of bravery, heaven, hell, angels and demons, supernatural and divine miracles,
animals talking, a worldwide flood, extinction of human kind save a few, truth, sin, sacrifice,
betrayal, glory, shame, blood, tears, redemption, grace, strife, peace, and everything in between.
There is one major story within all the stories of the bible, and thats Gods story. Its a love
story actually, and its the story of us. Its the why behind it all. And the more we understand
who God is, the deeper connection you will have with this love story.
Heres the thing about Gods story: The scope goes beyond our human understanding. Every
story has a beginning and an end, an alpha and omega. Luckily through Gods word, we are
given a beginning in Genesis and an ending in Revelation, yet Gods love is saturated between
every page.
The biggest mistake we can make with Gods story is reading with the wrong lens. If you have
ever put another persons glasses on before, your sight may have been blurry and even caused
your head to hurt. Lets make sure we use prayer and discernment properly, to make sure we are
neither nearsighted or farsighted. Time to put on our heavenly glasses and read Gods love story
through a His lens!
Before continuing onward, lets say this prayer together to make sure we grasp the full meaning
of Gods love story.
Father God, open my mind to the words and verses I am about to read. Help me feel your true,
perfect and unconditional love. Guide me through these pages and open my eyes my ears and my
heart to your truth. Amen!

Elephant in the Room

There is a story about three blind men and an elephant; before you ask, thing is not a bad
punchline to a joke! The story goes like this:
Three blind men walk up to an elephant. The first blind man grabs the elephants leg and says
behold, a tree trunk. The second blind man grabs the elephants ear and says behold, a fan.
The third blind man grabs the elephants tail and says behold, a rope.
Now, we could take that parable much further, but the point is that the blind men were all wrong.
Even though they each held a part of the elephant in their hands, each man was justified in his
own right to think he was grabbing either a tree, fan or rope.
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How often we are blind to the giant elephants in our lives! The hands we get dealt in life often
appear to be the trees, ropes and fans that the blind men overlooked. What if being passed on that
promotion at work is actually the chance God has given you to pursue your passion? What if
coming home to crayons on the wall is your childs love letter that you mistakenly took for a
declaration of war?
Hindsight is great, right? Of course we know the blind men all had a piece of the truth, but they
were all off. What about the elephants in our lives, do you think we have perfect vision to see
them for what they are every time? To address the elephant in the room (pun intended), we are
blind to most of Gods elephants he sends us.
Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not
hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive.
(Matthew 13:13-14)
Jesus elaborates more in the next two verses by saying how peoples hearts have waxed gross,
and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should
be converted and I should heal them.
From Jesuss explanation, if we truly saw and heard and felt, we would be too convicted and the
feels would be too extreme. Looking at his ministry, Jesus certainly had followers who did see,
hear and feel, but most did not want to accept His message: Gods message.
What if we truly did have ears to hear, eyes to see, and understood with our hearts the depth and
scope of Gods love for us? The reason for this is we cant, at least not in the conventional sense.
We feel love from our parents when we are young, we hear the sound of thunder and know rain
is coming, we see the seed sprouting and the harvest will be here soon.
These are physical manifestations of what we know, yet what about spiritually? The short answer
is no, we are not always spiritually seeing, listening and feeling. In fact, more often than not, our
spiritual senses are dead and we are exactly like those blind men grasping at the elephant.
In order to open our spiritual heart to understand, lets ask God! Once you understand that God is
for you and answers prayers, the first step of spiritual awareness comes into fruition. This is in
fact the only way, just as in John 15:5 when Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the
branches. If we want to produce fruit we must remain attached to the vine, otherwise we can do
nothing. The first step is to ask our Heavenly Father. If you are unsure of a good way to start,
take a minute and pray this prayer aloud or to yourself now. Please do not skip this step, as we
cannot expect divine understanding without divine intervention!
Dear Heavenly Father, you are Holy. Thank you for creating the heaven and earth, for creating
me and loving me. Thank you for loving me so much you sent your Son Jesus, my savior, my
redeemer, my messiah. I ask right now that you would open my eyes to see your truth. I ask in the
name of Jesus that you would open my ears to hear your message. And Father, please send your
Holy Spirit to help my heart understand. Please wash my robes in your blood, bless this message
and speak Truth into my life. In Jesus mighty and precious name, amen!
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The Word becomes flesh and he made dwelling among us We have seen his Glory, the Glory of
the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of Grace and Truth. (John 1:14)
He saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because his mercy. He saved
us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy spirit. (Titus 3:5)
Epoch
We have such an amazing God, yes! Okay, before we move on to the next chapter of Gods
story, let's first understand what an epoch is. An epoch (e-pock) is a period of time, simple as
that. An epoch is marked by certain events and characteristics, with no necessary connection
from one epoch to another. This is important to understand since Gods story covers multiple
epochs and misunderstanding epochs leads to confusion, misinterpretation and frustration.
Is there any thing of which it may be said, See, this is new? it has been already of old time, which
was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any
remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. (Ecclesiastes 1:10-11)
For example, the wild west was an epoch of the United States characterized by westward
expansion, discovering gold, cowboys, railroads, outlaws and the whole manifest destiny
mindset. See how this period of time is marked by events and characteristics different from
today? If we looked at the epoch right before that, the United States was in a brutal civil war.
Without the knowledge of epochs and of course hindsight, if you were to tell a confederate
soldier that he would be working side by side with a Yankee on a transcontinental railroad in
mere years, do you think he would believe you? Would be even be able to grasp that notion?
Here is where the Holy Spirit comes in and allows us to break free of the boxed view we have on
time. What if we lived in the time of Noah? Well, that would not be a good thing since God tells
us that the entire earth was corrupt and mans every thought was evil. Besides that fact, do you
think someone living in that time could grasp mobile computing and software programming?
Listen carefully please, because there is a very important point being made here. We dont even
understand fully Noahs epoch. We are not familiar with fallen angels roaming around,
copulating with women and birthing 30ft giants. We dont understand that time period, because
we cant see or hear this without the aid of the Holy Spirit. That epoch is completely foreign to
us, and our minds struggle to grasp those concepts.
Heres the thing: our epoch is one of many. In fact, on Gods timeline, we on the cusp on a new
epoch. Unless you can connect the epochs on Gods calendar, unless you can distinguish the
characteristics and events of each epoch, you will be doing mental gymnastics trying to fit a
square peg in a round hole. Just like the blind men grasping randomly, we will not be able to see
the elephant standing right in front of us.
Strap in, say another prayer, and lets read Gods love story together!
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Chapter 2: Creation

The creation epoch is Genesis chapter 1. We have the least amount of information on this epoch,
yet the most happened. In fact, literally everything was created in the 7 day period accounted for
in Genesis. Depending on your interpretation of Genesis, one day to God can be 1000 years and
1,000 years as a day.
Semantics aside, however long the 7 day period was in human terms, God completed his
creation. In fact, Genesis 2:2 tells us on the seventh day God ended his work which he had
made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
On day one, God said let there be light. He separated the light from the darkness, calling the
light day and the darkness night. This is the fundamental principle of counting what a day is, so it
makes sense the first day would start with the creation of day and night.
Day 2 God created heaven and earth. Day 3 God created all the seas and oceans, the lands and
mountains and every tree and plant species; day 3 was a busy day! Day 4 God created the sun,
moon and stars. Day 5 God created all flying animals and sea creatures. Day 6 God created all
land animals, as well as man. Day 7 God rested.
So without putting any limits or restrictions on God, He was done creating. Genesis tells us God
ended his creation work, and even rested afterwards as an acknowledgement of completing His
work. This epoch must have been wild! Imagine God as a passionate artist in front of a blank
canvas just going to town with bold brushstrokes and a pallet of every color, painting his
masterpiece that ended with the creation of Adam and Eve.
The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the Ground and breathed into his nostrils the
Breath of Life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
This epoch is abstract to our human minds and characterized by the creation of the universe as
we know it, known and unknown. Every planet and star was breathed into existence, the waters
were separated from the waters, land came into existence, oceans and seas became distinct, every
animal that flies, stomps, crawls and slithers was created. And then man.
He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, and stretched
out the heaven by His understanding. (Jeremiah 51:15)
For us personally, this epoch is ironically the easiest and most complicated epoch to understand.
Easy to understand because of how straightforward the creation account is. Every day God spoke
and something new was created. Literally the entire known and unknown universe was spoken
into creation, down to the microorganisms invisible to the naked eye.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen
was made from things that are not visible. (Hebrews 11:3)
The reason this epoch is so complicated is due to there being no way for us to even wrap our
heads around this. God is Logos, the word, since God spoke everything into creation, and
literally spoke into existence everything.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. (John 1:1)
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; by His
knowledge the depths were broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew. (Proverbs 3:19-20)
So needless to say, this epoch was huge and the only person in this epoch was God. This
humbles me to the core, and is a perfect example of what fearing God is. Fearing God is more
than just being afraid, its being in awe of the amazing scope, power and majesty of our Lord.
Its realizing how big God is and how small we are. And then we get to the part where we find
out how much God love us! Without giving more away, before we move on, please make sure
you take a minute to thank God for His creation!
Who is this who darkens counsel, by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a
man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations
of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or
who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its
cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job
38:2-7)
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Chapter 3: Eden

Paradise. That is the word that describes the epoch after creation. Just like how the creation
epoch is covered in only one chapter, the Edenian epoch is covered in a single chapter, Genesis
2. Not to confuse you, but there is an overlap of Genesis 2 with Genesis chapter 1. The Eden
scene happened inside Genesis 1 and provides a parallel account of what happened on day 6.
At the end of every day of creation, God saw that everything He created was Good. And when
God uses the word Good, we are talking about a whole other level of good. When God says
something is good, we are talking about 1,000 times greater than any good we can come up with.
Following on the heels of the creation epoch, it makes perfect sense that the Edenian epoch
would be just as amazing. The term Edenian refers to the period of time in the garden of Eden,
the land God prepared and made for man. This garden was paradise, no sin, the way God
intended.
Lets go to scripture to confirm this. Genesis 2:8-9 tells us the Lord God planted a garden
eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made
the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; and the tree of
life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God told Adam to have at it, tend to the garden, eat anything he wanted, besides the fruit from
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, else he would die. So God personally planted this
amazing garden for Adam, giving him the keys to paradise, with the only restriction being not to
eat from one tree.
In Genesis 2:19, we find out that out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the
field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them.
And whatever Adam called every living creature, that was their name.
This part is often overlooked, but in case you missed that, Adam named every single animal!
How cool that must have been, God showing off his creation to Adam and allowed Adam the
privilege of naming them. And here I struggle to name a pet goldfish or article, Adam thought up
a name for every single animal! Way to go Adam!
Keep in mind, we cannot let the context of our current epoch limit our understanding of past
epochs. The animals we see today pale in comparison to Gods original creation. We are talking
about dinosaurs and every type of creature we have seen in fossils, and only God knows what
else was there. All the creation that took place prior to this was setting the stage for the pinnacle
of His creation: man.
At this point in time, the only human God had created was Adam. So there was a time in the
Edenian epoch where God and Adam were just chilling together. Not to downplay the
significance of this, but God and Adam were in fellowship together. God strolled through the
garden with Adam and taught him everything he knew.
As Adam was naming all these animals, he had to have noticed how they came in pairs, male and
female. Adam must have witnessed procreation and seen families together. I imagine a moment
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where Adam is looking around in the midst of the animals, then looks at himself, and realizes
there is no female for him. This must have been difficult for Adam to understand as he saw there
was no mate for himself, yet there was a pair of every other animal.
This was around the same time God noticed as well, so he caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam
then took a rib from him and created woman. God walked over with Eve and Adam said, this is
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken
out of man. (Genesis 2:23)
Adam is actually the one who says that, so he must have just continued the naming spree he was
on and just goes ahead and names her woman! The story in my head is hilarious as I read this
scripture, just imagining God leading this newly formed woman over to Adam and him just
naming her!
Regardless, the bible tells us that both of them were naked and they were not ashamed. Since
there was no sin in the world, there was no concept of nakedness, fear, shame, loss,
disappointment, anger, no concept of wrong. The only concept was living with a very real God
who personally walked with Adam and Eve in fellowship.
Although scripture is a bit limited on this epoch, one thing is clear: This is the world God created
for mankind. This is my favorite epoch looking back, since we see Gods love for us. God
created this perfect world for mankind, and as much as we try to imagine this, our imagination is
tainted by sin so that even the absolute best thing we can imagine pales in comparison to the
world God created.
So to recap, the Edenian epoch is characterized by the garden of Eden, Adam, Eve, paradise,
fellowship with God, pure ecstasy. The only reason why this epoch ended was the choice Adam
and Eve made to disobey God and eat of the one tree God told Adam not to eat of.
Choice
If you are wondering why God even placed that one restriction on Adam, the answer is simple:
Free will. Choice. God did not create robots programmed to obey with no notion of free will, He
made us out of love. And love requires choice otherwise its not love.
You my brothers were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature
rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13)
God could have created the entire garden with every tree, minus the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. Without getting into a theologically discussion on the importance of knowledge of good
and evil, the point is God placed that tree there to give Adam the choice of obeying God. We
were created to love God and to be loved by God, and without the choice of free will, that would
be impossible.
Have you ever had a pet that you absolutely loved, but they didnt quite love you the same? I
remember when I was 7, my family had a cat named Blossom that I absolutely adored. For
anyone who has ever had a cat, you know that forcing your love on them does not always work
how you expect!
I would take Blossom into my room and close the door so she wouldnt be able to run away. She
would hide under the bed or in the corner of the room, and every time I would get close to pick
 17

her up, my open arms were met with scratches and hissing. Hard as I tried to get this cat to love
me, my frustration was met with tears and eventually hopelessness.
After witnessing my well intentioned yet failed attempt at getting this cat to love me, my parents
told me that I couldnt force Blossom to love me, I had to let her come to me on her own terms.
As disappointed as I was, I stopped my love assault and gave her space. I would see Blossom
walk by, and instead of running over and trying to pick her up, I would stretch out my hand and
she would slowly come over rub against me. Then it clicked.
I had to give my cat the choice to love me. Picking up and hugging was replaced with laser
pointers and catnip. I would leave my door open and she would come in and hop on the bed with
me. All of a sudden, I had a purring and loving cat on me, and it happened when I stopped
forcing it.
In the same way, God is the over-loving 7-year-old and we are the rebellious and independent
cat. Gods love story would not be possible if the option of choosing love was not there. In the
same way God created His masterpiece with every color in the spectrum, God created paradise
and gave Adam the choice of obeying and loving God.
If the Edenian epoch is unclear at all, please go straight to Genesis chapter 2. As much as we
would like to end the story there, as we know, this was only the beginning. Although the love
story did not end, the world changed completely and we entered into the 3rd epoch, which was
the consequence of disobeying God.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him but their
thinking became futile and their hearts were darkened. (Roman 1:21)
The labor of the righteous tends to life; the fruit of the wicked tends to sin. (Proverbs 10:16)
 18

Chapter 4: Sin

Who told you that you were naked? Asked God, even though He already knew the answer.
This question serves as the basis for the next epoch we will call the pre-flood period, meaning
before the flood. This was a changed world riddled with sin, thanks to that crafty serpent and
Adam and Eves choice to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
In the first two epochs, we see how Gods love story started. We see a loving, powerful, and
relational God who set up a perfect world. Often people question how a loving God could create
a world where more than 17,000 children a day starve to death, where natural disasters wipe out
entire communities, where pain, suffering, persecution and death seem like inevitable fates.
Questions like this challenge the faith of many believers, and outright prevents others from
accepting the love of God. Now that we look at the world God created, we see that there is
nothing further from the truth. The truth is God did not create this broken world we live in today.
God created a perfect world with the intention of sharing it hand-in-hand with his creation, us.
Yet that is not what we see today.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
Now, lets go back to Adam and Eve. Their choice to disobey God led to sin entering the world.
This is where things went sideways. This is where we see the page of Gods love poem ripped,
stained by the iniquity of disobedience. This is where it all went downhill.
When God confronted Adam and Eve in the garden, we witness raw human nature unfold. Lets
go to Genesis Chapter 3 to see firsthand how this story unfolds. Once the serpent deceived Eve,
she grabbed the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, and ate. She then gave the fruit to Adam
and he ate.
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed
fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. So until this point, Adam and Eve were just
walking around completely nude, but now they were aware of their nudity. They felt shame, and
immediately covered themselves.
Then all of a sudden, they heard God walking in the garden. Now instead of running towards
God, they ran away and hid themselves from the presence of God. The only place they could
hide was in the trees. Then God called out and asked where they were, even though He already
knew.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
God confronted Adam and asked for an explanation. Did Adam man up, admit responsibility and
apologize? Unfortunately no, he blamed Eve and God. In Adams words, he said, the woman
who you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat. Adam pulled a classy move
here and said yeah God, the woman who you gave me, yeah she gave me the fruit and I ate it. So
Adam pushed the blame to Eve, and indirectly God, by implying that it was Gods fault for
making woman in the first place.
 19

Then God turned to Eve for an explanation, and she admitted she ate the fruit, right? Nope, she
also passed the blame, this time to the serpent for deceiving her. So the finger pointing went
from Adam, to Eve, and to the serpent. How often do we point the finger in our own lives,
instead of admitting our own mistakes! Thanks a lot Adam and Eve!
Once we get past the blame, we get to the punishment. Keep in mind, when God gave the
command to not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 2:17, God
told this to Adam before Eve has been created. This is big, did you catch that? Because this is
important in understanding the why behind the punishment. God gave his command to Adam,
not Eve. So as a matter of responsibly, Adam was told directly from God not to eat, whereas Eve
was told by Adam of the command.
The biggest responsibly fell onto Adam in this case, since he was told directly from God. Eve
knew of the command, yet was not told directly from God, only from Adam. So when it comes
time to dish out punishment, they are both guilty, yet more weight falls unto Adam.
Now, once God heard their excuses, He went into judgement mode and dished out the
punishment, starting with the serpent. God did not even give the serpent an opportunity to
respond, He went straight to the punishment.
The LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you above all
livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all
the days of your life. (Genesis 3:14)
We associate the serpent with being a snake, but the serpent becomes the snake we know of, only
after the punishment of God. If the serpent had to slither on his belly now, what did that mean
beforehand? Did the serpent have legs to walk upright prior to this? Arms that hung from the
branches of trees? Food for thought here, the point is whatever deceived Eve in the garden did
not look like any serpent or snake we see today. What we see today is a result of Gods
punishment for deceiving man.
God also said that there will be an enmity, or hatred, between the serpent and the woman and her
offspring. The serpent will shall bruise his heel but he will bruise his head. God basically sets a
standard that serpent and mankind will forever be at odds with one another, all thanks to that
fateful day in the garden.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he
shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
Now came Eves turn for punishment. God told Eve that He will greatly multiply her sorrow
and her conception; in sorrow she shall bring forth children. If we go back to the original
Hebrew translation, the word sorrow is two different words. The first sorrow is translated from
( ) which means pain, labor, hardship, sorrow and toil. The second sorrow is translated from
( ) which means earthly vessel, or painful toil and pain of grief of mind.
So in essence, we see that having children is now going to be sorrowful for women, in every
sense of the word. God doesnt say that prior to this there was no pain or toil, but that He will
greatly multiply her sorrow in childbirth. So for all the women out there, the reason having
children is so painful and sorrowful can be traced back to Eves punishment.
 20

The second part of Eves punishment is more extreme. In the same verse, God told Eve that her
desire shall be to her husband, and he will rule over her. To any womens rights activists
reading this, please do not jump to any conclusions. This is not a political statement, these are
Gods words to Eve. Because Eve was the one to eat first, her eyes were opened first. Already
having the knowledge of good and evil, Eve chose to give the fruit to Adam. In light of her
knowingly corrupting Adam, her punishment was the consequence of dragging Adam into sin.
Now lets read what Adams punishment was. God told Adam because you have listened to the
voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, you shall not
eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles shall bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of
your face shall you eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for
dust you are, and unto dust shall you return. (Genesis 3:17-19)
Lets take a brief pause here, that was a lot to take in. God sure can bless, and he sure can punish.
Lets break this down, because this is mankinds punishment. Beautiful, sorrowful yet
righteously justified, Gods punishment for Adam was the most detailed and thorough.
The first thing God told Adam is that he listened to the voice of his wife. God acknowledged that
Adam did not walk up to the tree himself and pluck the fruit off. That being said, Adam did
know the fruit his wife offered was the forbidden fruit. And he chose to eat regardless, which
makes us wonder what was going through Adams mind. Brings a whole new meaning to till
death do us part!
Yes, Adam chose to listen to the voice of his wife, but God points out that He told Adam
specifically not to eat of it. That brings us back to the previous statement about Adam bearing
more responsibility, since the direct command was given to Adam. So knowing that, the next
part should come as no shock.
Cursed ground, thorns and thistles, sweat on his face. Dust he is and dust he shall return. If this
part seems harsh, realize that the consequence of sin is death. God warned Adam that the day he
ate of the tree, he would die. Although Adam did not peel over and die right after he ate, this
punishment shows the death he is faced with. Since God had made Adam out of dust, breathing
the breath of life into him, was God not justified to return him right back to dust? From an
eternal perspective, God let off Adam lightly since God would be within all rights to destroy
Adam right then and there.
Fortunately, this part of Gods love story shows another side of God. Imagine a child that is
never told no, never disciplined or corrected when making a grievous error. If a parent witnessed
that behavior and did nothing to correct it, would that really be loving them? The answer is no,
and we will find many more examples in scripture that point to discipline and correction as
Godly necessities. The first example of Godly discipline is found here, where God punished
Adam for disobedience.
So lets recap: the serpents punishment is being cursed above all animals and must now slither
on its belly and eat dust. There is an enmity between serpent and woman. Womans punishment
is great sorrow in childbirth, and her desire will be towards man and will be ruled over by him.
Adams punishment is cursed ground where he must toil by the sweat of his brow for all of his
days.
 21

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: My son, do not
make light of the Lords discipline, and do not lose heart when rebuked you, because the lord
disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as sons. (Hebrew 12:5-6)
Although these punishments may seem harsh, when we look through Gods eyes we will see the
punishment as nothing less than perfect. And just like with any parent, as mad as you may get,
you still unconditionally will love your child, even through the disappointment and anger.
We see God the loving father immediately after cursing them, when God personally made coats
for both Adam and Eve before banishing them from the garden. So we see the loving hand of
God in the midst of the evil they had unleashed into the world. As with any great story, there has
to be conflict, some struggle or adversity to overcome, in order for good to triumph over evil.
And in Gods love story, Adam set the stage and unleashed the beginning of what will be the
biggest plotline ever!
Here and I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)
Before moving on, lets take a minute and pray. The information we have gone over is very
thick, so make sure to give your body enough time to digest the part of the meal before moving
on. The part we just discussed is referred to as the original sin, or fall of man. We went from
absolute perfection, paradise and glory to sin, shame and punishment. Because we cannot
imagine a world without sin, it takes some divine creativity to understand how far we have fallen
and how deep the sins of Adam and Eve impact us. Because we are all descendants, the same
curse God gave to Adam and Eve is the same curse that we have been born into. This doesnt
mean God loves us any less, just realize that we will not be able to truly understand the world
how it was intended until sin is erased. So lets thank our Heavenly Father for being a holy,
loving and omnipotent God whose storyline is written far wider than we comprehend!
 22

Chapter 5: Pre-Flood

Be fruitful and multiply: this is the theme of the next chapter in Gods love story, starting with
God commanding Adam and Eve to reproduce and fill the earth. For all those left brained readers
out there, the time of creation is linked to approximately 4100 BC. Since humans lived 900+
years back in those days, the duration of the pre-flood epoch lasts approximately 1,600 years,
with the flood occurring around 2500 BC.
Once Cain murdered his brother Abel, Eve conceived Seth, which is the offspring God blessed
with his covenant. Keep in mind, the earth was populated completely back then, just like it is
today. The descendants God mentioned in Genesis began the holy line that we can trace to today.
Remember, the bible goes over 1600 years in the first 6 chapters of the bible. That does not leave
a lot of room to elaborate, so we are given just the important parts.
So this holy branch of the family tree we can trace, all the way up to the flood. We have Seth,
who had Enos, who had Cainan, then Mahalaleel, then Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and
finally Noah. So here we have 9 descendants of Adam that lead to Noah. Genesis tells us exactly
how long they lived, and how old they were when they had their descendants. As mentioned, this
period lasted approximately 1600 years and was enough time for the entire world to populate.
In elementary school we were taught about Pangea, or when the entire world was one land mass,
one giant continent. Well, this was during the pre-flood epoch where the descendants of Adam
roamed. Unfortunately, those 9 descendants were not the only people on the earth. In fact, they
made up such a small remnant that Noah and his family were the only people in the entire world
who were not corrupt.
Lets go to scripture for some clarity on the matter. Genesis 6:1-2 tell us that when men began to
multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw
the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. Lets
go to verse 4 where we find out that there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after
that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them,
the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Sons of God. In case you didnt catch that, the bible is telling us the sons of God took wives from
the sons of man and had giants and men of renown. This is where we must look through Gods
lens to understand the significance of this part. Who were the sons of God? The short answer is:
fallen angels.
In the angelic hierarchy, we have the Archangels at the top, consisting of Michael, Gabriel,
Suriel and Uriel. Under archangel, we have Cherubim and Seraphim. These angels are assigned
to guarding the tree of life, the ark of the covenant, and are in the throne room mentioned in the
book of revelation. Lucifer was a Cherubim who decided to exalt himself above God, which
didnt work out too well for him. In fact, from reading Ezekiel and Isaiah, we find out Lucifer
deceived a third of the angels and they were cast out of heaven. The names of those angels are
classified as Nephilim, meaning fallen.
 23

So now that we understand more about angels, when we go back to Genesis and read about the
sons of God, what that really means is angelic being, or Nephilim. Connecting the dots, we come
to find out these fallen angels impregnated human women, and they had hybrid children: half
man, half angel.
For those of you wanting more information about this, the book of Enoch is a great source.
Enoch was the great grandfather of Noah, and Genesis 5:24 tells us that Enoch walked with God:
and he was not, for God took him. Basically, Enoch lived for 365 years, then God took him up to
heaven and thats it!
So Enoch was such a holy man that God saved him from death by literally zooming him up to
heaven when the time came. In case you were wondering, the book of Enoch was a widely read
and authoritative holy text all the way up to the birth of Jesus. Please research this further, Enoch
is a brilliant text that fills in the gaps for this time period.
Regardless of your belief of Enoch, the point is these fallen angels completely corrupted
mankind. Not only genetically, but the Nephilim taught man all the secrets of heaven, including
charms and spells, astrology, cutting of roots and tree (drugs), how to make weapons and armor,
and the art of making bracelets, ornaments and precious stones.
Long story short, these Nephilim taught mankind all these secrets and corrupted them. Ever
wonder how Stonehenge came to be? What about the lost city of Atlantis? What about lost
civilizations we read about, that seemed to be advanced well beyond their time? Dinosaurs? All
these seemingly unexplainable phenomena suddenly become explainable when looking through
Gods lens.
Regardless of your willingness to accept this explanation, the important part is that mankind was
completely corrupt. Thanks to almost two thousand years of intermingling of Nephilim and man,
the bible tells us that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
(Genesis 6:6)
Remember the world God created for Adam? The perfect paradise and sinless world where God
walked side by side with his creation? Well, this world now looked nothing like that, to the point
where God was sorry He had ever created man. It was so bad the Lord said, I will destroy man
whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man and beast and creeping thing, and the
birds of the air, for it has repented me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:7)
The next verse tells us, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Have you ever wondered
why Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord? What did he do that was so different than
everyone else? The bible doesnt give us much of an explanation, other than Genesis 7:1 where
God said to Noah that He had seen him as righteous before Him in his generation.
If we look back into the book of Enoch, there is a section called the book of Noah, which is
attributed to Noah during the time right before the flood. We find out Enoch was told from the
Lord that he was without reproach, with love and uprightness. He did not corrupt himself with
the forbidden knowledge and did not partake of the wickedness of the time. In fact, Noah
preached to the wicked generation to repent of their ways. He preached that Gods judgement
was coming to earth, and unless they repented they would all perish. Think they listened?
 24

Here is where we have to respect Noah, because he was probably considered a crazy person to
everyone in his day. God gave Noah instructions to build the ark, and Noah obeyed. Scripture
does not tell us exactly how long it took Noah to build the ark, yet through deduction we find it
took approximately 40 years to build. Think about that for a minute, for 40 years Noah was
building a 450 ft boat in the middle of the desert. Do you think he looked a little crazy? Think he
heard every insult, mockery and blasphemy under the sun?
Lets pause here for a minute to appreciate the fortitude and courage of Noah. If only we had the
courage Noah did during his time. Regardless of what everyone thought of him, he stuck to his
convictions and mission in front of him. If we apply the same principles to our own lives, we
have to be crazy like Noah. We have to be obedient, regardless of what others think. If you are
not crazy, maybe its time to pray for some crazy boldness like Noah!
Once the rains started pouring from heaven, Noah did not appear so crazy. In fact, once the
animals had entered the ark and the rains started, Noah and his family entered into the ark and
shut the doors. For seven days, the rain did not relent and only got worse. In fact, the same
people who turned away from Noahs message were the same people who came running towards
the ark for safety once the realized he was right.
Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. (Genesis 7:6)
For thus says the Lord GOD: When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited,
when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you. (Ezekiel 26:19)
The inhabitants of the earth ran to the ark, repenting, begging to be let in. But it was too late. The
rain did not stop, and for 40 days it poured, flooding the entire earth with water. There was not a
single dry piece of land, and the only life preserved was found in the ark. Can you imagine what
it must have been like inside that ark? The book of Jubilees (another widely accepted holy text
back in the day) tells us for 150 days water prevailed on the face of the earth.
Noahs Ark Discovered
Eventually, the water receded and the ark ended up on the mountains of Ararat, modern day
Turkey. For those of you reading who have a hard time accepting this, in 2010 the ark was
actually discovered exactly where scripture said it would be. It was the exact length of 300 cubits
(450 feet) and made from gopher wood, the same wood God instructed Noah to build the ark
from!
If you are wondering why this is not a bigger deal than it should be, realize that the ruler of this
world, Satan, hates it when Gods glory is revealed. Do you think the secular world was willing
to admit this truth? That would mean willing to admit the bible is true, and would mean every
single scientist who proposes the big bang theory of creation, believing we evolved from
monkeys, would be wrong. It would mean admitting God is right. So what did the secular world
have to say about this discovery?
Of course they said this was not the ark, and their reason was the carbon dating (C-14) said this
was not from the right time period. These are the same scientists who claim the earth is 540
million years old. Now, I am not a scientist and for any professionals in this field, please forgive
the simple explanation. The short answer is the formula used in carbon dating is based on the C-
14 dating is based on the half-life, or decay rate, of the carbon atoms. With their current formula,
 25

the carbon found in the wood says it is between 20,000-50,000 years old! Going on our biblical
timeline, the earth has not been around a fraction of that time, so either the bible or science is
wrong.
This is where many Christians experience a crisis of faith. We are smart people, we recognize the
natural laws of the world and can prove fundamental truths through science. So how can we
reconcile seemingly contradictory information? Seriously though, the flood is such a
fundamental aspect of Gods story that without accepting the flood as truth, everything else does
not make sense. It would be like trying to complete a puzzle without the largest corner piece.
You can never complete the entire picture without this piece, so bear with me and I will show
you how it is possible to be a scientific and bible believing Christian!
Carbon- 14 dating is used to date once living things. Carbon is in all organic material (living
things), and there are three variations of carbon isotopes: C-12, C-13 and C-14. Carbon 12 and
13 are stable, whereas carbon 14 is unstable (radioactive). This means eventually carbon 14 will
decay, or a neutron in the C-14 atom will be converted into a proton. So the C-14 atom gains a
proton and loses a neutron, meaning eventually a C-14 atom will change to N-14 (nitrogen- 14).
Once a living creature dies, it stops taking in C-14. So the concept of carbon dating rests on
measuring the amount of C-14 remaining. There are two variables that need to be known: the
decay rate of C-14 and the starting amount of C-14 in the creature when it died. Decay rate is
measured by half-life, the time it takes for half the atoms to decay. Since we know the half-life of
C-14 is 5,730 years, the only other variable we need to know is the starting amount of carbon.
Remember the stable carbon isotopes C-12 and C-13? Well C-12 and C-14 are found in all living
creatures, and since C-12 is stable, that amount will not decay and remain constant. So there will
be a ratio of C-12 to C-14 equal to that of the environment. Not to get too complicated, but
basically for every one C-14 atom, there are approximately one trillion C-12 atoms. Scientists
will use this ratio to determine the starting amount of C-14.
Here is a chart to help understand.
 26

This is the bread and butter, the fundamental cornerstone of carbon dating. The creator of carbon
dating, Dr. Willard Libby, assumed a couple different things when he created this system. He
assumed that the ratio of C-14 to C-12 in the atmosphere has always been the same as it is today.
Dr. Libby was an evolutionist who believed the earth was billions of years old.
Heres the thing: the amount of C-14 being produced in the atmosphere must equal the decay rate
in order to be considered in equilibrium. If the C-14 production rate is not in equilibrium, that
would mean this entire formula, the ratio of C-14 to C-12, would be completely wrong! The
entire basis for carbon dating would be completely null and void if there was no balance.
Imagine a seesaw, with C-14 on one end and C-12 on the other. They would need to be
completely balanced in order for this equation to work. If all of a sudden the C-14 side was not
constant, the seesaw would tip and there would be no equilibrium. The whole thing would be
wrong.
Dr. Libby knew this, and he was troubled when he discovered the atmosphere was not in
equilibrium. To justify the discrepancy, he claimed that since the earth was billions of years old,
and if the earth started with no C-14 in the atmosphere, it would take 30,000 years to get into
equilibrium. He attributed the non-equilibrium state to experimental error, and said hey, enough
time has passed for the earth to get back into equilibrium. No big deal, dont worry about it, just
ignore this part.
Well heres the thing: This means the entire premise behind carbon dating is wrong! The ratio of
C-14 to C-12 is NOT constant, and we cannot just write off the explanation by saying, eh, 30,000
years just eventually fixes it. How can we assume this, when the bible tells us the earth is not
even of that age!
If that was not enough to convince you, how about the magnetic field of the earth? That field
around our planet that protects us from space radiation and cosmic rays, yes that magnetic field.
It has always remained constant, right? Actually no, it is decaying and has been getting weaker
for thousands of years. Even just from 1845 until now, our magnetic field has weakened by 10%!
That is just the past 200 years when this started getting measured!
The rate that C-14 enters our atmosphere is directly correlated to the strength of our magnetic
field. If that field was weakened, more cosmic rays would enter earths atmosphere, causing less
C-14 to be produced. That would mean the decay rate of C-14 would also be wrong, if literally
the rate C-14 being produced has been decreasing significantly.
Now that we are aware of two fundamental errors that invalidate the entire carbon dating
process, lets see how the great flood would have impacted the planet. You know that gas we put
into our cars? That is fossil fuel: fossils. As in fossils of once living things, creatures with carbon
in them, including plants. The same fuel we use to run our world is actually the remnants of the
flood that were buried in the earth. By looking at fossil fuel records, we can prove there was
significantly more vegetation in the world than today. That would mean the biosphere at the time
of the flood had more than 500 times the amount of carbon than today!
So how can C-14 dating be the most widely accepted method for dating fossils, if there are 3
huge and fundamental errors that invalidate the time period placed on the earth? Well for one,
the secular scientific world looks through the lens of evolution, whereas we have Gods lens to
see through, thanks to the bible. The same secular community who believes we evolved from the
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primordial ooze as a cosmic accident, a genetic mutation, must be able to explain the world to
support a view of the earth with no God or intelligent design.
Secondly, many Christians will shy away from challenging the current views, either from lack of
knowledge, fear of looking stupid and not being able to provide an intelligent answer to these
objections. Simply saying because the bible says so will get scornful looks, condescending
laughter and fill in the blank. Now that we can scientifically refute objections to creation, flood
and the earth not being as old as they think, watch what the truth does. The truth is a powerful
weapon.
Thank you for going to science class with me, hopefully now you feel a bit smarter and confident
enough to believe that the flood really did happen. Because this part of Gods love story is
fundamental in understanding His plan and timeline. Ask yourself if you believe In Gods history
book or mans history book. Do you think God would purposely try and make this confusing for
us? He wants us to know, wants us to appreciate his glory and majesty, wants to show his power
and omnipotence.
The flood really did happen. We really did discover the remains of the ark. It was really exactly
where God said it was, and it was really the exact size God instructed Noah to build. All life
really was wiped out from the face of the earth. The earth really was once one giant landmass,
and broke up into the continents we have today. There really were giants, fallen angels and a
civilization more advanced than ours today. Solomon, the guy the bible says was the wisest man
who ever was or will be, had this to say:
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing
new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Starting to click now?
Thank you Lord for divine understanding. Thank you for your Word, for absolute truth, for
giving us the roadmap to life. Thank you for eyes to see, ears to hear, and for and understanding
mind. Please increase our faith to the point where we truly understand that every word you
wrote is true, and that everything you said you did really did happen. And thank you for proving
that every word you tell us about what will happen, actually will come to pass. Thank you!
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. (Matthew 24:35)
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Chapter 6: Post Flood

Fresh canvas, clean slate, new earth. This new epoch began the earth as we see it today. Noah
and his family were the sole survivors of the previous civilization, and from this family the world
began repopulating, leading to the creation and birth of you and me. So everyone in the world is
related, from Adam, all the way through Noah, and then eventually from his three sons Shem,
Ham, and Japheth.
Once the water resided and Noahs family exited the ark, the first thing Noah did was built an
altar. He sacrificed the clean animals brought on the ark, as an offering and sacrifice to God.
Because of Noahs faithful obedience, God blessed Noah and his sons, commanding them to be
fruitful, multiply, and repopulate the earth.
God gave Noah his blessing and commandment to have dominion over every animal and every
seed-bearing plant. Then God established a covenant with Noah and his sons. Covenant simply
means promise, and when God makes a promise, you can count on him to honor it. Gods first
covenant was with Adam, blessing him with dominion over the earth and fruitfully multiplying.
So now God transitioned to a new covenant, establishing this promise between Noah and his
sons.
Behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; and with every living
creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from
all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my covenant with you;
neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there anymore be
a flood to destroy the earth.
And God said, this is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every
living creature that is with you, for all generations to come. I shall set my bow in the cloud, and
it shall be a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I
bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the clouds, and I will remember my
covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters
shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. (Genesis 9:9-15)
So the rainbow we see after the rain is a reminder of Gods promise to never again destroy all
life through a flood again. How cool is that! Thanks to science we know the how behind a
rainbow, meaning the reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in the water droplets result in
the spectrum of light seen in the sky. So we can understand the how behind a rainbow, the
scientific reason for the rainbow we see.
The part science cannot explain is the why. A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon, and
scientists have developed many theories behind the why, yet there is still no proven principle or
law that anyone can agree on. From the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians and Chinese, we see a
head scratch going back centuries, with big scientific names and explanations, using
mathematics, electromagnetic spectrum, resonances, formalism, algorithmic variations in
concavity spherical elastic scattering. See how easy it is to sound smart? Do not let big scientific
words fool you: the reason why a rainbow occurs is because God placed it there!
 29

God literally placed the rainbow, His bow, in the clouds, as a reminder of His covenant. Are you
starting to see how science simply aids us in understanding how God created the world, but
cannot tell us the why? Do not be afraid of science, it is perhaps the greatest tool to aid us in
appreciating and understanding the majesty behind Gods creation. Realize that secular science
combines the how and why together, attributing science to both. As children of the creator of
heaven and earth, we are given the why manual called the Bible! Just because science has turned
into an idol, realize science was created by God and science has not, cannot, and will not ever
disprove the Bible, it can only verify and confirm the Word of God! How awesome is that!
 30

Chapter 7: Sons of Noah

This new post flood world began around 2450 BC, and the entire landscape of the earth had
changed. No longer were dinosaurs roaming the land, no giants or Nephilim opening gallivanting
around, no more ancient civilizations of old (Atlantis, Annukai, Gilgamesh, etc.) and only God
knows what else.
The world outside the doors of the ark consisted of broken up land masses we call continents.
We see new oceans, rivers, mountains and a changed landscape. The only potential area with
potential life still preserved was in the water. Some of the sea creatures in the oceans were
preserved, some that would give us nightmares if we really knew what lurked beneath! One
example we have is the leviathan God created, the sea monster from the book of Job, Revelation
and Enoch. God created the Leviathan and that creature will be present on the day of judgement:
There are some things in the ocean!!!!
Anyways, this new earth had just been covered in water and would need to recover. Like a tree
that sheds its leaves during winter, Spring had begun and new buds started to regrow. We have
God blessing Noah and his sons, and so began the repopulation process of the earth. Lets briefly
break down how this looked.
After Noah built the altar to God, the next thing he built or better yet planted, was a vineyard.
The book of Jubilee tells us it took 4 years to collect the fruit, and then Noah waited until the 5th
year where he made another sacrifice to God and then Noah and his sons celebrated and enjoyed
the wine they had labored over.
Noah perhaps enjoyed the wine a bit too much, and stumbled back to his tent. In his drunken
stupor, he removed his clothes and laid down naked. Noahs son Ham wandered into Noahs tent
and discovered his nakedness. Instead of covering his father, he decided to run out and tell his
two brothers, Shem and Japheth.
The two brothers took Noahs clothes and covered him up, keeping their backs facing their father
and their eyes down. When Noah awoke, he realized what Ham had done. Just like how God
dished out his punishment to Adam and Eve, Noah dished out his punishment. Here is the fate
Noah declared for Hams descendants:
Cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, blessed
be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he
shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. (Genesis 9:25-27)
So what does all that mean? Well, Hams son was Canaan, so Noah essentially curses Hams
descendants to a lifetime of subjugation to the offspring of Shem and Japheth. So Noah curses
one son and blesses the other two. Well Noah didnt curse his son Ham, rather his grandson
Canaan. At first glance, this punishment seems a bit harsh. I mean really, Ham saw his father
naked and told his brothers, so his descendants are forever cursed?
This is where context makes a huge difference and allows another lens of perspective. Seeing his
fathers nakedness was a great shame back then. Think about it, from the 9 generations since
Adam and Eve, Noah understood that nakedness was a great shame, as witnessed from the
 31

beginning. Seeing others nakedness, especially another family member, even worse seeing a
fathers nakedness, was perhaps the greatest shame that could occur.
So the fact that Ham uncovered Noahs shame is taboo, magnified in scope by the fact he did not
honor his fathers nakedness when discovered. He did the exact opposite by telling others. So to
Noah, this was almost the biggest disgrace and shameful act his son could have committed.
Coupled with the fact they were now in a new earth, only populated with Noahs family, meant
this was the first sin to occur in the new world. Paralleled with the garden of Eden, the sanctity
of the garden was broken due to iniquity. So Noahs curse and blessings set the framework for
this new world. Guess Ham should have kept his mouth shut and covered up his father!
The reason this is so important to understand boils down to the tribes, races, and nations that
eventually arise from the three sons. Noah divided the land into thirds and assigned each son a
region for their families and descendants.
Shem had 5 sons and was given the portion of land in what we consider the Middle East. Shems
descendants would include the Moabites, Israelites, Ammonites, Ishmaelites, Edomites,
Midianites and Asssurites. Basically, Shems descendants would go on to include Abraham, the
12 tribes, and eventually Jesus. So needless to say Shems family tree was very blessed.
Japheth, the other blessed son, had 7 sons and was given the portion of land in Europe and Asia.
His descendants would include the Greeks, Europeans, Slavics, Turks and Khazars. Japheths
descendants are generally associated with nations of the gentiles and European world.
Ham had 5 sons, including the infamous Canaan (which means humiliation). Ham was given the
land in Southwest Asia, Africa and Canaan. His descendants would go on to include the
Canaanites, Ethiopians, Egyptians, Babylonians and Libyans. Canaans son Nimrod takes us to
our text chapter in Gods love story, the tower of Babel.
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Chapter 8: Tower of Babel

Watch where youre going, Nimrod! Ironically, the word Nimrod means mighty warrior, yet
thanks to Bugs Bunny calling Elmer Fudd a nimrod, the word has been associated with stupidity,
ignorance and moronic behavior. In hindsight, Cushs son Nimrod was very moronic, yet back in
his day he ruled the entire nation. He would be the first ruling dictator or authority in the new
world.
Around 2300 BC is the time period associated with the next chapter of Gods love story. About
150 years after the flood, the world had begun to populate to the point where communities and
tribes began expanding into nations. The bible does not provide much detail here, other than the
whole earth was one language and one speech (Gen 11:1).
Eventually, enough people decided to make a tower whose top would reach unto heaven. And
they were actually succeeding in building this huge tower! In verse 6 we find that the Lord came
down to look and noticed that the people were one, and they had one language, and that they
would not be prevented from doing whatever they wanted!
Basically, the people during this time were so successful in working together and were so
likeminded that whatever they imagined in their hearts to do, they would be able to do! Let that
sink in for a minute. If left alone, the tower of babel would have been successful and there would
be a tower whose top none
would be able to see.
What a wild thought!
God directly intervened by
confounding their
language so they would be
unable to understand one
another. Imagine, they
were busy building this
giant tower, everything
according to plan, and
then all of a sudden
everyone started speaking
in other languages! We are
talking every language
known today, including
languages unknown and
forgotten.
The book of Jasher
provides some additional
details on the account of
babel, since Genesis has
less than one chapter of
information going over
 33

this. In fact, there is a pretty amazing story within this story. Remember the coat of skins that
God made for Adam and Eve before banishing them from the Garden? Well, according to Jasher,
that coat was passed down, and had some magical qualities associated with it!
Once Adam died, he gave this coat unto Enoch, who passed them along to his son, Methuselah,
before he was taken into Heaven. Methuselah passed it along to his son, Noah, who took the coat
with him in the ark. According to Jasher, Ham stole the coat from Noah before leaving and gave
to his son Cush, who would pass along to his son, Nimrod.
When he was 20 years old, Nimrod put the coat on, which gave him strength and power.
Remember that the name Nimrod means mighty warrior, linking the rise of Nimrod with his
possession of the cloak made directly from God! The book of Jasher, although it did not make
the cannon, was another widely authoritative scripture, and is mentioned in Joshua and Samuel.
We read on in Jasher that eventually the sons of Ham made war against the sons of Japheth.
Nimrod, who was the grandson of Ham, was so mighty in battle that he defeated anyone who
stood against him, and the people gave him a crown and authority. So in essence he was the first
tyrant, who took power through force and ruled over the world at the time. Nimrods right-hand
man and general of his army was Terah, would eventually have a son named Abram, who God
later renamed Abraham.
Scripture tells us the people began building this tower in the land of Shinar, modern day
Mesopotamia. You know, that really fertile crescent area, the place we are taught in history
books that humans evolved and eventually transitioned from nomads into farmers? Well, turns
out that is the exact area the mighty hunter Nimrod established the tower of babel, aka Babylon.
So when we read about Babylon later on in scripture, realize the very establishment of Babylon,
and the Babylonian spirit, can be traced back to Babel, and the tower they built.
We learn that Nimrod did not go in the ways of the Lord, and was more wicked than all men
before him, from the days of the flood until then. So Nimrod was not a great guy, he made gods
of wood and stone, and made his subjects worship false gods. Nimrod became unpopular;
however, his general Terah was loved and respected by the people, Abrams father.
That will set the stage for the next chapter in Gods love story, which will bring about a new
covenant, a new nation, and eventually the nation of Israel. In fact, the three largest monotheistic
religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity can be traced to the next chapter, so this next part is
fundamental in understanding the division of our current world religions.
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Chapter 9: Abram

For those of you who remember the Sunday School song about father Abraham having many
sons, and many sons had father Abraham, that is a great introduction into the next chapter of
Gods love story. In fact, Abraham is such a crucial piece of Gods love story, so much so that
we need an entire chapter to know the story of Abram, later renamed Abraham.
As we discussed, Abrams father Terah was the general of Nimrods army. His father was well
respected, loved by the people, and perhaps the second most powerful man of the known world
at that time. So Abram was born into a high-ranking family, with all the privileges and honors
that follow. Lets see what scripture has to say about Abram.
We learn that Terah had three sons: Abram, Nahor and Haran. Nahors son Lot, Abrams
nephew, will have a big role to play in Gods love story later on. Genesis does not provide us any
back story on Abram, skipping to the part where God calls Abram out of his homeland,
promising to bless him and his descendants.
Since the bible gives us the information we need, we could stop right there and we would be fine.
The important parts of Abrams story are documented in Genesis; however, skipping through the
pages of this book would grossly undersell the story of Abram. Imagine if you had only 150
words to write your own story about your life: what would you include? Would it look similar to
a resume, with bullet points highlighting major events and achievements?
More than likely yes, with such limited space, trying to tell someone who you are in 150 words
would look more like an outline as opposed to a sonnet or short story. By all means you can get
the important information across, yet you would not expect someone reading to know you who
really are in such a brief synopsis. The point here is the Bible contains everything we need, yet
we want to know the full story, the full scope of Gods love, the character and person of
Abraham and who he was.
Before we look more into Abram, here is the reason we are making such a big deal about him:
God established his next covenant with Abraham. This is a big deal, since God had previously
made a covenant with only two people, Adam and Noah. Because Gods next covenant would be
made with Abraham, lets find out more why God decided of all people, Abram. Once we have
the backstory, you will have no doubt as to Gods holy choice in choosing this man.
The birth of Abram in 2056 BC was heralded by a great sign in the stars, similar to the star of
Bethlehem that heralded in the birth of the Messiah more than 2,000 years later. Although the
date of Abrams birth has been debated, with the aid of the Holy Spirit and star software
programs, we can actually confirm this date by the signs. Lets hear what the book of Jasher has
to say about this.
And it was in the night that Abram was born, that all the servants of Terah, and all the wise men
of Nimrod, and his conjurors came and ate and drank in the house of Terah, and they rejoiced
with him on that night.
And when all the wise men and conjurors went out from the house of Terah, they lifted up their
eyes toward heaven that night to look at the stars, and they saw, and behold one very large star
 35

came from the east and ran in the heavens, and he swallowed up the four stars from the four
sides of the heavens.
And all the wise men of the king and his conjurors were astonished at the sight, and the sages
understood this matter, and they knew its importance.
And they said to each other, this only betokens the child that has been born to Terah this night,
who will grow up and be fruitful, and multiply, and possess all the earth, he and his children
forever, and he and his seed will slay great kings, and inherit their lands. (Jasher 8:1-4)
Woah! In case you didnt catch that, we get a prophetic foreshadowing here of the coming
covenant that God makes with Abraham. Somehow these wise men could tell this all because
they happen to look up that night and see this sign in the stars. They saw a large star coming
from the east, swallowing up the four stars from the four sides of heaven.
From what we can tell, no one to date has been able to make this connection: until now! On July
10th, 2056 BC, we see a solar eclipse just prior to sunset and the new moon coming in from the
east. The moon passes through Mercury, Saturn, Venus and Regulus, intersecting in the
constellation Leo. We will go into the significance of stars, planets and signs in the stars later on.
The point is, we literally can go back and verify 4,000-year-old signs! How amazing is our God!
Anyways, the prophetic birth of Abram troubled the wise men, since they feared Nimrod and
knew if they did not tell him and he found out, they would be finished. So just like Herod would
do more than 2,000 years later, Nimrod feared for his power and ordered Terah to bring him
Abram to kill. Terah agreed, but instead of bringing Abram, he took a newborn baby from one of
his servants. Nimrod then took the child and bashed his head on the ground, killing him.
Like we said, Nimrod was not a good guy. Luckily, Nimrod thought he killed Abram and for 10
years was hidden in a cave with his mother. When he turned 10 years old, Abram left the cave
and for 39 years went and lived with his great great great grandfather Noah. There he grew up
and learned the ways of the Lord and was not corrupted by the iniquity of his father and the
Babylonian influence.
Jasher actually tells us there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth who knew the
Lord, except for Noah and his household. Everyone else was worshiping their own gods, which
we find out Terah worshiped 12 gods made of wood and stone, after the 12 months of the year.
So Abrams father worshiped the 12 zodiac signs and would make monthly offerings to them.
It was during this time that the construction of the tower of Babel began. It was also during this
time, when Abram was about 50 years old, that he left Noahs household to come back to see his
parents. When he entered his fathers house and saw the wooden statues that Terah worshipped,
he was troubled. This next part is actually quite hilarious and gives some insight into Abrams
personality.
When Abram saw the statues, he examined them and saw that they could not hear, or speak and
had no life in them. His father made them with his hands, yet somehow believed they created the
world and could deliver them from oppression. Its as if Abram was 99.9% certain they were
complete bogus, but just to confirm, he sacrificed 3 goats and brought the meat to the statues. He
placed them at their feet and for an entire day sat down and watched.
 36

Nothing happened. They did not stretch out their hands to eat, did not see, did not hear. Being
completely sure of their falsehood, Abram was filled with a righteous fury and grabbed an axe
and destroyed all of his fathers idols, except for one. He then placed the axe in the hand of the
only remaining statue and left. As he was leaving the room, Terah came back and saw his false
idols destroyed and broken on the ground.
Furious with his son, he confronted Abram and asked him what he did to his gods. Hilariously,
Abram told his father it wasnt him, rather it was the idol with the axe in his hand! Abram told
his father he brought in the meat and all the idols reached out and once and tried to take it, so the
one idol got angry and destroyed the others!
Abram set up his father and sure enough it worked! Terah knew that Abram was lying, because
he made the idols himself and knew that they could not see or hear or stretch forth their hands.
Once he got his father to admit he was worshipping false gods, Abram asked him why he chose
to falsely worship the work of his hands, instead of the Lord God who created the heavens and
earth.
To recap, Abram had been with Noah for the past 40 years and knew God. He was educated
about the pre-flood world and how the corruption and false worship had led to the destruction of
the world. So being raised in truth, coming back to discover these false gods his father
worshiped, was almost absurd to him. Yes, Abram perhaps lied about what happened, but his
intention was to get his father to admit his folly, in which he did.
So, instead of accepting his sons rebuke and repenting of his work, Terah decided to run to
Nimrod and tell him what happened. Terah was so furious, he wanted his son to be judged and
punished for his deeds. So Nimrod ordered his servants to bring Abram forth, and Abram told
Nimrod the same thing, to which Nimrod also admitted the idols could not have destroyed each
other since they were made of wood and stone.
Abram called Nimrod out for his ignorant and evil behavior, telling him to repent of his deeds
and come back to God. He warned Nimrod that if he did not change his ways, he would die
shamefully and be judged. Any idea as to how Nimrod responded? As you might guess, not well.
He threw Abram in prison for 10 days, and sent out an order to every prince, governor and man
of significance from every province, to come witness.
We are told there were over 900,000 witnesses gathered in Babel, including those wise men who
witnessed the sign in the stars 50 years ago. Somehow they recognized that this was the same
man they warned about, which Terah somehow forgot to mention to Nimrod. Oops! When
Nimrod furiously confronted Terah, he lied and said his son Haran told him to do it.
Although Terah wins no father of the year award, his life was spared, only to be replaced with
his son. So Nimrod ordered the furnaces to be heated for 3 days and nights, and to throw Abram
and his brother Haran in the fire. So the two brothers were stripped down to their underwear,
hands bound with rope, and tossed into the flaming furnace.
As soon as they were thrown in, Haran was immediately burned to ashes, as well as the 12 men
who tossed them in. God spared Abram and for 3 days he walked in the furnace, unburnt. When
Nimrod was told of this, in disbelief he went out to see for himself. He ordered his men to get
Abram out, but the fire was so hot and the flames so high, that no one could get close. Nimrod
threatened them with their lives and 8 more men were burned alive trying to approach.
 37

The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? (Psalm 27:1)
My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call upon you, for you will
answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast
love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the
apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do me violence, my
deadly enemies who surround me. (Psalm 17:5-9)
Nimrod called out to Abram and asked how we was spared, in which Abram takes the
opportunity to tell everyone listening it was God who saved him, the same God who saved Noah,
the creator of heaven and earth. Not even Nimrod could argue with the glory he had witnessed,
so Abram was honored and rewarded with gold, silver and servants, and sent him off in peace.
And this is where we find Abram when God called him to leave the land.
Wow! Father Abraham, my man, righteous! Abrams character withstood the iniquity of his
generation, the idols of his father, the wrath of the King, and the flames of the furnace. He boldly
stuck by his convictions and knew in his heart the Lord God and saw through the falsehood of
the times. The first part of Abraham's story in Genesis begins in chapter 12, where God calls him
out of the land.
 38

Chapter 10: Canon

After hearing this, you may wonder if this story can be believed. As amazing as this is, one
would think it should be included in the account of Genesis. I mean come on, this has every
element of drama and faith that exemplifies Gods Glory, something God loves including in His
Word. Why then is this not mentioned in the bible?
Lets briefly pause from the story to clarify something. The term biblical canon refers to texts
that a religious community regards as authoritative scripture. So when we say Bible, were
talking about the collection of selected texts we consider authoritative, and divinely inspired
word of God. So the 66 books in the bible today would be considered the canon.
Lets also clarify one other thing: God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good. If God wanted
to make sure we received his Word, you can be 100% certain He would find a way to get it to us.
The same God who spoke the very fabric of existence into being, who created man from the dust
of the earth, whose footstool is planet Earth, do you believe He is capable of getting His Word to
us?
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and When I rise, you
perceive my thoughts from afar. (Psalm 139:1-2)
The bible we have today is Gods Word, 100% without a doubt. However, depending on the time
in history, physical location on earth and denominational sect, not every person would read the
same texts. In fact, the Catholic bible contains 73 books, Ethiopian Orthodox bible contains 81
books, Hebrew bible contains only 24 books and then finally the Protestant Bible containing 66
books. We could take up another whole book just tracing back the development of the biblical
canon, and highly encourage you to research for yourself.
The point is, studying texts that are not in the 66 books in our Bible is not blasphemous. The
term ecumenical council describes where religious elders at that time would meet and decide on
what texts to include in the canon. Tracing back to the texts surviving the flood, every period
throughout history would have different texts, all the way up to about 50AD when Paul and the
disciples of Jesus wrote the new testament.
So there have been no new books written for almost 2,000 years. All we have done since then
is debate on which texts should be included. God is infallible, yet mankind is fallible. Gods love
story is too large in scope, too deep and wide, to be limited to 66 books. His love is overflowing,
has been since creation, and there are not enough pages to tell it.
John said it best in the last verse of his gospel: and there are also many other things which
Jesus did. If everyone one of them were written down, I think that the world itself would not
contain the written books. Amen. By the way, this is the same John who would later receive a
mighty revelation while on the island of Patmos, known as the book of Revelation.
In telling Gods love story, we will mainly be referencing the 66 books in the bible. As we just
witnessed with Abram, we will also touch on several other holy scriptures, most of which will be
new information. The skeptic in you may be a bit apprehensive, and that is good because you
should be. We must test the spirits to make sure we are not led astray.
 39

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the World. (1 John 4:1)
On the same note, we cannot allow our skepticism to deny God the glory He deserves. We are
not adding or taking away from the Word, we are simply expanding our view, perspective and
heart into deeper understanding of who God is, and the extent of His love for us.
Hopefully this is exciting for you, since our lives have been radically transformed in the process
of writing this. In fact, through this process of research and discovery, the revelations we have
received have been almost too much to bear. You will notice the more you grow in your
understanding and your relationship with God, the more you realize how far you fall short. Its
both humbling, overwhelming and encouraging to realize how far Gods love for us extends.
To wrap this up, please have an open mind. If you still struggle to accept accounts from Gods
prophets whose words were divinely inspired from God, pray for an understanding heart and
mind. Remember, when Jesus showed up on the scene, the Jews at the time thought they had
everything figured out. The Pharisees and Sadducees in charge literally rejected the Messiah God
promised to them, and chose to have Him hung on a cross.
Do not make a similar mistake by denying the truth in front of you. One way or another, this
message of Gods love has been brought to you for a specific reason and purpose. Regardless if
this is your first time hearing this message, or if you have been studying the bible your entire life,
our Heavenly Father, the same God we read about, loves you. Dont let anything come in the
way of that, including yourself.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8:35)
Let the Holy Spirit guide you and let the Word establish your path. Much prayer, research and
due diligence has been put into delivering this message. As obedient servants of the most High
God, our responsibility is to deliver the message with full transparency, diligence and conviction
because this message is not about us.
Embrace this new perspective, welcome the opportunity to expand and challenge your current
views on God, do not allow pride or fear to dilute Gods message to you. Find the childlike sense
of awe and discovery to see the world through Gods eyes.
Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom
of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)
I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise
and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious
will. (Luke 10:21)
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained
before the world unto our glory. (1 Corinthians 2:7)
 40

Chapter 11: Abraham

Our story resumes with Abraham in Genesis chapter 12. Now the Lord said to Abram, go from
your country and your family and your fathers house to the land that I will show you. And I will
make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and in you all the
families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:1-3)
So now that we have some context, Gods call to Abram makes more sense. Abram had already
proven to be faithful and righteous, so he once again obeys and packs up everything and leaves.
Scripture tells us Abram took his wife Sarai (whose name would later be changed to Sarah) and
his nephew Lot. Sarai was the daughter of Haran, so technically Abram married his niece in case
you were wondering.
Remember, family trees contained less branches in those days, so although this may seem a bit
taboo to us, this practice was pretty standard back in the day. Anyways, Abram picked up
everything and began the long move, unsure of where exactly he would be going. Motivated by
faith and Gods promise, he traveled through Canaan (modern day Palestine) and build an altar
near Bethel, which would later become Bethlehem. Almost like God was preparing Bethel for
something very important in the future!
A plague eventually struck the land of Canaan and Abram realized he must go to Egypt for
provision, or else his entire group would perish. The only problem was Sarai turned heads, as in
she was beautiful. So beautiful Abram feared for his life, since he believed the Pharaoh would
want her as a wife and kill Abram to get him out of the way. So Abram ordered his people to say
Sarai was his sister, so he would not be killed.
His plan backfired since the Pharaoh took her anyways, thinking she was fair game. Not his
proudest moment, yet God intervened and before the Pharaoh could do anything, she was
delivered untouched to Abram and they return to their previous camp near Bethel. As much as
Abram obeyed God and is the father of nations, he was still human and occasionally goofed up.
Yet God still delivered and saved Sarai, as only God can do.
We see the same thing shortly after this when the Persian King Chedorlaomer (ked-or-law-o-
mer) made war with the nations near Abram and conquered the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
where Lot happened to be residing with his family. Abram found out and took 318 of his trained
men, and they conquered the King, saving Lot and his family.
Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned in multiple scriptures, and there is never anything good to
be said about these two cities, which should come as no surprise seeing as how sodomy stems
from the word Sodom. They practiced many unspeakable acts there, yet the cities were wealthy
and thriving centers for commerce and trade. Regardless, Lot and his family returned to the city
after being saved and they went on with their business.
Now, shortly after this, God appeared to Abram in a vision in Genesis 15 saying Fear not,
Abram: I am your shield and your exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what
 41

will You give me, since I am childless. God responded to Abram by letting him know he would
have an heir from his own loins. He was then brought outside and looked up into the stars.
Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said
to him, so shall your seed be. (Genesis 15:5)
To throw out some science, there are 300 billion stars in the Milky Way, which is one galaxy.
The observable universe has around 100 billion galaxies, so we are talking as much as 70 billion
trillion stars. Now, Abram did not know that, and had no giant telescope lying around, yet even
simply looking up he would have seen between 5,000-10,000 stars!
The next verse is extremely important. Remember, Abram was over 80 years old at this point,
and was looking at the majesty of the stars, unable to comprehend their scope. And here God told
him his descendants would outnumber the stars in the sky. Seems impossible, yet in verse 6 we
find that Abram believed in God. And He counted it to him for righteousness. Let that sink in for
a minute.
Thats crazy! By all human terms, this would be literally impossible. Sarai was 10 years younger
than Abram, meaning she was over 70 years old. For the women reading this, you well know
how absurd that would be. Yet Abraham believed what God told him. And guess what? God
counted it to him as righteousness. Believing God in the midst of impossibility, by being
considered crazy by any human standard, Abram was righteous. Embrace crazy, seek the
impossible and trust not in your own sight, you may just be heading down the path of
righteousness!
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Chapter 12: Gods Covenant with Abraham

The history of the formation of Israel and nation of Islam is traced to this next chapter, so please
make sure you are prayerfully and spiritually mindful. Current events will make more sense
when you realize how they began. You will begin to understand why the Holy Land in the
Middle East is in constant conflict, why the Abrahamic religions differ in theology, and how they
connect.
So Abram received the vision from the Lord, filled with excitement and righteous expectation,
and told his wife what was promised. Now we are not told if Sarai believed or not, yet after she
remained barren, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She was gifted servants from
the Pharaoh after she left, one of those servants being her personal maid, named Hagar.
Sarai advised a plan and came to Abram saying the Lord has prevented me from bearing
children. Go into my servant; it may be that I may obtain children by her. (Genesis 16:2) In
case you didnt catch that, Sarai was giving permission, or rather commanding, Abraham to sleep
with her Egyptian maid in order to conceive a child with her.
Can you imagine the thoughts running through Abrams head? For those married men reading
this, if your wife told you the same thing, what would you think? I imagine Abram had one of
those moments where he couldnt tell if she was setting up a trap for him to see if he would do it,
or maybe he thought she was going senile! Scripture does not tell us what Abram was thinking,
only that he hearkened to the voice of Sarai. The word harkened in the Greek-Hebrew translation
is shama, which means to listen or obey. The same shama God used in Genesis 3:17, where
Adam hearkened to the voice of his wife. Notice any parallels here?
So just like Adam did, Abram listened to his wife and as Marvin Gaye sings about, they got it
on! Once Hagar became pregnant, Sarai became jealous and realized she had made a mistake.
Sarai became bitter and in her harsh treatment, chased off Hagar where she fled into the
wilderness.
Then, an angel of the Lord found Hagar by a fountain of water in the wilderness and told her to
return to your mistress and submit to her. I will surely multiply your offspring so that they
cannot be numbered for the multitude. You shall bear a son and call his name Ishmael, because
the Lord has listened to your affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every
man, and every mans hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brothers.
(Genesis 16:7-12)
This is important, as the very first child born to Abram was Ishmael, which means God will hear.
Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born, the son who the angel of the Lord said will be a
wild man. Fast-forward 13 years and the Lord appeared to Abram again, this time with the
answers he was looking for.
I am God Almighty, walk before me and be perfect. And I will make my covenant between me
and you, and I will multiply you greatly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him
saying as for me, behold my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No
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longer is your name called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for you shall be a father of
many nations. (Genesis 17:1-5)
The previous covenant God had made with Noah had just been renewed, this time with Abram,
who was now called Abraham. God also extended His covenant to Abrahams descendants,
promising great nations and kings to arise from his seed. God promised to establish his covenant
with his future generations, an eternal and everlasting covenant.
This is a big part of Gods love story that still blows me away. We have such an amazing God!
When God set up his covenant with Noah, he followed up with a sign as a reminder of his
covenant, the rainbow. Our Creator loves establishing signs as proof of his promises, and just
like Noah, God established a sign as a reminder of his covenant. Any guess as to what this was?
You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it will be a sign of the covenant
between me and you. (Genesis 17:10) Ouch! Although this sign was not as pleasant as the
rainbow, Abraham was told the removal of foreskin would be a permanent reminder of Gods
promise.
Just as God does, there is always a spiritual meaning behind physical acts and signs. Said in
another way, there is both a physical and spiritual meaning behind Gods actions. In Gods
previous covenant, the physical manifestation was His bow in the clouds. The spiritual meaning
was a reminder of Gods promise to never again flood the earth. Also, the two ends of the
rainbow represent the ark or bridge from the pre-flood era to the post flood era. Ever wonder
why its impossible to see the end of a rainbow?
In Gods new covenant with Abraham, we have a physical manifestation by removing the
foreskin from our male reproductive organ. The spiritual meaning behind this is to show the
separation of his descendants from the rest of the world, as well as spiritual abundance in
reproduction. Seeing as how Abraham was told to be fruitful and multiply, every time he would
go to reproduce, there would be a glaring reminder of the promise made.
As it turns out, circumcision actually has many hygienic benefits, as well as decreased risk of
urinary tract infections and diseases. About 80% of parents will choose to have their male
children circumcised, simply from a physical health view. When we witness God telling
Abraham to start circumcising, it turned out to be another example of His love. Im sure that was
not the first thing to come to mind when they were strapped down and they saw the knife coming
to their genitals (ouch!), yet God knew what He was doing when he gave this command.
So picking back up, God established His new covenant with Abraham and was told to start
circumcising. Now, it had been 13 years since God had promised to make Abrahams
descendants as numerous as the stars, and God addressed what must have been a very pressing
concern for him.
God told Abraham, as for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be
her name. I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become a mother nations;
kings of peoples shall come from her.
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, shall a child be born to a man
who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? And Abraham
said to God, oh that Ishmael might live before you.
 44

God said, No Sarah your wife will bear you a son indeed, and you shall call his name Isaac:
and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his children after
him.
As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and
multiply him greatly. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, who Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.
(Genesis 17:15-23)
God just titled the next chapters of His story through this last declaration to Abraham. This is the
formation of the Hebrew nation and the establishment of the Islamic nation. One of Ishmaels 12
sons, Kedar, who would go to father the Quraysh tribe. Someone of importance came from this
tribe, a man named Muhammad, founder of the Islam faith.
We will go into more detail on the split leading to the nation of Islam shortly, once we have the
proper context. Finishing this part of the story, God promised Abraham that He would bless
Abraham with a son Isaac, and when Sarah heard this she laughed. Then again, she was 89 years
old at the time of this promise, well past the prime of her childbearing age. Isaac means laughter,
so ironically his name comes from this encounter.
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Chapter 13: Sodom and Gomorrah

During this time, Abraham was told by three angels that Gods judgement had come upon
Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of their great sin, God had enough and could no longer tolerate
their iniquities. As the three angels turned to leave and destroy the cities, Abraham remembered
that his nephew Lot was still in the city, along with his family. And we see Abraham boldly
intercede on Lots behalf.
Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked? asked Abraham. Suppose there are fifty
righteous within the city, will you still destroy and not save the city for the fifty righteous? God
responded that if there were fifty righteous men, He would save the city on their behalf.
And the LORD said, If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for
their sake. Abraham answered and said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I
who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the
whole city for lack of five?
And He said, I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there. Again he spoke to him and said,
Suppose forty are found there. He answered, For the sake of forty I will not do it. Then he
said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there. He
answered, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
He said, Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there. He
answered, For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it. Then he said, Oh let not the Lord be
angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there. He answered, For
the sake of ten I will not destroy it. (Genesis 18:23-33)
What was it about these cities? Why was Abraham worried there would not even be 10 righteous
men found in the city? Genesis does not provide much detail into the wickedness of the cities, so
to understand this part of Gods love story, we must dig a bit deeper. We had not seen God wipe
out any city since the flood, so there must have been a good reason, right?
Well, the book of Jasher and Jubilee provide some additional detail on the cities. We are told that
not only were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed, but the whole Jordan plain,
including the cities of Admah, and Zeboyim. Sodom and Gomorrah were the two most thriving
cities in the middle, so although they were the focus, the entire region was destroyed.
Their unspeakable acts included a quarterly celebration where every man would bring out their
wives and children. For an entire day every man would lay hold of every mans wife, and
daughters, and the men would stand by and not say a word. These unspeakable acts were also
committed between men with men and woman with women. Hence the root of the word sodomy,
sodom, comes from this city.
Every stranger that ventured into the city would be harassed, their goods stolen, and if any man
took to the judge for justice, they would be fined and ordered to pay their accusers for the
service. They would play sick jokes by refusing to sell bread to some strangers to the point where
men would die of starvation, and their gold and belongings would be scavenged by the men
 46

following them. One of Lots daughters, Paltith, secretly fed one starving man and after her acts
were discovered, she was burned alive in the middle of the city.
There were beds lined up in the streets, and as travelers would pass by, they would be grabbed
and thrown unto the beds. If they were shorter than the length of the bed, they would grab them
by all four limbs and stretch them until they died. If they were taller than the length of the bed,
they would pull the corners of the bed together until they died.
Anyone found showing kindness to strangers would be brought before their courts and found
guilty of transgressing their laws. They would be tied up, smothered head to foot in honey, and
have beehives placed near them where they would be stung to death by bees.
The cities had an abundance of food and peace in the land, yet they would not help the poor and
needy, making a mockery of Gods laws of love. It got to the point where there was literally no
justice, no righteousness, no love to be found in the whole city. Lot and his family were the only
people who had remained unstained by the sins of Sodom.
If that was hard to read, please realize the intention of sharing these details is to give context on
the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah. So when Abraham asked God to spare the city on
behalf of ten righteous men, God could not even find ten men in all the surrounding cities of
Sodom. Scholars estimate at least 200,000 people resided in the cities at this time, so needless to
say, their wickedness was abundant.
So wicked that God could no longer sit back and let their sin continue. So when we resume the
story of Abraham and the promise to spare the city for 10 righteous men, God sent two of his
angels to the city to check it out. Sitting at the gate of the city, they ran into none other than Lot.
Since we know what they did to strangers who came through the city, its no surprise Lot
immediately told the two angels to come back to his house. Lot must have known these men
were angels, and did not want them to be confronted with the sins of the city.
Lot led the two angels to his house, but they did not go unnoticed. The men of Sodom came to
Lots house, demanding he turn the two men over so they could have sex with them. Lot refused
and even offered his two virgin daughters in their stead. The men of Sodom refused, and the
angels smote all the men around the house with blindness. The angels then asked Lot to gather
his entire family, because God had judged the city for their wickedness and destruction was
about to come.
So the angels took Lot, along with his wife and two daughters, and placed them outside of the
city. They were warned to escape to the mountains and not look back. Then God, in His holy and
 47

righteous judgement, sent

fire and brimstone from
heaven, and erased Sodom,
Gomorrah, and the
surrounding cities from the
map.
Like God did with the
flood, we see Gods
judgement and salvation,
where He spared the
righteous and destroyed the
sinners. Lots wife
unfortunately did not listen,
and as she turned around to
watch the destruction, she
was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. Jasher tells us that out of compassion she looked
back, since she had her other daughters in the city who refused to leave. Yet her compassion did
not outweigh obedience, so by refusing to listen she was transformed into a pillar of salt.
Now, the last part of this story must be told, even though it may be difficult to hear. Once Lot
and his two daughters escaped to the mountains, his daughters thought that the entire world had
been destroyed. They said to themselves that their father was the only man remaining in the
entire world, so they devised a plan to repopulate the world. They got their father very drunk,
slept with him, and became pregnant.
The first child was named Moab, to which the Moabite nation descended. The second child was
named Benammi, to which the Ammonite nation descended. The Moabites and Ammonites are
mentioned many times throughout scripture, any guess as to what happens to them? Well, if the
origin of their birth is any indication, they are not good people and we find their wickedness a
glaring stain on Gods page.
The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the
peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that
the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of
the officials and chief men has been foremost. (Ezra 9:1-2)
In Gods love, he spared Lot and his family. Even though Gods agreement with Abraham
hinged on finding ten righteous men, the judgement of destruction was issued and God saved the
only righteous people He could find. Now that we have Gods lens to view events from, this
judgement should come as no surprise when we see that if left to their own devices, the
wickedness of the cities would have eventually spread and corrupted the earth with their
iniquities. Sodom and the surrounding cities were a cancerous tumor that God removed, saving
the rest of the earth from their plague.
 48

For those of you who may question if this really happened, even the secular scientific world is
scratching their heads at the results of their studies. To this day, there is a layer of ash and
sulphur between 4-20 inches deep in the area. The charred remains of bones discovered in the
area show that the bodies were literally burned alive, and the remains from buildings in the area
show charred remnants consistent with fire. Please feel free to research this yourself, just realize
that this event really did happen.
We have an amazing God who consistently loves patterns and revealing His glory to each
generation. Let Sodom and Gomorrah serve as a reminder that God will not let injustice continue
forever: God will have the final say. Let Lots family serve as an encouragement that God will
spare the righteous, and let Lots wife show us that when the time comes, do not look back.
If God has spared you from judgement and destruction, do not look back, even out of
compassion. Since God is the ultimate author, as obedient servants we must tell this part of the
story. Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned many times throughout scripture, almost always in
the context of judgement and a warning.
Truly I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement
than for that city. (Mark 6:11)
If by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction,
making them an example of what will happen to the ungodly. (2 Peter 2:6)
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Chapter 14: Abrahams Test

Now that we have been warned through Sodom and Gomorrah, lets dive back into the story,
picking up with Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, and Sarah was 90 years
young when she birthed Isaac! Sarah said, God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears
will laugh over me! (Genesis 21:6)
So the mere birth of the promised son of Abraham was done as a pure miracle, and the
celebration Abraham threw would put any party to shame that we have ever been to! And as
Isaac grew up, he knew the Lord and was blessed as promised.
When Isaac turned five, his brother Ishmael learned the bow and was a great archer. We are told
Ishmael knocked his arrow and pulled back the string, aiming for Isaac. Whether out of jealousy
or hate, Ishmael stood poised and ready to shoot Isaac on the spot. Sarah happened to walk by as
this was happening, which you might guess she did not take well!
Confronting Abraham, Sarah demanded that Ishmael be sent away, so Abraham agreed. He sent
Ishmael and his mother Hagar away, with some bread and water. This must have been a hard
thing for Abraham to do, as this was his first-born son and although he knew Gods promise
resided with Isaac, we are shown that Abraham still loved Ishmael. Left with no other choice, he
sent them away.
After some time, Hagar ran out of water. Distressed and without hope, she set her son down and
walked away crying, not being able to watch him die. In Gods mercy, He sent an angel and told
her that her son would be made into a great nation. She is then shown a well nearby and Ishmael
lived in the wilderness after that, becoming an expert with the bow.
Now, the next part of Isaacs story in Genesis tells us that Abraham was told to sacrifice his son.
For those of you familiar with the story, this could be a big pill to swallow. Being asked to
sacrifice his son comes as a shocker, and many of us wonder how a loving God could ask
someone to do this. Well, since we are telling Gods love story, you will be happy to know this
next part is actually saturated with love.
Once again, we need some additional backstory to connect the dots and understand how
everything relates. Now, one part that Genesis leaves out is the dialogue between Isaac and
Ishmael when Isaac was 37 years old. Ishmael had returned to his fathers camp, along with his
family, and they lived with Abraham for some time.
We are told that Ishmael boasted to Isaac, saying how when he was 13 years old he was
circumcised and was more righteous than Isaac, since he had been following God longer than
him. Isaac then asked him why he was boasting over removing a piece of flesh, where if God
asked Abraham to sacrifice him, he would joyfully accept. (Jasher 22:41-44)
The next verse tells us that the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed
good in the sight of the Lord, and He thought to try Abraham in this matter. So, given some
context, the command to sacrifice his son was not done out of the blue. Isaac declared, or rather
boasted, that he would gladly be sacrificed to prove his righteousness and love to God.
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Now, in Genesis chapter 22 God called out to Abraham and said, take your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on
one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with
him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the
place God told him. (Genesis 22:3) Although not mentioned in the account of Genesis, the
account from Jasher tells us the identity of the two men: Abrahams right-hand man Eliezer and
his son Ishmael. Interesting, right?!
Even more interesting is that on their journey, Satan came by and tempted them, trying to get
them to turn back. For the full details of the story please read Jasher chapter 23. Once Satan was
rebuked and fled, Abraham noticed a pillar of fire on the top of a mountain and asked if anyone
saw anything. The two other men could see nothing, yet Isaac said he saw a pillar of fire and the
glory of the Lord in the clouds.
Taking this as a sign, Abraham told Ishmael and Eliezer to wait with the donkeys and Abraham
then took Isaac with him to the top of the mountain. Ive often wondered what must have been
going through Abrahams head as he started building the altar and tying up Isaac. Because we
are not given any dialog in Genesis, we are left to imagine if Abraham knew what was going to
happen, or if Isaac knew he was about to be sacrificed. Listen to what actually transpired:
And Isaac said to his father, behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering? Abraham said, God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.
So they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:7-8) Jasher 23 gives a parallel account, with
Abraham saying, the Lord has made choice of thee my son, to be a perfect burnt offering
instead of the lamb.
And Isaac said unto his father, I will do all that the Lord spoke to thee with joy and
cheerfulness of heart. And Abraham again said unto Isaac his son, is there in your heart any
thought or counsel concerning this, which is not proper? Tell me my son, I pray thee, O my son
conceal it not from me.
And Isaac answered his father Abraham and said unto him, O my father, as the Lord lives and
as my soul lives, there is nothing in my heart to cause me to deviate either to the right or to the
left from the word he has spoken to you. Neither limb nor muscle has moved or stirred at this,
nor is there in my heart any thought or evil counsel concerning this.
But I am of joyful and cheerful heart in this matter, and I say, blessed is the Lord who has this
day chose me to be a burnt offering before Him. And Abraham took the wood and placed it
upon the altar which he had built. And he took his son Isaac and bound him and placed him upon
the altar.
And Isaac said to his father, O my father, when you have slain me and burnt me for an offering,
take with you the ashes of my remains to my mother Sarah. But do not tell her they are my
remains if she sits upon any high place or near a well, lest she cast her soul after me and die.
And Abraham heard the words of Isaac and he lifted up his voice and wept when Isaac spoke
these words, and Abrahams tears gushed down upon Isaac his son, and Isaac wept bitterly, and
 51

he said to his father, be quick and do with me the will of the Lord our God as He has
commanded you.
And Isaac stretched forth his neck upon the altar, before his father, and Abraham stretched forth
his hand to take the knife to slay his son as a burnt offering before the Lord. (Jasher 23:49-65)
Lets briefly pause here, because this part is a tear jerker. Can you imagine the dreadful sadness
in Abrahams heart here? Isaacs sacrificial determination, joyful obedience and love of God?
Abraham was so distressed he asked Isaac if he had any hesitation and he did not, and they both
wept together. This scene here is so heart-wrenching, as the tears flowed and knife came out,
there was no hesitation or doubt in their minds of not following through.
Fortunately, Abraham passed the test, and an angel of the Lord called right before the knife came
down. The angel said, do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know
that you fear God, seeing you have no withheld your son, your only son from me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and before him was a ram caught in a thicket by his
horns. And Abraham went and took
the ram and offered it up as a burnt
offering instead of his son.
(Genesis 22:12-13) So Abraham
sacrificed the ram in the place of
his son, and the sacrifice was
honored. Then the angel called out
again and said:
By myself I have sworn, declares
the Lord, because you have done
this and have not withheld your
son, your only son, I will surely
bless you, and I will surely multiply
your offspring as the stars of
heaven and as the sand that is on
the seashore, and your seed shall
possess the gate of his enemies. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,
because you have obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:16-18)
So, Abraham passed Gods ultimate test and the reward for his obedience was an increased
blessing and promise of his offspring to bless the nations of the earth! In this final act of
righteousness, Abraham proved his love and obedience to God. As a flashback to that night
almost 50 years previously, Abraham had looked up and was promised that his descendants
would outnumber the stars in heaven. We see Gods faithfulness and a glimpse into the
fulfillment of that promise coming into fruition.
After Isaac was spared, the torch of Gods story was passed along to Isaac. After receiving the
life of his son back from death, Abraham sent Isaac to Shem and his family to be taught Gods
laws and commandments. Once he was sent away, Abraham realized his time was drawing to an
end. He called his trusted servant Eliezer, and made him swear an oath that he would find a wife
for Isaac from the land of his birth.
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God then directed Eliezer to find Rebecca, who would end up becoming Isaacs wife. Shortly
after this, Abraham died and at the ripe age of 175, with Isaac becoming the patriarch of the
family. In those days, Rebekah was barren and in her frustration, cried out to the Lord. Keep in
mind, they had been married for more than 12 years at this point, and God responded to her
request by granting her twins.
At about 7 months into her pregnancy, she could feel her children struggling within her and
prayed for a meaning. The Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb, and two peoples
from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve
the younger. (Genesis 25:23)
When it came time for Rebecca to give birth, the first child came out red and covered in hair, and
he was named Esau. The second child came out holding the heel of his brother and he was
named Jacob. Just as the Lord had promised, the older would end up serving the younger.
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Chapter 15: Nation of Islam

The intention of this chapter is to show what happened with Ishmael and the fate of his
descendants. Since the story will follow Isaac after this point, it is important we take a brief
moment to recognize what happened over 4,000 years ago. Because a quarter of the worlds
population adheres to the Muslim faith, we must address this topic.
With over 1.8 billion followers, the nation of Islam, or the Muslim faith, constitutes the largest
faith denomination. (not combining Catholicism and Protestantism as Christianity) In fact, there
will be many reading this who adhere to the Muslim faith and question how Gods love story
pertains to them. As we mentioned previously, the nation of Islam was founded through
Abrahams son Ishmael.
Descendants of Ishmael
As a reminder, in Genesis 16:8-12, God told Hagar, I will surely multiply your offspring so that
they cannot be numbered for the multitude. You shall bear a son and call his name Ishmael,
because the Lord has listened to your affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be
against every man, and every mans hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all
his brothers.
We are also told, as for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make
him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will father twelve princes, and I will make him into a
great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, who Sarah shall bear to you at this
time next year. (Genesis 17:22-23)
So to recap, Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was Abrahams first-born child;
whose mother was Sarahs servant Hagar. Isaac was Abrahams second born child; whose
mother was Sarah. Ishmael was blessed and promised a nation of descendants, while Isaac was
blessed with Gods covenant, which established the nation of Israel. So we get the nations of
Islam and Israel from these two sons of Abraham, so far so good?
Alright, now lets see what happened to Ishmael. If you recall the discussion on Abraham almost
sacrificing Isaac, we are told the two men who came along with Abraham were Ishmael and
Eliezer. The book of Jasher tells us the names of the two men with Abraham and Isaac, while
Genesis mentions them as two of his young men.
Most Muslims believe that Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael, even though the Quran (their
holy book) does not name which son was almost sacrificed. So the bible mentions the son as
Isaac, the Quran does not. There are multiple versions of this story for the Muslims, with no
agreed upon version. They claim that each version is a work of art, but cannot agree on a specific
version.
The Quran does not mention the ram being sacrificed, only that he is replaced with a great
sacrifice. They believe a sacrifice of a ram cannot be greater than that of Abrahams son.
Muslims do not all agree with this story, as 131 of their traditions say Isaac was the son
sacrificed, while 133 traditions say Ishmael was sacrificed.
 54

So right off the bat, we have an inconsistency here on the most crucial aspect of Abrahams
story. If half of the Muslim traditions cannot agree on which son was asked to be sacrificed, we
are left with a shaky foundation that places everything else at risk. Could it be the reason their
story does not add up, is that Ishmael was not actually on top of the mountain when the event
occurred? Remember, Abraham took the 3 men with him until he got close to the top.
Abraham saw the pillar of fire, which only Isaac could see, which was the confirmation Abraham
needed to leave the two men behind and take Isaac alone the rest of the way. If Ishmael was not
present during the time of the sacrifice, how would he know how the events unfolded?
Remember, Ishmael was jealous of Isaac and boated of his righteousness, since he was
circumcised prior Isaac and jealous of his fathers favoritism of Isaac.
We are also told in Jasher that 23: 22-24 that Ishmael said to Eliezer now my father Abraham is
going with Isaac to bring him up for a burnt offering to the Lord, as He commanded him. Now
when he returns he will give unto me all that he possesses, to inherit after him, for I am his first
born.
So, we can see what Ishmael was thinking on his trek up the mountain. Imagine his surprise and
disappointment when he saw Isaac coming back down the mountain! So from the accounts
passed down from Ishmael, is there any wonder why Muslim scholars cannot seem to find a
consistent story? It is difficult to have a consistent story when Ishmael did not even have the full
story!
Now, lets move on to Ishmaels descendants. His first wife Meribah bore him 4 sons (Nebayoth,
Kedar, Adbeel, and Mibsam) to which he divorced and married Malchuth who bore him 8 sons
(Nishman, Dumah, Masa, Chadad, Tema, Yetur, Naphish and Kedma). These are the twelve
princes that are promised to arise from him.
The land given to Ishmael and his descendants was the area near the Arabian Peninsula, hence
the Arab nation is the great nation that scripture tells us will come from Ishmael. Saudi Arabia is
a prime example of the descendants of Ishmael in todays current world.
Mohammad
One of Ishmaels 12 sons, Kedar, or Qedar, would claim the area of the northwest Arabian
desert, or western Babylon. His descendants are known as Qedarites. This is the tribe from which
Mohammad would eventually spawn from, in the year 570.
Kedar is mentioned 11 times in scripture, in the book of Genesis, Psalms, 1 Chronicles, Song of
Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. They are mentioned as living in the wilderness, in tents,
dark skinned, great archers and warriors, and associated with woe, judgement, and false worship.
Although we have copious amounts of information on this topic, now is not the time to divulge
any further on this topic. Although we will go into more detail later on in the book,
understanding the origins of the Islamic nation is enough for now. Although many will point to
the similarities between Christianity and Islam, understand that we do not worship the same God.
Yes, our origins are consistent up until the time of Abraham, yet just because the two faiths are
similar in their beginnings, does not mean the God we worship is the same. The Muslim faith
worships Allah and their prophet Mohammad, yet we will discover Gods character and love
more as we read further in Gods love story. The distinction between Allah and the God of
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Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will become clear by the end of this book. Thank you for taking the
time to understand this, concept, lets say a quick prayer before moving on.
Father in Heaven, Creator of heaven and earth,
Thank you for hearing our prayers and for the wisdom you have granted. We humbly ask for
your truth and understanding. You are a God of love, forgiveness and holiness. Thank you for
revealing your character through Your Son, the promised Messiah. We ask for divine revelation
as we seek only to know You more. Please speak to our hearts and thank you for the example set
forth through Abraham. We trust you and love you, thank you! Amen!
Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants who stand always before you and hear
your wisdom. (2 Chronicles 9:7)
Have you heard the secret counsel of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself? (Job 15:8)
Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. (Job
36:5)
The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Proverbs 1:7)
The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens.
(Proverbs 3:19)
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Chapter 16: Jacob

Okay, lets get back to Gods story! Esau and Jacob were the two sons of Isaac, who was now
the direct line between God and His covenant. Isaacs two sons were distinctly different from
one another, not only in their appearance but interests and demeanor as well. We are told Esau
was hairy, fierce, cunning and an expert hunter. Jacob was wise and soft spoken, dwelling in
tents and tending to the flocks. Jacob learned the ways of the Lord, including how to read and
write. Esau chose to spend his time hunting and in the fields, and did not learn the instructions of
the Lord.
Now the next part of this story is a bit confusing, because Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of
stew. Keep in mind, their birthright consisted of the wealth, blessing, authority and rights
associated with their family, so for a mere bowl of stew, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. Lets
see what Genesis Chapter 25 tells us:
Jacob was cooking stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said
to Jacob, let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted, therefore his name was called
Edom.
And Jacob said, sell me your birthright today. And Esau said, I am about to die; of what use
is a birthright to me? Jacob said, swear to me now. So he swore to him and sold his
birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and the soup of lentils, and he ate and drank,
and rose up and went his way. And Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:29-34)
So to recap, Esau came in from the field exhausted. When he asked Jacob for some soup, Jacob
told Esau yeah, no problem, just sell me your birthright and its yours. Esau then said he was a
dead man anyways, so he agreed. First of all, what? Really? Esau lived many years after this, so
there was no way he could be dying. And secondly, as hungry as he was, what could possibly
compel him to sell his birthright for a bowl of soup? Was Esau just extremely moronic or was
there more to the story?
Well, there is actually more to the story. For those of you who have struggled to understand this
part of the story, we are about to get the context behind Esau that led to this fateful day. In the
book of Jasher we get an account of this day, and it may surprise you. Remember Nimrod, the
evil dictator who built the tower of Babel and threw Abram in the furnace?
Well, we are told that he was still alive and in his free time enjoyed hunting in the fields, the
same fields Esau frequented. They both apparently noticed one another before, yet this time Esau
waited in ambush. As Nimrod got close that day, Esau leapt out and cut off Nimrods head with
his sword! Esau also slayed Nimrods two mighty men with him, and when he noticed the rest of
his men following, Esau grabbed Nimrods valuables and ran for his life.
Now, Nimrod had dreamed years ago that the seed of Abraham would kill him, and that is
exactly what ended up happening! Also, remember that cloak? The same one God had made for
Adam and Eve, which gave supernatural strength? Well, apparently that could not save Nimrods
head from being chopped off, and Esau took this coat off his body and ran for his life!
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Whoa, talk about surprise! So, when Esau came into Jacobs tent, he was being chased by
Nimrods men and was certain he was about to die. With this context, his birthright was the last
thing on his mind as he thought he was literally about to be discovered by Nimrods men and
killed. Even though Esaus decision was still foolish, we at least now know why he thought he
was about to die. And Jacob, acting wisely in the moment, took advantage of his brothers fears
and received his birthright.
The next part of this story resumes on Isaacs deathbed. Isaac was becoming old and could
barely see. He knew it was his time soon, so as his last declaration, he decided to dish out his
blessing to his firstborn son Esau. Isaac called his son over and told him to go hunting and bring
him some venison so he may bless him.
Rebecca overheard this conversation and because she favored Jacob, she instructed Jacob to
fetch two goats and prepare the meat for Isaac. Jacob agreed and brought the meat to his father.
Because Isaac could not
see, he asked who it
was and Jacob
responded that it was
his firstborn son, Esau.
Jacob draped goat skins
around him and when
Isaac reached out to
touch him, he felt the
hairy skin and believed
that it was Esau.
So, Isaac passed his
blessing to Jacob,
saying, let peoples
serve you, and nations
bow down to you. Be
Lord over your
brothers, and may your
mothers sons bow
down to you. Cursed
are those who curse you, and blessed are those who bless you. (Genesis 27:29)
Now, shortly after Jacob received the blessing, Esau came into the tent with the meat. To Isaacs
surprise, he informed Esau that he already blessed Jacob, thinking it was him. To Esaus dismay,
he asked his father for a blessing, to which Isaac responded:
Behold, I have made Jacob your master and all his brothers I have given him for servants. And
with grain and wine I have supported them. And what shall I do now to you, my son? And Esau
said to his father, have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me also, my father. And Esau
lifted up his voice and wept.
And Isaac answered and said to him, behold, your dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth,
and of the dew of heaven from above. And by your sword you shall live, and shall serve your
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brother. And it shall be when you have the dominion, you shall break his yoke off your neck.
(Genesis 27:37-40)
Esau hated Jacob after this and swore that after his fathers passing, he would kill Jacob. His
mother Rebeca overheard and warned Jacob, telling him to flee to her brother Labans house and
find a wife there. So Jacob left, and Esau took a wife from the daughter of Ishmael.
Now, taking the context into account, what we see here is Jacob deceiving his father and brother,
taking away the birthright and blessing of his father. We also see the fulfillment of the Lords
promise that the older would serve the younger.
In the context of Gods love story, Jacob was now the favored son in which Gods blessing and
covenant would now reside over. Although the means in which he came about this may have
been less than favorable, this was part of Gods plan. Esau may have gotten deceived, yet in the
grand scheme of things, Esau was not meant to inherit Gods covenant.
As we will come to find out, God knew what He was doing. Even though deception was used in
establishing the covenant, God would not have allowed this to happen were in not part of his
plan and love story.
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Chapter 17: Israel

Now, the next saga of Gods love story continues with Jacob as he left his fathers land and
traveled to his uncle Labans house. We witness the first example of love at first sight, literally.
For those romantics at heart reading this, the next part of the story will leave you with a new
perspective of love.
As Jacob was traveling east, he came across a large field with sheep grazing. As he was talking
with the shepherds, time stood still. Just like a movie, he saw the most beautiful woman of his
life and he saw her walking towards him in slow motion. Like a deer in headlights, Jacob saw
this beautiful woman and his heart knew that this was it.
Jacob kissed this beautiful woman and came to find out this is Labans daughter, the exact type
of woman he was meant to marry. Her name was Rachel, and from that moment forward, Jacob
could think of no one else. He heart was struck with the arrow of love, simple as that.
As Jacob arrived at Labans house, Jacob declared he would serve Laban seven years for the
hand of his daughter Rachel. Laban agreed and Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they
seemed but a few days because of the love he had for her. (Genesis 29:20) Aww, Jacob was a
complete sweetheart and for seven years worked for his uncle for the hand of his bride.
At the end of the seven years, Laban had a great feast and at the end of the evening, Jacobs bride
was brought into his room. Finally, after waiting 7 full years, the moment had finally arrived! It
must have been dark, because morning rolled around and as Jacob turned over, he saw who was
next to him jumped out of bed, shocked: It wasnt Rachel!
It was Leah, Labans eldest daughter! He had been deceived! Jacob furiously confronted Laban
and when he asked why he was deceived, Laban responded that it is custom for the eldest
daughter to marry before the younger. Laban offered the hand of his daughter Rachel, for another
seven years of service. Jacob agreed, and worked seven more years for Rachel.
Wow, fourteen years Jacob worked for Rachels hand in marriage. And once his time was up,
Jacob finally received Rachel as a wife. We are told Jacob loved Rachel much more than Leah,
but now he had two wives and 14 years of his life gone.
This tale of romance shows that not only was Jacob a man of his word, but also his willingness to
continue his service to Laban, even after being deceived. One might say that was a result of
Jacobs deception with Esau, which would be a beautiful example of fateful irony. Regardless,
Jacob now had two wives calloused hands to show for it.
Sometime after his marriage, an angel of the Lord came to Jacob in a dream told him to take his
wives and return to the land of his family. Jacob obeyed, yet he was still afraid of what Laban
would do. Remember, he had been deceived and feared Laban would either try and stop him or
keep his wives back. Laban was also becoming extremely jealous of Jacob, since the Lord was
with him and blessed Jacob with great prosperity and wealth. Either way, Jacob knew it was time
to leave, yet feared what Laban would do.
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So Jacob packed up shop, all of his family, livestock and possessions, and left in the middle of
the night in secret. Jacob was not out of the clear yet, since 20 years had passed since he had left
and his brother Esau had grown in strength and numbers. Jacob did not exactly part on good
terms with his brother, so as he got closer, Jacob sent some messengers to Esau to see what was
up.
Jacobs Trouble
Jacobs messengers came back and let Jacob know Esau was coming to meet him, along with
400 of his men! Jacob became distressed and decided to split up his people and flocks into two
groups. His reasoning was if Esau attacked one group, at least the other group would be able to
escape. Jacob was afraid and had no idea what Esaus reaction would be.
So Jacob prayed and asked the Lord for protection, then decided to get a gift ready for Esau. This
was no small gift: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 11 lambs, 12 rams, 30 camels, 40 cows, 10
bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. Jacob sent his servants ahead with the gift,
hoping that Esau would forget any hard feelings once he saw the amazing gift.
That night, Jacob went to a river and contemplated life. As he was pacing back and forth,
wondering what would happen to him, he saw a man. We are not told who this man was, yet we
will read this was no ordinary man. Jacob wrestled with this man all night:
And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh. And the
hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with Him. And he said, let me go, for the
day breaks. And he said, I will not let You go except You bless me.
And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, your name
shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for like a prince you have power with God and with
men, and have prevailed.
And Jacob asked and said, I pray You, reveal Your name. And he said, why do you ask after
My name? And He blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Face of God; for
I have seen God face to face, and my life was preserved.
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he limped upon his thigh. Therefore
the sons of Israel do not eat of the sinew of the thigh, which is on the hip-socket, until this day,
because He touched Jacob's hip-socket, the sinew of the thigh. (Genesis 32:25-32)
So this man was actually God, or an angel, that Jacob wrestled with. Although we are not given
His name, Jacob named that location the Face of God, for he saw God face to face and was not
killed. Also, Jacob had just been renamed Israel, which name changes like this only come from
Gods authority.
Why injure his hip? Well, as God does, He loves making statements that carry both a physical
and spiritual meaning. Jacob was wrestling with a lot that night: fear of Laban, fear of Esau and
fear of being killed. Jacob had made every precaution on his own terms to preserve his life, yet
he did not rely fully on Gods protection over him.
Jacob had every intention of fleeing if things went sideways with Esau, so his injured hip meant
he was prevented from fleeing the situation. He had to confront his past and deal with this
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situation on Gods terms. God had placed Jacob in this situation to grow his faith and made
Jacob weak physically so that he would be stronger spiritually.
God showed His glory by providing for Jacob, only when Jacob had no other crutches to lean on.
The significance of this wrestling match was Jacobs submission to God and relinquishing his
fear and flesh to God. Although this story is a bit odd, lets see what happened next.
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, Esau came, and four hundred men with
him. And he divided the children to Leah, and to Rachel, and to the two handmaids. And he put
the slave women and their children first, and Leah and her children afterward, and Rachel and
Joseph last.
And he passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came
near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell upon his neck and
kissed him. And they wept. (Genesis 33:1-4)
Whoa! Talk about a family reunion! Looks like God already had this meeting planned, and Jacob
stressed himself out for nothing! Let this be an encouragement to us that even our biggest fears
are nothing once we submit to God. Esau had already forgiven Jacob and embraced like the long-
lost brothers that they were. What a great example of Gods love, grace and redemption!
Sons of Israel
True to Gods promise to multiply his descendants, Jacob(Israel) had some children: twelve in
fact. These twelve sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel.
Leah conceived the first child, Reuben, followed by Simeon, Levi and Judah. When Rachel saw
she was not conceiving any children, she told Jacob to take her handmaid as wife so she would
have children through her. So Jacob took Rachels maid, Bilhah, and she gave birth to Dan and
Naphtali.
When Leah saw what was going on, she told Jacob to take her handmaiden Zilpah as a wife, to
which she bore Gad and Asher. Leah then conceived again, this time Issachar and Zebulun.
Finally, after seeing all of Jacobs children born with none from her own womb, Rachel finally
conceived and gave birth to Benjamin and Joseph.
There you have it. These twelve sons would become the 12 tribes of Israel and from their
descendants would the rest of the nation of Israel be established. This nation is pretty important,
so now we understand how this nation came to be! After the reunion with Esau, Jacob took his
family and posted up in Hebron, or southern Jerusalem. This is where the nations of Israel would
branch out!
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Chapter 18: Joseph

Not to discourage you, but we have only covered 30 chapters of Genesis so far! Even though we
have only gone through 30 chapters, we have covered more than 2,000 years of history! In order
to properly tell Gods love story, we will not be able to cover every event and character in detail.
Our hope is that you will be encouraged to re-read through Genesis with a new perspective and
appreciation for Gods amazing Word.
We are going to wrap up Genesis with the story of Joseph, as he is the last major character we
need to discuss. Out of the 4 mothers of the twelve sons of Jacob, the sons from Rachel were
loved the most by Jacob. When we see the love Jacob had for Rachel, it makes sense that their
children would be the most special to him. Specifically, Joseph was Jacobs most favored son,
who was also the youngest.
Apparently Jacob never received the memo about not showing favorites, since Jacobs affection
and favoritism towards Joseph was obvious. Jacob even bestowed a special cloak to Joseph, one
with many colors. Needless to say, the rest of Jacobs sons hated Joseph out of jealousy. Josephs
dreams did not help the matter either, seeing as how Joseph dreamed his brothers all bowed
down to him and served him.
Keep in mind, Joseph was the youngest son, loved more by Jacob, and was dreaming that he
would rule over the rest of them. Should not come as a shock that we see the brothers devise a
plan to get rid of him. They would have killed Joseph were it not for their father. So in lieu of
actually killing him, they decided to throw him in a scorpion pit and took his cloak. They saw
some Ishmaelites traveling by and decided to sell their brother for 20 pieces of silver.
The brothers then killed a goat, dipped the cloak in the blood, and returned to their father, telling
him that Joseph met an untimely death by a beast in the field. After hearing this news, Jacob
believed his favorite son to be dead, and did not stop morning for the rest of his days. Poor Jacob
had such a big heart that this news literally almost killed him.
In the meantime, Joseph was sold to the captain of the Egyptian guard. It did not take long for
Joseph to climb the ranks, as he was both extremely good looking and blessed by the Lord with
talent, wisdom and matters of state. He was hands down the man, every man wanted to be him
and every woman wanted to be with him!
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters. that brings forth it fruit in its season,
whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
Blessed is the man that trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he will be like a tree
planted by the waters, that spreads out its roots by the river; and will not fear the heat when it
comes. Its leaves will be green and moist, and it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of
drought nor stop bearing fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Joseph was made overseer of the Egyptian Potiphar, one of the most powerful men in Egypt. It
did not take long for Joseph to catch the attention of Potiphars wife, Zelica. She was constantly
doing everything she could to get Josephs attention, including flattery, seduction, fear, and love.
 63

She became physically sick, due to the longing she had for Joseph and one night decided to
sneak into his room. She told Joseph she would kill herself if he did not have his way with her.
So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be
with her. (Genesis 39:10)
Brief pause here to acknowledge Josephs fortitude. From the accounts in Jasher, Zelica pulled
just about every trick in the book to seduce Joseph. In fact, any man today would be hard-pressed
to not cave in to her temptations. By all accounts she was absolutely beautiful and had never
been rejected by a man before. Joseph would keep his head down and refused to look at her, so
mad respect to Joseph.
Anyways, one night Zelica grabbed Joseph and attempted to pull his clothes off. Joseph literally
ran out of the room, ripping his robe in the process. Zelica realized her shame would be found
out, so in order to protect herself she devised an evil plan to tell everyone Joseph tried to rape
her. When confronted, Joseph told the truth, yet he was thrown into prison for a total of 14 years.
Fourteen years Joseph was unjustly imprisoned, a man blessed by God and full of integrity. For
three months Zelica came to Josephs prison cell daily and told him he could get out, if he only
complied with her wishes. Eventually she gave up, and Joseph spent his years in prayer and
confinement.
Just like how Jacob spent fourteen years in the service of Laban, Joseph spent an equal amount
of time in prison. During his years in prison, Joseph did not curse God for the injustice, did not
give up hope and continued to worship God. This guy had some amazing faith and knew that
God was going to come through!
His opportunity came when the Pharaoh had a dream. This dream troubled the Pharaoh so much
that he called all of his wise men and magicians over to interpret his dream. When none of his
counsellors could give him an accurate interpretation, God opened up the opportunity for Joseph.
Joseph interpreted the Pharaohs dream and told him that there would be 7 years of plenty in the
land, followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph told the Pharaoh that he must stockpile food for the
seven good years in order to save for the seven years of famine.
Low and behold, God favored Joseph and the Pharaoh listened. The Pharaoh accepted the
interpretation and put Joseph in charge. Joseph was made the second most powerful man in
Egypt and for seven years facilitated the growing of corn in the kingdom and the stockpiles of
food, farther than the eye can see. So out of prison, God rewarded Joseph by making him the
second most powerful man in the land!
After the seven years of plenty passed, low and behold a massive famine struck the land. The
famine was so bad that no land in the entire region remain unscathed. The only way to get food
was in Egypt, through Joseph. And it came to pass when Jacobs family started running low on
food, the sons of Jacob came to Egypt to buy food.
Joseph knew that his brothers would eventually come to Egypt, and was on the lookout. When
Joseph got word that his brothers were in the city, Joseph ordered his men to bring his brothers to
him. The brothers did not recognize Joseph, which was all part of the plan.
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Long story short, the

brothers were then
forced to return home
and bring their brother
Benjamin. When all
the brothers were
gathered together,
Joseph revealed
himself to them! To
say they were shocked
would be an
understatement! Their
fear was slowly
dissolved as the tears
and hugs were passed
around, and we see a
family reunion take
place like never
before!
I will return again to my place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek my face in
their affliction they will earnestly seek me. (Hosea 5:15)
Joseph told his brothers to return home to their father and bring the entire family to Egypt! Since
they were only in the second year of the famine, Joseph had the family come to Egypt and the
Pharaoh blessed Jacob with the best land in Egypt. The family lived in grace and prosperity
thanks to Joseph, and the nations of Israel began to grow in prosperity.
Through the act of selling their brothers, the sons of Israel had fulfilled Gods plan. They set into
motion the events that would save not only them, but every single person in the land! Without
being sold into slavery, Joseph would never have gone to Egypt and been in the position he was
in. Without knowing about the 7 years of famine, there would have been no food saved and that
would be the end of the story!
The story of Joseph shows us Gods love through using broken people in horrible circumstances.
We are shown through Joseph that bad things happen to good people, even when doing the right
thing. We are shown that horrible acts, like selling a brother into slavery, can actually work out
for Gods glory. And we are shown the story of redemption, of reconciliation and glory as the
next chapter in Gods love story will pick up with the nation of Israel in Egypt.
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Chapter 19: Moses

Moses is one of the most fundamental and patriarchal figures of Gods love story, so its
important to understand why Moses is such a big deal! Once we see how God used this man,
there will be some more Moses fans created! So lets see what happened from the time of Joseph
and the events that led to the stage for Moses being born!
Israel in Egypt
So once Joseph got the whole nation of Israel to Egypt, life was pretty amazing for a while. In
fact, all twelve brothers and their children enjoyed prosperity, recognition and blessings during
their lives. Not only were they blessed, but the entire nation of Egypt by proxy also became
blessed. For lack of a better description, these were some of the golden years of Israel that
wouldnt be rivaled until the time of Solomon.
As with all good things, they eventually come to an end (at least on earth). And once all twelve
brothers passed away, the golden years came to an end. Their descendants became so blessed
that they became a real threat to the Egyptians. They were extremely fruitful and multiplied like
none other, almost like God had blessed them to multiply!
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people,
Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly
with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us
and escape from the land. (Exodus 1:8-10)
Once word got out that Joseph and his brothers were dead, it didnt take long for the sons of Esau
and the sons of Ishmael to conspire with the kings of the land. A battle was eventually waged
between them and the Egyptians and Israelites got involved. The sons of Esau and Ishmael were
as numerous as the sands of the sea, while the Egyptians had about 300,000 men and the
Israelites about 150.
While the Israelites waited, the Egyptians went forward and got their behinds handed to them! So
they retreated and cried out to the Israelites to help, to which they went and slew a majority of
the opposing army, striking fear and dread into the army of Esau and Ishmaels descendants.
They won, without losing a single man!
So although the Egyptians and Israelites were both fighting on the same team, the Egyptians
realized they were in a bad spot. After witnessing the strength and might that God had equipped
the men with, the Egyptians realized they would be powerless to stand against them if the
Israelites decided to stage an uprising.
So the Pharaohs counsellors and wise men came together and devised a plan to safeguard their
power. Their plan was brilliantly evil, and revolved around building defenses around the city to
protect against another attack. A decree went out to all the Egyptians and Israelites that whoever
would work on building the defenses would be payed a daily wage by the Pharaoh. So that is
exactly what happened.
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At first, all the Egyptians and Israelites worked side by side together on the fortifications for
about a month, (all the Israelites besides the tribe of Levi). Then slowing, one by one, the
Egyptians began leaving in secret. The Israelites kept working, unaware of the plot underway.
After a year and four months, the Israelites were the only ones working, and the Egyptians had
transitioned themselves into their taskmasters. So by slow deception the Egyptians had turned the
Israelites into their slaves!
By the time the Israelites realized what had happened, it was too late: the Egyptians had already
enough power and control over them. So that is how the Israelites became slaves of the
Egyptians, and that continued for 400 years!
And the Lord said unto Abram, Know with certainty that your seed shall be a stranger in a land
that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. And also
that nation, who they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great
substance. (Genesis 15:13-14)
Babies Killed
Fast forward 400 years and the scene had not changed much, besides the number of Israelites.
The Egyptians enjoyed the fruit of the newfound labor force, yet the number of Israelites began
to match the number of Egyptians. So the Pharaohs counsellors and wise men came together,
and decided the best plan of action was to decree that every male Israelite child was to be killed.
As you might have guessed, this didnt work since God was protecting them still, so the Pharaoh
decided the male Israelite children should be drowned in the river. Seemed like a good plan at
the time, yet the women just went to the hills nearby to deliver and kept their children safe. To
the Pharaohs frustration, he devised a new plan.
He ordered the Egyptian midwives to take a newborn child with them and walk around the
houses of the Israelites. When the crying baby was brought near the houses, the babies inside
would cry as well, as a sort of baby signal. This worked and babies started getting slaughtered. It
was during this time that a woman named Jochebed gave birth to a baby boy, who would change
the future and destiny of Gods chosen people.
Birth of Moses
One day after Miriam had given birth, she was warned that the Pharaohs men were coming to
kill babies again. Caught in a tough spot, she did the only thing she could:
And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with
slime and with pitch, and put the child inside; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
(Exodus 2:3)
Ironically Mosess life was preserved in an ark, albeit a much smaller one than Noahs ark! It
just so happened that God sent a huge heat wave throughout all of Egypt, so that everyone went
to the river to cool off. The Pharaohs daughter also happened to be there, which is where the
story picks up in Exodus:
Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked
beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took
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it. When she opened it, she

saw the child, and behold,
the baby was crying. She
took pity on him and said,
This is one of the Hebrews'
children.
Then his sister said to
Pharaoh's daughter, Shall
I go and call you a nurse
from the Hebrew women to
nurse the child for you?
And Pharaoh's daughter
said to her, Go. So the
girl went and called the
child's mother. And
Pharaoh's daughter said to
her, Take this child away
and nurse him for me, and I
will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him.
When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She
named him Moses, Because, she said, I drew him out of the water. (Exodus 2:5-10)
Moses as a 3-year-old
Now there is one story from Moses childhood we must tell, as the book of Jasher provides some
amazing clarity and backstory to Moses that changes the game. And that event took place at a
banquet in the Pharaohs house when Moses was three years old.
Everyone was just chilling, eating and having a good time. The Pharaoh was playing with Moses
when suddenly baby Moses grabbed the Pharaohs crown and placed it upon his head! The room
fell silent as the jovial atmosphere suddenly came to a halt. You could hear the shocked gasps of
astonishment as everyone looked at the Pharaoh, waiting to see his reaction.
Pharaoh asked his counsellors what to make of the matter, and Balaam son of Beor decided to
chime in. (Balaam was the evil sorcerer who worshiped none other than Baal). Balaam told the
Pharaoh that the child was a Hebrew and that God had chosen the child to rule as a king. So his
advice was pretty original: dash the childs head on the ground. As you can see, they were not
very creative!
Luckily the Pharaoh had a bit more common sense and decided to take a poll with the rest of his
counsellors. This part is pretty neat, because an angel of the Lord came in, disguised as one of
the wise counsellors to the Pharaoh. The angel spoke up and said:
If it pleases the king let the king send for men who shall bring before him an onyx stone and a
coal of fire, and place them before the child. And if the child shall stretch forth his hand and take
the onyx stone, then shall we know that with wisdom has the youth done all that he has done, and
we must slay him.
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But if he stretch forth his hand upon the coal, then shall we know that it was not with knowledge
that he did this thing, and he shall live. (Jasher 70:25-26)
Nice! Way to go angel! His suggestion was heeded and that is exactly what the king did. The test
here was to prove if Moses knew what he was doing when he took the crown off the Pharaohs
head, or if he was just being a child and playing around. The onyx stone is a very rare and
valuable stone, while a hot coal is obviously a hot coal. So pretty much only a child with no
common sense would grab a hot coal!
The Pharaohs men then went and grabbed the onyx stone and a hot coal, holding them up to
baby Moses. As you might have guessed, Moses stretched forth his hand to grab the shiny onyx
stone, yet the angel of the Lord guided his hand to the hot coal instead! The coal became
extinguished in his hand, then he put the coal in his mouth, burning part of his lips and tongue,
becoming heavy in mouth and tongue!
For those familiar with the story of Moses, he always had a speech impediment, now we know
why! So when the Pharaoh saw what baby Moses had done, he decided the child did not grab the
crown on purpose, and decided to spare his life! What a great example of Gods divine mercy,
salvation and love!
Moses kills a guy
Fast forward 15 years, and Moses went out on a nice afternoon stroll, only to witness an
Egyptian beating up his fellow Hebrew brethren. Even though Moses was raised in the Pharaohs
household as royalty, he still knew his roots and who his people were. So the Hebrew man being
beaten ran up to Moses and said:
My lord, attend to me, this Egyptian came to my house in the night, bound me, and came to my
wife in my presence, and now he seeks to take my life away. (Jasher 71:2)
Moses did not take kindly to the Egyptians actions, and we read in Exodus that 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. (Exodus 2:12)
With some context now, we see that Moses actions stemmed from more than just seeing an
Egyptian man beating a Hebrew man. Although cold blooded murder is never the right choice,
we see that Moses became judge, jury and executioner as he took the life of a very despicable
Egyptian man. Not saying Moses actions were justified, just that he was protecting the life of a
man whose wife was raped right in front of him and was about to be murdered.
Anyways, the whole situation was bad, and the next day got worse as word got around that
Moses had killed a guy. The Pharaoh was furious and ordered the immediate execution of
Moses, so 18-year-old Moses fled for his life into the wilderness for 40 years.
40 Years of Wilderness
Now Exodus does not give us much account of Moses life during the 40 years, other than he
went to the land of Midian and won the hand of Zipporah in marriage from a priest of Midian
named Reuel.
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It turns out Moses did much more than just sit around. As much fun as it would be to go into
more detail of his events during this time, there are many more important feats that Moses
accomplished.
As a brief teaser, Moses actually became the King of Cush after the city became sieged for 9
years. After leaving Cush, Moses went to Midian and saw the seven daughters of Reuel watering
the flock. Once he rescued the daughters from some shepherds, Moses was brought back to
Reuel and was thrown into his dungeon!
While in prison for 10 years, he was fed in secret by one of the daughters Zipporah and kept
alive. At the end of those 10 years, God was ready for Moses to come back and free His people,
so some events were set into motion that would change the world and law of the day.
During Moses time in captivity, the Pharaoh who wanted Moses dead had died. His son Adikam
became the new Pharaoh and was described as exceedingly ugly, a cubit and a span (barely over
2 ft tall) with a great beard reaching to the soles of his feet. So this was the new Pharaoh, let that
paint an awesome mental picture!
Staff of Moses
Now Moses was released from the dungeon, and went to the garden to pray. Moses then noticed
a sapphire stick placed in the ground. This stick was engraved with the name of the Lord God
and had different precious gems placed inside it.
Moses was drawn to this staff, and simply picked it up and carried it with him. When he came
back to the house, there were astonished gasps as they beheld the staff in his hand. Moses must
have wondered what the big deal was, until they let him know that only the man worthy enough
to remove the staff could actually take it out of the earth!
Remember the legend of the sword in the stone? Well this was the original staff in the ground
and was way better! According to Jasher, Jewish history and lore, this staff was used by God in
the garden of Eden, and was passed down from Adam to Noah, to Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph, ransacked by the Egyptians and eventually into the hands of Reuel the Midianite, until
Moses picked it up!
Even though this account of the staff is not in canonical scripture, the legendary lore behind the
staff is incredible! So once Moses proved his worth, he was given Zipporah as a wife and they
had a son Gershom.
Burning Bush
As Moses was feeding the flock of Reuel, one of the goats strayed away from the herd, so he
went to follow it. Somehow that little goat could run and took him all the way to the mountain of
God in Horeb.
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And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and
he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)
After thinking he was crazy for a minute, Moses turned away until he heard God call out to him
in the midst of the bush, Moses, to which Moses replied, here I am.
Then [God] said, Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you
are standing is holy ground. And He said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, I have surely
seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their
taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the
Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with
milk and honey. (Exodus 3:5-8)
Here we see Gods compassion
and mercy come through on His
timeline. There was a reason for
the 400 years of imprisonment,
and God waited this time to
fulfill on His promise and show
His glory. God finished up His
command with:
Come, I will send you to
Pharaoh that you may bring my
people, the children of Israel,
out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10)
Alright, Moses just received a
pretty big confirmation from
God right there! His reaction
was humble excitement and eagerness to be Gods instrument in freeing his brothers from 400
years of captivity, right? Actually no, this was NOT his reaction.
And Moses said unto God, who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring
forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exodus 3:11) Although this may seem like a display of
humility, in all honesty Moses was avoid the responsibility out of fear. In order to dispel his
worries, God let Moses know that:
I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have
brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. (Exodus 3:12)
So God even acknowledged Moses by letting him know He was with him, yet Moses was still
not convinced. He told God that if he came back to his people and told them God spoke to him,
they might want some proof. So Moses asked God what His name is, to which God said, hayah
'asher hayah or I AM THAT I AM.
Armed with the name of God, with confirmation and instruction to rescue the Hebrews out of
Egypt, Moses decided the best plan of action was to stall God with more questions. The Moses
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began making excuses, claiming that no one will believe him if he told them God spoke to him in
a burning bush and he was to be the leader and deliver them out from Egypt.
So God told Moses to throw his staff down on the ground, and when he did it became a snake!
Moses was given yet another sign, to where he stuck his hand inside his shirt and when he pulled
it out, it became leprous as snow! After putting his hand inside his shirt again, it was restored to
normal. Pretty trippy but nonetheless proved a point. So Moses was given two different signs to
prove to his people he was the real deal.
Now that Moses had been granted power from God to perform these wonders, he realized his list
of excuses were running out! So Moses remembered his speech impediment and said:
Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but
I am slow of speech and of tongue. Then the LORD said to him, Who has made man's mouth?
Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and
I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak. (Exodus 4:10-12)
So God was able to provide an answer to every excuse that Moses brought up, to the point
where Moses gave his last and final excuse/request:
But he said, Oh, my Lord, please send someone else. (Exodus 4:13)
If anyone wants to know a good way to anger the Lord, this is it! Just keep on making excuses
repeatedly, even after God has talked with you and performed miracles through you!
Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, Is there not Aaron, your
brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and
when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with
his mouth and will teach you both what to do.
He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to
him. (Exodus 4:15-16)
Wow! Moses probably pushed God further than almost anyone mentioned in scripture! He put
God to the test, made excuses, asked for someone else to do it, to the point where there was no
other choice than obedience. God wholeheartedly pursued Moses, even when Moses didnt want
it. This is the same God who created you! The same God who would take no more excuses from
Moses is the same God today.
God demonstrated his love for us in the example of Moses, by showing how even when we are
reluctant, God is confident. When we try to hide, God calls us out. When we fill under equipped
to perform, God will provide His supernatural power in assistance. When the task ahead of you
seems impossible, God wraps you in His arms and says, I am with you.
This guy Moses would be used by God to do more amazing things than he could ever imagine,
and it started right there on the mountain with a burning bush. Take encouragement from Moses
that even when you feel like you are the least qualified person, God will make you the most
qualified person for His job!
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Chapter 20: Exodus

For any Moses out there reading, for anyone who has ever felt Gods calling in their lives, for
anyone who has felt overwhelmed or under qualified for what God has called you to do, just see
what God does to those who obey and trust in the Lord. Watch as we see God take this man and
completely use him for righteousness!
Moses and Aaron
Sometimes the Lord will provide another person to assist in His mission when the task seems too
daunting. As for Moses and Aaron, they made a great tag-team duo in Gods righteous and holy
plan! As we will see later on in the New Testament with Paul, some of the most notable men
have had a buddy or two that has helped with their endeavors.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
So Moses and Aaron reunite after more than 40 years, commenting on all the weight they gained
and the number of grey hairs in their beards (okay scripture doesnt actually say this, but it
doesnt say they didnt!). After their happy reunion, they returned to Egypt and gathered together
all the elders of the children of Israel, which we also call Hebrews. Any reference to Hebrews or
the children of Israel are synonymous, as this in reference to Gods chosen people.
Aaron should have been renamed to Dr. Clutch at this point, since he effectively received his
PHD at coming in clutch! Please forgive the bad humor here, just know that Aaron stepped in on
Moses behalf and told them what God had instructed, including the signs that God had shown to
Moses.
Remember, Aaron was an elder himself and one of the top, if not the top elder of the Hebrews.
And Moses was a murderer and runaway who had not been seen for close to 50 years. In all
likelihood, even some of the elders didnt even know who Moses was. So to the children of
Israel, some stranger coming in and claiming to be their deliverer may not have gone over so
well.
That is why Aaron was so clutch (i.e. exactly what you need, exactly when you need it). Since
Aaron had been personally involved and told everyone that Moses was the real deal, his
testimony, along with Gods miracles, was enough to make believers out of the children of
Israel! So having the friend that opens doors and has your back comes in handy for
accomplishing Gods plans.
Let My People Go!
Armed with the support of their people, Moses and Aaron went into the Pharaohs palace and
gave the famous let my people go speech. This speech goes back and forth in the events to
unfold, where Moses and Aaron tell the Pharaoh to let his people go, the Pharaoh says no, and
then bad things happen. Not to make light of the situation, but that is the gist of it.
The first time they have this dialogue, the Pharaoh said no and the children of Israel were
punished severely. The Pharaoh decided to make the Hebrews responsible for collecting the
straw for the bricks! So not only did they have to build walls, they now had to go collect the
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ingredients themselves! It would be like making a prison chain-gang go smelt the iron and forge
their own pickaxes to crush rocks. It was sheer madness!
Not only that, but they were expected to produce the same amount, on top of making the bricks
themselves! So the people did not like Moses very much at that point, since he came there to
deliver them yet their lives were made drastically worse. God did not allow this to continue for
too much longer before sending Moses and Aaron back to the Pharaoh. Some really neat
encouragement is found before they go back in:
And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron your brother
shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you: and Aaron your brother shall
speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. (Exodus 7:1-2)
Pretty neat, yet God elaborates a bit further:
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
But Pharaoh shall not listen to you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring My armies,
My people the sons of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians
shall know that I am God when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt, and bring out the sons of
Israel from among them.
And Moses and Aaron did as God commanded them; so they did. (Exodus 7:3-6)
So even though they asked for something God told them they would not receive; nonetheless,
they did as instructed. This may seem like an odd request, yet God let them know this was so the
Egyptians would know He was God. And even though Moses and Aaron may not have fully
understood, they were obedient.
10 Plagues
Moses and Aaron give the let my people go speech again and after refusing, the first plague
strikes Egypt: water turned to blood. Not just a little stream of water, literally every river, lake,
bottled water, anything with 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen molecule (H20) became blood. People
would fill their pitchers from the well, boom, blood. A woman would be kneading dough to
make something, delicious, boom, bloody disgusting! Every single fish in the Nile river died,
since fish cant breathe blood, so the pungent odor of dead fish suddenly became the new
fragrance.
After being tormented by blood and nasty dead fish, Moses, Aaron and the Pharaoh do their
thing again and the second plague comes upon them: frogs. Not just a few little frogs here and
there jumping around, literally all the waters brought forth frogs. The water had returned to
normal, yet they would drink the water and frogs would spawn in their stomachs!
All the drinking water turned to frogs, even their own sweat turned into frogs! If anyone is
creeped out, you are not as creeped out as the Egyptians were! The Pharaoh even begged Moses
and Aaron to remove the frogs and he would let the people gotomorrow.
So all the frogs stopped tormenting the Egyptians, hopping in organized piles around the city
before croaking, stinking up the city yet again. Yet the Pharaoh decided to change his mind once
the frogs were removed, so the third plague came upon them next: lice.
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Many translations will say gnats (taken from kn), yet the book of Jasher confirms they were
lice. Not your average everyday lice, but lice from hell. Literally the dust was turned into lice.
There was a layer of lice 2 cubits high (3ft) upon the entire land of Egypt! The lice did not
discriminate between beast or man, leaving only the children of Israel alone. So if your head is
not itching by now, give it one good scratch to remember the amazing lice God used to inflict on
Egypt!
After another round of word tango between Moses and Pharaoh, the 4th plague goes into action:
flies. If you have ever been confronted with annoying flies, trust us when we say you have never
experienced flies like this: flies that literally crawl up your nasal cavity, inside your ears, down
your throat, your eyeballs, every single orifice of your body. The kind of flies where every time
you swat them away, they just come back even stronger and in greater numbers.
When the people literally were suffocating from all the flies shoved through their windpipes, the
Pharaoh had enough. He called Moses over and said he would let them go. Moses then had the
whole fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me speech and Pharaoh promised
he would let them go.
I guess shame on Moses, because the Pharaoh did the exact same thing again, and said his
fingers were crossed so didnt count. So the 5th plague came their way, this time by destroying all
the cattle and livestock of Egypt, while sparing the children of Israels cattle and animals. The
next day Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptians came out to witness every single one of their
cows, horses, donkeys, camels and sheep peeled over dead. Yet not even one of the Hebrews
animals were touched!
Without wasting any time, God sent the 6th plague next: boils. Not just any old harmless boils of
puss and goo, but the most vile, seeping and dry heaving pus wads taken straight from a medical
mystery film. These sores went from the bottom of their feet to the top of their heads, starting
with itching, to bleeding to seeping pus to rotten and putrid (If you are getting grossed out
reading this, then mission accomplished!). So often we can just breeze over words without
actually understanding.
It is so easy to read through and be like, oh boils, sounds pretty bad. Yes! Very bad! And very
real, very nasty and very gross. Lets appreciate what God did with these plagues, because we
owe it to our creator to appreciate His glory and learn to fear Him. God is amazing love, and He
is also amazing justice. Like a momma bear whose cub gets threatened, Gods wrath is not a fun
place to be on the receiving end of!
Wanting to really make a point, God unleashed his 7th plague in the form of hail and fire. We are
talking big old meteors and some crazy things being tossed out from heaven. After being warned
by God, Moses made sure all the Hebrews cattle and goods went inside, and boom! Moses lifted
his staff up to the heavens and lightning flashed, wind howled and the fury and wrath of God was
unleashed on the whole world!
When there was only a single spot of untouched earth, conveniently all around the Hebrews
land, the sign was clear. Pharaoh called Moses over and said hey, enough is enough. Moses said
yeah right, Pharaoh said he sinned greatly and was so sorry! Pharaoh promised to do anything to
just get God to stop with the wrath. Moses said okay but he knew Pharaoh was full of you know
what.
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So Moses walked out, held up his staff, and the hail stopped. And just like that Pharaoh went
back on his word yet again. And in came the 8th plague: locusts. These locusts came in swarms,
need we describe how many locusts there were? Well the Egyptians got excited at first, since
locusts had just been placed on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner! They rounded up their
feast in nets, sprinkled salt on them, had their napkins tucked into their shirts ready to dig in,
when God brought in a mighty wind and destroyed all the locusts in the Red Sea. Every single
locust was brought out as fast as they came in.
The Egyptians were nonetheless disappointed, yet what happened next turned that
disappointment into utter fear with the 9th plague: darkness over the face of the earth for three
days. Pitch black darkness where you couldnt even see your hand in front of your face. So dark
that those who were sitting had to just sit there the entire three days, those who were walking had
to just stand still in one spot, every person for three days remained in the same position. Have
you ever experienced darkness that deep?
Even a solar eclipse could only block out the sun for 7.5 minutes maximum, so three days of
complete and utter darkness is devastating. Yet the children of Israel had light since they had
been warned. Ironically Moses and the crew had their lanterns and candles lit in the middle of the
day, the same time this darkness ensued. Everyone else was at a complete loss since they had no
time to prepare a torch once the darkness had arrived.
After the days of darkness were completed, God told Moses to prepare the feast and get the
Passover ready, as Gods 10th and final plague would be happening that night. And it would
come in the form of death: death of all firstborns of Egypt.
Passover
Moses was given clear instructions from God and passed them along to the children of Israel.
The instructions were to take the best lamb they had, a spotless lamb without blemish, and
sacrifice it. They were to then take the blood, smear it over the doorframes of their houses, as a
sign of being Gods people. They were then to cook the lamb and eat with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs.
They were to eat the meal in haste, with their shoes and belts on and staff in hand: for it was the
Lords Passover.
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the
LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see
the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite
the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)
See where we get Pass-over from? So true to His Word, God went forth at midnight that night
and killed every single firstborn animal and child in all of Egypt. There was not a single house in
all of Egypt without a corpse in the morning, even the bones of the firstborns of families, yes
even their bones, were raked up by the dogs and dragged before the Egyptian families. Even the
very graven images of the firstborns on the walls were destroyed.
If you had been born first at any point in Egypt, it was not a good time for you. We are talking
about the fear of God in the hearts of every single man, woman and child throughout all of
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Egypt. Pharaoh finally had enough, so this time when he called Moses and Aaron over, it was to
tell them to leave and never come back. In fact, all of Egypt encouraged them to leave as fast as
humanly possible, as they did not want anything to do with them for fear of Gods wrath falling
upon them again.
The Egyptians even gave them previous gold, silver, gems and clothing, anything they could find
to get them to leave. So with a spring in their step all 600,000 children of Israel left the 400-year
reign of enslavement and off to the promised land! If only it were that easy! You are doing great,
just a little bit more to finish off Exodus properly!
Red Sea- You Mean Parted Sea!
On the journey out of Egypt, the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them
along the way. By night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day and by
night. He did not take away the pillar of a cloud by day,
nor the pillar of fire by night from the people. (Exodus
13:21-22)
Talk about some divine guidance, right? Ever traveled
on foot and donkey with 600,000+ men and their
families, carrying all their possessions? Not the easiest
or quickest feat to pull off. It was almost like the people
needed guidance in the sky, and thats exactly what they
received!
The Pharaoh received something as well, another
hardened heart. This time Pharaoh took 600 chariots and
his most trusted men in pursuit of the Hebrews who had
left. The Pharaoh and his men traveled much quicker
than Moses and his people could, so by the time the
Pharaohs army had caught up, they were at the Red Sea.
Once the children of Israel had their backs against the
Red Sea and their front side facing Pharaohs army, they
faced a moment of panic and doubt! The same people
who had just witnessed God black out the sun for 3 days,
the same people who witnessed a 3ft sea of fleas, water
turned to blood, frogs literally spawning inside of people, the same people who less than three
days prior witnessed the death of every firstborn: they doubted.
What does that say about our faith? As if they thought God had done all those amazing and
terrible plagues, rescued them from the clutches of the Egyptians, only to have them die at the
edge of the Red Sea- Yeah right! Come on children of Israel, why doubt?
Moses was at the receiving end of the fearful looks and condemning fingers, as he was their
leader (even though God had worked all the miracles and they had just followed a burning pillar
in the sky for days on end). Nonetheless, the people looked to Moses for a miracle, and this is
what Moses said to the people:
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Fear not, stand firm, and see

the salvation of the LORD,
which he will work for you
today. For the Egyptians whom
you see today, you shall never
see again. The LORD will fight
for you, and you have only to be
silent.
The LORD said to Moses, Why
do you cry to me? Tell the
people of Israel to go forward.
Lift up your staff, and stretch out
your hand over the sea and
divide it, that the people of
Israel may go through the sea on
dry ground. (Exodus 14:13-16)
And that is exactly what
happened. Perhaps the most
iconic and well-known miracles
from the bible had just taken
place: The Red Sea had been
parted and the children of Israel walked through on foot, just like it was their own personal
ocean-view freeway!
Water on their right, water on their left, the children of Israel marched through the watery abyss
with what must have been determined astonishment. Perhaps more determination since they were
fleeing for their lives! Nonetheless, the Pharaohs army followed after them, yet as soon as the
last Hebrews foot touched dry land, boom! As quickly as the waters parted they returned to
normal. Caught in a watery grave, all of Pharaohs men sank to the bottom of the sea, perhaps
appreciating the unique death they faced as the water filled their lungs into a bleak and cold
oblivion.
Importance of the Red Sea
Any idea what the first thing Moses and the children of Israel did after witnessing the miracle
that saved their lives? They worshipped God by singing!
I will sing unto the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously
The horse and his rider has He thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
He is my God and I will glorify Him.
For the full song, please read Exodus chapter 15, yet just appreciate that the first thing they did
was worship God! After God parts the Red Sea in our lives, is worshipping God our first
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response? Maybe you are frustrated God is not parting the Red Sea in your life. Maybe you are
not sure what the Red Sea is for your life, maybe you have no idea what we are talking about.
For God to part the Red Sea in your life, ask yourself what you are facing and what is at your
back. Notice how God does not part the Red Sea in our lives until are backs are against a wall
and we surrender completely to Gods will. For us to experience a miracle like this, more often
than not we have to be at a breaking point.
When we are all in with no result other than death or a miracle, that is where the miracle
happens. The point is, are you willing to place yourself in front of the Red Sea in your life? How
badly have you been praying for that miracle in your life? Let us look to the example set forth in
Exodus, by Gods display of redemption and love, and take encouragement from Gods display
of faithfulness.
To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts; for His mercy endures forever. (Psalms 136:13)
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made the depths of the
sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? (Isaiah 51:10)
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Chapter 21: The Law

Law is hardly ever a fun subject, so we will do our best to keep this simple and fun! Since the
Law given to Moses is a crucial chapter in Gods overall timeline and love story, so we need to
understand what the Law is all about and why it is so important. Lets pick up immediately after
the Red Sea was parted and the nation sang their song of worship!
Well, it didnt take long for those songs of worship to change to bitter cries of complaining. In
fact, there were 40 total years of complaining as they wandered the wilderness. And Moses
happened to be the best person to blame once again. So Moses would hear the complaints of the
people daily and judge the nation accordingly.
Manna
The first complaint was from hunger. So in response to their cry, the Lord said to Moses:
Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain
amount every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. (Exodus 16:4)
So God would make it rain, literally every single day with bread! This bread was the food of the
angels and called manna. Every wonder where give us this day our daily bread came from? It all
stemmed from here, where the children of Israel would gather bread every morning, where they
would depending on God for provision every single day. How cool is that?!
When the people complained about not having water, the Lord told Moses to strike the rocks
with his staff, and water would flow out of the rocks like a giant fountain!
As disputes arose, Moses would judge every manner accordingly from sunrise to sunset. After
being weighed down with all the responsibility and probably dwindling faith in his people,
Moses appointed leaders in charge of groups of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. As the
matters of dispute arose, the leaders would handle the matters accordingly, with Moses only
stepping in on occasion when he had to.
Eventually the Lord descended above Mount Sinai in a pillar of smoke and fire, with the voice of
a trumpet. God did this in front of all the children of Israel, revealing His glory and majesty for
all of them to see. The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and gave him what we
know as the ten commandments; on top of many other laws contained in Leviticus, Exodus,
Numbers and Deuteronomy.
The Law addressed a wide range of topics, such as punishment for sin, how to act and behave,
important rules for ceremonies and festivals, some pretty straight forward laws and some harsh
laws in todays standards. The entire point of having the law was to clearly define and know
what sin was.
Let me repeat that: The Law was written for sinners to know what sin was and the punishment
for sin. The Law also renewed Gods covenant with the children of Jacob, this time through
adherence of the Law. Basically this meant following the law meant you were righteous,
breaking the law meant you were unrighteous, and more than likely had a stoning coming your
way!
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Keep in mind, prior to this point, there was no set-in stone commandments or instructions for
things to avoid or to do. Sure, Moses acted as the judge in their matters, yet the law allowed for
every person to be held accountable for sin themselves. This was a real game changer and would
set the precedent for Gods reward and punishment. Can anyone name the Ten Commandments?
Heres a hint: starts with thou shalt not!
Ten Commandments
#1 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
o Translation: DO NOT worship other gods. We will go into detail on these other gods next
chapter.
#2 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or in the earth beneath, or in the in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them or serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And
showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
o This is by far the most elaborate and descriptive commandment. Could be due to it being
tied hand in hand with the #1 most important commandment of God!
#3 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that takes His name in vain.
o More than simply cursing God, this commandment includes committing acts in the name
of God, as in using God as justification for personal gain.
#4 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. But
the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work yourself, nor
your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your
stranger within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is
in them, and rested the seventh day. Wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
o Translation: DO NOT do any work on the sabbath day! Sabbath just means the seventh
day, and it was a big deal to simply rest and not do any work.
#5 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee.
#6 Thou shalt not kill
#7 Thou shalt not commit adultery
#8 Thou shalt not steal
#9 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
o Translation- No lying!
#10 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, or thy neighbors wife, nor his manservant, nor
his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbors.
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o Keeping up with the Joneses is technically breaking #10, as we are told not to covet or be
envious of our neighbors possessions or status.

Ark of the Covenant

The ark of the covenant is perhaps one of the most well-known artifacts and or customs of the
Jewish people, yet many of us cannot describe what it actually is.
Ark, or rn, simply means a box or chest, used in the sense of gathering. Noah built an ark,
baby Moses drifted down the river in an ark, and now there was an ark to house the covenant of
the Lord, or the commandments written in stone. This was perhaps the most holy relic of the day,
and most elaborate, since the symbology behind the covenant represented Gods promise to the
people.
Along with instructions for building the ark for the covenant, God also gave the people
instructions for a golden candlestick, with three branches on the left side and three to the right,
totaling 7 candlesticks. This is what we commonly refer to
as a menorah.
There was a very specific purpose behind these candles, as
they were a representation of Gods timeline, as well as a
remembrance of past events and events to come in the
future. We will discuss this in more detail later on.
Not to bog you down with details, but the Lord gave
Moses instructions for building lamps, the tabernacle, altar
of incense, bronze basin, anointing oil, instructions for
priests and duties. Basically all the nitty gritty details that
were a direct representation of heavenly things.
When Moses Delayed, the Children of Israel Disobeyed
There were so many commandments and instructions that were given to Moses, it took an entire
40 days of being on the top of the mountain in Gods presence! Towards the end of his time on
the mountain, the children of Israel thought Moses had left. So they came to the number two man
in charge, Aaron, and asked him to make them gods to worship. They did not know what had
become of Moses and for some reason thought it was fitting to make their own gods.
What did Aaron do? He immediately tore his robe in frustration, cried out to God in repentance,
and swore that if anyone even thought to worship false idols they were to be put to death, right?
Actually NO, this is NOT what happened. Sorry for any confusion, this is to point out the
absurdity of what happened next.
So Aaron said to them, Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons,
and your daughters, and bring them to me. So all the people took off the rings of gold that were
in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden
calf. And they said, These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of
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Egypt! When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and
said, Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD. (Exodus 32:2-5)
Hold up a minute, what did we just read? Aaron, the same Aaron who was with Moses during the
plagues of the Pharaoh, the second most obedient and respected leader among the children of
Israel, and he made them a golden statue of a cow? Not only that, he told them that these were
the gods who brought them out of Egypt...
Aaron, my man, no! How could you? A golden cow, really? Not only did you break the first
three commandments in one fell swoop, but you out of anyone should have known how
ridiculous that was! All in a span of less than 40 days, barely over a month, and the children of
Israel had forsaken their God, who rained down manna from heaven every single morning and
who opened the rocks for water. Come on now!
So God told Moses know was going on, that the people had corrupted themselves, and God
became furious. Here we see a very interesting dynamic take place, lets see what scripture has to
say about this:
And the LORD said to Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked
people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may
consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you. (Exodus 32:9-10)
Pretty understandable, God was furious, as He should be. The sheer stupidity, ignorance,
disrespect and weakness of the people God had literally moved heaven and earth for, we so quick
to turn their backs on God like heathens. So this was a completely justifiable response in Gods
holy and righteous defense.
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot
against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with
a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill
them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your burning
anger and relent from this disaster against your people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and
said to them, I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have
promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever. And the LORD relented
from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. (Exodus 32:11-14)
Dang Moses, talk about a big pair of stone tablets you had! Remember Moses initial response to
God in the burning bush? Man, had he grown up since then!
Anyways, this is an important part of scripture, and a passage we should pray and meditate on
for more insight into who God is.
After interceding on the peoples behalf, Moses went back down the mountain, stone tablets in
hand and filled with righteous indignation for the iniquity committed by his fellow brethren.
Moses walked down the hill and met up with Joshua and they heard a loud noise.
They turned the corner and saw the camp: only to witness a scene so horrific it was almost
funny. They saw their people dancing around a giant golden calf and committing unspeakable
acts with one another. We could go on with more elaborate descriptions as to what the worship
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of Baal entailed, but to keep this PG lets just say they were basically breaking every
commandment!
Moses was so furious, he threw down the stone tablets in righteous wrath and broke them. He ran
up to the golden calf and burned it to ashes. He stomped on the remains and threw it upon the
water, and made the people drink it! Dang talk about kind of unusual but deserved punishment I
guess?
Regardless, Moses went up to Aaron, his right hand man, to see how he could have let this
abomination take place. When Aaron began blaming the people and said that he just went along
with their request, you can imagine everyone looking down in shame, unable to meet the eyes of
Moses, who had just been in the presence of the Living and Holy God for the past 40 days.
When Moses looked around at the scene and realized how shameful this was on their people,
Moses stood at the gate of the camp and yelled out that whoever was on the Lords side, let them
come out with him. All the sons from the tribe of Levi came forward, and that was it! What a
shameful day.
So with instructions from the Lord, Moses commanded the Levites to grab their swords and slay
every person in the camp! Before you jump to any conclusions, there was only about 3,000
people slain that day, not every single person! I know this seems harsh, but realize what the
alternative would have been.
The acts committed by children of Israel was pretty much the worse thing they could have done,
literally. The only way they could have committed more evil acts would have been to add
additional commandments for them to break. Scripture tells us that the wages of sin is death, or
the punishment of committing sin is death.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness, so there was a lot of blood on their
hands and that was the only way to make atonement for sin. So yes, a massacre of brother against
brother was probably a horrific and brutal event that would give them nightmares to come, yet
they were all guilty of much worse.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an
atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul. (Leviticus
17:11)
So tensions were a bit high after this, and the children of Israel obviously repented of their
wicked ways, as the alternative would have meant eternal death. Moses went back up to Mount
Sinai and received two fresh stone tablets with the commandments on them, which were then
placed inside the ark of the covenant.
Because of the disobedience of the children of Israel, God did not allow them to enter the
promised land. The person who would lead the nation would be Joshua. So after Moses died,
God commanded Jacob with this command:
My servant Moses is dead. Now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people to
the land which I give to them, to the sons of Israel. (Joshua 1:2)
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Joshua
Just as Moses had been the direct lifeline between God and the children of Israel, the torch had
passed from the staff of Moses to Joshua. This man was a described as the servant of the Lord
and Moses minister. Minister to Moses- talk about an honor! When the children of Israel had
worshiped the golden calf, Joshua did not partake. He kept himself apart and was rewarded with
the privilege of leading Gods chosen people.
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will
be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage. For you shall
divide for an inheritance to this people, the land which I swore to their fathers, to give it to them.
Only be strong and very courageous so that you may be careful to do according to all the Law
which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that
you may act wisely wherever you go. (Joshua 1:5-7)
So Joshua obeyed God and with the backing from our Heavenly Father, took confidence and led
the nation. Joshua sent two of his men to go in secret and get some recon done on the promised
land. Since the land was inhabited by the Canaanites, they had to be smart about their plan. The
two men went into Jericho and lodged with a woman named Rahab.
When the king of Jericho got word that the two Israelites were snooping around, Rahab was
commanded to turn in the two men. Yet she feared God and knew all that the Lord had done
through the nation, so she feared the wrath of God more than she feared the wrath of the king.
Because of her obedience and kindness showed, Rahab was rewarded with her life being spared.
The men commanded Rahab to tie a scarlet thread in her window as a marker. Just as the
children of Israel painted blood above their doorframes, this scarlet thread was her sign of being
spared. So Rahab helped the men escape and they went back to Joshua and told him what had
happened.
Crossing the Jordan
Now when it came time to pass through the Jordan river into the promised land, Joshua was told
by the Lord that His glory would be made known once again. True to His promise, as the priests
carrying the ark of the covenant came to the edge of the water, something amazing happened: the
water was parted! Just like the Red Sea, the Jordan river was split down the middle and the ark of
the covenant remained on dry ground!
All the children of Israel passed through the Jordan river and did not get even a drop of water on
them! In order to commemorate this great miracle, twelve different men from the twelve tribes
each grabbed a large stone and made a monument. This was a sign for the nation, so when their
children asked them why there was a monument of 12 stones, they could say it was when the
Lord God parted the water and brought them into the promised land.
Jericho
Jericho was one of the most fortified cities of the day in 1400BC. The walls surrounding the city
were thought to be impenetrable and the city was located on a hill. Any enemy would have to
fight their way uphill, on top of fighting off arrows from guard towers placed throughout the
bunker. This place was the Fort Knox of its day. And when the king of the city heard the children
of Israel were coming, the walls were shut up and they went into lockdown mode.
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When the Lord told Joshua and the children of Israel that they would be conquering this city,
they actually faced this challenge with faith: witnessing the Jordan river part right in front of
them must have helped! These are the instructions the Lord gave:
And the LORD said to Joshua, See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and
mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city
once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns
before the ark.
On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the
trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the
trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down
flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him. (Joshua 6:2-5)
That is exactly what they did, and that is exactly what happened. Imagine the reaction from the
people inside the city. They saw this massive army approaching, and instead of mounting any
type of offense, they just marched around the city for seven days. The people of Jericho must
have been mocking, cursing and yelling how crazy they were! Yet the children of Israel did not
give up and continued the march.
If you close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like, that first day they must have felt
a bit goofy, just marching around and going back to camp. Waking up in the morning, marching
around the city, then going back to camp. Yet every single day you could feel their faith growing
even more, marching with the steps of confidence and expectancy growing every day.
When the sun rose on that seventh day, the children of Israel knew their day had finally arrived!
That would be the day Gods power would be witnessed and the nations would know it. So that
seventh day they marched, they finished their first lap, second lap and so on. Until they got to the
seventh lap. The priests blew the trumpets as they carried the ark of the covenant.
They gave a mighty shout, all in unison, and the walls came a crumbling down! Yes! God knew
it, the children of Israel knew it, and now the gentile nations knew it. Rehab was spared and the
rest of the inhabitants fell to the sword. The children of Israel had entered the promised land, and
now the real fun was just about to begin!
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Chapter 22: Judges

Baalim and Ashtaroth

After the death of Joshua, the nation of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and
served the Baals (Baalim): And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them
out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, the gods of the people who were around them,
and bowed themselves to them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord and
served Baal and Ashtaroth. (Judges 2:11-13)
We are told later on in Chapter 10:6 that the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the
Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the
gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and
forsook the Lord and served him not.
Now, please pay close attention to this next part. Pray and ask our Lord for divine wisdom,
discernment and understanding. One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to be unaware of the
schemes of the enemy. If the nation of Israel could so easily make the fatal error of worshiping
false gods, the same nation who witnessed all the miracles of God, who were fed manna from
heaven daily, who witnessed the walls of Jericho come crumbling down and inherited the
promised land: are we any better?
We just read how the children of Israel made a golden calf statue and worshiped it, which in
todays world seems so strange and foreign to us. No way we could make the same mistake,
right? Ashtaroth? We dont even know what or who that is, how could the nation of Israel be so
foolish? We know better, dont we?
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians
6:12)
Many of us have hear these fateful words from Paul, yet are we putting on the full armor of God
to defend against them? Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against
the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)
Brothers and sisters, before we take a look at the schemes of the devil, please go to Ephesians
chapter 6 and read what Paul tells us. If you are spiritually unprotected for this next part, not only
are you opening up yourself for attack, but your spiritual mind (Gods lens), will be smudged and
you will not be able to comprehend the wiles and schemes of the devil.
Now, in order to understand these false gods, we need to go way back to the time of Noah.
Remember that pre-flood era? To refresh, the sons of God (fallen angels) lusted after the women
of earth and had children with them. The Bible refers to them as mighty men of old, men of
renown, giants.
Enoch tells us some 200 angels made a vow to fornicate with women and gave some names on a
select few. Semyaza was the leader and responsible for starting the rebellion with women.
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Azazel taught men how to make weapons, armor, as well as how to make bracelets, ornaments,
the art of making up the eyes, precious stone and colored dyes.
Amazarak taught casting spells and cutting roots (drugs), Armaros taught the release of spells,
Baraqiel taught astrology, Kokabel taught signs and omens, Tamiel taught astrology and
Asaradel taught the path of the moon.
The archangel Uriel showed Enoch a vision of the end judgement and saw the fate of these fallen
angels. The spirits of the angles who were promiscuous with women will stand here; and they,
assuming many forms, made men unclean and will lead men astray so that they sacrifice to
demons as gods. And they will stand there until the great judgement day, on which they will be
judged, so that an end will be made of them. (Enoch 17:19)
So, from Enoch we get the names of the main rebellious fallen angels, who are responsible for
leading men astray, and misleading them to sacrifice to demons as gods. I know this is deep, bear
with me, youre doing great!
Realize that these fallen angels who corrupted mankind before the flood, are the same angels
responsible for leading mankind astray post-flood through false gods. They have changed names,
forms and faces many times, yet behind all these gods are the fallen angels. Somehow worship of
these false gods survived the flood, and from Babylon spread to every civilization in the world.
This is known as the mystery Babylon religion and many books have been written on this topic.
The nations of Assyria and Babylon, known as Assyro-Babylonians, were responsible for
renewing this pre-flood belief and spreading it across the nations. For example, we know the
Roman gods were a copy and paste from the Greek gods, yet ever wonder how the Greeks came
up with them?
If at this point you are overwhelmed, praise God! In all seriousness, this is not a topic to
undertake lightly and in those times, the place we need to go back to is Gods Word. This is our
guide, as the only way to accurately understand and interpret this vast amount of information
comes from scripture.
From the book of Kings, we are told the children of Israel fell victim to Baalim, and Ashtaroth,
and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the
children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines.
Buckle in folks, here we go!
#1 Baal. This is the false god mentioned the most in scripture, 69 times to be exact. The plural
form of Baal is Baalim, and this is the first false god we see referenced in scripture. Baal is the
male essence, or version of these false gods. He is associated quite often with storms, sun, sky,
vegetation and the sea.
#2 Ashtaroth, singular Ashtoreth. This is the female essence and counterpart to Baal.
Ashtaroth is associated with fertility, love, beauty, earth and moon. Ashtaroth is known as the
queen of heaven and worship of her is associated with Ashtaroth poles. Notice how in Scripture,
the Lord refers to Baalim and Ashtaroth together. They are the male and female versions of the
false gods.
Follow along as we trace the different names, roots and forms of the Baalim.
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Aramaean Haddad, Anu, Aramazd Storm and rain god, god of

the sky

Akkadian Adad, Sin Storm god, father of the

gods

Babylon Tammuz, Marduk Chief god of Babylon

Egyptian Osiris, Ra, Set, Horus Sun god, resurrection,

storms, sky

Phoenician El, Dagon, Baal Zebub god of Philistines, Fish

god, patron of the sea, god
of grain, prince of demons

Greek Helios, Eros, Zeus, Adonis God of the sun, lightning,

vegetation and rebirth

Roman Jupiter, Mars, Apollo God of sky, thunder,

agriculture, war, death

Canaanites Baal Peor, Baal Zephon, Lord of the opening, storm

god,

Moabites Chemosh God of Moab

Amorites Amurru, Martu, Moloch Storm god, lord of the

(Molek) mountain, child sacrifice

Sumerian Ikur, Ur, Nanna God of wind, moon

Norse Odin God of basically

everything

Germanic Thor Storm god

Hinduism Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu Supreme being, destroyer,

transformer, chaos
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Examples of Ashtaroth:

Greek Aphrodite, Kore, Demeter, Fertility, triple moon

Hecate, Artemis, Gaia goddess, goddess of the
hunt

Roman Diana, Ceres, Venus Goddess of the hunt, moon,

nature, agriculture

Hinduism Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Goddess of love and

Devi fertility, divine mother

Arabian Allat, AlUzza, Menat Triple Moon goddess

Phoenician Astarte, Adonis, Anat Fertility goddess, beauty

Babylon Semiramis, Ishtar Wife of Nimrod, Whore of

Babylon, Queen of heaven

Egyptian Isis, Hathor Mother, wife, nature, magic

Anglo Saxon Eastre Fertility goddess

Sumerian Inanna Goddess of love, beauty,

fertility

Armenian Astghik, Anahit Goddess of fertility and

love, healing

Japanese Izanami, Tamayorihime Goddess of the tides, sea

Nordic Freya, Frigg Goddess of love and

fertility

Wiccan Mother, Maiden, Crone Triple goddess

Nigerian Ala Mother goddess, fertility

Judges of Israel
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Wow, great work making it through all that! If that was intense to read, imagine the time, energy
and research required to put this together! Now that your eyes have been opened to the
pervasiveness of these false gods in our world, lets tie this back to scripture.
The children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth,
and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children
of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served him not. (Judges
2:10-6)
The only thing needed to point out here is that Zidon means Phoenician, and Syrian includes
Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian. So in lieu of going back through the list, you can see
exactly which gods the children of Israel worshipped. Take a minute and let this sink in,
bookmark these pages if you need to, because we are going to be referencing these charts later
on.
Now, the period of time after Joshua is referred to as the time of Judges. In those days, there was
no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his eyes. (Judges 21:25) As you may have
guessed, this didnt work out too well for them!
There is a vicious cycle that remained constant throughout this time period: Obedience was
rewarded with blessing and prosperity, disobedience resulted in captivity and death. Almost like
clockwork, every generation seemed to forget what happened to the previous generation and they
would end up worshiping the gods of the surrounding nations.
Joshua died in 1366 BC and the first King did not arrive on the scene until 1052 BC. So for over
300 years, the nation of Israel did what they wanted. Here is how it looked: the children of Israel
are doing well, obeying God and what not. After a period of time, they start worshiping the gods
of the land and forget about God.
They are punished, either through captivity, war, death, famine, etc. God then raises up a judge,
or leader, who tells the Israelites to repent of their ways and turn back to God. They realize their
mistake, repent, and God saves them from their enemies! They go back to their land and
everything is perfect. Then they start forgetting, start worshipping idols and false gods, and the
cycle repeats itself!
And they forsook the God of their father and they went after other gods (Baalim and Ashtaroth).
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and He delivered them into the hands of
spoilers and sold them over to the hands of their enemies, so they could no longer stand before
their enemies. Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, and they were
greatly distressed. (Judges 2:10-14)
Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.
For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed
them. (Judges 2:16-18)
So, now that we have a biblical basis for the time of the Judges, we know pretty much the next
chapter of Gods love story. The main judges that God raised up during this time were: Deborah,
Gideon, Eli, Samson and Samuel. They were pretty great leaders and led the nation of Israel back
to worshipping God: the creator of heaven and earth and the God of their fathers.
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And through the book of Judges, we see Gods love shine through in a whole new light. Prior to
this point, God had established his covenant through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then we
witnessed the children of Israels captivity in Egypt for 400 years with no leader.
Then God raised up Moses and he led the Israelites all the way to the promised land, almost.
Gods covenant was renewed through the Law given by Moses, then Joshua took over and after
Jericho and the children of Israel fell back into their old habits. Just like what happened to them
in Egypt and in the wilderness, their memory was short-lived. Notice any pattern here?
One aspect of Gods love we are shown here is that He cannot stand sin. God had already proven
his majesty and faithfulness time after time prior to this point. And just like a child who
continues to stick their hand in the cookie jar, God would slap their hand away. And when they
thought He wasnt looking, try and reach for a cookie again.
In reality, the child was the children of Israel (fitting, right?!) and the cookie was the sin of the
surrounding nations, or idolatry and worship of the false gods. So, although their punishments
may come across as severe, realize that God did not do this out of contempt, He did it out of
love. God did not choose to punish the children of Israel; they chose to disobey God and
separated themselves from Gods presence by worshipping other gods.
When discipline comes from God, it comes from a place of love. For those of you reading this
who are parents, would you agree with that statement? If you saw your child blatantly
misbehaving, or disobeying a direct order from you, do you discipline them or not?
Maybe some of us should have received more discipline growing up, yet withholding discipline
does not profit us at all. In fact, not disciplining a child when they do something wrong will end
up doing more harm than good.
Lets end this chapter of Gods love story by going back to Gods Word to see what the Lord has
to say about discipline:
For whom the Lord loves he corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
(Proverbs 3:12)
For who God loves He disciplines, and chastises every son whom He receives. If you endure
discipline, God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?
But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate
and not sons. Furthermore, we have earthly father to discipline us, and we respected them; shall
we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time as they saw best, but He does it for our profit, so that we
may share in His holiness. And indeed, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but grievous.
But afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
(Hebrews 12:6-11)
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Chapter 23: David

What an awesome God we have! Just had to say that, I hope your knowledge and understanding
of Gods character and love is becoming more evident for you as we move along!
Now, our story of Judges comes to an end with the prophet Samuel, who was the last Judge. The
nation of Israel was tired of being leaderless and they wanted a king like the other nations.
Although Samuel fought against it, the Lord said to Samuel:
Listen to the voice of the people in what they say to you: for they have not rejected you, but they
have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Samuel 8:7)
In case you missed that part, the nation of Israel had rejected God because they were called to be
set apart from the other nations (remember the circumcision as a sign of Gods covenant?). So
Samuel obeyed God and listened to the people. Even though he warned them of the downfalls
they would run into with a king, they did not care. They just wanted to be ruled over like the
other nations; so Saul was elected king and the fun times began!
Saul is described as the most handsome man in all the land, and looked the part from head to toe.
Yet his character was far from perfect. Saul disobeyed God twice, and was warned by Samuel
that he would lose his kingdom. From that day forward, Saul would become paranoid and unwise
in his quest to not lose his power. God was setting the stage for His king: David, the only man
the Bible describes as a man after Gods own heart.
Anointing of David
The LORD said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king
over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem.
I have chosen one of his sons to be king.
But Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me. The LORD said, take a
heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I
will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.
Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled
when they met him. They asked, do you come in peace? Samuel replied, yes, in peace; I have
come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me. Then
he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, surely the LORDs anointed stands here
before the LORD. But the LORD said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height,
for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, the LORD
has not chosen this one either. Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, nor has the
LORD chosen this one. Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him,
the LORD has not chosen these. 1So he asked Jesse, Are these all the sons you have?
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There is still the youngest, Jesse answered. He is tending the sheep. Samuel said, send for
him; we will not sit down until he arrives. So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was
glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, rise and anoint him; this is the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and
anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came
powerfully upon David. (1 Samuel 16:1-13)
We just read the anointing of David, even though Saul was the king. The practice of anointing
began ironically with shepherds, who would pour oil on their sheeps head to keep the lice and
insects off. This eventually turned into the symbolic representation of protection, empowerment
and blessing. More than that, when done by a priest, anointing with oil would signify Gods
blessing or calling for that persons life.
David and Saul
Samuel anointed Saul before naming him king, yet Samuel anointed David as a preparation for
his eventual kingship and marked David for the Lords purpose. This made David a threat to
Sauls authority, yet David stayed under Sauls radar for some time. In fact, David was placed
right under Sauls nose for years before knowing what had happened!
Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented
him. Sauls attendants said to him, see, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord
command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the
evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.
So Saul said to his attendants, find someone who plays well and bring him to me. One of the
servants answered, I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He
is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with
him.
Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, send me your son David, who is with the sheep.
So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with
his son David to Saul.
David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of
his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, allow David to remain in my service,
for I am pleased with him. Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up
his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would
leave him. (1 Samuel 16:14-23)
David and Goliath
After some time after David entered into Sauls service, the epic war with the Philistines heated
up. A battle took place that will be forever marked as one of the most legendary displays of
courage, faith and obedience in history!
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And Saul and the men of Israel were
gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the
Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the
mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
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And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose
height was six cubits and a span (almost 10ft tall!).
He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of
the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin
of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his
spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.
And his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, why have
you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?
Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against
him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy
the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together. (1 Samuel 17:1-10)
In this beginning battle scene, we come to realize that Goliath was not a nice guy. Even though
he had some questionable genes that rivaled giant status, he was belligerent, prideful and
willfully insulting the creator of heaven and earth. Just imagine this blatant display of
blasphemy, the whole army of Israel was chomping at the bit to fight Goliath, right? Actually no,
that is not what happened.
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly
afraid. (1 Samuel 17:11) So instead of stepping up as their physical and spiritual leader, Saul
cowered in fear along with the rest of the Israelites! We are told that for 40 days the battle raged
on, and every morning and every evening, Goliath would ritually go out and challenge the
Israelites to single combat.
No one wanted to volunteer. Now Davids three oldest brothers were soldiers in Sauls army, so
when David was not tending to his sheep, he would run provisions back and forth to his brothers.
After finding someone to watch the sheep, David left early one morning to check on his brothers.
When he approached their camp, David found his brothers and began discussing the battle with
them. In the middle of their conversation, Goliath resumed his boastful threats and David heard.
All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men
of Israel said, have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel.
And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter
and make his father's house free in Israel.
David said to the men who stood by him, what shall be done for the man who kills this
Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:24-26)
The men of Israel had cowardly avoided Goliath for 40 days, yet David, who was no more than
15 years old, heard the same bosting from Goliath and was more angry than afraid. His brothers
must have been proud at their younger brothers courage, right? Lets see what scripture tells us:
Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled
against David, and he said, why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few
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sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come
down to see the battle.
David said, what have I done now? Was it not but a word? And he turned away from him
toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. (1
Samuel 17:28-30)
Dang, it looked like David could not find a single sympathetic ear, as the men all feared for their
lives. Even his own brothers would not listen, yet the whispers from the soldiers reached the ears
of king Saul. Once Saul heard what David had spoken, he summoned David to his tent and this is
what David had to say:
David said to Saul, let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with
this Philistine. And Saul said to David, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight
with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.
But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a
lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it
out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed
him.
Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be
like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God. And David said, the LORD
who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the
hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the LORD be with you! (1 Samuel
17:32-37)
Yes! David, what a boss! He was brought before Saul, who had heard his confident claims.
Instead of backing down or denying what he said, David went even further and got special
permission from the king to go and fight Goliath! Imagine being present during this battle, its
hard to even imagine this display of bravery. Yet David had been prepared physically and
spiritually for this moment.
Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in
his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. The Philistine
moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy
and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, am I a dog, that you come to me
with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
The Philistine said to David, come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to
the beasts of the field. Then David said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword and
with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of
the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your
head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air
and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and
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that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is
the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand. (1 Samuel 17:40-47)
Okay David, hopefully you know what youre doing! Goodness, what an epic confrontation.
David literally did not care what Goliath said, he just matched him word for word. Goliath had
faith is his gods and his massive size, yet David had faith in God even more. So once David and
Goliath finished their exchange of words, the battle began!
When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the
battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and
slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on
his face to the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine
and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of
David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine
and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and
killed him and cut off his head with it. When the
Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they
fled. (1 Samuel 17:48-51)
Holy Moley! This epic battle between nations, gods
and willpower ended with a beardless boy chopping
the head off a giant warrior! This was perhaps the
greatest display of courage found in the entire Bible,
and the sheer faith David had was outstanding. What
we would give for a fraction of the courage and faith
David displayed that day!
This epic declaration of Davids faith would begin the
branch that would yield the fruit of righteousness to
come. Basically, Davids descendants would be so
blessed through Davids line that the promised
Messiah would be a descendant from Davids line.
The Lord rewarded David for his obedience, even if
David did not know it at the time.
Saul also rewarded David, seeing as how he had little choice now that David was the hero of
Israels army! So Saul promoted David to the commander of his army, even though he was not
even old enough to legally join! David became the most popular guy around after this, so it
should come as no surprise to find out that as Davids popularity grew, Sauls jealousy and
paranoia also grew.
Sauls Attempted Murder
Even on their journey back home, the cheers of the people went up and they said, Saul has
struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands. (1 Samuel 18:7) Saul was a very
prideful man, so from that day forward, Saul plotted on the best way to kill David.
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Yet every single attempt to either kill or sabotage David backfired, revealing Gods blessing over
David even more. Saul even offered his daughter to David at the price of 100 foreskins from the
Philistines, thinking David would die trying. Yet David came back with 200 and married Sauls
daughter! David became a real thorn in Sauls side, so much so that Saul tried to kill David for
real.
Yet the people loved David more and knew the Lord was with David, so every attempt on his life
was met with frustration. David eventually had to flee, and during his time in exile, David ended
up writing many of the psalms that are in the book of Psalms.
O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; save me from all who pursue me, and deliver me, lest he
tear my soul like a lion, tearing it in pieces, and there is no one to deliver. (Psalms 7:1-2)
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of
whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, my enemies and my foes, came on me to eat my flesh,
they stumbled and fell. Though an army should camp against me, my heart shall not fear; though
war should rise against me, in this I am trusting.
One thing I have desired from the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to pray in His temple. For in
the time of trouble He shall hide me in His shelter, in the secrecy of His tabernacle He shall hide
me; He shall set me up on a rock. (Psalms 27:1-5)
So if the psalms David wrote are any indication, he did quite a bit of soul searching and praying
during his time in exile. For any of you going through a difficult time, take heart from these
psalms. Take heart from David, the courageous and faithful servant of the Lord who also
struggled through his time of difficulty. God uses those times to grow us and reveal His glory,
with David serving as a great example.
Eventually, Saul came looking for David and as Saul came into the cave where David was
hiding, the opportunity to kill Saul presented itself. Yet instead of taking advantage of his
position, David cut off a piece of Sauls robe as proof that he could have killed him, yet chose to
spare his life. After Saul left the cave, David revealed himself and told Saul:
Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave.
And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, I will not put out my hand against my
lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.
See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of
your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my
hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand
shall not be against you. (1 Samuel 24:10-12) Bold move David, lets see if it paid off!
As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, is this your voice, my
son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, you are more righteous
than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
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And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me
when the LORD put me into your hands. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away
safe? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
Behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established
in your hand. Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will not cut off my offspring after me,
and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house.
And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, and David and his men went up to the
stronghold. (1 Samuel 24:16-22)
Alright! Saul finally did the right thing and acknowledged Gods sovereignty. Not only that, but
Saul essentially gave David his blessing to take over as king after him. So we just witnessed
another courageous move from David, similar to the battle between Goliath. Yet instead of
facing a giant in battle, David faced the man attempting to murder him and humbled himself at
his feet.
Saul could have easily struck David down and secured the kingship for his future generations,
yet even Sauls hardened heart was moved by Davids display of complete submission to Gods
will. So instead of killing David, Saul made David swear to him that he will not kill his own
descendants! Oh did the tables turn, and in Gods loving display of justice, Saul finally gave up
on his attempts on Davids life.
David Becomes King
Not long after that emotional scene took place, the Philistine army forced Sauls hand to battle.
Knowing that the Lord was no longer with him, Saul fled the battle in fear for his life. Instead of
facing death like a man, he fell on his own sword. And just like that, the very first king of Israel
was dead. This led to a smooth transition of David to king.
Once David was publicly crowned king, he continued the faith and courage that placed him there
in the first place. David would go on to eventually untie the entire nation of Israel, brought the
ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and made Jerusalem the capital of the nation of Israel.
Needless to say, David is an extremely important character in Gods love story. Although David
was not perfect, he established the righteousness needed to spur the nation of Israel forward.
David began the preparations for the first temple, united the nation, reorganized the army and
established the priesthood. The nation of Israel was finally getting back on its feet, almost to
where they were with Joseph in Egypt before they were made slaves.
Perhaps the most important role David played was establishing the branch of David that the
Messiah could eventually be born from. The Messiah would be a direct descendent of David and
would establish his eternal Kingdom through his line! No wonder God would bless those
favorable traits of David, showing what a man after Gods own heart looked like.
The story of David gives us some insight into the kind of person God found righteous enough to
establish his own Son through. With his dependence, trust, loyalty and respect of God, David
was a talented musician and poet, courageous and strategic in battle, led wisely and repented of
his sins. He was an all-around solid guy.
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David also ended up writing 73 of the 150 psalms we have today, and his son Solomon would go
on to build the very first temple to God! So thank you Lord for David! Thank you for showing us
your love through his character and how you are faithful to those who are obedient to your
instructions!
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Chapter 24: Solomon

Get ready for a fun ride, because the story of Solomon takes some crazy turns! Dont get me
wrong, Solomon was a man God blessed tremendously, and someone God found worthy enough
to build His first temple. Solomon is a fundamental character in Gods story and in the nation of
Israel.
Solomon also did some interesting things. As wise as he was, Solomon decided to try everything
the world had to offer, including fine dining, women, power and wealth. Solomon is someone the
bible tells us was the wisest man who ever was or ever will be. Yet he also had 700 wives and
300 concubines! So Solomon is an interesting character, lets find out how this came to be.
By the time of Davids death, he had lost political control of the nation and his son Adonijah
attempted a coup to take control. Prior to Davids death, he made his 12 year old son, Solomon,
his successor; telling him:
Keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in his way, to keep his statutes, his
commandments, his judgements, and his testimonies as written in the Law of Moses, that you
may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn. (1 Kings 2:3)
King Solomon
After David passed away, the book of Chronicles tells us that Solomon the son of David
established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him
exceedingly great. Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds,
to the judges, and to all the leaders in all Israel, the heads of fathers' houses. (2 Chronicles 1:1-
2)
At the ripe age of 12, Solomon was placed into the most important position of authority of the
known world, which had to be overwhelming. Do you remember what you did at the age of 12?
Did you have to lead the entire nation of Gods people, speaking to hundreds of thousands of
people? Probably not, so its difficult to know how that must have been for Solomon.
Based on what Solomon did next, most likely he was extremely overwhelmed, because he went
up to the bronze altar before the LORD, which was at the tent of meeting, and offered a thousand
burnt offerings on it. (2 Chronicles 1:6) Basically Solomon went to spend some alone time with
the Lord and offer a sacrifice to show God he needed some help.
Well, God heard Solomons plea and in that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him,
ask what I shall give you. And Solomon said to God, you have shown great and steadfast
love to David my father, and have made me king in his place.
O LORD God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king
over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go
out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?
(2 Chronicles 1:7-10)
This was the right answer, since God responded with, because this was in your heart, and you
have not asked for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of your enemies or long life, but because
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you have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself that you may judge My people I have
made you king over;
Wisdom and knowledge is granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such
as none of the kings have had before you, not shall any after you have the like. (2 Chronicles
1:10-12)
So just to recap, if you are ever asked by God what you desire, ask for wisdom! Not only that,
but God knew Solomons heart. He knew that Solomon truly did desire to rule wisely and could
not accomplish this on his own. His dependence was completely on God, and out of his pure
intentions, God honored his request by not only granting Solomon what he asked for, but blessed
him with more wealth and honor than he could ever expect!
Solomon established the trade routes between Africa, Europe, India and Asia and effectively
controlled the entire movement of goods and services in the area. Solomon received more than
25 tons of gold per year alone, which for the 40 years he reigned, would translate into
approximately $64,300,800,000. That was just the tax received from trading, not including:
Annual tribute from all kings and governors in the area, income received from business, gifts,
cattle and livestock, fleet of ships allowing for trade with nations previously unreachable. His
throne had 6 steps with 12 lions, made completely from gold, including every single cup in his
house. There was not a single piece of silver in Solomons house, and the king made silver and
gold as common in Jerusalem as stones.
Hopefully this is enough to show you, God honored his promise to Solomon in granting him
riches and wealth like none other. On top of being the wealthiest man in existence, Solomon did
some other things.
Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, as well as books on music,
poetry, history, science, botany and zoology. Solomon built the first temple to God, expanded the
royal court, established his own navy fleet and expanded the defenses of the city.
When Solomon had completed the temple to house the ark of the covenant, in a seven-day
ceremony he sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep! Trust me when we say, this first temple
was a masterpiece of its day and Solomon wasted no expense!
People would come from all corners of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, including the
Queen of Sheba, who would later be one of his many wives! Phew! Solomon my man, you were
busy! True to Gods promise, Solomon was blessed with everything God had promised him.
Besides making our own finances pale in bleak comparison, why do we include Solomon in
Gods love story?
For one, Solomons reign represented the peak of Israels history. The fractured tribes and
nations were solidified during his reign, under a strong a wealthy ruler, a temple, peace,
prosperity, and the nation of Israel transitioned from outsiders to the central hub of the new
world! If only it lasted!
Now that we understand the vicious cycle of the children of Israel, it should come as no surprise
to find out that old habits die hard. For all of Solomons wisdom, he should have listened to his
own advice. To all the women reading this, keep in mind these are the words of Solomon
(sorry!).
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And I find it more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands
like bands. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.
(Ecclesiastes 7:26)
Solomon left a warning in Proverbs 5:3-8. For the lips of a strange woman drip honey, and her
mouth is smoother than oil. But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her
feet go down to death; her steps lay hold on hell. Remove your ways far from her, and do not
come near the door of her house.
In a beautifully ironic way, Solomon essentially prophesied his own fate:
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other
gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
For Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his
father. (1 Kings 11:4,6)
As punishment for his crimes, God told Solomon that He would tear his kingdom away from him
and give it to his servant. Solomon was then told that for Davids sake He would not take his
kingdom away during his reign, but would remove it from his son. Solomon was then told his
son would be given one tribe for the sake of David. And just like that, the good times came to a
bitter end.
Solomon, my man.. Dang it! With all the blessings, wealth, power and wisdom, he turned
away to the gods of his wives. Now that we have an understanding of the false gods, lets see
what turned Solomon away in the end of his days.
We are told Solomon went after Ashtoreth of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the abomination of the
Ammonites. He built a temple to Chemosh and Molech, the abomination of Moab and Ammon.
Without going down the rabbit hole too deeply, Solomon essentially worshiped the Baalim and
Ashtaroth of the surrounding nations.
*As a disclaimer, I have had to face the beast head on so you dont have to. This was not an
easy thing to do, so if you are compelled to research this yourself, going down that path
without preparation is not a wise decision. This information was compiled with love and
divine grace, with no intention of misleading you. Take my word for it, this rabbit hole does
not lead to wonderland*
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This is the Seal of Solomon or the Star of

David -National symbol of Israel
This is NOT a Jewish symbol, there is no
biblical evidence or scripture mentioning this
symbol.
Zidonian and Ammonite symbol for
Molech, as well as Astarte (Ashtoreth)
Tammuz, Dagon, Chronos (Baalim)
Acts 7:43 and Amos 5:25 refer to it as the star
of Remphan (Molech)
Used in occult, sorcery, mysticism, alchemy,
witchcraft, druids, freemasons, astrology, new
age, wiccan, necromancy, pagans, zionists,
luciferians, and satanists

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians
6:12)
But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
(Luke 12:2)
Therefore, do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will
both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts;
and then each man's praise will come to him from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a
spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)
No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to
be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You
cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:20-21)
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Chapter 25: Israel and Judah

Wow, powerful stuff! If you are not ready for that yet, thats quite alright. Please continue
reading Gods love story to understand how everything ties together. Gods message of love and
salvation would not be possible if there was not hate and damnation. You would not know light
if there was no darkness, so lets take our flashlight and continue reading!
Now, after Solomon died, the nation
was divided once again. The tribes
in the north made their capitol
Samaria and would claim the nation
of Israel. The tribes of Judah and
Benjamin retained the capitol of
Jerusalem and would claim the
lower part known as Judah. So,
Israel and Judea made up the
divided kingdom.
As we have seem time and time
again, Jacobs descendants quickly
forget all that the Lord had done for
them, and eventually fall back to
worshiping the Baalim and
Ashtaroth of the surrounding
countries. The cycle continues, and
the nations do not last long.
God sent the Assyrians to conquer
the northern kingdom of Israel, and
the Babylonians to conquer the
lower kingdom of Judah. They go
into captivity and once again, they must repent of their ways and God raised up prophets now
instead of judges.
So in this saga of events, prophets like Isaiah, Elijah, Ezekiel and Daniel are raised up. God ends
up using the captivity of Israel and Judah as examples to the surrounding kingdoms. Just like
God had done with Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the Judges, God uses this sobering time is
Jewish history to give them time to repent of their ways, and allow God to show his glory.
Daniel
For those of you who know the story of Daniel, we find a very similar story to that of Abram
when he was thrown into the furnace by Nimrod. Only this time King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon was the ruler in charge and he threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace
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for refusing to bow down to his

statue and worship him. And just
like with Abram, they were spared
and unscathed.
When the King Nebuchadnezzar
made praying to God illegal, Daniel
secretly continued to pray in his
room and was discovered. He was
then thrown into a den of lions and
an angel of the Lord came to bind
up the mouths of the lions. Daniels
life was spared and we get the
famous scene of the lions den.
For a period of about 400 years, the
nations of Israel and Judah remained in captivity until King Artaxerxes of Persia issued the
decree to rebuild the temple that Solomon built. This began what is known as Daniels seventy
weeks, a period of seventy weeks of years, or a period of about 490 years. This period is
divided into three periods: seven weeks (49 years) plus 62 weeks (434 years) plus one week (7
years).
The purpose of this revelation was given to: finish the transgression, make an end of sin, atone
for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the most
holy place
For those of you unfamiliar with biblical prophecy, dont sweat it. We will go into this further
later on, just know that in this period of time, God used his prophets like Daniel, Ezekiel,
Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos and Malachi to issue prophetic declarations of events to come. Daniels
prophecy is perhaps the most studied and authoritative old testament prophecy we have for end
times.
Not only are we given prophetic messages about the end of the age, but also of the promised
Messiah to come. The best part of Gods love story is about to be told! Finally! We have just
covered more than 4,000 years of history together, congratulations!
Hopefully by this point, your understanding of biblical events has widened your perspective of
God and his love for us. Without understanding history correctly, without knowing the events
leading up to this next part, we will not be able to fully grasp the significance of the fulfillment
of the most important promise God made.
Before moving on, make sure you have fully grasped these takeaways. Please ask the Lord to
reveal these truths to you. If you are struggling to wrap your head around them, ask God for an
understanding mind. Ask the Lord to turn your heart of stone into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel
36:26). Ask God for eyes to see and ears to hear. This message is for you, and it is a message of
the superabundant love the creator of heaven and earth has for you!
#1 God fulfills his promises
#2 God is Holy
#3 God created us to be in a love relationship with Him.
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Chapter 26: Promised Messiah

Merriam Webster defines Messiah as:

1) The expected king and deliverer of the Jews
2) A professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause
The Greek word for Messiah mshyach comes from the Hebrew word , and in Aramaic is
mshh . All three of these words mean to anoint or the anointed one. This word can be used as a
verb or noun.
Merriam Webster defines anoint as:
1) To smear or rub with oil or an oily substance
2) To apply oil to as part of a religious ceremony
3) To choose by or as if by divine election
Now that we have a grasp on the definition of Messiah, lets understand why God sending the
Messiah was such a big deal. The Messiah is the most important character of Gods story, and
the nation of Israel understood that the Messiah would also be their most important person ever!
Why is that?
Well, as the nation of Israel had come to find out, they had not had the best leadership. Although
there were some extremely important and definable leaders like Abraham, Moses and David,
they were all men and eventually made mistakes. And just like the vicious historical cycle we
have seen, they just could not seem to get their act together for more than a few generations!
So, by the time Israel had returned to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity, they had gone
through almost 1500 years of turbulent ups and downs. They were in sore need of a Messiah to
lead them, one who would be perfect. He would be part man and part God, the best of both
worlds. Remember Daniels seventy weeks?
The purpose of the Messiah would be to finish the transgression, make an end of sin, make
atonement for iniquity bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and
anoint the most holy place. Basically, the Messiah would usher in an age to come that would
correct the wrong in the world.
Realize that before this, the only way to make atonement for sin was through the sacrifice of
animals, or blood. The authoritative law for the Jews at this time came from Moses. For the life
of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your
souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 17:10)
Prior to this, any time someone sinned or broke the law, the only way to show God you were
sorry was through the shedding of blood. In case you forgot, the first thing Noah did after the
flood was build an altar and sacrifice the clean animals. Abraham was prepared to make a
sacrifice of his son Isaac upon the altar, and Moses established the law of sacrifice in Leviticus,
Exodus, and Numbers.
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In fact, during the Passover in Egypt, the blood of a lamb without blemish was smeared on their
doorframes. This sacrificial blood saved the children of Israel from being killed. If the nation as a
whole had sinned, they were required to sacrifice a goat without blemish as the collective
atonement for their sin. Ever wondered where the expression scapegoat came from?
The thought behind these practices was that the animal would take the sins of the people upon
itself, and through shedding its blood, they were forgiven of their sins and made clean. This
practice is not something unique to the nation of Israel. In fact, this concept of a scapegoat has
been part of literally every civilization and culture since the beginning.
Whenever a disaster occurs, whenever times are hard, or people are not where they want to be,
pointing the finger has been the most common answer. Passing the blame to someone or
something else should come as no surprise to us, look what happened in the Garden! Mankind
has held true to this concept, for better or for worse, and from studying ancient cultures, we
notice that assigning sin to a person or object is the way people get right with their maker.
Leaders have used the scapegoating practice as a tool to unite their people and establish
authority. To give you just a few examples: Stalins scapegoat during Communist Russia was
Trotsky, Hitlers scapegoat unfortunately was the Jewish people, Islamic Jihadists were
scapegoated by the United States in response to 9/11, and media is blamed for about everything
else!
The very last point to be made on scapegoats is that we actually do have a biblical basis for this.
Curious to who Gods scapegoat is? Well Enoch tells us Azazel is responsible for all sin, one of
the fallen angels who completely corrupted mankind. In Gods punishment, he is cursed
eternally, bound, and against him is written: ALL SIN. (Enoch 10:8)
Leviticus 16:8 actually tells us on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) two goats would be brought
forward, one goat would be sacrificed to God, the other for the scapegoat. Modern translations
will have many words in place of scapegoat, but the root word is `aza'zel. Look familiar? The
word scapegoat and Azazel are interchangeable. The second goat would have the nations sins
cast upon it, and the goat would be led into the wilderness and cast off a cliff.
Okay, with me so far? Now that we have a biblical understanding on what a Messiah is, why the
Messiah was so important, and how the Messiah would be making an atonement for sin, lets see
if there are any biblical prophecies, characteristics, events or signs that describe what to be
looking for.

Messiah would be born of a woman. Genesis 3:15

Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2

Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14

Messiah would come from the line of Abraham. Genesis 12:3

Messiah would be a descendant of Isaac. Genesis 17:19

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Messiah would be a descendant of Jacob. Numbers 24:17

Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10

Messiah would be heir to King David's throne. 2 Samuel 7:12-13

Isaiah 9:7

Messiah's throne will be anointed and eternal. Psalm 45:6-7

Daniel 2:44

Messiah would be called Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Messiah would spend a season in Egypt. Hosea 11:1

A massacre of children would happen at Messiah's Jeremiah 31:15

birthplace.

A messenger would prepare the way for Messiah Isaiah 40:3-5

Messiah would be rejected by his own people. Psalm 69:8

Isaiah 53:3

Messiah would be a prophet. Deuteronomy

18:15

Messiah would be preceded by Elijah. Malachi 4:5-6

Messiah would be declared the Son of God. Psalm 2:7

Messiah would be called a Nazarene. Isaiah 11:1

Messiah would bring light to Galilee. Isaiah 9:1-2

Messiah would speak in parables. Isaiah 6:9-10

Messiah would be sent to heal the brokenhearted. Isaiah 61:1-2

Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4

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Messiah would be called King. Psalm 2:6

Zechariah 9:9

Messiah would be praised by little children. Psalm 8:2

Messiah would be betrayed. Psalm 41:9

Messiah's price money would be used to buy a potter's Zechariah 11:12-

field. 13

Messiah would be falsely accused. Psalm 35:11

Messiah would be silent before his accusers. Isaiah 53:7

Messiah would be spat upon and struck. Isaiah 50:6

Messiah would be hated without cause. Psalm 35:19

Psalm 69:4

Messiah would be crucified with criminals. Isaiah 53:12

Messiah would be given vinegar to drink. Psalm 69:21

Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced. Psalm 22:16

Zechariah 12:10

Messiah would be mocked and ridiculed. Psalm 22:7-8

Soldiers would gamble for Messiah's garments. Psalm 22:18

Messiah's bones would not be broken. Exodus 12:46

Psalm 34:20

Messiah would be forsaken by God. Psalm 22:1

Messiah would pray for his enemies. Psalm 109:4

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Soldiers would pierce Messiah's side. Zechariah 12:10

Messiah would be buried with the rich. Isaiah 53:9

Messiah would resurrect from the dead. Psalm 16:10

Psalm 49:15

Messiah would ascend to heaven. Psalm 24:7-10

Messiah would be seated at God's right hand. Psalm 68:18

Psalm 110:1

Messiah would be a sacrifice for sin. Isaiah 53:5-12

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
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Chapter 27: Rome and Judea

Alright, how cool is that? God gave us so many prophetic promises and instructions on what we
should be looking for, almost as if He wanted us to know who His Messiah would be!
As you may recall from history, Alexander the Great was a pretty influential and important
person in history. He conquered more of the known world at that time than anyone else before
him. Shortly after the Jewish nation returned from their captivity, Alexander conquered most of
Europe, along with the surrounding kingdoms.

He also brought along with him the

Hellenistic (Greek) influence on culture,
economics, religion and language. The Jewish
people welcomed Alexander as a conquering
hero, and the Greek influence spread. After
Alexanders death, there was political turmoil
until their fun-loving neighbors to the West,
Rome, decided to come over. That empire was
pretty vast in scope, as in known as the
Roman Empire.
So there was an overlap here of the Hellenistic
influence brought on through Alexander the
Greats empire, and the Roman Empire which
had just shifted from a Republic to an Empire.
Julius Caesar started the split in his reign,
with his nephew Augustus becoming the first
Roman Emperor in 31 BC.

Now, during the reign of Augustus, he ushered in a time of peace and stability known as the Pax
Romana. Augustus also was appointed pontifex maximus, meaning he was the head of both the
secular world and religious world. Caesar Augustus noticed the decline in mortality all around
him, and made some religious reforms as well. Augustus was celebrated as a hero and savior to
the people, and they would share the great news of his victories, announcing the good news. The
Greek term evangelion derives from this, where we get evangelism, or sharing the good news or
gospel.
Augustus promoted his military leaders to positions of authority known as prefects, and they
would be responsible for ruling whatever territory they were assigned. Augustus also established
governors, laws, taxation and bureaucracy. Once a territory was conquered, Augustus realized it
was better to govern through cooperation rather than force.
He established client states, which basically meant whatever nation or territory he conquered
would bend the knee and Caesar Augustus would allow that nation to continue as normal, for the
most part. They would recognize Rome as the central authority and be subjected to Roman
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authority, law and taxes. Augustus died in 14AD and Tiberius Julius Caesar became the new
emperor.
Ever since the division of Israel and Judea, the Jewish people could never quite get on the same
page. The nation of Judea was the dominant providence as this point, which established Herod
Antipas as ruler, or king. Although Herod was king, Caesar established one of his prefects,
Pontius Pilate, as governor of the Judea territory.
As a Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate was given the authority of supreme judge in the land,
meaning he was responsible for maintaining law and order in the territory. He was responsible
for collecting taxes, managing the emperors business, and had sole authority to order
executions.
Although Herod was the king of the Jewish nation, he was really just a political figurehead. The
Sanhedrin was the council of Jewish leaders responsible for executing Jewish laws and authority.
The Sanhedrin was led by the nasi (high priest), the av beit din (chief of the court) who was the
second in command, and finally 69 other elders. The Sanhedrin held the real power back then.
In the first part of the New Testament, Caiaphas was the high priest of the Sanhedrin, Annas was
the chief of the court, and the 69 elders consisted of Pharisees and Sadducees. They were
rebuked many times in the new testament for hypocrisy, and more concerned with appearance,
tradition, and politics than they were with truth, love, mercy and justice.
Sadducees were mainly aristocrats who valued their political ties with Rome more than doctrine.
Since they valued their political authority given to them, they agreed with Romes decisions and
would keep the peace at all costs. They denied the resurrection of the dead or any afterlife for
that matter, and were self-sufficient to the point of denying Gods involvement in day to day life.
Pharisees were mostly middle class, yet held in much higher esteem than the common man. They
believed in the resurrection of the dead and afterlife, and believed God controlled more of day to
day involvement in life. They also valued tradition as having equal authority as Gods Word.
Phew! Thanks for going through that history lesson! This information is extremely important in
understanding the landscape of the day. We need the full context of this part of Gods love story;
politically, socially, economically, geographically and theologically. Without understanding how
the world operated during this time, we cannot fully grasp the next saga, which is the best part of
it all!
So now that we understand the political arena of the day, without further ado, lets get to the fun
part!
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Chapter 28: Sky over Bethlehem

The year was 3BC, the location was Babylon, or modern-day Iraq. The magicians who studied
the stars saw something one August night that would change the course of history. The rest of the
world had no idea what was going on, yet these three magi knew that something of epic
importance had happened. They were so convinced of what they saw, they packed up everything
and left for Jerusalem. What did they see in the sky that night that the rest of the world couldnt?
To answer that question, lets understand how these magi were able to understand the stars. First
of all, is that even biblical? I mean, come on, why would these magicians be so knowledgeable
in reading heavenly signs? If God wanted to give a message to his people, why of all people
would these magicians from Babylon be given this understanding?
God actually talks about stars. In fact, its one of the very first things He tells us in Genesis. And
God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day and the
night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. (Genesis 1:14) Did you
catch that? The very first reason God made the stars were for signs and for seasons.
Well, as you recall in the division of the nation after Solomon, the southern nation of Judea was
taken captive in Babylon, which included Daniel-one of King Nebuchadnezzars top advisors.
Filled with wisdom, insight and understanding that trumped the rest of the kings wise men at the
time, Daniel had proven his gifts at interpreting dreams, discernment of heavenly bodies, and
biblical knowledge.
Coupled with the fact that the Babylonians were very big into astrology and astronomy since
Nimrod, the knowledge given to them from the pre-flood civilizations of the Akkadians and
Sumerians made them the world experts of the stars. Remember Abram destroying his fathers
idols dedicated to the 12 Zodiac signs? They were the creators of the Zodiac calendar, so
combine that with Daniels teachings of God and scriptural understanding, these men were the
most qualified people in the entire world to interpret this miraculous sign.
What was it they saw? Well, for one there was an eclipse the evening of August 21, 3BC. To
them, eclipses heralded an omen for their ruler or king. Needless to say, this was like a flare
being shot out, saying, pay attention! Then later on December 6th 3BC, we get a solar eclipse
in the constellation Leo, followed by an unprecedented meteor shower! The constellation Leo
represents the nation of Judea, which they would have known from Daniel.
The moon was considered the messenger star, so by tracking the moon they would essentially
have a roadmap into the signs. Since the moon was passing through what they called Sharu, or
Regulus (meaning little king, prince, royal star), they knew this meant to be on the lookout for a
king to be born.
The planet Jupiter was considered the King Planet and Venus was the Queen Planet, representing
birth or fertility. Whenever two planets cross or intersect, it simply means from our perspective
on earth, it looks like they touch each other. This is called a conjunction. And when a
conjunction happens between planets, it means something significant.
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Specifically, when Jupiter and Venus are in conjunction, it means birth of a king. So on August
12, 2BC Jupiter and Venus connected in the constellation Leo, representing the birth of the
Jewish King. Then on September 11th, 2BC Jupiter intersected with Regulus and Venus entered
the constellation Virgo, or Virgin, after touching the king planet.
These Babylonian magi were so
convinced of these signs they grabbed
some gifts, saddled up their camels, and
trekked on over to King Herod to pay
their respects to the new king. To them, it
was completely obvious yet somehow
missed by every Jewish scholar, teacher
and astronomer in Jerusalem. So when
the magi came to Herod and asked:
Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? For we have seen his star in the
east, and have come to worship him, its
no surprise that when Herod the king had
heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:2-3) This was
supposed to be their king, and yet they had no idea. Is it possible their focus could have been
elsewhere?
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded
of them where Christ should be born. And they said to him, in Bethlehem of Judea. For so it is
written by the prophet and you Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not the least among the
princes of Judah. For out of you shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
(Matthew 2:4-6)
Those elders, or members of the Sanhedrin, were talking about the prophecy from the prophet
Micah, who had prophesied 700 years previously:
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you
shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from
ancient days. (Micah 5:2)
Now, lets pause for a minute to appreciate the beautiful narrative our Heavenly Father has laid
out so far. We have ancient prophecies foretelling the birth of the Messiah. We have signs
appearing in the stars of heaven, and we have technology and software allowing us to go back
and verify the signs God put in the heavens at the very beginning of creation! Let this sink in for
a minute. Yes! Yes! Yes! Halleluiah!!!
After Herod was told of the Christs place of birth, he instructed the magi to go to Bethlehem and
once they found the child, they were to let Herod know so he could come and worship him
also. Yeah right! Anyways, the magi depart and we are told they saw the star and it came and
stood over where the young child was. Seems too good to be true, right?
Well, if we take another look at the orbital patterns of planets, those planets in our outer orbit, or
planets farther from the sun then us, orbit the sun at different paces. So as our earth is rotating
alongside the other planets, some will move faster and some will move slower. When the orbits
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of the planets line up, they will both be in line with the sun. Then something happens that we call
a retrograde orbit, meaning to us it will look like the planet slows down or stops, simply due to
the difference in orbital speeds.
Its like when you pass someone on the freeway: when you are going faster than them, there will
be a period of time where the two cars are right next to one another, then it will appear like the
car is moving backwards for a brief moment. Then as you pull ahead, the other car resumes
moving forward. Make sense? If not, dont fret about it too much, just realize this optical illusion
will appear to us as a planet either standing still or moving backwards, before resuming its
normal orbit.
Heres where things get interesting: On December 25th, 2BC, Jupiter (the king planet) completed
its retrograde orbit and stopped above Bethlehem. Let me repeat that: On December 25th
(Christmas) 2BC, the king planet appeared on earth to completely stop, in the exact city that was
prophesied the Christ would be born from.
And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them until it came and stood over where
the child was. And seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy! (Matthew 2:9)
Well yes! And so are we! Keep in mind, these magi were not Jewish. Their gods were the Baalim
and Ashtaroth from Babylon, yet they still acknowledged the Messiah of the Jewish people,
bestowing precious gifts and honoring Him. What a beautiful example of God using anyone He
wants for His glory! Halleluiah!
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
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Chapter 29: Christ Conceived

As you may have noticed, up to this point, there has been no mention of the identity of the
Christ. This was not a mistake, and was done without bias to show that everything up to this
point was what the Jews at the time had to go on. Since the disagreement on who Christ was is
the major dividing point of many religions, understanding who the Messiah was is extremely
important.
We have looked through the lens of science, astronomy, history, religion and sociology in order
to cover all the bases. You can be a logical, scientific, left-brained individual and believe in your
heart this happened. You can be a creative, free-thinking, right-brained individual and have the
scientific basis to cover your faith. This message is for you. The longest love story ever written
was done for you. You are loved!
Lets rewind a minute and see what happened alongside these amazing signs in the stars. In the
Gospel of Luke, we are given account of a priest named Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth. We
are told they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances
of the Lord blameless. (Luke 1:6) We are also told they were barren (no children) and well
stricken in years (old)!
So Zacharias was just doing his thing, being a good priest and what not, when all of a sudden, the
archangel Gabriel appeared to him! He got extremely troubled and afraid (angels have a way of
affecting people like that!). The angel then told him to not be afraid and he was there because the
Lord heard his prayers. Then the angel told him:
Your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you shall have
joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the
Lord, and shall drink neither wine or strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit,
even from his mothers womb.
And he shall turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in
the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke
1:13-17)
Notice any parallels here? Old people being promised children well past their child bearing days?
Anyways, Zacharias found this hard to believe, so for his disbelief Gabriel closed his mouth and
made him unable to speak until the child was born. So Zacharias came out of the temple and the
people noticed he could not speak. They became afraid as they could tell he had seen a great
vision or had an encounter with an angelic being.
Poor Zacharias, he should have just believed! Regardless, God sent Gabriel back on another
mission, this time to the city of Nazareth, in Galilee. To a virgin named Mary, who was engaged
to a man named Joseph, of the tribe of Judah. Gabriel appeared to Mary and said:
Greetings, you are highly favored, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women. We
are told Mary was troubled and wondered what was going on. Gabriel then told her:
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Fear not Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you shall conceive in the
womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He shall be great and called the Son
of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall
reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there shall be no end to his kingdom. (Luke 1:30-33)
For some reason, every time someone is told something from an angel, they have a hard time
believing! Story of our lives, right? Luckily that is not Gods story for our lives!
Mary questioned how she would conceive when she had never been with a man and engaged to
be married. The angel then responded, the Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of
the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One which will be born of you will be
called the Son of God.
And behold, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth
month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary
said, behold, I am the handmaid (servant) of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.
(Luke 1:35-38)
In Jewish culture and law (Deuteronomy, Judges), when a couple was betrothed, or engaged, the
woman was considered the lawful wife of her groom. A couple was to be betrothed for a year or
longer, and during this commitment or covenant period, they were to keep their marriage bed
undefiled. Meaning, there was to be no funny business prior to the marriage ceremony. This was
a foundational practice and strictly adhered to, as the law given to them through Moses.
So for all intents and purposes, this law of betrothal was never breached, since not only would
the bride and groom be social outcasts, but their entire families and the heritage of their tribes
would be at stake. It was a big deal for them and not breached, under penalty of shame and
stoning. Kind of hard for us to understand, since our culture looks much different than it did
2000 years ago.
Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit and become pregnant with little baby Jesus! Since the
importance of this virgin birth is so crucial, we cannot look at this event through our earthly lens.
It seems impossible, I know. But didnt Abraham believe it impossible that his wife could
conceive? Didnt the people of Noahs time believe it impossible a flood could destroy the entire
world?
Doesnt it seem impossible Solomon could amass so much wealth that gold and silver became as
worthless as stones? Was it impossible for Joseph to become the most influential and powerful
person in the known world after being sold into slavery and in prison for 14 years? Was it
impossible for a simple shepherd boy to slay a giant with a simple sling and rock?
The mere fact you are reading this book right now was impossible until God used the impossible
to make possible His glory, and love and salvation. Please understanding that if God wanted to
send His only Son into the world, and told his prophets hundreds of years in advance, He would
find a way to do it? If we were told the virgin shall conceive and give birth, do you believe God
had a plan for making that happen? Do you believe God enjoys doing impossible things?!
Now, back to Mary! After realizing she miraculously conceived a child that the angel told her
about, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town
in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariahs home and greeted Elizabeth.
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When Elizabeth heard Marys greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled
with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: blessed are you among women, and blessed
is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to
me?
As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! (Luke 1:39-45)
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for 3 months until her son John was born. Keep in mind, Zacharias
had been unable to talk for 9 months at this point. And they would not name the child until he
was circumcised, according to the law. Everyone began calling the childs name Zacharias, after
his father (that is what they did back in the day). Elizabeth told them no, his name would be
John. Yet the people were persistent, since no one in their entire family was ever named John.
So they called Zacharias (father) over and told him to write down what the childs name should
be. He wrote that his name is John, and immediately his mouth was opened and he praised God!
Fear came upon all the people around them and word of this started to spread throughout Judea.
Zacharias then was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, and you child, shall be
called the prophet of the Most High, for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his
ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. (Luke 1:76-
77)
The importance of this prophecy was known to the people at that time, since they were familiar
with the books of Malachi and Isaiah.
Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you
seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight,
behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
The voice of him who cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of Jehovah, make straight a path
in the desert for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)
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Chapter 30: Birth of Jesus

After Mary witnessed the birth of John, she returned to Nazareth. Much to Josephs surprise,
Mary was looking pretty pregnant! Thinking that Mary had been unfaithful to him, Joseph got
upset. Because he was a righteous man, he did not make a public display of shame. As he was
thinking of how he should handle the situation, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a
dream and said:
Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife. For that which has been conceived
in her is from the Holy Ghost. She shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus: for
he shall save his people from their sins.
So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet,
saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.
Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to
him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His
name Jesus. (Matthew 1:22-25)
Joseph realized that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, and that the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14
was taking place. The Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and
bear a son, and shalt call his name Immanuel, God with us.
During this time, Caesar Augustus issued the first worldwide tax mandate. Since the Roman
Empire had just started gaining traction, they needed to finance their vast empire and there was
no better way to fill their coffers than by taxing the recently conquered territories.
Caesars revenue reforms were determined by a population consensus, and the amount paid in
taxes was determined by the population of the territory. So more people equaled more in taxes.
The governor placed in charge of that territory by Augustus would be responsible for facilitating
the tax registration. We are told by Luke that Cyrenius, or Quirinius, was governor at that time.
To any bible scholars out there, this has been a big hang-up in establishing the biblical timeline.
Apparently Herod died in 4BC, and Quirinius was not officially named governor until 6AD. This
leaves a 10-year gap in history, which throws off the timeline. Many scholars believe Luke made
an error in his account. However, God does not make mistakes.
Without retracting from the story, this part needs to be mentioned to establish the validity of the
gospel accounts and biblical record. The short version is that Herod did not actually die until
1BC, and Quirinius was made the unofficial proprietorial imperial legate of Syria from 4BC-
1BC, before officially taking office from 6-12AD. As much as Id like to elaborate, the point is:
Luke was not wrong. This actually does align perfectly with the stars, the eclipse that took place
during Herods death, and Gods Word!
In order to adhere to this mandate, the citizens had to register in their city of their lineage or
tribe. Since Joseph came from the tribe of Judah, the city of Judea was none other than
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Bethlehem. So Joseph took Mary, who at this point was great with child, and on their journey
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Mary realized her baby was coming!
Joseph frantically searched for an inn,
yet due to the tax registration, the city
was jam packed and every room was
booked. Luckily, there was some room
in one of the stalls of a manger nearby,
and it is here that Jesus was born! As the
prophet Micah had declared over 700
years previously, out of Bethlehem had
been born the ruler of Israel, whose
goings forth have been told of old, from
everlasting. (Micah 5:2).
At the same time, an angel appeared to
some shepherds in a nearby field. The
angel brought good news, letting them
know that this day was born in the city
of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. They were also told they would find the baby wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Then suddenly a multitude of angels appear, saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will toward men. (Luke 11-14)
Talk about making an entrance! The shepherds then made their way to Bethlehem and low and
behold, there was the Christ, exactly where the angel had told them He would be! Halleluiah!
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Chapter 31: Gospel Accounts

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things
were made by Him; and without him nothing was made. In him was life; and the life was the light
of men.
And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend or possess it. He was the
true Light that lights every man that comes into the world. He was in the world, and the world
was made by Him, yet the world did not know Him.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given by Moses, but grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:1,3;4-5; 9-10;14,17)
The accounts of Jesus were written by four men: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Their 4 books
make up what we call the Gospel. Each of these four men were chosen by God to record the life
and ministry of Jesus. From their four viewpoints or perspectives, we get the details on the life of
Jesus.
There is much debate on who actually wrote these books. One thing scholars can agree on is how
much they love to disagree! In all seriousness, God directed His message through these accounts,
through the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that breathed life into man from dust, the same Spirit
that allowed a 90-year woman and virgin to conceive, is the same Spirit that wrote the Gospel
accounts.
Regardless of your personal beliefs on Gospel authorship, the intention here is not to debate
rather understand the story being told. Moving forward, we will assume that God did not mislead
us on the names of the Gospels, and that the names of the four books were written by the four
men whose names were Matthew, Mark, Luke and John!
Who were they?
Matthew was a publican, or tax collector, before being chosen by Jesus and becoming His
disciple. Since Matthews background came from the Jewish upper-class, his book is tailored
more towards the Jewish audience, referencing many Old Testament scriptures and prophecies.
Mark is considered to have been John Mark, Peters right-hand man. The Gospel of Mark is by
far the shortest gospel account and leaves out quite a few important details. There is nothing
unique attributed to Marks gospel account, as everything written here is covered by the other
three accounts. Mark is written very factual and to the point, with little emphasis on emotion.
Luke was a gentile doctor and traveled with Paul during his ministry. Lukes Gospel account
gives us more historical detail and emphasizes more on the birth of Jesus, His human traits and
prayers. Luke focuses more on the Holy Spirit, salvation, and gives us the only account of Jesus
as a child.
John was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, fisherman, and referred to as the disciple whom Jesus
loved. John would go on to write three additional books in the Bible, and also Revelation while
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imprisoned on the island of Patmos. Johns gospel is by far the most unique account we have of
Jesus and has minor details that none of the other gospels have.
All four accounts are written independent of one another, yet the information does not contradict
itself. Some accounts will mention specific people that other accounts do not, yet this does not
invalidate the record. They work in harmony with one another beautifully and show us how
regardless of education, upbringing or race, God can use any anyone to deliver his message!
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
Man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
(Deuteronomy 8:3)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only
begotten Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
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Chapter 32: Early Life of Jesus

Lets rewind for a minute and briefly finish up the account of the magi, the same men who
witnessed the stars above Bethlehem. After they visited Herod, they were instructed to let him
know where the child was located: so that he could worship him. It turns out Herod was not a
great guy. In fact, there is quite a bit written about Herod from historical sources, confirming he
was a bad dude.
Magis Gifts
Once the magi found Mary and Jesus, they presented their gifts and worshiped Him. The gifts
they brought were gold, frankincense and myrrh. The meaning behind these three gifts
symbolized both a physical and spiritual meaning.
For the magi, these were pretty standard gifts for royalty back in the day. The gold is pretty
obvious, as the precious metal was universally recognized for its value, beauty and longevity.
The gold spiritually represented Jesus as a king with an everlasting throne. Your throne O God is
everlasting: the scepter of your kingdom is upright. (Psalms 45:6)
Frankincense is an aromatic resin harvested from the bark of boswellia trees. It is used as incense
or perfume due to its sweet odor, and was a very valuable commodity back then and even today.
The priests would use frankincense in their temples during ceremonies, spiritually signifying and
acknowledging Jesus heavenly priesthood.
Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the
womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not
change his mind, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Psalms 110:3-4)
Myrrh is also harvested from trees, specifically the commiphora tree, and the oil substance
harvested from them is used for anointing and embalming oil. This costly and bitter oil was used
in death and healing, spiritually symbolizing Jesus role in bringing healing and victory over
death.
He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men
would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
(Psalms 107:20-21)
Regardless if the magi were aware of the spiritual significance of their gifts or not, God used
them to fulfill Psalms 45:7-8: God has anointed you with the oil of gladness among your
companions. Your clothes smell of myrrh, and aloes and cassia.
After presenting their gifts, God appeared to the magi in a dream and warned them not to return
to Herod, as he was plotting the death of the newborn king who would threaten his power. So the
magi heeded Gods warning and returned to their country. Cool guys!
Escape from Bethlehem
Herod didnt think so, and when he realized they were not coming back, he became furious and
instructed his men to go to Bethlehem. With infanticide in his heart, he told his men to search the
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city and the surrounding towns, and to kill any male child two years or younger. Since Herod did
not know who the Messiah was, the only way he could be certain was to murder every single
child.
If only Herod had paid attention to Jeremiahs teaching, he would have realized he would be
unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy in chapter 31:15.
A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing, bitter weeping. Rachel weeping for her children, refusing
to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.
That same night an angel appeared to Joseph and instructed him to flee to Egypt. Herod was
looking for the child and wanted him dead. So Joseph picked up shop and took his new family to
Egypt until further notice, fulfilling yet another 700-year-old prophecy:
When Israel was a child, I loved him and called my Son out of Egypt. (Hosea 11:1).
Due to the cold-blooded slaughter of hundreds of innocent babies, God did not let Herod live
much longer after that. Struck with horrific and disgusting sores, Herod the Great died a very
painful and shameful death between January 10th and April 11th 1BC.
Jesus as a Child
So after Herods death, Joseph was given the okay to return to Nazareth and thats exactly what
happened. Joseph and Mary placed their roots down and had children together: Joseph, James,
Jude and Simon. So Jesus was raised with his 4 brothers and his parents, and was literally the
best child ever raised! To any parents reading this, imagine raising a child with no sin: would be
nice, right?!
We dont have a lot of information of the early life of Jesus. In fact, the only account we have is
from Luke. We know that Jesus grew and became strong in Spirit and was filled with wisdom:
and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)
Many people have wondered, myself included, why God would give only one account of Jesus
before His ministry. It is a fair question, I mean, we are talking the epitome of best child to raise
ever! Imagine the lessons we could learn on parenting, of grace, of love. After much prayer on
this subject, John sums it up best in the last verse of his gospel:
And there are also many other things Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I
suppose the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. (John 21:25)
This is by no means evading the topic. In fact, our belief is that God did this intentionally. Lets
use a quick example to illustrate the point. Imagine for a minute you are giving the eulogy at the
funeral of your best friend, heaven forbid.
You walk up to the pulpit, surrounded by hundreds of mourners, and share your fondest
memories of your friend. You share a few stories of your crazy college days together, you share
about the first time you met, how he loved his wife and children like no other person youve ever
seen. As tears in the audience start flowing, you start to remember every experience you had
together. What do you share that will make a lasting impact?
As was the case for the gospel writers, the information shared was intended to give the best
account possible of the life of Jesus. So when we look ahead at the 42 months of Jesus ministry,
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more was done during that time than his previous 30 years. Not to say this wasnt important, but
what we need to know about Jesus, His life, His love and divinity, is found during the time of
His ministry.
Did Jesus live a sinless life? Yes. Was Jesus literally the best child to raise in existence? Yes.
Would it be great to hear more childhood stories? Absolutely! Yet compared to what He
accomplished between 29 AD-April 3rd, 33 AD would trump almost everything else we could
say. (Yes, that is the date of Jesus crucifixion, will cover later on!)
So the one story we have about the early life of Jesus is most likely the most notable event that
happened during his childhood. Lets see what scripture tells us!
Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover. And when He was twelve
years old, they went to Jerusalem according to custom. When the feast was ended, as they
returned the child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
but thinking He was in the caravan, they went a days journey, and searched for Him among
their relatives and friends. And when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem,
searching for him.
So far so good? Mary and Joseph assumed Jesus was with their group. As the Son of God and
their firstborn child, Jesus had earned his parents trust and confidence, always being responsible
and dependable. So they would have had no reason to suspect otherwise. Lets continue:
After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing
them and asking questions. And all that heard him were astonished at His understanding and
answers.
And when [his parents] saw Him, they were astonished. And his mother said to Him, Son, why
have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great distress.
Wow, they thought they lost Jesus! Losing your child is perhaps one of the most frightening and
troubling experiences to go through. Not only that, but for three days they searched: three days!
So they looked inside the temple and what did they see? None other than their Son, sitting with
the Sanhedrin, going back and forth discussing scriptures!
We are told both the teachers and his parents were astonished. The teachers were actually
existmi, and his parents were ekplss. Lets see what their definitions are.
Existmi is a verb that means: to throw out of position, displace, amaze, astonish, throw into
wonderment, to be out of ones mind, besides ones self, insane.
Ekplss is also a verb that means: to strike with astonishment, amaze, to strike out, expel by a
blow, drive out, cast off by a blow, to strike one out of self-possession, to strike with panic,
shock.
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The reason we bring this up is to point out the

differences in reaction. More than likely, the
teachers astonishment was not the same type
of astonishment of Mary and Joseph!
Imagine the teachers and priests, members of
the esteemed Sanhedrin, keepers of the
knowledge and law of Moses, experts in their
field. And there was a 12-year-old child, not
only listening to instructions and teachings, but
instructing them as well! No doubt they were
besides themselves in astonishment, wondering
how this child was schooling them!
Then came in frantic parents who have been up day and night for 3 days searching for their son.
They finally saw him and with shock their stomachs in knots, the wind was knocked out of them.
Either way, they would have felt same as any other parent in their position. Although they felt
the same, their reaction was much different than most.
Instead of yelling, making a scene, grounding him or pulling him away, etc., we see Mary ask
Jesus for an explanation! Woah! Before she makes any accusations or assumptions, she wanted
to hear from her Son why He put them through all that distress. He didnt even tell them He was
staying behind!
Props to Mary on how she handled the situation, perhaps this glimpse into her character is one of
the reasons God chose her to be the mother of His only Son! Lets see what Jesus said in
response, the first written account of the first words ever spoken by Jesus!
And He said to them, why were you looking for me? Did you not know I must be about my
Fathers business? But they did not understand the word which He spoke to them.
And He went with them and came to Nazareth, and He was subject to them; but His mother kept
all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God
and man. (Luke 2:41-52)
We see Jesus almost surprised His parents would even be wondering where He would be! It was
as if this was the most logical thing in the world for Him to be doing, where else would he be? At
the house of His Father? Duh! (last part added for emphasis!)
Yet we are told his parents did not understand what He said. Nonetheless, Jesus obeyed his
parents and followed them back home. He continued to grow up with favor and blessing! So the
one account we have of child Jesus was perhaps more a family catastrophe, yet we see so much
love and grace shown by everyone involved.
For the priests, as close as they held knowledge to their hearts, and as prideful as they were, were
seen to be genuinely engaged with a 12-year-old: something that was completely taboo! Yet they
acknowledged something was different about Jesus, and were able to recognize the wisdom and
Holy Spirit speaking through Him. Instead of turning aside, they respected and treated Jesus as if
He were an elder!
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From Mary, we see so much love and grace in the way she handled her reaction with Jesus. Even
though she did not understand what Jesus meant by His words, she kept them in her heart. Joseph
must have realized you have to pick your battles, so we see him step aside as Mary would have
been more distraught. Out of love we see Joseph allow Mary the chance to confront Jesus first.
With Jesus, we see His awareness of who He is, or at least beginning to understand more. We see
that although His actions may seem peculiar to us, Jesus was choosing to be obedient to our
Heavenly Father. His parents may have been worried half to death, yet when His parents did
come for Him, Jesus obeyed and was subject to them.
This is a great example of how obedience to God comes above all else. In retrospect, giving a
heads up probably wouldnt have been the worst thing in the world, yet His 12-year-old call to
obedience was counted to Him as righteousness.
Since this is the only account we have of Jesus early life, we can be sure that out of everything
that happened, this is what God wanted us to know. Thank you Jesus, for showing Your
righteousness, obedience and humility! Thank you for being about Your Fathers business from a
young age and astonishing all those around you! Thank you for never failing to astonish the
world from the beginning of creation!
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Chapter 33: Baptism

Jesus was a Carpenter?

From the age of 12-30, Jesus was a tektn, which translates into craftsman, builder, or worker of
wood. Many of us, myself included, have been told that Jesus was a carpenter, which more than
likely He was. Yet there is also a good chance He was much more than that!
The only scripture we have is one parallel account from Matthew and Mark, where the people
ask Is this not the tektns son? (Mat 13:55). Mark 6:3 says, Is this not the tektn? Now, this
would generally be taken as a carpenter or stonemason during this time. One would use tektn as
a description of their profession, like a tektn of wood or tektn of stone.
Since the accounts we have are not specific in scripture, there is a good chance Jesus was a
builder of many things, as a tektn would work with their hands on whatever was needed. In the
social hierarchy of the day, Jesus was a day laborer, or what we may call blue-collar worker. His
humble profession would only make sense, as God chooses to use the simple and humble things
in life to overturn the hearts of the wise and proud!
Plus, Jesus was not one to conform to societal standards and norms of the day. Since Joseph was
His earthly father, Jesus would have followed in Josephs footsteps. Yet since Jesus Heavenly
Father is the greatest and most creative artist ever, it would make sense that Jesus worked with
wood and stone to make some of the most beautiful masterpieces and handcrafted works of art
that glorified our Father in heaven. We will find out one day, as Heaven itself reflects His work!
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him: and He is before all things and by Him all things made. (Colossians 1:16-17)
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; and God has chosen the
weak things of the world to shame the strong. (1 Corinthians 1:28)
John the Baptist
As Jesus was building, John the Baptist was preaching. As Jesus was cutting wood, John was
preparing the way. John, the same baby of Zacharias and Elizabeth, grew and waxed strong in
spirit, and was in the ermos (desert, wilderness) until the day of his showing in Israel. (Luke
1:80)
Based on historical evidence, and evidence recovered from the Dead Sea Scrolls, John more than
likely was raised with the Essene, a Qumran sect of Judaism near the Dead Sea, the same area
John was living in. Since they were secluded from society and their teachings aligned with
Johns message, more than likely John left the Essene community when the time came to start
his ministry.
John wore camel hair and his meat was locusts and wild honey, which was honey crushed from
dates and flour made from grinding the bean of the locust trees! Fun fact, eh? That is some fun
backstory on John, but the most important thing we need to know is that John was an end times
prophet.
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Ironically, we dont think of him that way, yet John preached the message of repentance and
warned everyone that the Messiah was on His way. John was the Elijah of the day, fulfilling
Isaiahs prophetic description as:
The voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.
(Isaiah 40:3)
We are told those who were in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the surrounding regions came
out to John. We are talking people from every facet of society: commoners, high-ranking
officials, soldiers, tax collectors, poor, rich, just about everyone! You would think John was
happy to see so many people come out, right?
Well, we are told that when the multitude came forth to be baptized, John said, O generation of
vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Luke 3:7) Not the nicest thing to
say to the thousands of people who trekked all the way into the desert to see him, huh? Why did
he address them this way?
We have to realize, John had been raised apart from the world, either with a monastic Jewish sect
or literally by himself. In either circumstance, John was completely absorbed in the scriptures
and did not partake in any of the events going on in the world, aka worldly.
So to John, he saw straight through the lies the people told themselves. He saw past the
hypocrisy of the day, the way people treated one another, and John called them out for it! Just as
Abram had grown up in Noahs household and was set apart from the wicked generation of the
day, John followed suit.
John told the people to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance and warned them that every tree
that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. (Luke 3:8-9) John basically
told them they were going to hell if they did not change their ways. Pretty powerful message,
right? Imagine the Pharisees and Sadducees being told they would be cast into the eternal fire
and that the law would not save them!
The people then ask what they should do, and John says, He that has two coats, let him give to
him who has none, and he that has meat, let him do likewise. (Luke 3:11) John basically told the
people to start behaving like they had love for one another.
The tax collectors then asked what they should do and John replies collect no more than what
has been appointed to you. Basically, dont be deceitful and unfair by taking any off the top.
The soldiers then ask John what they should do, to which he tells them do not intimidate and
take by force from any man falsely, and be content with your wages. This translation may look
different from the watered-down version of Gods Word that many use, yet looking at the
original Hebrew and Greek translations, this is the message John is telling them.
John is asked if he is the Christ or the prophet Elijah, to which John responds no and that he is
only baptizing with water, but there is one in their midst who they do not know, who will baptize
with the Holy Spirit and with fire, one who is mightier than him whose sandal straps he was not
worthy to loosen. (Luke 3:16)
So what we have here is John the Baptist, preaching a message of repentance, and baptizing for
the remission of sins. He was so authoritative that many wondered if he was actually the Christ,
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to which John let them know he just preparing the way, and not even worthy to untie the shoes of
the one coming.
Baptism of Jesus
When Jesus turned 30 in the year 29AD, God called Jesus out of Nazareth. He walked on over to
the river and when John saw Jesus, he exclaimed, behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sin of the world. (John 1:29)
Jesus walked into the water to be baptized, and John held out his hands to stop Him and said, I
have need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me? Jesus responded with, allow it now,
for it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness. (Mat 3:15)
So John obeyed and baptized Jesus in the water. On his way up out of the water, heaven was
opened up and the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven was heard
saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mat 3:17)
If that was not the definition of
making an entrance, I dont know
what is! Wow, Gods love was so
evident in this act, just an extra
cherry on top to let the world
know Jesus had the full backing
and authority of our Heavenly
Father! Thank you, thank you,
thank you!
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Chapter 34: Temptations

Body without Food

Before we move on, let me ask a question. What is the longest you have gone without eating? 2-
3 days maybe? A week perhaps? If anyone reading has gone longer than a week, hats off to you!
To throw a little bit of science at you, after 6 hours without eating, you become hangry (hungry
and angry!). The energy molecule our body uses for energy is called glucose, and your
bloodstream uses glucose to transport energy to all your body parts.
After 6-72 hours without eating, your body enters into a state called ketosis. This means the
glucose production of your body has to break down fat for energy. Your brain cannot use this as
fuel however, so it has to find other ways of getting fed.
After 72 hours, your body starts breaking down protein in your muscles. The body begins to eat
muscle in order to fuel the brain. Your body faces some serious risks going longer than 72 hours
with no food. Your bodys immune system begins to shut down and some body functions
shutdown completely to conserve energy. Yet as long as you have water, you could survive
anywhere from 21-70 days. Either way, not eating is not fun! Amen?
40 Days
As soon as Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness for 40 days. 40 long
days with no food. Now that we understand the science behind food starvation, we know Jesus
was not in good shape. Mohandas Gandhi fasted for 21 days, Jesus fasted for 40 days, well past
the starvation threshold.
To top it all off, Jesus wasnt just having a party in the wilderness, He was being assaulted and
tempted by the devil. Let that sink in for a minute. 40 scorching hot days in the Judean Desert.
We are told that at the end of 40 days Jesus hungered.
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where
for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of
them he was hungry. (Luke 4:1-2)
Although any normal person would have hungered after the first few hours, Jesus was able to tap
into His heavenly willpower and remained sustained by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was part God and
part man, yet even with Gods aide, He was still a man. He still hungered and thirsted just like
any person. Wow, just trying to wrap our heads around those 40 days is too much! Jesus, you are
amazing!
3 Temptations
Although he was tempted all throughout those 40 days, it wasnt until the end of them that He
became hungry, and thats where Jesus was at His weakest. And thats exactly where the devil
has the best shot at knocking us down. Lets see how Jesus handled it!
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After seeing that Jesus became hungry, the devil said, if you are the Son of God, command this
stone to become bread. Jesus answered with, it is written that man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:3-4)
Nice! Jesus referenced Deuteronomy 8:3, when God rained down manna every day from heaven
for the Israelites for 40 years. Notice any overlaps here involving hunger, bread and provision?
Its as if the devil used the exact scripture that would strike a nerve, yet Jesus did not fall for it!
After that temptation failed, the devil then took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all
the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to him all this power will I
give you, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
If you will worship me, all this shall be yours. And Jesus answered, Get back Satan, for it is
written you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. (Luke 4:5-8)
So the devil then took Jesus up in the 3rd person
and was shown all the realms of earth in (stigm
chronos), or moment of time. Imagine this like an
out of body experience where your life flashes
before your eyes. In that same manner, Jesus was
shown every kingdom of earth in all its splendor.
Notice how the devil said that all the power and
authority of the earth was given to him and to
whoever he chose to give it to? Wow, could that
explain some things? I ask that the Holy Spirit to
reveal to you the full extent of that message.
Once the devil got rebuked yet again, he tried one
last Hail Mary. The devil led him to Jerusalem
and had him stand on the highest point of the
temple. If you are the Son of God, he said,
throw yourself down from here. For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you to
guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your foot against
a stone. Jesus answered, It is said: Do not put
the Lord your God to the test. When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an
opportune time. (Luke 4:9-13)
Herods temple, or the second temple, had a height of nearly 300 ft at the eastern portico, the
high point where Jesus withstood the third and final temptation. Crazy that Satan used Psalm 91
to try and get Jesus to prove his divinity, yet Jesus threw Deuteronomy 6 back at him. Notice
how well the devil knows scripture?
In fact, the devil has had more time than anyone on earth to study Gods Word. And guess what?
The devil knows Gods Word to be truth. It is our sword against him, and the devil hates that,
because he knows how much damage that sword can do.
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For the word of God is living and active (za, and energs), and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and bone and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
The Greek words are shown here to prove just how powerful the Word of God is.
Za- Living, breathing, to have true life and worthy of the name, active, blessed, endless, living
water, having vital power in itself, full vigor, fresh, strong, efficient, powerful, quick
Energs- active, effective, powerful, operative, productive of due result, at work
Yet even the devil will try and turn scripture around for his purpose. Satan has had a very long
time with scripture and will do everything he can to twist, manipulate and abuse Gods Word for
his purpose. If the devil used scripture against Jesus, do you think he may try the same thing with
us?
Paul warns us to be aware of these devices, lest satan should take advantage of us, for we are not
ignorant of his thoughts. (2 Corinthians 2:11) So scripture is one of the biggest devices the devil
will use against us. He cannot do anything once that blade strikes him, yet he will try and divert
that blade away once we get within striking distance. That is all he can attempt to do, God
already has given us the victory and the magic weapon!
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2
Timothy 3:16-17)
So Jesus rebuked satan and he fled. God then sent angels to come and minister to Jesus
afterwards! Oh what a glorious victory! Thank you Jesus for showing and leading us by
example! Jesus overcame hedonism, egoism and materialism. He overcame lust of body, lust of
eyes, and pride of life. He was tempted in mind, soul and heart; and He thought, wished and felt
every area of temptation. The devil was subtle, spiteful and manipulative yet Jesus handled
temptation with honesty, grace and humility.
Like a giant cattle prod, the devil poked at each soft spot, hoping to strike a nerve. And guess
what: Jesus won! Jesus overcame temptation and was victorious over the flesh, over every type
of temptation the devil throws our way. Let us keep this close to our hearts, because this will be
referenced later on.
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Chapter 35: Who Jesus Was

Before moving forward, please put the book down for a few minutes. The Holy Spirit has
instructed a moment of worship, reflection and praise! This next part of Gods story is crucial in
understanding Gods love for us. Please take some time before moving, as our journey into
understanding God will take us deeper than you have ever gone before!

Who is Jesus?
Take a minute and answer this question. This is the most important question you could ever ask.
Your answer is the most importance response you will ever give. Every single person in the
world will have to answer this question one day, and your response will be given an eternal
grade. Lets have some fun studying for our final exam, since the date of that exam is not on the
syllabus and will arrive sooner than we expect!
This is the climax of Gods story, and the pinnacle of Gods love for us. The answer of who
Jesus was, and more importantly who He is, will take us a couple chapters to simply scratch the
surface. Words themselves cannot describe Jesus, our brains cannot fully comprehend Jesus, but
lets give it our best. Ultimately our understanding of Jesus is given by God, so we ask the Lord
to grant us understanding!
Most interesting man in the world?
Jesus was the most influential person to ever live. He was a craftsman, teacher, leader, artist,
public speaker, revolutionary, martyr, preacher and prophet. He never wrote a book, owned a
house, held an office, got married, or traveled more than 200 miles from his birthplace.
He is the most celebrated, dynamic, loved, hated, disputed, embraced, doubted, believed,
despised, enlightening and misunderstood figure in existence. Buddha said, I am a teacher in
search of the truth, and never claimed to be God. Mohammed said, unless God throws his
cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope, and never claimed to be Allah.
Jesus said He was the Son of God and one with the Father. Instead of merely giving bread he
said, I am the bread of life. He didnt shed light but said, I am the light of the world. He did
more than show us the door, He said, I am the door. He didnt just talk about the way, He said,
I am the way, the truth and the life. He said, I am the resurrection and the life, then actually
resurrected from the grave.
He called Himself the Son of man, the good shepherd, the true vine, the sacrificial lamb, the
eternal wellspring, the alpha and omega. He raised the dead, healed the sick, walked on water,
opened the eyes of the blind, casted out demons, calmed the storms and fed 5000 men with 5
loaves of bread and 2 fish.
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He was born of a virgin, rejected by His own people, crucified on a cross with criminals and rose
from the dead. He had no armies, money, higher education, political connections or anything we
associate with powerful historical figures. He never committed a single crime, yet was sentenced
to death.
He challenged the status quo of the day, rebuked the religious authorities, overturned the tables
of the money changers, had crowds of followers and supporters, was betrayed by every single
person He knew, ate with sinners, touched the lepers and washed the feet of His disciples.
He is the perfect blend of divinity and humanity. He is the boulevard of space and time in
eternity. He is the crossroads of heaven and earth. He is the foundational cornerstone of Gods
kingdom and Gods reflection of heaven. Most importantly, Jesus is God in the flesh
His name is Jesus, Yeshua, Yehoshua, Christ, Messiah, Son of God, Son of man, Savior, King,
Master, Lord, Logos, Lamb, Emmanuel, Deliverer, Bridegroom, the Author and Perfecter of our
faith. Lets see what other notable figures from history have said about Jesus.
What others have said
I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other
person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne
and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force.
Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.
-Napoleon
A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others,
including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act. -Mahatma
Gandhi
I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless
preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most
dominant figure in all history.-H.G. Wells
As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am
enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling
the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such
life. -Albert Einstein
Despite our efforts to keep him out, God intrudes. The life of Jesus is bracketed by two
impossibilities: a virgin's womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door
marked, "No Entrance" and left through a door marked "No Exit." -Peter Larson
The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the crowning proof of Christianity. If
the resurrection did not take place, then Christianity is a false religion. If it did take place, then
Christ is God and the Christian faith is absolute truth. -Henry Morris
A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral
teacher. He would either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or
else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the
Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit
at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us
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not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left
that open to us. He did not intend to.-C.S. Lewis
Well said Mr. Lewis, very true. There is no middle ground when it comes to our answer. Either
Jesus was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. In our study for our final
exam, our choices will be extremely clear. There is no middle ground here, we cannot say or
believe Jesus was just a great moral figure or activist.
Lets not just take the word of others though, lets see what the Bible has to say.
What the Bible says
For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before
ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
Who Jesus said He was
Bread of Life
I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on
Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Light of the World

I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Door of the Sheep

Truly, truly, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are
thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by Me if any man
enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go forth and find pasture. (John 10:7-9)

Good Shepherd
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (John
10:11)

Vine
I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, the same
brings forth much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Resurrection and Life

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he dies, he shall live.
(John 11:25)

Way, Truth and Life

I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me. (John 14:6)
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Alpha and Omega

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Revelation
22:13)
We need spiritual discernment to really grasp the meaning of what Jesus was saying. Why did
He use parables? Scripture actually tells us why:
I open my mouth in a parable; I utter riddles of old, which we have heard and known, for our
fathers have related them to us. We do not hide them from their children, relating to the
generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonders which He has
done. (Psalms 78:2-4)
Still, this does not quite answer fully why He would describe Himself as a door or bread. If you
are confused, so were His disciples! They even went up to Jesus after He taught a lesson in a
parable, and asked Him what it meant. Jesus replied:
Because it is given to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not
been given. For whoever possesses, to him more shall be given, and he shall have in abundance.
But whoever does not possess, away even that which he possesses shall be taken away from him.
Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they see not and hearing they hear not;
nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is filled which says:
By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see and shall not
perceive; for this people's heart has thickened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have
closed their eyes, lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and
should understand with their heart, and should turn back and I heal them." (Matthew 13:11-15)
Jesus the historical figure
Professor Blaiklock at Auckland University said that the evidence for the life, the death, and the
resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history.
Roman historian Tacitus wrote about Christus who was executed by Pontius Pilate. The Jewish
historian Flavius Josephus documented the account and trial of Jesus in the Jewish Antiquities.
The Babylonian Talmud documents the crucifixion of Jesus. Lucian the Greek documents Christ,
so does Pliny the younger in his letters to Emperor Trajan. The point here is we have enough
secular historical accounts written during that time to literally piece together the gospel of Christ.
There is no disagreement that Jesus came and did what the Bible tells us, the disagreement lies in
who Jesus was.
Son of God
Before we go to Jesus own words, lets see what the old testament says about the Son. Is that
even a biblical concept prior to the birth of Jesus?
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
(Psalms 2:7)
Who has gone up to the heavens and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who
has bound the waters in a garment? Who established all the ends of the earth? What is His
name, and what is His Sons name, if you know it? (Proverbs 30:4)
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God even promised David He would establish a covenant with his descendants, saying, I will be
His Father, and He will be My Son. And I will not take away My mercy from Him, as I took it
from him who was before you. I will establish Him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and
His throne shall be established forever. (1 Chronicles 17:13-14)
King Nebuchadnezzar witnessed the Son when he tried to burn Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego in the furnace: Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. They are
not hurt and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3:25)
Now that we have established the precedent of Gods Son in the Old Testament, lets see what
the Gospel tells us:
After Jesus was baptized, and voice came from heaven and said, This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)
As Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James and John, there came a cloud overshadowing
them and a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is My Son, the Beloved. Hear Him! (Mark
9:7)
As Jesus was casting the legion of demons from a possessed man, the demon cried with a loud
voice and said, what have I to do with you Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by
God not to torment me. (Mark 5:7)
The High Priest Caiaphas even asked Jesus, are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?
Jesus said, I am: and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and
coming in the clouds of heaven. (Mark 14:61-62)
There is so much more we could include here, but hopefully the point is made extremely clear.
God himself opened up heaven and told us Jesus was His Son. The demons recognized Jesus as
Gods Son, and Jesus Himself acknowledged this. Even at the young age of 12, Jesus knew who
His Father was.
Son of Man
Jesus often referred to Himself as the Son of man. What does son of man mean? The new
testament has 88 references to son of man, so it must be important! Did Jesus just make up that
title because He liked it? For one, Jesus was part God and part man. Logically, this would make
Him both the Son of God and the Son of man. Yet there is more to it, Son of man was actually a
title. Daniel received a vison of the Son of man way back in the day.
I saw in the night visions One like the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to
the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And to Him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. His
dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)
Son of man was a Messianic title, or the name of the Messiah. Yet it went back much further,
even before the flood. Remember our buddy Enoch? Well he actually was shown the Son of man
thousands of years prior to Jesus arriving on the scene. Enoch was taken up into heaven and saw
some things, including:
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One who had a head of days, and His head was white like wool and with Him was another being
whose countenance had the appearance of a man, and his face was full of graciousness, like one
of the holy angels. (Enoch 46:1)
Enoch was curious who this was and the angel told him: this is the Son of Man who has
righteousness, with whom dwells righteousness and who reveals all the treasures of that which is
hidden. (Enoch 46:3) Shortly after this, Enoch saw the Son of Man named in the presence of the
Lord of Spirits, and his name before the Head of Days:
Before the sun and the signs were created, and before the stars of heaven were made, His name
was named before the Lord of Spirits. He shall be a staff to the righteous to stay themselves and
not fall, and He shall be a light of the Gentiles, and the hope of those who are troubled of heart.
All who dwell on earth shall fall down and worship before him, and will praise and bless and
celebrate with song the Lord of Spirits. For this reason has he been chosen and hidden before
Him, before the creation of the world and for evermore. (Enoch 48)
For in those days the Elect One shall arise and He shall choose the righteous and holy from
among them: for the day has drawn nigh that they should be saved. His mouth shall pour forth
all the secrets of wisdom and counsel, for the Lord of Spirits has given them to him and glorified
him. (Enoch 51)
From the beginning the Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High preserved him in the
presence of His might, and revealed him to the elect. (Enoch 61)
We will elaborate on Enoch later on, lets wrap up our understanding on the Son of man first.
Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of man, so we need to make sure we understand.
Jesus asked His disciples, who do men say Me to be, the Son of man?
And they said, some say John the Baptist; some
Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets. He said to them, but who do you say I
am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You
are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus answered and said to him, you are blessed
Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not
reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven.
(Matthew 16:13-16)
Trinity
Great work, we are almost there keep it up! The
Trinity is a fundamental concept that many of us had trouble understanding. The reason is
because we cant! Not fully at least, so trying to explain something we cannot fully understand is
like trying to describe what blue tastes like, or what sound looks like! Although the concept of
the trinity is found in scripture, the actual word trinity is not.
At the council of Nicaea in 325AD, the leading bishops of the day met to address this very issue.
They established the Nicaean creed that helped clarify this concept. The simplest explanation for
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the Trinity is one God existing in three forms. The triune God consisting of three coexistent
Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The people of Naples created an amazing type of ice cream named Neapolitan. It consists of
vanilla, chocolate and strawberry: its amazing! It combines three delicious flavors in one. You
can get a spoonful with all three flavors, or focus on one flavor at a time. You cannot separate
the flavors from one another, yet you can taste each one by themselves if you like. One ice cream
with three flavors.
Depending on your preference, Jesus would be the chocolate, vanilla or strawberry flavor of the
heavenly ice cream dessert. For in Him resides the completion of the Godhead bodily.
(Colossians 2:9)
Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
And when the Comforter has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth
who proceeds from the Father, He shall testify of Me. (John 15:26)
For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)
According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter
1:2)
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with you all. Amen. (2 Corinthians 13:14)
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Chapter 36: What Jesus Said

We have such an amazing God! The digger we deep and more we learn about God, the more we
realize how little we actually know! Do not be overwhelmed, hang in there! Remember, we are
Gods creation, we are not supposed to be able to fully understand the creator. Thats why God
showed us, through Jesus! Let that sink in for a minute. We are literally shown who God is
through Jesus: Gods character, Gods love and Gods glory. Halleluiah!
12 Apostles
With this in mind, lets see if we can see why God chose the men He did! Remember, Jesus went
around preaching, performing miracles and literally showing people who God is: many people
followed Him. And honestly, who wouldnt want to? I mean, if the miracles Jesus performed
back then were done today, do you think people would be drawn to that?
So no surprise that Jesus needed to weed out His true followers from the bandwagon fans. When
times are good, people jump on board and cheer like they are the most loyal and diehard
supporters around. Yet when times get tough, when the chips are down, the true fans are weeded
out. In the same way, Jesus knew difficult times were coming, so He decided to thin out the herd.
So Jesus went to a mountain and spent the entire night in prayer. Before any big decision like
this, or any big next step, Jesus would spend time in prayer like His life depended on it. Jesus
was obedient to the Fathers will, so He would constantly make sure He was in alignment in
Gods will. When He came back down to his followers, Jesus chose the 12 who would be his
final apostles.
Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip and Bartholomew (also called
Nathanael), Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon called the Zealot, Judas brother of James (also
called Thaddaeus) and Judas Iscariot.
So just to recap, 2 James, 2 Simons and 2 Judas. There were three sets of brothers, and among
these men were a great range of talents and professions. 7 of the men were fishermen by trade,
Matthew was a tax collector, Simon the Zealot was a Jewish insurrectionist against the Roman
empire and Judas Iscariot was the team treasurer who handled the finances
What a group Jesus chose! A very diverse group of people, among whom were educated and
non-educated, Jews and Gentiles, bold and soft-spoken men, all with their own roles and reason
for being there. Even betrayal.
Sermon on the Mount
After Jesus chose the 12 apostles, He came down from the mountain to find a great multitude of
people. People from Jerusalem, Judea and the costs of Lebanon. This was the largest gathering of
people to date, so Jesus took advantage of the opportunity and gave what is perhaps the greatest
speech and lesson of all time.
If we want to know what Jesus said, the sermon He gave from that mount is the best crash course
lesson plan we can get. It is the nuts and bolts of what Jesus was about, who He was, how we are
supposed to live, why we should believe and what God wants for our lives. It was Gods updated
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manuscript of the law, since people had

completely missed the intention behind the law
when God gave it through Moses.
The best account on this sermon is found in
Matthew chapters 5-7. To be as concise and true
to the message as possible, we will briefly
address the topics of the sermon and the key
takeaways from each section. Use this as a cheat
sheet, but we highly encourage you to go
directly to scripture for the full message. Lets
get to it!
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who
mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are
the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3-
10)
Salt and Light
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then
good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matthew 5:13)
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and
have peace with one another. (Mark 9:50)
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a
lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven. (Matthew 5:13-15)
Fulfillment of the Law
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to
fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no
means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Anger
You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not murder, and whoever murders will
be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
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Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary
deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
(Matthew 5:21-22, 25-26)
Lust
You have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you
that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his
heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
Divorce
It has been said, Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But I tell
you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of
adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32)
Oaths
Again, you have heard it has been said to the ancients, Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the
Lord the vows you have made. But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it
is Gods throne; but let your Yes be yes and your No be no; anything that goes beyond this
comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:33-37)
Retaliation
You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an
evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if
anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to
go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from
the one who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:38-42)
Love your enemies
You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in
heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and
the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax
collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than
others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Matthew 5:43-48)
Giving to the Needy
Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you
will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not
announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be
honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to
the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may
be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-
4)
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The Lords Prayer

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you,
they have their reward. But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting your door,
pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.
(Matthew 6:5-6)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth
as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For Yours is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13)
Fasting
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show
others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you
fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are
fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)
Lay up Treasures in Heaven
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart shall be also.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. (Matthew 6:19-
20, 24)
Do not be Anxious
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body,
what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds
of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single
hour to your life?
So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we
wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you
as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day
has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-27, 31-34)
Judging Others
Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be
judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck
of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can
you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a
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plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will
see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. (Matthew 7:1-6)
Ask and it will be Given to you
Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
(Matthew 7:8)
Narrow Gate
Enter in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to
destruction, and there are many who enter in through it. Straight is the gate and narrow is the
way that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
A Tree and its Fruit
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves. Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth
evil fruit. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15, 17, 20)
I Never Knew You
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one
who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform
many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
(Matthew 7:18-20)
Build your House on the Rock
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does them, shall be like a wise man who
built his house on the rock. And the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew
and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not do them, shall be like a foolish man
who built his house on the sand, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall. (Matthew 7:24-27)
Takeaway from Sermon on the Mount
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because
he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Matthew 7:28)
Wow, every time we go back to Jesus teachings, we are taken back by how powerful His
message is. To the people listening, they were even more shocked. Jesus pretty much told
everyone what they had been told about the law was actually way off. Many of His teachings
were basically you have been told x, but really y.
When Jesus said He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill the law, can you see the truth
behind this now? Jesus never said we are no longer bound to obey the ten commandments or the
law given to Moses, He set the example of what obeying the law looked like through His life.
Love was the most important aspect overlooked by the law.
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We will learn shortly that Gods covenant was about to be updated by Jesus blood, so the law
would no longer be the thing that saved you, or get you into heaven. Yet just because we have
grace, does not mean we can just abandon and not obey the law. The key lesson for us today is to
truly reflect on the teachings Jesus set forth and live by these principles.
True, if we mess up, we have forgiveness of sin through repentance and the blood of Jesus, yet
that does not mean we can just live like we have no instruction or do as we please. Jesus did give
us a new commandment, one that we should take seriously:
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should
also love one another. By this all shall know that you are My disciples, if you have love toward
one another. (John 13:34-35)
If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)
Finally, lets let John wrap this up for us in his words.
And by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know
Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever
keeps His Word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. By this we know that we are in
Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked. (1 John 2:2-
6)
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Chapter 37: What Jesus Did

Ministry
During His ministry, Jesus traveled through the promised land with His disciples. Instead of
going through the events of His ministry chronologically, we will highlight the important events
that show us how Jesus backed up all of his bold words with actions. Jesuss ministry consisted
of preaching sermons, performing miracles, casting out demons, showing us Gods character,
and pretty much turning the world upside down.
He was the most talked about person in the known world during that time, and there was no
newspaper or media outlets. Jesus physically traveled around on foot, and people traveled from
every corner of the known world to hear Him. Not everyone was happy to hear His message
however, so lets see why that was.
5000 Fed
At one point a large crowd of 5000 men plus women and children came to see Jesus. The
disciples noticed that it was getting late and there would not be enough food to feed everyone. So
Jesus asked Phillip:
Where shall we buy enough bread for them to eat? Jesus already knew what He would do, He
just wanted to test them. Philip did a quick headcount, does some mental math, and realized even
if they only gave a little bread to every person, it would cost at least 200 denarii. For some
perspective, one denarius was the standard pay for an entire days work. Needless to say, Philip
was looking at this from a logical standpoint and began getting nervous. Im sure Judas Iscariot
was also concerned, since he kept all their money.
Andrew then came over and said how one boy had 5
loaves of bread and two small fish. Jesus told the
disciples to have everyone sit down and Jesus took the
bread and fish, gave thanks, and distributed the food to
His disciples to hand out. Much to the disciples surprise,
the baskets of food just keep on filling up with food!
They passed out the food and every person there, and
after eating to their hearts content, they collected all the
leftovers: 12 baskets of leftover bread from an original 5
loaves!
Walked on Water
That same night after the 5000 were fed, the disciples
went down to the sea and got into their boat. Jesus had
not yet returned so the disciples, and they figured He
would eventually return in the morning. So they rowed
out about 3.5 miles in the Sea of Galilee and the wind
started howling pretty badly.
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The disciples looked out of the boat and thought they saw something. They gathered around
pointing and squinting, until they saw someone who looked like Jesus walking to them on the
water! They became immediately afraid, thinking He was a ghost!
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid. And Peter
answered Him and said, Master, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. And
He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go
to Jesus.
But when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid. And beginning to sink, he cried out
saying, Master, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him,
and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
And when they came into the boat, the wind ceased. Those in the boat came and did bow to Him,
saying, Truly You are the Son of God. (Matthew 14:27-33)
Jesus walked out on the water to His disciples over 3 miles in the middle of the storm. Peter even
walked on the water to meet up with Jesus, yet he looked away and began sinking. What a great
example of what happens to us when we take our eyes off Jesus!
Rejected at Nazareth
At one point in His ministry, Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth. Keep in mind, Jesus
had already performed many miracles and was the talk of every city around. Naturally this led to
Jesus back home and He went to the Synagogue to preach, as was the standard routine. So Jesus
walked up to the front and was handed a scroll from the book of Isaiah. Jesus began reading:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord has anointed Me to preach the Gospel
to the meek; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord
and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn. (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Jesus read this with such conviction, such passion and authority, that every eye was fixated upon
Jesus as He sat down. Every person held their breath, waiting for something else, almost as if He
left something unsaid. True enough, once Jesus had their full attention, He said:
Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:20) The people then started to
question, saying, is this not the carpenter (tektn), the son of Joseph and Mary? Keep in mind,
these were the same people who had grown up with Jesus. They had seen him working alongside
his parents and brothers every day, probably hired Him to fix their houses and had seen him
every Sabbath in the synagogue. This was hard for them to believe; they were offended at Him.
But Jesus said unto them, a prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among
his own kin, and in his own house. (Mark 6:4) Because of their unbelief, Jesus did not perform
miracles in Nazareth, and was actually driven out of the city by an angry mob. Instead of being
happy their Messiah was a neighbor they had grown up with, they became upset and tried to kill
Him.
Take heart from Jesus rejection, because many of us will face the same challenge Jesus ran into.
Our own families and neighbors will not always accept what God is doing in your life. As much
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as it broke Jesus heart to see this reaction from His own city, why should we expect anything
different?
If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. (John 15:18)
Legion of Demons
Jesus casted out many demons throughout His ministry, with the most noticeable being the time
He arrived in the eastern city of Gadarenes. Jesus came across a man possessed by demons and
was pretty odd: he wore no clothes and lived in catacombs. People from the surrounding cities
did not go near this man, as he really creeped them
out. The people would keep him chained up in the
tombs, yet he seemed to always find a way to get
out.
As soon as Jesus arrived, the man fell down and
cried out, what have I to do with You, Jesus, Son
of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torture
me! Jesus asked him, what is your name? And
he answered, saying, my name is Legion, for we
are many.
And he begged Him that He would not send them
outside the country. A great herd of pigs was
feeding near the mountains, and all the demons
begged Him, saying, send us into the pigs, that we
may enter into them.
Jesus allowed them, and the unclean spirits went
out and entered into the pigs. And the herd ran
violently down a steep place into the sea (they were
about two thousand), and were choked in the sea.
(Mark 5:7-13)
The people around the city were filled with fear after witnessing the drowned bodies of the pigs,
and seeing the possessed man sitting on the ground like a normal person and no longer crazy!
How cool that every demon that came into contact with Jesus recognized His authority as the
Son of God, and they could not do anything without permission from Him! Halleluiah!
Healing
There are 31 recorded stories of Jesus healing specific people in the Gospel accounts, with over
20 references to mass healings. These are just the recorded references, so we have no idea how
many people Jesus actually healed in total. One thing we know is that Jesus had compassion on
the lame, the sick, the lepers, the blind and even those who had died.
Healing was a fundamental cornerstone of Jesus ministry, and backed up every claim Jesus
spoke. He has victory over Satan and He exemplified that power through His compassion.
Healing was the physical example of forgiveness that Jesus exemplified, preparing them for the
spiritual forgiveness that was to come.
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Jesus made the paralyzed walk, made the blind see, healed the deaf, made the mute speak,
cleansed the lepers, raised the dead and many more. There was never a single instance of
something Jesus could not heal, and He chose to heal everyone in different ways. Some He
would heal on the spot, others He would give them instruction before they were healed. In every
instance, Jesus knew their hearts and performed the miracles according to their level of belief
and faith.
The best example we have to illustrate this point comes from the Roman centurion, who even
surprised Jesus by his level of faith. Lets see what happened!
Centurion
In the Roman army, centurions were officers in charge of 100 or more soldiers. The worked their
way up in the ranks, proving their valor and leadership in battle. They were leaders and men of
authority during this time, so if a centurion issued a command, you can bet his word carried
weight.
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman centurion came up to Him and asked for help. Lord,
my servant lies at home sick of palsy, suffering terribly. And Jesus said to him, I will come and
heal him.
But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say
the word and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under
me: and I say to this man go and he goes, and to another come and he comes, and to my servant
do this and he does it.
When Jesus heard it, He marveled and said to his followers, truly I say to you, I have not found
such great faith in all Israel. And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and as you have believed, so
let it be done for you. And his servant was healed that hour.
In case you missed that, this commander in the Roman army was acknowledged by Jesus as
having more faith than any man in all of Israel He had found. The centurion came to Jesus asking
for healing for his servant, and said all Jesus needed to do was speak the command and his
servant would be healed.
Let this centurion be an example to us in faith that moves mountains. This centurion showed that
as a fellow man of authority, he knew that simply issuing a command meant people would listen
and follow. Even though Jesus offered to come to the mans house and heal his servant, the
centurion acknowledged he was not worthy of the honor.
The centurion knew all Jesus had to do was say the word and his servant would be healed. Wow!
Please go back and read this passage if you do not understand the significance here. Jesus says
that this man has more faith than anyone He had encountered in all Israel.
Even though this man was a soldier, subject to the Roman army, part of the ruling authority that
worshiped Roman gods, none of this mattered. The mere fact this centurion realized the weight
of authority and leadership, in his own words, this centurion acknowledged Jesus sovereignty
and was rewarded for it. How can we show this level of faith in our own lives?
Cleaning the Temple
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As much as Jesus showed compassion, mercy and grace, He held no room for dishonoring God
the Father. We are given a scene of Jesus righteous fury when He and His disciples came to
Jerusalem for the Passover. When Jesus walked into the temple, He witnessed a scene similar to
that of Moses after he came down from the mountain.
He saw men exchanging Roman denarius with Jewish shekel, taking their cut off the top. He
witnessed men selling oxen, sheep and doves for the annual sacrifice, with people arguing over
prices. He saw those in charge abusing their
power and authority for a profit, robbing
God of His glory and turning the temple into
a filthy market. Jesus was furious!
And when He had made a scourge of small
cords, He drove them all out of the temple
with the sheep and the oxen. And He poured
out the money-changers' money and
overthrew the tables. He said to those who
sold doves, take these things away from
here. Do not make My Father's house a
house of merchandise. (John 2:15-16)
His disciples remembered it was written,
for the zeal of Your house has eaten Me up;
and the reproaches of those who reproached
You have fallen on Me. (Psalms 69:9)
So Jesus did not get angry on His own
account, He got filled up with a righteous
zeal from God the Father. These people were
literally making a mockery out of God, and
Jesus drove them out to make a strong point: they were robbing God. This scene may seem a bit
harsh, especially when we see our churches today, yet this was Gods will acted out.
Let this scene serve as a stark reminder and warning to not turn the Lords house into a den of
thieves. Let us acknowledge Jesus for showing us this side of Himself and realize He did not
tolerance anyone robbing God or becoming a barrier to those seeking God. Jesus showed love,
compassion and mercy, yet He was also holy. God is not mocked, and we should take heart from
His example.
Woman Caught in Adultery
Contrasted with the scene in the temple, we will wrap up with Jesuss display of mercy with the
woman caught in the act of adultery. This was a big no-no, and considered an offense punishable
by death. According to the law set forth by Moses, any person caught in adultery was to be put to
death.
And a man who commits adultery with a man's wife, who commits adultery with his neighbor's
wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)
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So the Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus and asked him what they should do with her,
pointing out what the law said. Thinking they had Jesus in a trap, they were taken back when
Jesus bent down and started writing in the sand, acting like He did not hear them. Jesus did hear
them, and stood up saying:
He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.
Woah! The Pharisees were not expecting that! Either by the words Jesus spoke or from what was
written on the ground, their consciences were convicted. Starting with the oldest to the youngest,
one by one the men dropped their rocks and walked away, until there was nobody left but Jesus
and the woman.
And Jesus, straightening up and seeing no one but the woman, said to her, Woman, where are
those accusers of yours? Did no one condemn you? And she said, No one, Master. And Jesus
said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. (John 8:10-11)
What an amazing display of love from Jesus! Here was a woman, guilty of committing one of the
most heinous crimes of the day, with death as the sentence for her punishment. Yet she was
saved through Jesus display of mercy, compassion and grace. Jesus pulled the rug out from
underneath the Pharisees by pointing out their own hypocrisy, and once there was no one left to
accuse the woman, Jesus let her know that He did not condemn her either.
Wow! This is a great example of Gods mercy on the sinners and a reminder for anyone wanting
to cast that stone, to examine yourself first. We are all guilty of committing sin, so before casting
the stone, we must examine our own selves first to avoid the shame of the Pharisees. Thank you
Jesus for saving us from our sin! Thank you for having compassion on us, thank you for Your
grace!
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Chapter 38: Why Jesus Came

Now that we know who Jesus is, what He said and what He did, lets wrap up with why. Why
did God send Jesus into the world? The most important reason is love. Thats right, God loved us
so much, loves you so much, He sent His very own Son to the world to reconcile us to Him, so
we may spend eternity in heaven!
On Gods timeline, Christ represented the fundamental chapter that was written before the
creation of time. Before Adam was created, before the cosmos were spoken into existence, Jesus
knew His role to play. The Father knew what would happen to Jesus once He came to the world,
yet He was sent anyways, willingly fulfilling Gods will.
Save the World
For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:16-17)
For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11)
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. (1
John 4:14)
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (I Timothy 1:15)
Serve
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for
many. (Matthew 20:28)
And I say that Christ Jesus has become a servant of the circumcised for the truth of God, to
confirm the promises made to the fathers. (Romans 15:8)
Seek the Lost
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
Bring light
I have come as a Light into the world, so that whoever believes on Me should not remain in
darkness. (John 12:46)
Reveal the Father
Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal
Him. (Matthew 11:27)
He who has seen Me has seen the Father. (John 14:9)
Will of God
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For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. (John
6:38)
I have glorified You upon the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
(John 17:4)
Bear witness to the truth
To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that I should bear witness to
the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. (John 18:37)
Save us from sin
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us. (Romans 5:8)
And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people
from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)
Destroy the devils works
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1
John 3:8)
Only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil,
who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14)
Reconciliation
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, coming into being out of a
woman, having come under Law, that He might redeem those under Law, so that we might
receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given
to us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18)
Exalted by God
Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name,
the name that every knee should bow, in heaven and in earth, and under the earth; and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-
11)
Reveal God in the flesh
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
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Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy
3:16)
Life
I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John
10:10)
I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he shall
live forever. (John 6:51)
I am the Resurrection and the Life! He who believes in Me, though he die, yet he shall live.
(John 11:25)
Preach
I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent
for this purpose. (Luke 4:43)
Repentance
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
To die and resurrect
The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. (Luke 9:22)
Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was
for this very reason I came to this hour. (John 12:27)
Prepare for His second arrival
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
Death through Adam, Life through Christ
As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; death passed upon all men so that all
have sinned. For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not reckoned when there is no law.
Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
likeness of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if through the offence of one many died, much more
the grace of God and the gift by grace; which is by one man, Jesus Christ has abounded unto
many. And the free gift is not like the result of one mans sin. For the judgment following one
trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
For if by one man's trespass death reigned by one; much more will they receive abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness reign by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the trespass of
one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free
gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
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For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous. The law entered, that the trespass might abound. But where sin
increased, grace increased much more. As sin reigned unto death, even so might grace reign
through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12-21)
This is the most important part to understand in Gods timeline. When Adam messed up in that
garden and brought sin into the world, God banished Adam and Eve from paradise. The world
completely changed, it became broken and forever tainted by sin. Thanks to Adams one wrong
choice, we have all inevitably inherited sin in our lives.
God knew this and had a plan. He did not intend for us to remain separated from Himself, so in
Gods brilliant design, He made a plan for reconciling the world to Himself through one other
man: Jesus. Through that one act, Adams decision had been made null and void. Death reigned
through Adam, eternal life was given through Christ Jesus. Jesus is the cure to Adams curse.
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Chapter 39: Final Events of Jesus Life

Thank you Father for Your Son Jesus! Thank you so much for loving us enough to send us a
Savior, knowing what would happen yet knowing it was the only way. Please give us divine
understanding of the sacrifice that was paid for us, we are so undeserving of your grace. Thank
you Jesus!
Death Foretold
Lets resume the story of Jesus in the winter of 32AD. Jesus had been turning the world upside
down through His ministry for almost three years, and things were getting heated up. Jesus knew
that His death was coming soon and had told His disciples many times, not wanting them to be
surprised when it happened.
The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Jesus had stepped on many toes, rebuking the religious leaders of the day and displacing their
authority with the common people. Much to the dismay of the Sanhedrin, their authority and
power was diminishing every day that Jesus was allowed to live.
Transfiguration
Prior to entering Jerusalem for the final time, Jesus took his inner circle (Peter, James and John)
up with him to a high mountain nearby. As they walked to the top, Jesus was suddenly
transfigured before them. His clothing became white as
light and His face shined like the sun!
The three disciples saw Moses and Elijah appear and talk
with Jesus! Then a bright cloud came over them and a
loud voice called out. This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased, hear him. The disciples fell down to the
ground in fear, as any of us would have! Jesus then came
over and told them not to be afraid.
When the three disciples lifted up their eyes, the only
person they saw was Jesus. As they came down the
mountain, Jesus commanded them to tell the vision to no
one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead. Yet
again, we see Jesus foretell His death and resurrection.
After the events just witnessed, the disciples probably
lacked the words to even describe what happened, so they
kept the transfiguration experience to themselves and
followed Jesus back to camp.
Can you imagine your reaction to seeing the transfiguration? To hear God the Fathers voice
from Heaven, to witness Moses and Elijah, and then see Jesus transform into light? Talk about a
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glory grand slam! The fact Jesus chose to share this experience with three of His disciples is an
amazing act of love!
Who is the Greatest?
Shortly after the transfiguration, there was a debate among the apostles on which one of them
would be the greatest. By reading in between the lines here, we can assume that once Jesus took
Peter, James and John with Him, the disciples pride must have been a factor.
Whatever way the argument arose, Jesus responded by turning the tables on them! Jesus grabbed
a child, set him on His lap, and said to his disciples:
Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter
into the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever shall humble himself like this little child is the greatest in
the kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4)
Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me: and whoever receives me receives Him
that sent Me. For he who is least among you all, he shall be great.
Beautiful! In their hardness of heart, the disciples lost sight of one important requirement of
entering heaven: humility. No doubt the apostles received some notoriety and recognition as
disciples of Jesus, and this very well went to their heads. So as a powerful lesson, Jesus placed a
child in their midst to remind them the importance of the childlike faith, humility, service and
belief that the child had! Powerful!
Lazarus
On the final stretch of His ministry, Jesus received word from the town of Bethany that a man
named Lazarus was sick. When Mary and Martha (Lazarus siblings) told Jesus the news, He
responded that, this sickness does not lead to death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of
God might be glorified.
After telling Mary and Martha the news, Jesus waited two more days before leaving. By the time
Jesus and His disciples arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead 4 days. Jesus purposely
waited before coming, that way there would be no doubt to Lazarus death.
Martha came out to meet Jesus, weeping, and said, Lord, if you had been here my brother would
not have died. But I know even now, whatever you ask of God, He will give it to you. Wow, nice
faith Martha!
Jesus told her that her brother shall live, and after showing up to Marys house, He witnesses the
sadness, the tears and weeping from everyone there. Moved with compassion, Jesus wept. In a
display of genuine affection, compassion and love, Jesus broke down and started crying right
there in front of everyone.
Take a minute and pause. Jesus already told Martha and His disciples that Lazarus would be
raised from the dead. Even knowing this, Jesus wept. Jesus felt every emotion that we feel, and
although Lazarus would soon be raised to life, Jesus still wept.
What an amazing God we have! Jesus you are beautiful, thank you for your love and
compassion! Thank you for your heart, teach us to love how You loved and feel How you felt!
Thank you!
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After this display of affection, everyone walked over to the tomb where Lazarus was buried.
There was a giant stone in the entrance, so Jesus told them to remove the stone, yet Martha
warned that after 4 days the body has already begun to rot and the smell would be too much.
Regardless, they rolled the stone away and Jesus
yelled with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And
Lazarus, still bound with rags and burial garments,
came walking out of the tomb! Perhaps the first
zombie appearance back in early 33AD, this was
the third person Jesus has brought back to life that we
have account on!
There were many Jews there who witnessed this
event, and this was the first big public resurrection.
So the Jews did what they knew how to do; and ran
back to the temple to tattle, telling the entire
Sanhedrin what happened.
This was too much for them to bear and was the straw that broke the camels back. The entire
counsel of Pharisees and Sadducees met and became worried. They reasoned among themselves
that is they did nothing, everyone would end up believing in Jesus. The Romans would then
come and take away their power and national sovereignty. Caiaphas, the high priest, made a
declaration in front of the court after this and said:
You know nothing at all, nor do you understand it is better for us, that one man should die for
the people, rather than the whole nation perish.
Caiaphas prophesied the death of Jesus right then and there. The Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes
and priests gave the command that Jesus was a criminal of state, becoming the #1 most wanted
criminal around and could no longer walk in public. The events had now been set into motion
that would lead to His death.
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Chapter 40: Triumphal Entry

At this point, Jesus knew the events that would come to pass. Although the disciples were
warned what would happen, they still did not
understand. Regardless, they all traveled
together to Jerusalem in what would be the
last and final journey with Jesus.
As they walked into the city, the people took
palm tree branches and went out to meet
Jesus. They cried out Hosanna! Blessed is
the King of Israel that comes in the name of
the Lord! Riding on the back of a donkey,
Jesus entered Jerusalem, fulfilling Zechariah
9:9:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout O
daughter of Jerusalem. Behold, your King is
coming to you; righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.
As Jesus rode in, His heart became troubled as he knew what was to happen. Jesus prayed and
said aloud, Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save me from this hour: but
for this reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify you name. Then came a loud voice from
heaven saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. Jesus then said:
He who believes on Me does not believe on Me but on Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me
sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light to the world, so that whoever believes in Me
should not live in darkness. And if any man hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge
him. For I came not to judge the world but to save the world.
He that rejects me and does not receive my Words has one that judges him: the Word I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself, but the Father
who sent Me. He gave Me a commandment on what I should say and speak. And I know His
commandment is eternal life. Therefore whatever I speak, even as the Father said to Me, so I
speak. (John 12:27-28, 44-50)
If there was ever any indication that Jesus authority came from God the Father, this was it! As if
a loud, booming voice from Heaven wasnt enough, Jesus lets us know the words are not His, but
our Heavenly Fathers words.
Last Supper
After Jesus made His entry, Satan entered Judas Iscariot and he went to the temple priests. They
agreed upon a price of 30 silver and Judas would betray Jesus at the earliest opportunity. Judas
stealthily returned to the group, his actions unknown to the rest of the group, aside from Jesus.
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Since this was the day of unleavened bread, the disciples asked Jesus where they should eat the
Passover meal. Jesus instructed His disciples to go into the city and there you shall meet a man
carrying a pitcher of water: follow him.
And whatever spot he goes into, say to the head of the household, the Teacher says where is my
guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large
upper room furnished and ready; prepare for us there.
Before they ate, Jesus laid aside his garments, took a towel, and tied it around His waist. Then
He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and wiped them with the
towel. As you might imagine, the disciples were a bit confused and when they asked what He
was doing, Jesus responded:
You do not know what I do now, but you shall know afterwards. You call me Master and Lord,
and you say well, for I am. Then if I, being your Lord, have washed your feet, you also ought to
wash one anothers feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to
you.
Truly, truly I say to you, the servant is not greater than his master; neither is He who is sent
greater than He who sent Him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John
13:12-17)
Wow, talk about servant leadership! In fact, Jesus represents the epitome of servant leadership,
as literally His entire ministry was leading through serving. After the foot washing, they resumed
their meal and Jesus told them:
I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I say to you, I will not
eat of it again until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And He took the cup, and gave thanks,
and said, take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit
of the vine, until the kingdom of God comes.
And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave to them saying, this is my body
which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way He took the cup and
said, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
This was the new covenant God was making through Jesus. This symbolic act of remembrance
symbolized the Body and Blood of Jesus, the sacrifice made to atone for sin.
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After this, Jesus let them know that one of them would betray Him. The disciples looked around
nervously, wondering who it was. They asked Jesus who it was, and Jesus responded that He
would dip a piece of bread and give it to the person who would betray Him.
So Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot, telling him, what you are going to do,
do quickly. So Judas left in a hurry, yet the disciples did not understand, since they thought he
was going to buy some additional food for their meal. Regardless, Judas ran to the Sanhedrin and
the plot to betray was underway.
After dinner, Jesus gave His 11 disciples some last instruction. Jesus informed the disciples, a
new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are
also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love
for one another. (John 13:34-35)
What a powerful message and a great commandment! Would you say this commandment is
evident in the lives of Christians you see today? Maybe, maybe not; either way, this is the new
commandment left for His followers. What a great and fresh reminder of the most important
aspect of Gods law!
Jesus Predicts Peters Denial
After hearing these words, the disciples realized Jesus was saying goodbye. Peter asked Jesus
where He was going and Jesus responded:
Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterwards. Peter said to
Him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. Jesus answered,
will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you
have denied me three times. (John 13:36-38)
Garden of Gethsemane
So after Jesus delivered His final message to the disciples, they exited the house and went to the
mount of Olives, in Gethsemane. Jesus knelt down a stones throw away from the disciples and
told them to pray they would not enter into temptation. Jesus then began to pray and said:
Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not My will but Your will be
done. And there appeared an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. Jesus continued to pray in
agony, with his sweat like blood dripping down to the ground. Jesus rose from prayer and came
back to His disciples, only to find them sleeping from sorrow.
This period of time is perhaps the most difficult to write, as we try to imagine the agony Jesus
was going through. Jesus knew what was about to happen to Him, and even with the aid of
angels, Jesus still troubled with the thought of being crucified.
It got to the point where Jesus even asked the Father to remove this cup from his hands, if there
was any other way. Yet Jesus recognized that He was there not for Himself, but to accomplish
the will of God.
Let me propose a question: what is worse, jumping into a pool from a high-dive or standing at
the top, looking down and waiting to jump? That whole time you are standing at the top looking
down, you psyche yourself out, realizing the only way to go is down. In theory, the best thing to
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do would be to jump immediately and get it over with. Even worse is that time at the top,
knowing the inevitable fate waiting for you, growing worse as the seconds pass.
For Jesus, this garden was the high dive and He had no choice but to pace at the top, waiting to
jump. That agony and discomfort of knowing what is coming is way worse than the plunge itself,
yet this agony is what Jesus went through for you.
The disciples had no idea what was coming, yet Jesus did. He was in so much agony His sweat
became like blood, as He restlessly prayed for strength and obedience to finish the task God set
forward. Take a minute and thank Jesus for this time that had to have been pure emotional pain,
for hours. And He did this out of love.
Betrayal and Arrest
As Jesus was telling His disciples to wake up, an angry mob led by Judas approached with
torches, swords and murder in their hearts. Judas then did what his scumbag self planned, and
kissed Jesus on the cheek.
That was the sign, and the soldiers grabbed hold of Jesus. Peter then drew his sword and cut off
the ear of the high priest Malchus. Jesus told Peter to put up his sword, for all they who take the
sword will die by the sword. Jesus went on to tell him:
Do you think I cannot pray to My Father and He would give Me more than 12 legions of
angels? But how then shall scripture be fulfilled, for it must be so. Jesus then turned around to
them angry mob and asked:
Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to arrest me? I sat daily with
you teaching in the temple, and you did not lay lands on Me. But all this happened that
scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
When the going gets tough, people abandon Jesus. Just like the disciples did, they ran for their
lives and abandoned Jesus to the angry mob. They chose to arrest Jesus in the dead of night
instead of during the day, because there was no way they could have pulled it off during the day.
Jesus was now in the custody of the Jews and would face the most rigged system in history.
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Chapter 41: Trial

Trial: Caiaphas
News of Jesus capture was made known, and the entire Sanhedrin gathered in the temple at
night. As the reigning high priest, Caiaphas oversaw their trial. The chief priests sought out
any false witnesses they could bribe, attempting to convict Jesus with false testimony.
The only problem was, they couldnt find any! Sure they found people willing to lie, yet
everyones story was inconsistent and unable to hold up in court. So they went back to the
drawing board, searching for a charge they could use to convict Jesus. They eventually found
two witnesses who heard Jesus say that He was able to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three
days.
The reference was to Jesus body and alluded to the fact He would be resurrected in three days.
This was a parable, yet the best the priests could come up with. When they asked Jesus about it,
He held His peace and said nothing. Even so, this was not enough to convict Jesus.
Finally, realizing they would have to get something from Jesus Himself, Caiaphas asked the
smoking gun question. Are you the Christ, the Son of God? Jesus decided to answer and sealed
His fate with His response:
I am: and you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of Heaven. Jesus was referring to His return to earth, after His earthly ministry was
completed. However, to the priests, this was blasphemous. Even though Jesus admitted He was
the Christ and their Messiah, they did not want to hear it.
Caiaphas tore his clothes and said what need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the
blasphemy, what do you think? And they all condemned Him to be guilty of death. Jesus had
already called these men out previously for their wicked deeds and hypocrisy. If Jesus claim of
being the Christ was true, it meant every one of them were guilty of their heinous sin. Unable to
face that reality, they decided to cast their guilt and blame Jesus of blasphemy.
They all spat on Jesus, put a bag over His head and began beating Him. They mocked Him and
told Him to prophesy on who was hitting Him. They then convicted and sentenced an innocent
man to death, the Son of God and their long-awaited Messiah.
Peters Denial
As the trial was taking place, Peter decided to mosey on over to see what was happening with
Jesus. He decided to go to the basement of the temple to see if he could hear anything. Caiaphas
maid happen to walk by and saw Peter creeping and trying to listen. She recognized Peter as
Jesus disciple, to which Peter said he didnt know what she was talking about.
Peter then went outside to warm himself by a fire some servants had made. As he was rubbing
his hands together, trying to get warm, the servants look over at Peter, recognizing him. They
must have pointed to one another, confirming they were not crazy. Finally, one of them spoke up
and asked, are you not one of Jesus disciples? Peter then denied it and said, I am not.
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Then one of the servants of Malchus (the priest whose ear was chopped off by Peter) walked by
and recognized him from the garden, since that servant was there when it happened. The servant
said yeah, you were there in the garden with Him, and Peter denied the accusation yet again for
the third time.
Immediately the rooster crowed.
Trial: Pilate
After the Sanhedrin had their fun beating and sentencing Jesus to death, they realized they
couldnt orchestrate His death themselves. They didnt want His blood on their hands, and to
justify their cowardice, told themselves they couldnt kill anyone during their sacred feast days.
Realizing they had to save face, they passed Jesus off to Pilate.
Since Pilate was the governor of the providence, he was responsible for justice and had the
authority to sentence anyone to death. So the priests brought Jesus to Pilate and asked the Jews
why they brought this man to him. The Jews told Pilate this was a very bad man, to which Pilate
told them to judge Him themselves.
Remembering their awesome excuse, they told Pilate it wasnt lawful for them to sentence a man
to death during the Passover. Lucky for them! Realizing he couldnt just write this off, Pilate
decided to talk to Jesus. Pilate walked up to Jesus, looked him up and down, trying to get a feel
for who this man was. Pilate then went straight to the point and asked Jesus if He was the King
of the Jews. Jesus then responded:
Do you ask this of your
own accord, or did
others say this to you
about me? Pilate
answered, Am I a Jew?
Your own nation and
chief priests have
delivered You to me.
What have you done?
Fair questions, we can
tell Pilate was actually
trying to get to the
bottom of the matter.
Jesus answered, My
kingdom is not of this
world: if my kingdom
were of this world, then
my servants would fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from
here. Pilate said to Him, are you a king then?
Jesus answered, you say that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this reason I came
into the world. That I should bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my
voice. Pilate said to Him, what is truth?
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So this interaction between Pilate and Jesus can be seen as a civil exchange, one leader to
another. Pilate showed a genuine desire to discover the truth of the matter, and even asked
rhetorically, what is truth? Jesus never directly said He was king of the Jews, only that they
say He is a king. Jesus kingdom is in heaven, so when Jesus said His kingdom was not of this
world, Pilate must have been confused!
After questioning Jesus, Pilate went out to the Jews and people gathered, saying to them, I find
in Him no fault at all. The Jews were furious and Pilate told them to take Jesus to Herod then,
since Jesus was a Galilean and fell in Herods jurisdiction. So they took Jesus over to Herod,
attempting to see justice done.
Judas hangs himself
As the trial was taking place, Judas Iscariot realized what he had done. Being convicted in his
conscience of the worst crime in human history, Judas repented, threw the 30 pieces of silver
back at the Jews and hung himself. Realizing the silver was blood money, even the Jews knew it
would be bad will to take the silver back to the treasury.
So they purchased a field from the potter to bury strangers in, calling it the field of blood.
Unknowingly they fulfilled a prophecy from Zechariah 11:12-13:
So they weighed out for my price 30 pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, cast it to the
potter: the magnificent price at which I was valued by them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver
and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
Trial: Pilate again
After a fruitless venture with Herod, Jesus was brought back to Pilate. Realizing he had to be the
one to deal with Jesus, Pilate gathered the chief priest and the Jews, saying to them, you have
brought this man to me, as one that turns away the people. And behold, I have examined Him
and have found no fault in this man of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for
he sent Him back to us. He has done nothing worthy of death. I will therefore have Him punished
and released.
Now the gospel of Luke tells us, out of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast,
talking about Pilate releasing a prisoner at the Passover feast. Whether this was taken from the
Hebrew tradition or a Roman mandate is unclear. In all likelihood, this practice was started by
Roman Governor Albinus as a means of keeping the people happy. Since governing a newly
conquered territory was difficult, not to mention a nation deeply rooted in tradition, this act of
releasing a prisoner at Passover seemed to be at the discretion of the governor at the time. Since
Pilate had continued this tradition the precedent was established and expected.
The people were the ones responsible for choosing the prisoner to be released, that part is
extremely clear from scripture. So Pilate left the choice up to the people, assuming the people
would choose Jesus, yet
Away with this man, and release Barabbas, the people cried out. We are told Barabbas was
guilty of sedition and murder, and was not a great guy. Pilate addressed them once more,
desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, crucify, crucify him!
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Pilate tried a third time, asking the people, why? What evil has He done? I have found in Him
no guilt deserving of death. I will therefore punish and release Him. But they pressed on,
demanding that He be crucified. And the voices of the crowd and the chief priests prevailed.
Matthews account tells us the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude they should ask
for Barabbas. Regardless, Pilate realized he was outvoted and went over to the tub of water,
washed his hands clean and said, I am innocent of the blood of this holy man: see to it
yourselves.
Then the people answered, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then Pilate released
Barabbas to them and delivered Jesus to be scourged and crucified.
For as much trash talking aimed at Pontius Pilate, the guy really did try everything he knew to
release Jesus. Short of giving up his Roman authority, Pilate tried saving Jesus through law,
reason and emotion. Yet the people demanded Jesus be crucified. The same people who had just
days earlier cried out in the streets Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
These same people were willing to accept His blood on them and their children.
Pilate issued the sentence, yet compared to the chief priests and elders who convicted Jesus,
Pilate was the most upright one of them. This was all part of Gods plan however; so regardless,
the events that took place next were directly aligned with Gods plan for salvation.
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Chapter 42: The Passion

Jesus, please speak to my heart. I ask for divine understanding of the suffering you went through.
Please open the eyes of my heart to the love you showed for me that day. Let me worship you in
Spirit and Truth, thank you for your sacrifice on the cross. Amen
Scourging
After Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, the Roman soldiers took Him into the common hall and
stripped him of His clothes. They clothed Jesus in a purple robe and made a crown of thorns,
placing it on His head. They put a reed (plant) in His right hand and bowed before Jesus
mockingly, saying, Hail, King of the Jews.
After being stripped down, Jesus was then scourged. In the Roman practice of scourging, the
prisoner was stripped and their hands tied to an upright post. The whip they used would have
several strands of braided leather, with pieces of metal shards and animal teeth tied in them.
When Jesus was tied up on that post, He was scourged to the point just short of death.
His entire backside was flayed, and every time that whip lashed forward, the metal shards would
tear into His skin, ripping apart tissue and skeletal muscle. Jesus was beaten beyond bloody, to
the point of barely being conscious from blood loss and shock to His system.
Calvary Road
After they were finished, they put Jesus clothes back on and spat on Him. Once the soldiers
mocked to their hearts content, they brought over a 110lb wooden cross, ordering Him to carry
it to the top of Calvary Hill. The distance from Pilates temple to Calvary Hill was more than 650
yards, nearly half a mile.
As Jesus struggled to carry the cross due to fatigue and blood loss, the Roman soldiers realized
whipping Jesus any more would kill Him, so they found a man from Cyrene named Simon and
ordered him to help Jesus carry the cross. So the two of them continued the arduous trek uphill,
carrying the symbol of torture and punishment.
Nailed to Cross
Death by crucifixion was not a new practice. The Romans did perfect the art of crucifixion to
produce a slow death with the maximum amount of suffering and pain. Crucifixion was reserved
for the worst criminal offenders, slaves and foreigners.
As Jesus completed His journey to the top of the hill, He was thrown down on His back. They
stretched out His arms, lined up the 7-9 inch nails, and drove the spikes deep into His lower
wrist. After this, the soldiers lifted up the wooden beam until the cross stood upright. Once He
was hanging, they got another nail, lined up His feet, and nailed Jesus feet to the wood, hanging
Jesus to the cross.
The soldiers then gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall, which was the standard pain relieving
drink, albeit disgusting. When Jesus tasted just a little bit, He refused to drink any. They nailed a
wooden sign above His head that read: This is Jesus, King of the Jews.
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As they mocked and laughed in satisfaction, Jesus said, Father, forgive them. For they know not
what they do. Even right up to His death, Jesus did not want their actions to be held against
them. There are no words to even describe this act of love, just let that sink in for a minute.
During this time, the soldiers
divided Jesus garments into fours.
When they came to His robe, they
realized it couldnt be divided. So
they decided to cast lots (equivalent
of rolling dice) to decide on who
would get the expensive robe,
unknowingly fulfilling scripture.
They divide my clothes among
themselves, and cast lots upon my
vesture. (Psalm 22:18)
2 Criminals
Next to Jesus were two other
crosses, bearing two criminals
sentenced to death. As they were being hung, one of the criminals said to Jesus, if you are the
Christ, save yourself and us. The other criminal rebuked the other man and asked, do you not
fear God, since you are under the same condemnation?
And we, indeed rightly so, for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has done
nothing wrong. And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.
And Jesus said to him:
Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.
Death on the cross
We are told that from the 6th hour to the 9th hour there was total darkness over the earth. Since
their hours started at sunrise, this translates into 12pm-3pm. So for three hours, something
brought total darkness over the whole earth. We will discuss this later on.
As Jesus was being hung, Jesus mother Mary, Mary Magdalene and Mary wife of Clopas were
watching and crying. Jesus told them:
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For
behold, the days are coming in which they will say blessed are the barren and the wombs that
never bore.
Towards the 9th hour, Jesus cried out, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? My God, My God why
have you forsaken Me? The people listening nearby thought Jesus was calling out to Elijah. One
of the soldiers ran up and filled a sponge full of vinegar, attached it to a reed, and lifted it up for
Jesus to drink.
Jesus cried with a loud voice, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit, and then said, It
is finished. He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.
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In order to make sure the criminals were dead, the Romans would break the legs of the offenders.
Since they would not be able to keep themselves up with their legs, the act of breaking their legs
effectively strangled them if they were alive.
Once Jesus gave up the ghost, the soldiers broke the legs of the other two criminals, confirming
their death. When they came to Jesus, they noticed He was dead already. So instead of breaking
His legs, they took a spear and pierced His side. As they pulled out the spear, blood and water
came out. None of Jesus bones were actually broken, His side was pierced instead.
Post Death
Immediately after His death, the entire veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
There was also a giant earthquake all around them. And the graves were opened; and many
bodies of the saints who slept arose and came out of the graves after His resurrection and went
into the holy city and appeared unto many.
Earthquake, darkness, ghosts and a torn temple was enough for the centurion who pierced Jesus
to say, truly this man was the Son of God. If you are confused by all these events, do not
worry. We are about to show and prove exactly what happened. Before looking at that, lets
understand the biblical significance of what just happened. Since scripture trumps everything
else, lets see what biblical prophecies were just fulfilled.
Scripture fulfilled
Therefore I will give him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he has poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors;
and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12)
They divide My garments amongst themselves and cast lots for My clothing. (Psalm 22:18)
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me, and far from my deliverance, and from the words
of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1)
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they speak vain words they shake their heads. (Psalm
22:7)
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement
of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no
violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9)
And they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Psalms
69:21)
Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. (Psalms 31:5)
He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. (Psalms 34:20)
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of
grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall
mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is
in grieving for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)
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They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the
ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it. (Numbers 9:12)
Science to the Crucifixion
Lets see what happened in the sky over Jerusalem on April 3rd, 33AD.
We can actually verify the exact time of Jesus death on the cross. Dr. Rick Larson has done
some excellent work in his research and found the coolest sign that took place. At 3pm, or the 9th
hour, there was a lunar eclipse from the earths perspective.
Just so we are all clear, lets distinguish between a solar and lunar eclipse. The concept is simple,
all three involve the sun, moon and earth. When all three of these are lined up in orbit, they
eclipse. With me so far?
Now, a solar eclipse occurs when the order goes: sun, moon, earth. A lunar eclipse occurs when
the order is: sun, earth, moon. If it helps, just imagine all three of these in your head and the
order they occur in. Since we live on earth and only see from our perspective, when these
celestial events occur, we cannot always see them.
However, if you were to look from the moons perspective, your solar eclipse would look like
the earth passing between you and the sun. Thats exactly what happened at 3pm Jerusalem time
on the afternoon of April 3rd, 33AD. Not only that, but this alignment took place in the
constellation Ares, or the ram, representing the sacrifice made for sin. On the exact moment of
our Saviors death, the sun, earth and moon were in alignment. This was the exact moment of
Christs death.
Earthquake
By looking at annual layers of
sediment deposits, geologists are able
to know if and when past seismic
activities occurred. Scientists
studying the samples from the Dead
Sea have been able to confirm some
seismic activity. There was a 5.5
magnitude earthquake in 33AD.
3 Hour Darkness
The three hour darkness has baffled historians, theologians, scientists and scholars for nearly
2,000 years. Coming up with an explanation has led to many theories and hypothesis, all of
which can be disproved.
Since we know where the sun, moon and earth were during Christs death, we know there
couldnt have been a solar eclipse from earths perspective. Even if there were a solar eclipse, the
maximum duration of an eclipse is about 7 minutes, certainly not three hours! So solar eclipse
theory does not check out.
Other theories include sandstorms, heavy clouds or ash from volcanic activity. Only problem
with those theories are none of them align with scripture or science. There was no volcanic
activity in the entire world from 50BC-50AD, a solid 100 years of no activity.
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If there were dust or sandstorms blocking out the sun, a notable event like that would have been
mentioned in scripture, as this would have affected the crucifixion. At this point, most Christian
theologians threw their hands up and attributed this to a metaphorical darkness.
However, all four gospel accounts specifically mention this darkness over the earth from the 6th
to the 9th hour. If this were an allegorical darkness, all four of the writers would not have
included this in their accounts. Very rarely do the gospel accounts 100% say the exact same
thing in the exact same order: this is one of them.
Not to mention, we have been able to verify such as the alignment of the planets and seismic
activity. Why would this notable event be documented and still baffle the world 2,000 years
later? Could the events of Christs crucifixion be a clue for His return? As with everything God
does, there is a physical and spiritual meaning for every event.
By now, hopefully your anticipation has risen and your interest peaked. Realize this is not about
being right or proving anyone wrong. This is all for Gods glory, and we are blessed for the
understanding He has given us. We are going to describe this event in much more detail in the
final chapters, so dont worry! Ahh, dramatic sigh!
Please bear with us, there is an answer for what caused this event, but lets finished paying our
respects to Jesus. As much fun as it is to discuss this now, the climax of Gods love story is about
to unfold. We promise this will be explained later on, just realize this does not retract or take
anything away from the crucifixion. Lets continue and once we have learned what we need to,
we will figure out what this event was.
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Chapter 43: Resurrection

Burial
Now after Jesus was crucified, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph went to Pilate and
begged him for Jesus body. After getting permission, Joseph and Nicodemus went to the cross
and took Jesus body down from the cross. The Marys also came with the men and they rubbed
ointment on His body, and wrapped His body in linen cloth.
They then laid His body in Josephs rock tomb and rolled the rock in front of the entrance,
sealing the tomb. This was a new tomb that had never been used and would only be needed for a
short time!
Did Jesus Go to Hell?
This topic is also a controversial subject, as many debate if Jesus went to Hell or not. You may
never have thought about this, or may hold a very strong opinion. Regardless of what your
previous opinion has been, the only place we should go to for truth is Gods Word.
In Acts 2:27, Peter spoke to a group of Jews and referenced Psalm 16:9-10 in relation to Jesus.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For you will
not leave my soul in hell; neither will you suffer my Holy One to see corruption.
So from this scripture, we know that Jesus body did not see corruption and His Soul would not
be left in hell. If His soul would not be left in hell, that means that He went there. Now, before
you start tearing your clothes like Caiaphas, hear this out. Jesus did not burn in hell, Jesus went
to hell. Nowhere does scripture say Jesus burned in hell, but He did go there. Why did He go
there?
In John 19:30, Jesus said, it is finished. When Jesus said it is finished, the payment for all sins
was paid for on the cross. He did not go to burn in hell to pay for sins, He paid for our sins on the
cross.
For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus was sinless, yet took the sins of the
world on Himself, where Gods wrath was poured down on the cross. The atonement of sin was
paid for, free and clear, right there on the cross.
But now once in the end of the world has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him
shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:26,28) As we can see, this
was a one-time event. Jesus paid for sin once, simple as that. If you would like more scripture to
confirm this, Isaiah 53 is almost entirely dedicated to explaining this in more detail.
So what was He doing in hell if Jesus had already paid for sin? Well, Jesus went to hell in
victory, not in defeat. Thats a big distinction. Jesus held the keys to hell and did not get thrown
into hell, He came to set the captives free!
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For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. By which also he went and preached
unto the spirits in prison. Which at some time were disobedient, when once the patience of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, where only eight souls were saved
by water. (1 Peter 3:18-20)
So just so we are clear, Jesus went to hell to preach to the souls in prison. The souls there from
before the time of Noah; the same corrupt souls who populated the earth prior to the flood.
Whether Jesus preached to the fallen angels, their offspring, or people: we do not know. As the
Bible does not tell us what Jesus preached, we can use our imagination and best guess as to what
Jesus said. If His life and ministry taught us anything, Jesus did not hold back the truth and spoke
on our Heavenly Fathers behalf.
One last scripture to make sure we are all on the same page:
Therefore He said, when He ascended up on High, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men. Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of
earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might
fulfill all things. (Ephesians 4:8-10)
Empty tomb
On the third day after death, something happened: Jesus rose from the grave! Monday morning,
April 7th 33AD, the stone in front of Jesus tomb was rolled away and there was no body to be
found!
Now from Matthews account in chapter 27, we are told that the day after Jesus was placed in the
tomb, that Saturday, the chief priests and Pharisees had
a huddle, discussing among themselves what they
should do. They remembered that Jesus said after three
days He would rise again.
Nervous of what could happen, they came before Pilate
and said, order that the tomb be guarded until the
third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal
Him away and say to the people He is risen from the
dead; or else the last error shall be worse than the
first.
In their fear and insecurity, the Pharisees did not want
to take any chances. A resurrection would mean
exposing them for the hypocritical liars they were, and
signal their certain demise. So after making their
request, Pilate agreed and placed guards in front of the
tomb.
So when Mary and the women came early Monday
morning, imagine their surprise when they found no
guards standing out front, and the stone rolled away!
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They ran inside the tomb and found the linen clothes lying on the ground, with no Jesus to be
found!
Mary began to cry, thinking that someone came and stole the body of Jesus. Yet there appeared
an angel as bright as the sun and struck fear into their hearts. So much fear that the soldiers who
had previously stood guard fell into shock, unable to move.
The angel said, fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here: for
He is risen as He said He would. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.
Behold, He goes before you into Galilee, there you shall see Him. Lo, I have told you.
As the women ran back to Galilee, Jesus appeared to them and said, Greetings. The women
fell down at His feet and bowed down. Jesus said to them, do not be afraid. Go, tell my brothers
that they should go to Galilee, and they will see me there.
Report of the Guard
Shortly after Jesus appeared, the guards were able to move again and witnessed what happened.
They ran back to the city and told the chief priests what had happened! So the chief priests fell
down in repentance, worshiped Jesus as the Son of God, admitting their mistakes and begged for
forgiveness, right? Actually no, sorry for any confusion, this is NOT what happened (although
this is what they should have done!).
Instead of that, they paid the soldiers hush-silver, saying, say that His disciples came by night
and stole Him away while we slept. And if this comes to Pilates ears, we will persuade him and
keep you out of trouble.
So the soldiers took the silver and did as they were instructed: and this doctrine is commonly
reported among the Jews until this day (Matthew 28:13-15). Hold up, did we just witness a
coverup take place? Did we just read about a conspiracy? A massive deception? As a matter of
fact we did, and to this day the Jews refuse to believe that Jesus was resurrected. Keep this in
mind, as this will be extremely relevant later on.
Jesus Appeared to the Disciples
After Mary told the 10 disciples what happened, (one short thanks to Judas and Thomas was not
there), Jesus appeared in their midst saying, peace be unto you. Jesus then walked around and
showed them his hands and side. Jesus said to them:
Peace be unto you: as my Father has sent Me, even so I send you. When He said this, He
breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Ghost: of whomever sins you forgive, they are
forgiven unto them. And whoever sins you retain, they are retained.
Jesus also asked the disciples if they had any meat, to which He then ate a piece of broiled fish
and honeycomb, showing them the glory of His resurrected body! Jesus then elaborated a bit
more:
These are the words which I spoke with you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, by the prophets and in the psalms concerning
me.
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Thus it is written, and thus is was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the
third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all
nations, starting with Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. I send the promise of my
Father upon you: but wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are arrayed with power from on
High. (Luke 24:44-49)
Thomas
Now when Jesus appeared to the disciples, Thomas was not there. After he came back and heard
what had happened, he did not believe it. Unless I see His hands and touch the holes from the
nails, and put my finger in the hole in his side, I will not believe. Thomas, come on my man!
Anyways, eight days later Jesus appeared to all the disciples again and said, Peace be unto
you. Jesus then said to Thomas, reach your finger here and behold My hands; and reach your
hand here and put in into My side. Do not be faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered
and said to Him, my Lord and my God.
Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are they who
have not seen and yet have believed. For any unbelieving Thomas out there, you will shortly
see some evidence that will really shock you!
Ascension
We are told after that He was seen by over five hundred brothers at one time, of whom the
greater part remains till now, but some have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:6) On top of
revealing Himself to the apostles multiple times, Jesus revealed Himself to over 500 people, just
to make sure everyone knew!
The very last thing Jesus did before He ascended into Heaven was give His disciples one final
commission, known as the Great Commission. The disciples gathered together at the mountain
where Jesus first chose the 12, and appeared to them one last time. Jesus instructed them to:
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all of creation. He that believes and is baptized
shall be saved, but he that does not believe shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them
that believe:
In My name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up
serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick
and they shall recover.
All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go there and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
things I have commanded you. And I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.
So then after the Lord spoke to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat at the right hand
of God. And they went forth preaching everywhere, and the Lord was working with them, and
confirming the Word with signs. Amen.
Yes! Thank you Jesus! You ascended into heaven in victory! You accomplished the Fathers
mission on earth, you defeated sin and death, You did what You said You would do, and You did
not leave us alone! Thank you!
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Shroud of Turin
The pieces of cloth that wrapped Jesus body, the same pieces the disciples found in the tomb,
has actually been preserved. Known as the shroud of Turin, this cloth shows the blood stains of
Jesus after His death. This is the single most studied artifact in human history, and undergone
every study you can think of. We encourage you to do some research into this yourself, just be
prepared to be blown away!

There are burn marks on the cloth, from two previous fires in the churches that housed this
sacred artifact, one before 1195 and the other in 1532. For a better look at what the shroud was
covering, we can look at the photo negative. Lets see in more detail.

The shroud shows the outline and bloodstains of a 5ft 7in to 6ft 2in, anatomically perfect man.
His hands are folded over his groin, with bloodstains from wounds consistent with a crucified
victim. Forensic scientists have uncovered:
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o A man with beard, moustache and shoulder

length hair parted in the middle
o Wrist bearing large, round wound from
piercing
o Upward gouge in the side, penetrating into the
thoracic cavity
o Puncture wounds around the scalp and
forehead
o Many linear wounds on the torso and legs
o Streams of blood down both arms

God, you have given us just enough evidence to prove what You said is true! There are no words
to describe what You went through on that cross, and almost 2,000 years later we have evidence
of the suffering you went through. Jesus you are too good!

Based on 3D forensic imaging, facial reconstruction software, and the artist Pasquale Ariel
Agemian (who studied the shroud religiously), this rendering of Jesus is considered to be the
most exact depiction of Jesus! Wow! Jesus you are amazing!
Crucifixion Discovery
Even more controversial than the shroud of Turin is the evidence found by Ron Wyatt, a nurse
anesthetist who turned into the modern-day Indiana Jones in obedience to Gods calling in his
life. Wyatt discovered many ancient biblical sites and artifacts that the secular world has done
just about everything possible to silence.
Arguably the most important discovery made by Wyatt was the site of Christs crucifixion,
which was at the Calvary Escarpment, near Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. More than just
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discovering the site, it was what Wyatt discovered directly underneath the site that has rocked the
world!
In 1978, Wyatt was walking near the Calvary Escarpment with a member of the Israeli
Department of Antiquities. As they were walking, Wyatts left arm raised up and pointed to the
location and words came out of his mouth that were not his own. The words were, thats
Jeremiahs Grotto and the Ark of the Covenant is buried in there. Keep in mind, Wyatt had
never been to that location previously and was not looking for the Ark. God has divinely told
Wyatt what he was to do.
With the blessing of the Antiquities Department, Ron spent nearly three years digging in the spot
God has pointed out to him. Then on January 6th, 1982 Wyatt finally discovered what was buried
there. Pray for an open mind and discernment as we learn what happened that day.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up
His Spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two
from top to bottom. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were
split. (Matthew 27:50-51)
This underground cave was directly beneath the crucifixion
location. Wyatt discovered a vertical crack directly to the left
of the cross hole, which was 13in by 14in and 23in deep. He
also discovered a cave 20ft underground with some pretty
important artifacts, with none other than the Ark of the
Covenant!
When Jesus was stabbed in the side, His blood spilled out,
falling down through the crack. Blood landed and pooled on
the Mercy Seat of the Ark, which Wyatt was able to collect a
sample and test. The results of his findings are perhaps the
greatest discovery and most glorifying evidence we have!
What was the importance of the mercy seat? Well, Moses
gave clear instruction in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers on
the Ark of the Covenant and for the mercy seat. In Leviticus
16:14-16 we are told:
And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it
with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the eastward,
and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his
finger seven times. Then he shall kill the goat of the sin
offering that is for the people and bring its blood within the
veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull,
sprinkling it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat.
And he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of
the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their
transgressions in all their sins. And so he shall do for the
tabernacle of the congregation, which remain with them in
the midst of their uncleanness.
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To summarize that, the mercy seat was the location where the sacrificial blood was sprinkled to
make atonement for sin. Starting to get goosebumps yet? Well it gets even better!
Blood of Jesus
Just so we are all clear, normal human blood has 46 chromosomes. You receive 23 chromosomes
from your mother and 23 chromosomes from your father, making a total of 46. The mother
passes down an X chromosome while the father can pass on either an X (female) or Y (male)
chromosome. XX means you are a female, XY means you are a male. So far so good?
Now dried blood is dead blood, there is no debate or confusion on that. However, it is impossible
to get a chromosome count from dead blood. The cell has to be in mitosis, since that is the only
stage of cell division where DNA is compacted into chromosomes.
Wyatt took the blood sample to an Israeli laboratory, where they put the blood in saline solution
and tested it using blood fractionation, through a process known as centrifuging. The blood spins
around really fast until the three different blood components separate from one another. This is
the standard process of testing blood.
Wyatt then instructed the lab scientists to take the white blood cells and put them in a growth
medium at room temperature for 48 hours. The scientists told Wyatt it
wouldnt do any good, since the blood was dead, but he insisted
anyways.
After 2 days, the lab tech took out white blood cells and examined them
under the microscope. The first tech called another technician over, who
then called their boss over, as what they discovered was unlike anything
ever seen before.
What they discovered was the blood sample contained 24 chromosomes
and was alive. One more time, for emphasis, the Blood of Christ contains
24 chromosomes and is alive! There are 23 chromosomes from His
mother Mary, and one single Y chromosome from our Heavenly Father! There is literally no
other blood in the existence of history, nor will there ever be again!
Up until that point, Wyatt had not mentioned whose blood this was or where he got it. When the
puzzled scientists asked whose blood this was, Wyatt broke down in tears and told them, this is
the blood of your Messiah.
Halleluiah! Hosanna in the Highest!
To the praise of the glory of his grace, which he has made us accepted in love. In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
(Ephesians 1:6-7)
And to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better
word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23-24)
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Chapter 44: Early Church

What an amazing God we have, amen?! Notice how God left us just enough: just enough
evidence, just enough evidence to justify our faith, just enough evidence to justify our faith and
share with the world! Lets see how the world reacted once Jesus ascended in victory!
Pentecost
He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen by them forty
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
And being assembled together with them, commanded them they should not depart from
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which He said you heard from Me: For John
truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from
now. (Acts 1:3-5)
After Jesus ascended, the apostles went back to Jerusalem and gathered together in the upper
room where they were staying. We are told they all continued together with one mind in prayer
and supplication. At this point there were only 11 of them, so after praying and casting lots, they
filled their last spot with Mattias, who became the new 12th apostle.
Now on the day of Pentecost, suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing
wind, and it filled the entire house. And there appeared unto them divided tongues as of fire, and
it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit
gave them utterance. So this was the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the helper, that Jesus mentioned
would come to them once He had ascended and returned to the Father.
Now when this noise was heard, the multitude came together and were confused, because every
man heard them speak in their own language. And they were all amazed and marveled,
wondering how these Galileans were speaking the languages of Parthia, Made, Elam,
Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene,
Rome, Crete and Arabia.
Yeah, they were speaking in pretty much every known language of everyone gathered in
Jerusalem for Pentecost. They mocked them saying they were drunk, since no one could explain
what was going on. Peter then stood up and put the matter to rest.
Please read Acts 2:14-41, as this was arguably the best sermon preached by anyone during the
early church. Peter let them know that Jesus had to suffer and be crucified for their sins, fulfilling
the requirement of the law and prophets. That He was raised after three days and ascended to the
right hand of God, and would return again in victory.
The men listening to this became convicted and asked Peter what they should do. Peter instructed
them to, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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The message was received, and that day 3,000 souls were saved! 3,000 people repented and were
baptized in Jesus name! Talk about a great way to start!
We are told that they continued together and were of one mind and accord. They sold their
possessions and gave to every man as he had need. There was fear upon every soul and many
signs were done. They praised God together and people became saved daily as their numbers
grew!
So the very beginnings of the Christian Church started on Pentecost: May 24th 33AD. Right there
in a house in Jerusalem. The Christian Church, the Body of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit,
started something that God set into motion through His Son Jesus Christ.
Persecution
The early church had some great victories. There was one crippled man, who was lame from
birth, that Peter and John came across on their way to the temple. The lame man asked the
disciples for money, to which Peter responded, I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have
this I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.
Peter then took the mans right hand and lifted him up, and the man got up on his feet! The man
jumped up and rejoiced, praising God and ran to the temple! Everyone knew who this man was,
as he was a regular around those parts, and had been a pretty notable crippled beggar.
So when they people saw the lame man running and jumping for joy, it was obvious that a
miracle had happened. Much to the frustration and dismay of the Pharisees and Sadducees, they
dragged Peter and John to prison since they were preaching that a resurrected Jesus healed the
man.
The next day, Caiaphas and all the members of the Sanhedrin came together and dragged Peter
and John to the court, to give account of their crime. After telling them Jesus was the one who
healed the man, the same Jesus whom they rejected and crucified, as you might imagine: they did
not receive the news kindly!
They ordered Peter and John not to preach in the name of Jesus, yet they told them they would
not and could not stop. After realizing they could not find any grounds to hold the disciples, the
priests threatened them and let them go. That only made the disciples and the rest of the
Christians worship and praise even more; with more people becoming saved and adding to their
growing numbers!
As the disciples continued to perform even more miracles in Jesus name, the chief priests had
enough and threw the apostles in prison. Yet that same night, an angel of the Lord opened the
prison door and they escaped. The next morning the Pharisees came outside, only to find the
same men preaching in the temple! Imagine their surprise!
Finally at least one of the Pharisees named Gamaliel had some common sense and decency. As
the council met and shouted and tore their robes in frustration, Gamaliel spoke up and said:
Refrain from these men, and let them be. For if this is of their own volition or the work of men,
it shall be overthrown. But if this is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found
even to fight against God.
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Finally! Thank you Gamaliel for acknowledging the obvious instead of hiding behind vain pride
and deceit! His words hit home, and finally they somewhat listened. After this, the council called
the apostles over, beat them, commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them
go. Like I said, they kind-of listened!
Yet the apostles did not listen, and continued to preach Jesus in the temple every day!
Stephen
Eventually there arose a Christian man named Stephen who was filled with the faith and power
of Jesus. Stephen performed many miracles in Jesus name and some men from the temple tried
disputing with him. Yet they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke.
So they convinced men to bring false charges against Stephen (when they couldnt win fairly
they had to play dirty). So Stephen was dragged to court while the false witnesses slandered and
lied about him. And all that sat in the council looked upon him, and saw his face was that like an
angel.
Stephen then got up and was filled with the Holy Spirit, giving an amazing speech that would
bring a tear to your eye. Instead of crying tears of repentance, the Sanhedrin cried tears of anger
and gnashed their teeth. Stephen then looked up and said:
Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then
they cried out with a loud voice, and plugged their ears, and ran upon him, casting him outside
the city, and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young mans feet, whose
name was Saul.
So just to recap, they literally grabbed stones and threw rocks at Stephen until he died. All
Stephen did was preach truth and grace, preaching of Jesus and His resurrection, and performed
miracles in His name. And he was stoned to death for it.
As Stephen was dying, he called out to God and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, lay
not this sin to their charge. And Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian faith.
Saul
That same young man named Saul, the man who all the witnesses laid their clothes down for,
liked what had happened. In fact, persecuting Christians kind of became his thing. And he was
good at it. He hunted down Christians so well that his name became feared and spoken of in
hushed silence, as they did not want Saul to hear and come persecute them!
Many Christians and even some apostles left Jerusalem, traveling to the surrounding countries to
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not only was this an opportunity to fulfill the Great
Commandment Jesus left them, but also allowed them to escape the persecution of Saul. Win-
win.
Well, when Saul saw his targets fleeing by the droves, in frustration he went to the high priest for
help. He received the legal papers granting him authority to travel to Damascus and bring back
every Christian he found to face punishment. Saul effectively had his get out of jail free card,
along with the blessing of the Jewish Counsel to kill anyone professing Jesus and their Lord.
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Chapter 45: Paul

Road to Damascus
Armed with the full faith and backing of the Jewish counsel and his own posse of soldiers, Saul
left Jerusalem and for Damascus. Along the way, something happened: something that would
change the course of the Christian faith as we know it.
As he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly there shined about him a light from
heaven. And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute me? And he said, Who are you Lord? And the Lord said:
I am Jesus who you persecute: it is hard for you to kick against the goads. And trembling with
astonishment, he said, Lord, what will you have me do? And the Lord said unto him:
Arise and go into the city, and you will be told there what to do. And the men who journeyed
with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. So Saul rose up and was led by
his hand to the city. For three days Saul was blind, being struck with blindness from the glory of
Jesus. Talk about being blinded by the light!
At the end of those three days, the Lord appeared to one of His servants Ananias, saying, arise
and go into the street which is called Straight, and ask in the house of Judas one named Saul of
Tarsus, for he is there praying. And he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in,
putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Then Ananias answered the Lord and said, I have heard from many about this man, how much
evil he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem. And he has authority from the chief priests to bind
all that call on Your name.
But the Lord said unto him, Go, for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the
gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for
My names sake. So Ananias departed and entered the house. He put his hands on him and
said:
Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way has sent me, that you may
receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes
something like scales, and he received his sight, rose up and was baptized.
This was a big deal: Saul went from the biggest Christian persecutor to arguably the most
zealous and influential Christian to this very day! Talk about a dramatic change! After spending
a few days recovering his strength, Saul went to the synagogues to preach. Instead of preaching
against the heretic followers of Christ, he started proclaiming that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of God! The Jews listening were confused, scratching their heads, saying:
Is this not the man who killed those in Jerusalem who called up this name? And has he not
come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests? They did make a fair
point, Saul did do a complete 360. Yet they could not understand the conversion that took place.
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As we have seen, the Jews did not react well to this news. Instead of listening with an expectant
heart, they plotted to kill him! Saul escaped and took off back to Jerusalem, where he attempted
to join up the apostles. They did not take well to his request, as they still believed him to be
public enemy #1. Luckily a man named Barnabas stepped in and vouched for Saul, saying that he
saw him in Damascus and he really did have a change of heart, thanks to Jesus.
After joining up with the apostles and preaching in Jerusalem, Saul ruffled some feathers and
fled for his life yet again. So he went back to Tarsus for a time, while God was doing something
incredible with Peter!
Peters Vision
Now up until this point, the disciples and followers of Jesus were only preaching to Jews. There
was a big distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles include anyone not a Jew, simple as
that. Since the Jewish nation was Gods chosen nation, gentile nations were considered unclean
and basically heathens. They werent really heathens, just in the eyes of their law, they were to
separate themselves from the gentiles in every way.
As Peter was sitting on a roof praying, the Lord showed him a vision. Peter saw heaven opened
up and a giant sheet descend from heaven. In that sheet were animals of every kind imaginable,
and Peter heard a loud voice saying, rise Peter, kill and eat.
But Peter said, not so Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And
the voice spoke to him again and said, what God has made clean, do not call common. This
was done three times, before the sheet was taken back into heaven.
Confused? Well so was Peter. This will make more sense once we read what happened prior to
this. A man named Cornelius, both a Roman centurion and a devoutly religious man, was also a
gentile. He feared God, gave to the poor and prayed to God daily. Basically, Cornelius was a
standup guy, just confused on who God was. He knew there was a God who created the world
and he worshiped Him in his heart, yet had not been told about Jesus.
The day before Peter received his vision, an angel appeared to Cornelius as he was praying. The
angel told him to send men to the house where Peter was staying and to ask for Peter. Unsure of
the meaning, yet obedient, Cornelius sent his men to get Peter.
Fast forward to the end of Peters vision, and there was a knock on the door: it was Cornelius
men. Both men were confused as to what was going on, yet God was about to dispel all their
confusion. Peter traveled to Caesarea with Cornelius men, and as soon as Peter arrived,
Cornelius bowed down and worshiped him. But Peter told him to stand up, and that he was just a
man like himself. Peter then looked around and saw that Cornelius had brought his entire
household out, hundreds of people were gathered around in anticipation for his arrival.
Peter then spoke to the audience, saying, you yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to
associate with or visit with those of another nation. But God has showed me that I should not
call any man common or unclean.
Peter acknowledged the fact it was against the law for Jews to associate with gentiles, yet Peter
put two and two together, realizing that God revealed His plan for gentiles in the vision. For
some context, Leviticus 11 detailed out specifically what animals were clean and unclean. Clean
meant good for eating and unclean meant not good to eating.
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Most land animals that chew their cud and have a divided hoof were clean, like cattle, deer, goats
and sheep. Yet pigs, camels, horses and donkeys were unclean. Although this does not make a lot
of sense to us, God was effectively giving them a healthy and safe diet in a time period lacking
modern food safety techniques. More than that, this distinction acknowledged their obedience to
Gods command of being set apart from the other nations.
So when Peter told God he would not eat the unclean animals, God responded not to call unclean
what He had made clean. Basically, the animals were a symbol for the gentile people. Since the
Jews thought gentiles were unclean, Peter had received instructions to preach the gospel to the
gentile nations!
When Peter saw this huge crowd in Cornelius household, he opened his mouth and said, truly I
see that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, he who fears God and works righteousness
is accepted by Him.
Peter then went on to tell them Jesus is Lord, that He came to the children of Israel first, yet was
rejected and crucified, and on the third day rose from the dead. Anyone who believes on Him
and repents of their sins should have forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.
Well the Holy Spirit struck the hearts of all of Cornelius household, and that day every single
person was baptized! How cool! Peter was reminded in that moment where Jesus told him He
would make him a fisher of men.
And he said to them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:19)
As the multitude of people lined up at the water, Peter must have been struck at the absurdity of
what was happening, yet more clear than he had ever been on what Jesus had instructed them to
do!
First Missionary Journey
Once Peter returned to Jerusalem and shared the amazing thing that had just happened, he was
met with some confrontation, since he had just been in the house of a gentile! Peter then
explained the vision he had received and what Jesus had done for the people there, and
eventually they all agreed that for this purpose Jesus died: not just for the Jews but for the
gentiles as well.
So filled with new purpose and drive, the apostles broke into groups and started traveling to
different gentile cities, preaching the gospel of Jesus to all men. Out of all of these missionaries,
none was more impactful than Saul, who changed his name to Paul at this point.
Unlike previous name changes like Abraham and Jacob, we are not given a reason for the name
change. More than likely Saul wanted to forego his Hebrew name and adopt a more Roman
name to better reach the gentile nations with the gospel. Plus, the name Saul had been associated
with his prior life, this was a new start for him.
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Barnabas, the name man who stood up for

Paul previously, hopped on a boat and
traveled to Tarsus. Barnabas and Paul would
become the missionary duo who established
the first churches and spread the gospel to the
gentile nations. Without Paul, we would not
have most of the new testament.
Paul and Barnabas began their first ministry in
Antioch, where the term Christian was first
established. They would travel to a city,
preach there for either a few days, or months;
however long they needed to. Once they had
found elders worthy of continuing the ministry
there, they would help them set up a church
and then move on.
On their first missionary journey, Paul,
Barnabas and his nephew John Mark traveled
from Antioch to Cyprus and to Asia Minor.
While on this leg of their journey in
Pamphylia, they ran into more hostility and
persecution. John Mark ended up leaving and
returning to Jerusalem, so Paul and Barnabas
continued onward with the rest of their
journey.
Counsel in Jerusalem
News of Barnabas and Pauls success reached Jerusalem and eventually a debate broke out. The
notion of gentiles coming into the fold was still a new concept and big pill to swallow for them.
Old habits die hard and many wanted the gentile converts to be circumcised. They said this was a
requirement for salvation, that the gentile converts would not really be saved unless they
removed the foreskin from their male extremities. This was a longstanding tradition for the Jews
and the early Christian church was starting to sound a lot like the Jews.
So Paul and Barnabas came down to Jerusalem to set the matter straight! (even Peter had started
to believe in the circumcision requirement) Once Paul shared how Jesus was moving in the new
churches they had set up, and that Christs sacrifice on the cross had established a new covenant
by His blood, eventually the apostles and elders agreed.
Peter spoke up in support and agreed they should not burden the gentiles with this requirement,
since by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they are. This would
later be refined into:
For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of
works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Once they had agreed on the salvation by grace through faith, they agreed that the new gentile
churches should still do a couple things. Remember, these newly set up churches had worshiped
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the Baalim and Ashtaroth for a long time. They had been used to performing acts in sacrifice to
their false gods, so to make sure they would not be led astray, they agreed that:
They abstain from pollutions of idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood.
(Acts 15:20)
So while circumcision was no longer a requirement for gentiles, the early church agreed the
gentile converts should still refrain from a couple things. The fact that the early church could all
agree on these new requirements is huge. They could have easily remained divided over the
matter and we would not have the Christian church as we know it today. Thank the Lord they
were able to put their own pride and beliefs aside to honor God and be obedient followers of
Jesus! Sweet!
Pauls Final Missionary Journeys
Now that the early church was on the same page, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch. After
they had a chance to rest, both men agreed they should return to the churches they set up on their
first journey. However, Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them again.
Paul disagreed however, since John
Mark had abandoned them when
things got tough last time. Barnabas
and Paul were unable to reconcile the
matter, to Barnabas left with John
Mark and Paul left with Silas.
The plan was to simply revisit the
previous territories, yet God had
different plans! Although Paul
revisited some of the churches, the
Holy Spirit led him even further and
deeper into gentile territory!
At Lystra, Paul picked up another
member on his crew, a young man
named Timothy. Paul had a soft spot
for Timothy, who would become
perhaps his most trusted companion
and helped Paul write some letters in
his older years.
Paul courageously overcame storms,
hunger thirst, being shipwrecked,
stoning, poisonous snakes, beatings,
robbery, harsh weather, and just
about every sort of hardship you might expect. Paul truly did suffer for Christs name, just like
Jesus told Ananias before restoring Pauls sight.
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Paul did one final missionary journey, totaling 3 journeys prior to his death. He established the
churches that would eventually spread throughout the world, and his letters written to those
churches would make a foundational chunk of the scripture we use today!
The letters written to the churches in those cities became books in the new testament: Rome
(Romans), Corinth (1st and 2nd Corinthians), Galatia (Galatians), Ephesus (Ephesians), Philippi
(Philippians), Colossae (Colossians), and Thessaly (1st and 2nd Thessalonians). Not to mention
the letter he wrote to Timothy (1st and 2nd Timothy).
Fate of the Apostles
Even though Paul is known for preaching the gospel to the gentiles, the rest of the 12 apostles
certainly didnt sit on their hands. Before moving on to the next chapter, lets take a moment to
see what happened to them. As a heads up, they did not die of old age in their beds: every one of
them died as martyrs.
Peter- He would eventually be captured in Rome and crucified. According to the Catholic
Church, Peter requested to be crucified upside down, as he was not worthy to die in the same
manner of Jesus, who he denied. Regardless, Peters death was not pretty, and the symbol of the
upside down cross represents a denial of Christ, so Anti-Christ or Satan.
Andrew- He traveled into modern day Soviet Union and Asia Minor preaching the gospel. After
debating with Roman Proconsular Agates and refusing to forsake Christ, was scourged, tied (not
nailed) to a cross, and took two days to die, in which he preached to passersbys before dying!
Philip- He went to North Africa and Asia Minor, eventually converting the wife of a Roman
official. In response, Philip was cruelly murdered.
Thomas- He traveled east, going all the way to India where he was eventually pierced by the
spears of four soldiers. He was able to fill the hole in his side and did not doubt his death (sorry
bad joke).
Matthew- After he wrote his gospel account, Matthew went to Persia and Ethiopia, eventually
being stabbed to death in the back after criticizing the Ethiopian Kings morals.
Simon the Zealot- He went to Persia and was crucified after refusing to sacrifice to their gods.
James son of Zebedee- He was arrested and when his accuser saw his courage after being led to
his execution spot, his accuser repented and accepted Christ right there. He asked to be executed
with James and both men were simultaneously beheaded.
James son of Alpheus- James stayed in Jerusalem as an elder, suffering a horrible death by
being thrown down from the temple, then stoned, then his head dashed to pieces with a club.
Nathaniel (Bartholomew)- We know he traveled through India, Armenia and Ethiopia, dying a
on a cross.
Judas (Thaddeus)- Taught in Armenia, Syria and Persia, eventually being crucified.
Matthias- The elected 12th disciple after Judas traveled to Syria and was burned alive.
John- His account is perhaps the most perplexing, and possible he did not die a violent death.
John was arrested in Ephesus, and has a basin of boiling oil thrown on him. When that did not
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kill him, he was exiled on the island of Patmos where he received his revelation. There are no
accounts of his death.
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Chapter 46: Age of the Gentiles

Phew! Although the apostles died violent deaths, they remained faithful and finished their
missions to the fullest. They followed the example set forth through Jesus and were welcomed
into Gods kingdom with open arms! If we were to ask them, Im sure they would not have
changed a single thing and were thankful for the opportunity to suffer and die as martyrs for
Jesus!
Paul, the apostles and the early church leaders had set something in motion after their deaths.
They had effectively preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the surrounding nations, which
would go and spread to all parts of the world. The Bible we have today would be incomplete if it
was not for their courage, boldness and faithfulness.
Armed with the Holy Spirit and Gods guiding hand, they chose to be obedient and remain
faithful to the mission laid in front of them! They were all human, just like us, faced with the
same temptations and fears, yet they finished the race strong and established the Christian faith
as we know it today.
They ushered in a new age, the age we are in today, known as the age of the gentiles. Prior to
this, Gods covenant was established through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and
eventually the Law through Moses.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, His blood established a new covenant, extending beyond the Jews
to include all people and nations who would accept Jesus as Lord. This would include the gentile
nations, which includes us! Thank you Jesus! Now we enter into the age of the gentiles, so lets
briefly get some background to better understand our place in Gods timeline.
Constantine
The Roman Emperor Nero was not a great guy. He was the Roman emperor during the end of the
Apostles lives, and in 64AD started a massive fire in Rome and blamed the Christians. Since
most of the Christian converts in Rome were of the lower class and went against Roman
authority, Nero decided to persecute Christians with his full force. For 300 years this trend
continued, with Christians being hunted down and fed to the lions as entertainment. Diocletian
also led what is known as the Great Persecution from 303-311, which was some of the worst
persecution ever experienced.
Eventually in 313, Roman Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which decriminalized
Christianity and allowed for public worship of Jesus! Constantine would be known as the Holy
Roman Emperor, taking the role of the patron saint of the Christian faith.
Constantine abolished the practice of crucifixion, established a day of rest on Sunday for
worship, established a major church in Constantinople that eventually became the new capital,
encouraged church building and printed the first early Christian bibles.
Although Constantine did a tremendous amount of good for the Christian faith, he arguably did
just as much, if not more harm than good. This many not be a popular opinion, especially among
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the catholic church, yet the results of his rule led to a corruption of the faith that still affects us
today.
Roman Belief
As we discussed, Caesar
Augustus established the
Roman Empire back in
33BC. Way back in 900
BC, the Greek influence
and worship of their gods
was the dominating
religion and belief system.
By the time Rome
officially conquered
Greece in 146 BC, Athens
had become the place to
be. Rome took on many of
the teachings and beliefs
of the Greek Philosophers
like Plato, Aristotle and
Socrates.
The Romans took the
Greek work from Homers Iliad and Odyssey, beautiful architecture and art, even statues and
architecture dedicated to the Greek gods. Eventually, works from Ovid like Fasti, and Virgils
Aeneid and Aeneas, led to a blending of Greek and Roman belief. Eventually the myth from
Aeneas led to the creation of Romulus and Remus, which became the founding story of Rome.
As we have seen in our uncovering of Baalim and Ashtaroth, the Roman and Greek gods were
the same devils under different names. All of these gods were simply the fallen angels
deception, the mystery Babylon religion, that led to the worship of Satan in different forms. You
can see for yourself how the Romans copied the Greeks. Keep in mind the origins of these false
gods we have already learned about.
Okay, now that we understand the top-notch job Rome did with copying original content, lets
see how this impacted Christianity.
Christian Church Structure
After Paul and the apostles established the first churches in their ministry, they eventually started
to grow, and rapidly! While homes made perfectly good churches at first, they outgrew them and
built physical church buildings. In order to maintain structure, the church elders were responsible
for the teachings, communion and service.
Eventually the elders had to make further distinctions in hierarchy by eventually establishing
priests, deacons and bishops. Although this was not a concept established by the apostles, as time
went on, these distinctions arose that looked similar to secular authority or state hierarchy.
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Please do not allow this to confuse you, just realize a group of elders could only lead to the
extent to which all of them agreed. Eventually more questions and opinions arose that led to
disagreements; so ensure the church congregation could still function, they elected elders who
would have a final say on matters.
Similar to how the Jewish counsel had Pharisees, Sadducees and the head chief priest, the
Christian church model morphed into a Jewish/Roman hybrid. Depending on what location and
time period, there would be different names and titles, but the concept was the same. Eventually
hierarchical classes and ranks emerged in the church.
The earliest bishop account or letter we have is from Ignatius, who died in 107 AD. Ignatius was
the bishop of Antioch and the close disciple of John. On his way to face death in Rome under the
Emperor Trajan, Ignatius wrote seven letters to the different churches. From his letters, we see
Ignatius address the churches as ekklesia katholicos (Universal Church), holen ten ekklesia (the
whole church) and ekklesia kathholes (the church throughout the whole of). From these letters,
we get the root word for the Catholic church. With me so far?
The Catholic church was really just the church, we have just applied the catholicos label and say
Catholic. And it was during Constantine that the churches faced some major changes.
Constantine and the Christian Church
Something we need to point out is that Constantine did not accept Christ until he was on his
deathbed. That is when he professed Jesus as Lord and was baptized. We cannot make any
claims on Constantines heart, as only God knows, yet we can look at the mans fruit and actions
during his life.
Constantine decriminalizing Christianity was a big political move in 313. After coming out of
the Great Persecution under Diocletian, Rome faced uncertain upheaval and repercussions from
the Christian community. They were growing in numbers and influence, becoming either a major
blessing or curse, depending on how they were handled.
So his act of allowing Christianity won him some major brownie points with the Christian
community and allowed him the liberty and means to build. Not saying his heart wasnt behind
this move, yet we cannot overlook the fact this move benefited him in more ways than one.
Twelve years after Constantine allowed open Christian worship, there became many divisions
and disagreements on matters of faith. So in 325 AD, Constantine summoned 318 bishops to
Nicaea (modern day Turkey) and held the first council of Nicaea.
The result of the council led to a unified Christian faith, held together through the Nicene Creed
and establishing the precedent for local and regional bishops to create their own statement of
beliefs and canons. The result of this council gave liberty to bishops to allow their church to have
their own interpretation of certain scripture, yet everyone agreed on the principles they must all
hold in common.
If you are confused yet, lets use a modern-day metaphor. If you are a sports fan, you will really
like this! Think of professional football, under the umbrella of the National Football League
(NFL). Think of the coaches as bishops and the teams as their different churches. To play in this
league, there had to be accepted and agreed upon rules. All teams must agree to 4 quarters lasting
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15 minutes each, how points are scored, what constitutes a touchdown, boundaries and goalposts,
etc.
The Nicaean Council established the ground rules that every church had to agree upon, such as
God being the almighty creator, Jesus as the Son of God, that he died on the cross and rose three
days later, and salvation through Jesus atonement for sin. This was the rulebook that all the
bishops agreed upon and held to.
Just like in the NFL, the coaches had the liberty of naming their team, choosing their unique
offensive and defensive strategies, hiring their own assistant coaches and players, even the colors
of their uniforms. In the same way, the bishops were given the liberty of naming their own
churches, choosing their own strategy for delivering their message, and even the principles of
Christian faith that scored them the most points.
Hopefully this metaphor speaks to you, just realize the results of this council allowed for unity of
the Christian faith, while also allowing for differences. While the concept of a unified church is a
good thing, the fragile peace treaty between the churches did not last for long, and after
Constantines death in 337, the church went through some changes.
Edict of Thessalonica 380 AD
Thank you for bearing through this history lesson, there is a point to all of this so please keep on
going, youre doing great! And hopefully learning a few things as well!
Keeping this as simple and concise as possible, Rome and the Christian faith was a mess after
Constantine. Not that things were perfect before his death, but Rome and Christianity went
through some major political upheavals and change of leadership that led to further division and
confusion.
You are perhaps familiar with the concept of separation of church and state. Well Rome was the
state and the church consisted of the Roman pagan gods prior to this point. Although Christianity
was becoming more mainstream, Christians were outnumbered about 10 to 1 during Constantine.
Although Constantine encouraged adopting Christianity in the Roman Empire, Romes pagan
roots ran deep and would not be uprooted that easily.
Even during Constantines reign, the architecture, art, philosophy, religion and culture was more
of a blend of Pagan and Christian beliefs. Many Romans found it hard to adopt a new religion
and belief system, so we saw a mix of the two faiths that compromised both sides.
Constantine was succeeded by Julian, known as Emperor Julian the apostate, since he attempted
to restore Rome back to its pagan roots and worship of Roman gods. He did not like Christianity.
Not to mention, Constantine had moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople, yet the city of
Rome still was considered the capital by many, leading to a division of East vs West.
Like I said, it was a messy time. After Julian the Valens took over, and Rome ended up with
three different emperors in the year 380. Torn with strife, division and uncertainty both
politically and religiously, they needed to do something drastic to unite the fragmented Roman
empire. So in 380 AD the three self-appointed Emperors Theodosius, Gratian and Valentinian
issued the Edict of Thessalonica.
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This edict made the Nicene Christianity the official state religion of the Roman empire. One
more time, in 380 Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. This was a big
deal. However, this was an even bigger deal for the true followers of Jesus Christ, as Satan had
thoroughly twisted the beautiful church that Jesus established on earth.
The Christian faith that the Roman Empire established was nothing more than a political tool
that effectively granted sovereign authority to Roman rulers. By the horrific merge of Roman
pagan beliefs and Christianity, its as if common sense and biblical doctrine decided to take a
break. The Christianization of beliefs during this time somehow continued and are ignored
even today.
This is all done out of love, and not a message of condemnation. As humans we are all imperfect
and in need of constant repentance of our sins, yet when we neglect the full truth and replace the
parts we dont like, the result is an abomination. That is no slight to anyone, this is by definition
of abomination and we must pray for discernment and ask Jesus for clarity as we see what
happened to His church.
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Chapter 47: Roman Catholic Church

Before we begin this chapter, let me propose a simple question:

Do you believe in mans church or Gods church? Said in another way:
Do you believe in the teachings and institutions of man or the teaching and doctrines of God?
Once more:
Do you believe in your church to save you or in Jesus to save you?
Before you stop reading and throw this book aside, please just take a minute and ask yourself this
question. This isnt a trick question, this isnt a bigoted, self-righteous and condemning question:
this is Gods question. How much do you love God? Are you willing to trust completely and
fully in Gods plan for your life and believe in His love for you? If so, then please continue
reading.
The Catholic religion has 1.2 billion self-professed followers and is the worlds second largest
religion. There are many wonderful, loving and bible believing Catholics who love Jesus with all
their heart and faithfully serve God through their faith. For any Catholics reading this, know that
you are loved so incredibly much.
Religion- any cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, world views, texts,
sanctified places, ethics or organizations that relate humanity to the supernatural.
Said in another way, religion is a man-made system. Man-Made. This means man made it. Man
made this up. Man crafted the cultural system. Man created the behaviors and practices. Man
made up in their own devices.
Catholicism is not the only religion in the world, and is not even the oldest. Judaism is the first
religion we have discussed, just realize this was a man-made system. God never said, I will now
create the Religion of Judaism. No, as a matter of fact, Judaism is not mentioned anywhere in
the bible! The word Jew is found in only 3 old testament scriptures, and is in reference to the
descents of Judah. So the very term Judaism is a man-man religion and belief system.
So if anyone reading associates more with their religion than they do with God, please take a
minute and pray for clarity. There is a big distinction we need to make between religion and
faith.
For any Christians who identify with their religion more than they do Jesus, please take a minute
and pray for clarity. If you identify more with your denomination than you do with Jesus, realize
this is not the way God designed it. In fact, this goes against everything that God did by sending
His Son Jesus to earth. The Pharisees and Sadducees were just about the most religious people
ever, yet how did things turn out for them?
If you are feeling convicted right now, so are we. In fact, if this message does not convict you,
then stop reading right now and take a break. If your feathers are ruffled, so to speak, that is a
good thing. Jesus ruffled feathers, Jesus broke down the walls of religion when He came to earth,
and Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for your sins.
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So this is not a slight to any Catholics reading this or people of other faiths. This is Gods love
story for you, please do not stop this message from reaching your heart. Let yourself be
convicted, let yourself feel whatever emotion you are feeling right now, because the Holy Spirit
is the only thing that can convict you.
Did you catch that? The Holy Spirit is working in your heart right now if you are convicted by
reading this. Not our words, but an instrument of the Holy Spirit. So just because you are feeling
a certain way, do not allow that to stop you from reading.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing gift of life. Thank you for knowing me and loving
me from the beginning of creation. You know exactly how many hairs are on my head, you know
my thoughts before I think them, you know my heart fully and completely.
You know all the skeletons in my closet and any sin I try and hide from even myself. You love me
all the same. You sent Jesus, Your Son, to make atonement for my sin, right there on the cross.
Please take my pride out of the equation. Please allow fresh eyes and new ears to hear Your
message. I love You and trust You. Thank you for the undeserved love you show me.
Origins of the Catholic Church
As we have read in the previous chapter, the term Catholic was taken from the Greek term
ekklesia katholicos (universal church). The Roman Catholic Church as we know it today
stemmed from the time of Constantine and the events that took place.
When Constantine converted to Christianity, he realized that you catch more flies with honey
than vinegar. Meaning, his political motivations changed from intimidation to manipulation.
Instead of making enemies of the church bishops, he promoted them to his counselors and
bestowed upon them great honor, wealth and authority.
In fact, the bishops during Constantines rule became extremely well respected and held in high
regards. Their motivations turned more worldly as they experienced the good life and all the
benefits and privileges that come with that.
And keep in mind, during the time of Constantine and afterwards, converting the pagan mindset
and beliefs of the people was not easy. Think about it, if you were told to no longer celebrate
Christmas, how well would that go over? Yeah, not well. Even more so for the Romans who had
over a Millenia of outstanding traditions and practices. Converting the pagan citizens to
Christianity was not easy. Lets see exactly what happened during this process.
Pagan Roots
Remember Babylon? Nimrod? Remember the false gods that sprung up from Babylon and took
all the different forms and names of the gods we have already studied? Rome was the modern-
day Babylon, please do not think Babylon died out, it simply disguised itself up to Rome. So all
the different Roman gods were Babylonian gods wearing a different mask.
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Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6)
Romans did not like this, and was one of the biggest
reasons Christians were persecuted so much in the
previous 300 years. Romans found it ignorant and
inconclusive that there was only one god, and when
something bad happened, Christians were blamed as the
scapegoats.
Now that had apparently all changed with Constantine,
although after his conversion to Christianity, there is
much evidence to suggest he still worshipped the sun
god. Constantine also changed the traditional sabbath
day from Saturday to Sunday, which paid tribute to his
sun god. Sun-day, see that?
Constantine also murdered his first-born son, his second
wife, his sisters son and sisters husband, all after his
conversion. Sorry my man Constantine, the tree is
known by its fruit, and your fruit is pretty rotten!
So in Constantines quest of using Christianity as a political unifying tool, he appealed to the
bishops vanity and ego, promoting them to the highly esteemed positions of power. This
worldliness crept into the church, corrupting and diluting the message of Christ they were
charged of keeping. They forgot when Jesus said in John 18:36 My kingdom is not of this world.
Constantine held the position of Pontifex Maximus, or high priest of the Roman empire, meaning
he held the title of worldly ruler and spiritual ruler. This title had been passed all the way from
Nimrod, to Julius Caesar, to Constantine, eventually being denied in 376 by emperor Gratian. He
refused the title of Pontifex Maximus because it was inconsistent with faith in Christ.
For two years this position was vacant, until it was eventually taken up by the Bishop of Rome
after much fighting and bloodshed. This position of supreme pontiff has been held by the bishop
of Rome to this day, also known as the Pope. Caught your attention yet?!
In Stanleys History p40, we are told that the popes filled the place of the vacant emperors at
Rome, inheriting their power, prestige and their titles from Paganism.
The first Bishop who took the title Pontifex Maximus in 376 was a man named Damascus, or
Pope Damasus I. He believed himself to be the head of not only the Christian church, but also
over the pagans in Rome. The secular and sacred under one rule. In order to merge the two
beliefs, compromise was needed. And that is exactly what happened.
Modern historians and the Roman Catholic church say that paganism vanished from the church
during this time, yet nothing could be farther from the truth. Roman Catholicism was simply
absorbed into the preexisting pagan culture, donning a new mask with new names.
Where have we seen Rome do this previously? How about with the Greeks? Is it that farfetched
to believe they would not do this again?
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Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits and teachings of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience
seared with a hit iron, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created
to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. (1 Timothy 4:1-3)
Monotheism vs Polytheism
Worshipping one god vs many gods. This was one of the biggest obstacles to overcome, as the
Roman pagan belief system revolved around the worship of many gods. In order to compromise
the Christian belief of Monotheism with Polytheistic pagan belief, the Roman Catholic church
came up with the idea of patron saints. What better way to keep the existing framework and just
slap a new name on them?
Instead of a god of the travelers, there was now a saint of the travelers. Instead of praying to
Poseidon, god of the sea, just pray to St. Clement. Instead of Bacchus god of wine, just pray to
St. Amandus. Instead of worshiping Apollo, just worship St. Ursula. Do you see the point being
made here? This was simply another rendition of Roman paganism under another disguise.
Since so many Roman citizens had idols in their houses and places of worship, they were not
asked to discard them, simply call them by a new name. This allowed the Roman pagans to still
retain their worship, and allowed the church to feel better about converting their citizens to
Christianity.
Virgin Mary
Perhaps the most twisted and evil manipulation that took place was the sanctification and
deification of Mary. These are some harsh words, so before anyone praying to Mary right now
gets upset, lets go back to scripture, since that is the basis for this claim.
And it happened as He spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice
and said to Him, blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which You have sucked.
But He said, No; rather, blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it. (Luke 11:27-
28)
Hmm, does that sound like Jesus is saying to worship His earthly mother Mary? On the contrary,
Jesus is telling them no, and that the people who hear the Word of God and keep it are the
blessed ones. There is much more we could say on the matter, but dont take our word on it, take
Jesus word on the matter.
Mother and Child
The concept of mother and child worship is not a new one. In fact, this has been one of the oldest
Babylonian worship practices that has penetrated deep into the world. Satan has had a long time
to practice and prepare for what would happen. Lets look at just a few examples:
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-The very original mother and

child was Semiramis and
Tammuz.
-Semiramis was the first divine
feminine or Ashtaroth. (Title held
has always been Queen of
Heaven)
-Tammuz was the divine male, or
Baal.
-The Egyptians copied this into
Isis and Horus.
-All these different civilizations
started as the Babylonian mystery
religion and spread onwards

Do you notice anything weird going on here? How about one more, just to make sure there is no
confusion:
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So Semiramis and Tammuz were given yet another makeover, this time in the guise of Mother
Mary and baby Christ. Bear with us, there is a point to uncovering the truth of this matter. Please
pay attention to this next part very closely, as the god of this world, Satan, has blinded the eyes
and hearts of many.
To be spiritually ignorant is no excuse, and thinking this is some conspiracy does not protect you
from it. In fact, not believing the truth of this will literally have an eternal impact on you, so
please do not shy away from this message. Out of love this message has been brought to you,
lets take some encouragement from scripture before moving on.
And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceives you. For many shall
come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24:4-5)
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And do not marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. It is no great
thing if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be
according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
Symbolism

-This is a Roman chariot sun wheel,

worshiped to the sun god.
-God really did not like these things,
and ordered them to be destroyed
-And he took away the horses that the
kings of Judah had given to the sun,
at the entering in of the house of the
LORD, and burned the chariots of
the sun with fire. (2 Kings 23:11)

As you can see, during the period of Kings in Israel, whenever the children of Israel turned away
from God and worshiped the false gods of the surrounding nations, things went badly. We are
told this same type of symbolism was placed in the temples, which God ordered to destroy.
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-Notice anything odd here?

-In case you dont recognize, this is St.
Peters Basilica in Rome. Also known as
the home of the Pope, Vatican City.
-Vatican in latin actually means The
Divining Serpent (Vatis=Diviner,
Can=Serpent)
-The sun wheel is placed right in the
center of the basilica, along with many
other pagan idols.

-This is a basalt offering table, dedicated

to the worship of Baal.
-Notice the symmetrical cross with the
circle around it.

-As you can see, the cross of Baal is the same as

the sun cross, along with some other satanic crosses
that take their root from the Baal cross.
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-What about that giant obelisk smack dab in the

center of St. Peters Square, whats the deal with
that?
-The obelisk is actually a phallic symbol of Baal,
meaning it represents a male part. (I know this
sounds crazy, yet it just stands there erect and all!)
-The obelisk is used in sun worship as well, which
we know is just another word for Baal.
-This is also associated with Ashtaroth, or Asherah,
since the male and female counterparts would be
represented together.
-Babylonian worship was obsessed with sex, and
would always represent the divine male with the
divine female essence in worship.

-This sun sign is also a symbol

of Ashtaroth. It represents the
sexual union of male and
female.
-The dot in the middle is the
male part, the circle is the
womb.
-They loved sexuality

For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up
altars for Baalim, and made Asherah, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. (2
Chronicles 33:3)
And they broke down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high
above them, he cut down; and the Asherah, and the carved images, and the molten images, he
broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and scattered it upon the graves of them that had
sacrificed unto them. (2 Chronicles 34:4)
He shall also break the obelisks of the house of the sun which is in the land of Egypt; and the
temples of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire. (Jeremiah 43:13)
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When he makes all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, the Asherahs
and sun-pillars shall not stand up. (Isaiah 27:9)
Alright by this point, you could say this is all coincidence, that the Catholic church has no idea of
the symbolism, right? If you were to ask the church for the meanings you would not get these
answers. Do not be surprised if the Catholic church does not admit to these things, that is okay.
We have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to aide in discernment, we dont need to hear what
their excuse is.
Catholic Doctrine on Mary
Mary is given the title of Co-Redemptrix, meaning she is just as responsible for our redemption
as Jesus. Another title she is given is Queen of Heaven. Where have we heard that before? Oh
yes, Semiramis and Ashtaroth.
Lets see what Pope Pius XII had to say about Mary in his AD CAELI REGINAM:
From the earliest ages of the catholic church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or
more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and
veneration to the Queen of Heaven. And never has that hope wavered which they placed in the
Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught
that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world,
just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.
Hold up a second here, what? Did we just read that correctly?
No way this super humble and pious man just placed Mary above Jesus, right? Must have read
that wrong. Just in case, lets see if he further clarifies this, since I could have sworn we just
witnessed a no-no. Lets continue reading his Reginam:
for Our most gracious and exalted Mother the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary which is
venerated at Fatima was being crowned with a golden diadem. We Ourselves called this the
heralding of the "sovereignty" of Maryto the manifold demonstrations of Our devotion to
Mary
It is Our pleasure to recall these things in the present encyclical letter, that We may renew the
praises of Our heavenly Mother, and enkindle a more fervent devotion towards her, to the
spiritual benefit of all mankind.. acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of
God.
The Blessed Virgin, sitting at the right hand of
God to pray for us is hailed by another writer of
that same era in these words, "the Queen of
mortal man, the most holy Mother of God."
Likewise St. Germanus speaks to the humble
Virgin in these words: "Be enthroned, Lady, for it
is fitting that you should sit in an exalted place
since you are a Queen and glorious above all
kings." He likewise calls her the "Queen of all of
those who dwell on earth."
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Finally, art which is based upon Christian principles has since the Council of Ephesus
portrayed Mary as Queen and Empress seated upon a royal throne adorned with royal insignia,
crowned with the royal diadem and surrounded by the host of angels and saints in heaven, and
ruling not only over nature and its powers but also over the machinations of Satan.
But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine
Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of
our eternal salvation.
To this St. Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your
greatness places you above the angels."
Wherefore, as Our Predecessor of happy memory, Pius IX wrote, God "showered her with
heavenly gifts and graces from the treasury of His divinity so far beyond what He gave to all the
angels and saints that she was ever free from the least stain of sin; she is so beautiful and
perfect, and possesses such fullness of innocence and holiness, that under God a greater could
not be dreamed.
Besides, the Blessed Virgin possessed, after Christ, not only the highest degree of excellence
and perfection, but also a share in that influence by which He, her Son and our Redeemer, is
rightly said to reign over the minds and wills of men.
Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth and let no one consider himself
exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul.
Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the
eleventh day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of our Pontificate.
--------Please go read this for yourself, this was directly from the Vaticans Encyclicals and is
Pope Pius XII AD CAELI REGINAM.
This teaching literally goes against everything Jesus and the bible tell us. This is not only
blasphemy but heretical, satanic, Babylonian manipulation and pure lies. If you are offended at
this, be more offended by the words of the pope. Jesus is even more offended than you are, and is
crying in Heaven reading this, do you realize that?
This was said by the pope, who is considered to be the direct mouthpiece of God. If you are
Catholic, then every word the pope says is supposed to be taken as the words spoken from God
himself. Let me just say, God would NEVER say ANYTHING like this, ever. This is purely
Satan, not even disguised.
Mary has been turned into an idol, she has been turned into a false goddess. This is none other
than Ashtoreth with a Christian faade. They place her at the same level as God, and even above
God. They make her out to be responsible for your salvation and that she was sinless. They even
made it blasphemous to speak anything contrary to this belief.
So many of these things are blatant lies they did not even attempt to hide anything, just thrown
right out there in our faces.
Mass
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Celebrating Mass is one of the biggest

Catholic rituals, in which the Eucharist, or
communion, is held. The Catholic church
actually describes this as the source and
summit of the Christian life.
Communion is supposed to be a
remembrance of Christs suffering on the
cross, and a reflection of what Jesus told
His disciples the night before His betrayal,
when they were having their last supper
together.
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and
broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This
is my body which is given for you: this do
in remembrance of me. Likewise also the
cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke
22:19-20)
The church of Rome has perverted this into a reenactment of Christs sacrifice, by saying the
Catholic priest literally sacrifices Jesus on the cross every time, to make atonement for sin. This
is a slap in the face to Jesus every single time, because they are saying His sacrifice on the cross
was not a one-time deal. They are blaspheming God by denying the victory won on the cross that
day by Jesus shedding His precious blood for all humanity. They are denying His resurrection
and victory over sin.
They claim to crucify Jesus every day on the cross, causing a perpetual suffering of Christ. They
are told to eat the circular wafer, which is supposed to
represent the Body of Christ. As the priest holds the circular
wafer, representing the sun, they are told to bow down and
worship it. They have twisted the most beautiful ceremony
into something far more sinister.
Crucifix
The Catholic religion has loved to use the symbol of Jesus
suffering on the cross for some reason. They show a
suffering Jesus, often depicted mutated, bloody and defeated.
Why would they not show Jesus in victory? He did conquer
the grave, and He did pay for sin right there and we have
eternally victory by His sacrifice, so why is He shown still
paying for sin?
The idea of having to continually earn your salvation through
works is a pagan one. By making a mockery of Christs
sacrifice, the Catholic Eucharist is a pagan act of worship.
Every other religion says you have to do this and do that to
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earn your salvation, Christianity is the only faith that says its already done.
Their idea of transubstantiation says that the bread literally becomes the Body of Christ and the
wine literally turns into Christs blood. Is that what Jesus taught His disciples? He said, do this
in remembrance of me. Not do this every time you sin or do this every day once Im gone. No!
He did not teach this concept, and this is a completely unbiblical doctrine.
Art
Ever wonder why so
many Catholic
depictions of Jesus
show the golden
halo or circle around
His head? What
about Mary, ever
noticed the moon
and stars always
depicted around her?
This was done
deliberately as a
Babylonian and
pagan dedication to
the sun worship,
Baal, and moon and
star worship,
Ashtaroth. This is no
joke, please open
your eyes.

Sign of the Antichrist

Pope Paul VI decided to bring this
object into the Vatican in 1963, and
has stuck around ever since. This
object, or scepter, is called the
twisted cross and was created in the
5th century by black magic satanists
to mock the Catholic crucifix. The
distorted figure of Jesus barely
hanging, with the ends of the cross
bent, mocks Jesus and is based on
the crooked staff of Mithra.
According to satanists, occultists,
illuminati and luciferins, this
symbol represents both antichrist
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and mark of the beast. Mithraism arose prior to Christ in history, so Satan has been planning this
deception for a very long time, do not be deceived!
In occultism, there is always a double meaning for every symbol. There is always the false, nice,
public meaning and there is the real sinister meaning behind symbols and objects. Just as a snake
has a forked tongue, one side speaks truth and the other lies. Please do not be deceived.
Pope Francis

Before you say Pope Francis

is different, lets just look at
one example of what he told
his 1.2 billion followers on
June 25th, 2017:
There are those who believe
you can have a direct and
immediate relationship with
Jesus Christ outside of the
communion and mediation of
the church.
These tempations are
dangerous and harmful.
They are, in the words of the
great Pope Paul IV, absurd
dichotomies.

Did we just hear you right Francis? Did you really just say having a relationship with Jesus is a
dangerous and harmful temptation? Oh, thats right, only outside of your Babylonian pagan
temple, right? Goodness, Lord please have mercy on this mans soul. Please do not allow this
apostasy to continue. We in fact can and do have a direct and intimate relationship with you,
thanks to your sacrifice on the cross. Please do not allow your flock to be led astray by these
false teachings.
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-Brothers and Sisters, please do not be deceived. -The

signs are put their right in front of us.
-You may choose to believe this or not, just realize you are
choosing to turn your back on God.
-Do not rely on others to tell you what to believe, pray and
ask for truth yourself.
-Satan uses many devices and is the father of lies. He is
the deceiver of our brethren and has been deceiving the
world since the beginning of creation, since the garden.
-Do not allow yourselves to fall for the lies that Jesus and
scripture warn us about.
-Please realize this choice has eternal consequences.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceives you. For many shall
come in my name, saying I am Christ, and shall deceive many. Then shall they deliver you up to
tribulation, and they shall kill you. And you shall be hated of all nations for my names sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And
many false prophets shall rise and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of
many shall turn cold. But he that endures to the end, he shall be saved. (Matthew 24)
The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I have come so they might have life and have life
abundantly. (John 10:10)
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders.
So that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. -
Jesus Matthew 24
Know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, without self-control, fierce, despisers of
those who are good, traitors, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from them. -Pauls 2st letter to
Timothy 3:5.
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Chapter 48: Protestantism

If you still have not given up on reading, thank you. This is not easy information to digest and if
this is the first time being introduced to these concepts, you are almost certainly overwhelmed
and may not know what to think. For those of you who already knew about the Catholic
apostasy, hopefully you are more enlightened on the extend of how far Satan has infiltrated the
church.
This is seriously only the tip of the iceberg. If you would like to go further down that rabbit hole,
make sure you are doing it for the right reasons please. There is some very dark stuff you will
find, and you dont need to explore every cavern of a dark cave to know the cave is dark: it is.
Protestant Reformation
As we have just uncovered, the Catholic church has done some pretty horrific things. With the
aid of the internet, history, 1st amendment rights and religious freedom (at least for now),
uncovering the truth is possible with enough research, conviction and Holy Spirit.
Now we wont even bring up the horrific events done by the Catholic church like the Crusades,
Inquisition and countless other manipulations of man and scripture, we have already given the
Catholic church too much attention. Just realize this was the institution responsible for mens
eternal souls for literally 1200 years!
Yet during the 15th and 16th centuries, knowledge was limited to either those of the clergy
(church) or high ranking members of society who were taught how to read and write. Yet in
1440, something truly revolutionary happened. The printing press was invented by a German
man named Johannes Gutenberg.
Known as the Gutenberg press, this machine truly turned the tables on the existing cultural laws
and societal standards of the time. Now that books could be freely printed, ideas were able to
spread, sparking revolution and enlightenment. It didnt take long for bibles to be printed and
circulated, which meant that regular people could read the Word of God for themselves!
Prior to this, the only scriptures found were in Catholic churches, which normal folk did not have
access to. They were unfortunately at the mercy and whim of the priests, who would not always
be transparent on what was in the Good book. Imagine if your only knowledge of God is what
someone else told you! If they said God needed you to pay them money, how would you know
any better?
And that is exactly what happened. As the power and influence of the Catholic church grew, so
did their ambitions, greed and need to build bigger and better things. Building monasteries and
financing their crusades left the Catholic churchs moneybags lighter than they would have liked.
In order to come up with a way of collecting more money from the already poor common folk,
they had a brainstorming session and came up with an idea: indulgences. The priests would pray
for the souls of their dead relatives trapped in purgatory. Apparently, the prayers of the priests
would shorten the time spent in purgatory and would ease their suffering. According to the
Catholic church, an indulgence removed part of the temporal punishment due to sin.
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Nowhere in the Bible is the concept of either indulgences or purgatory written. The scriptures
used to justify the notion of purgatory are extremely ridiculous and a clear manipulation of
Gods Word. The Catholic church considers their tradition and teachings to be equal in authority
with Gods Word, so they did not even need scripture to justify their actions.
Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary
deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer and you are thrown into prison.
Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.
(Matthew 5:25-26)
When Jesus told the disciples this, He was referencing settling whatever dispute you had before
it got to the judge, or else they faced judgement. This is a clear misinterpretation and
manipulation of scripture, yet penny was used so that was enough for the church to say okay.
Regardless, the Catholic bishops grabbed a couple more verses they could use to justify passing
this notion, and before long, the concept of purgatory was a real thing. And while they were at it,
they realized they could get away with indulgences, so the common folk were manipulated in
order to finance the Catholic churchs veracious appetites.
This practice is completely unbiblical, immoral, unsound doctrine and completely blasphemous
to Jesus, as His blood paid for salvation. Jesus clearly told His disciples there was heaven and
hell, no in-between place (Please read the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 for
further evidence). Yet by this point, enough time had passed where the doctrines of man were
more pleasing than the doctrines of God.
So the Catholic church took advantage of this new idea and before long, they were raking in
silver hand over chalice! They were wondering why they didnt come up with this idea centuries
before! Yet once the printing press starting churning papers, bibles suddenly became more
affordable for the common man.
Eventually they skipped on a few indulgences and had enough money to buy their own bibles!
Then something crazy happened: people started reading Gods Word for themselves! And what
would you know, people started figuring out the truth for themselves. Then they would see the
church do something, open their bibles, and realize that was not what the bible said to do.
They would hear their bishops speak, open their bibles and realize that wasnt actually what
Gods word said! Before long, enough people were aware of the hypocrisy and lies told by their
spiritual representatives on earth. People began to truly repent and cried out to God for help. And
guess what, He did! Just like the viscous cycles the nation of Israel went through, when their
suffering became great enough, God would deliver them once they asked for help.
95 Thesis
God rose up men like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin who preached Gods word
and began showing the true meaning of Gods majesty and power. Then in October 1517, Luther
went up to the door of the Wittenberg church and nailed a paper on the door. That document was
called 95 Thesis, and spoke out against the atrocities committed by the Catholic church and
called for major reform.
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This document got its way

around and reached the heart of
many who believed the same
thing. What Luther wrote made
a lot of sense to many people,
and eventually they began
protesting the Catholic church.
The term protestant would later
be applied to them, as they
protested the law of the day.
What was the core belief of
principles behind this
protestant reformation? Well,
five things in particular.
Sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone. Their view held that scripture alone was the sole
authority for matters of faith. No longer were they subject to a priest or popes words on faith,
the bible or scripture was the only thing needed.
Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and
will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)
Sola Gratia or Salvation by Grace Alone. This was a big one, and once they figured out we
are saved by Gods grace and not through works, it opened the eyes of many. There was no need
to perform all these different rituals and ceremonies for atonement, salvation was paid for
through the blood of Christ, and that grace was freely given to all who believe.
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5)
Sola Fide or Salvation by Faith Alone. This piggybacked on the previous point, realizing
that the blood of Christ atoned for sin, and that by believing in Jesus as the Son of God, through
faith, they would be saved.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this is not from yourselves, it is the
gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Solus Christus or In Christ Alone. Only Jesus was salvation found, not by praying to Mary
or the saints. Only through Jesus was there eternal salvation, made possible through His sacrifice
on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Soli Deo Gloria or For the Glory of God Alone. Salvation all led back to God, as God the
Father sent His Son to reconcile the world to Himself. Everything done was for Gods glory, not
for the glory of their priest or bishops.
For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
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Catholic Churchs Reaction

Once the Catholic church read these arguments, they went back to scripture and realized
everything written was true. Their hearts were struck with the spirit of repentance and they fell
down on their faces, begged God for forgiveness, right? Actually No, this is NOT what
happened?
The Catholic church reacted the exact same way the Jewish Sanhedrin reacted and sought to kill
the men who would dare challenge their authority! Now that we have the context to understand
events in a new light, we notice the unfortunate parallels of history repeating itself. Guess
Solomon was right about there being nothing new under the sun!
So Luther, Calvin and all the reformationists at the time became wanted men with a bounty of
indulgences on their heads (medieval humor, couldnt help it!). Not only were the leaders of the
reformation persecuted, but anyone and everyone who believed that the Catholic church was not
infallible: so quite a bit of people.
Luckily, a Spanish explorer named Columbus had accidently discovered a new land called the
Americas, and this made the perfect place to move to and start their own churches, free from the
cruel tyranny of the Catholic Church. Hence the beginning of history that many of us know.
America, land of the free home of the brave?
Protestant Denominations
Coming from the tyrannical rule of the Roman Catholic Church, the new Americas were the
perfect place to establish religious freedom and serve as a base for the new protestant faith belief.
And certainly there was a good period of time where this held true. Imagine, people could choose
to elect their own ministers and gather together, reading the Word one another.
The writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution had its influence from this
reformation, as reformers saw how horrible things went when the King or Pope tried to act on
behalf of the secular and spiritual world. They realized the bible did not adhere to his concept,
and by separating the secular state from church, there was less chance to abuse power. Yet they
chose to include God in the doctrine and acknowledge the God given rights in the Bill of Rights.
After some time, there arose disagreements in the protestant faith. For example, was baptism
necessary for salvation? Some said yes, others said no. What about infant baptism? What about
the sabbath? Before Constantine changed the sabbath to the Sun god day, Saturday was the true
sabbath. Was that a deal breaker?
Eventually there arose Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals,
Baptists, Adventists, Anabaptists, Anglicans, Evangelicals, Charismatics, Fundamentalists, Non-
Denominations, and many more.
Certain individuals also broke away from those denominations, starting their own movements
with large enough followings. Ellen White started the 7th Day Adventist church, Joseph Smith
started the church of latter-day saints, known as the Mormon church. Charles Russell started the
Jehovahs Witnesses, George Fox started the Quaker movement, John Wycliffe began the
Lollard movement.
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There arose questions on secondary areas of practice or belief, such as church structure,
leadership roles, worship, communion, geographical location, interpretation of scripture, and
tradition. There also arose differences of human personalities, passions, talents and biases.
Confused yet? Please forgive any oversimplification of these denominational beliefs, the point
here is not to go into extreme detail, simply to point out how many differences there has arisen in
the faith. Lets go back to the bible to see what scripture says about the matter.
I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that
there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
(1 Corinthians 1:10)
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord,
one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you
all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
So obviously something happened in the past 2,000 years. No group has been perfect, as sin is
present in any man-made institution or religion. We are only looking at the church world, not
even the secular world! What would Jesus say and think of the state of the world today?
Lets take a step back for a minute and recap the timelines again that God set forth in His
massive story! When the details get muddled together, the best thing we can do is pray and ask
God for wisdom.
Our Place in Gods Timeline
To recap, God started with the Creation Epoch. Remember those 7 crazy days where God spoke
existence into creation? About 6,000 years ago God started all the events in motion, set the
planets in orbit, separated the light from the darkness, created all the plants and animals, and
eventually us.
Then in the Garden God breathed the breath of life into Adam and Eve, walking side by side
with the pinnacle of His creation: the paradise that God shared with man!
Then the serpent (Satan) deceived Eve, and sin entered into the world; writing a new chapter on
Gods heavenly tablets. Man became separated from God due to sin, and the earth became
populated and corrupt as they were taught men all the secrets of heaven. The fallen angels and
had sex with women, corrupting the beautiful creation that God made in His image.
Because God is a Holy God, that means He cannot be in the presence of sin. Even though God is
in heaven and we are on earth, eventually the corruption on earth got so bad that it reached up to
God in heaven. In His divine judgement, God decided to completely eradicate and wipe sin from
the world. In His mercy, God spared Noah and his family.
Once God wiped out the earth through a flood, a new chapter in Gods timeline was written. This
ante-Diluvian or post flood world entered into a new state of recovery, with God giving Noah a
covenant and blessing to multiply and be fruitful. For over 2,500 years that is exactly what
happened. We saw Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his 12 sons, including the prophets, judges and
kings that God raised up.
Eventually, the world started to experience a similar state of condition that happened before the
flood. The world began getting corrupted and truth became blotted out. Even the people God has
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chosen and blessed turned away from Him. In Gods divine mercy and timing, He sent His Son
Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, to turn the world back to Him and offer salvation.
Knowing that the world would crucify and kill His one and only Son, God still chose to send
Jesus into the world. Out of love for His creation, for us, for you, God knew this would be the
only way to offer salvation and redemption before He destroyed the world again.
Forgot to mention that the next chapter on Gods timeline is pretty violent, including the
eradication of sin. The following chapters represent a new beginning, fresh start, just like the
flood. God promised to never again destroy the world through a flood, but He never promised to
not destroy the world again. He just said He wouldnt destroy earth with a flood: the next time
will be with fire.
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Chapter 49: Ages to Come

Millennial Reign
The end of this age will be just like Noahs end, just with fire and wrath instead of water.
Because the sins of the world had stacked high enough to reach heaven, God had no choice but
to wipe the slate clean. The Bible tells us God knew this would happen again, and He would
have to do the same thing. In fact, He will do it even one more time after us.
To make sense of this, lets fast-forward then we will come back. Once God wipes sin from the
world, there will be another period of repopulation on the earth. This is known as the millennial
reign or millennial kingdom. Millennial meaning 1,000, in Gods perfect timeline that would
make 7,000 total years of
humanity. 7 represents
perfection in Gods numbers, so
it would make sense God would
allow 7,000 years!
What do we know about this
millennial reign? Well honestly
not a lot. The only scripture we
have on this is found in
Revelation chapter 20. This is
what we know:
And I saw an angel come down
from heaven, having the key of
the bottomless pit and a great
chain in his hand. And he laid
hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a
thousand year. And cast him into the bottomless pit, shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he
should deceive the nations no longer, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he
must be loosed a little season.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the
souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years.
Alright, so what we know is this:
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1) There will be 1,000 years of life after the end of this age.
2) Jesus will rule this 1,000-year chunk of time.
3) The saints, or believers of Jesus, will reign with Jesus.
4) Satan will be bound during this time and unable to deceive the nations.
5) Satan will be released from hell for a little season.
6) There will be a first resurrection and a second death.
We are given a little bit more information after this in Revelation chapter 20, lets see what
Gods Word tells us:
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, shall go out to
deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and
the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil
that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Okay neat! From this additional information we know that:
1) The earth will be repopulated once again, the number of which is like the sands of the sea.
2) Satan will go out and deceive the nations again.
3) There will be one last and final battle.
4) Fire will fall down from heaven and destroy sin once again.
5) Satan will be cast into the lake of fire and burn forever.
So fun stuff, yeah? To make sense of all this, lets get to the very next part called the final
judgement.
White Throne Judgement
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven
fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their
works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in
the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Phew! This is pretty heavy stuff, lets see what we know from this:
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1) Every single person will be judged; no person will be able to escape this.
2) God will have multiple books at this judgement, including the book of life.
3) Anyones name who is not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
4) There will be a second death for some, which is the death after death.
5) People will be judged for their works.
When we look back at verses 5 and 6, we will see this start to connect.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years.
So we know that those who are present during the end of this age, those who remain faithful to
Jesus and do not receive the mark of the beast do not have to worry about this second death. We
know those saints will reign with Christ during the 1,000 years.
What else do we know? That every single person will be judged. As we know, God is the perfect
judge. And God loves to reward His people! Yet God will also judge the righteous along with the
wicked. Just like how in the garden, when Adam and Eve had to give account for this
disobedience, God dished out the punishment. In the same way, God will be judging every single
person, whether for good or for evil.
During the final white throne judgement, God will reward everyone according to their works.
This is what fearing God is. Fearing God means realizing God knows every single act you have
ever done or will do. There is nothing hidden from Him. Solomon knew a few things about
fearing God. The wisest man to ever live had this to say about fearing God:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is
understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The
fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:26-27)
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this
is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Remember the whispering you did behind your friends back? God saw that. Remember that
time you fed those homeless people and just sat with them, listened and loved on them? God saw
that too. God saw the time you stole money from your mothers purse, and God saw the time you
spent all night comforting your friend in pain. Every single act is recorded and known by God,
and this is the place where every person is held accountable.
A good way to think about this is like every person has a movie made about them. As you stand
there before God, a movie is played, with the star of that film being you. What type of film will
be played about you? Will it be a romantic comedy, a feel good love story? Will it be a horror
film or violent action film? Will it be a PG13 or rated R?
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This is purely just an analogy, but not far from what this judgement will be like. For those who
have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus, who have been covered by Christs blood, their sin is
washed away. Jesus already paid for sin right there on the cross, so how much better would it be
to have your judgement be one of eternal reward instead of eternal punishment? This is what is
meant by the wage of sin is death. The punishment for sin is death.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)
Is this starting to make sense now? Do not underestimate how big of a sacrifice Jesus paid for on
the cross. Remember this was done out of love, so you dont have to pay for sin. Do not neglect
this either by thinking you can do whatever you want because you are forgiven. Gods grace is
amazing, and you will mess up and sin, yet we are in need of constant repentance and
forgiveness. Just because you have been forgiven does not mean you can still do whatever you
want.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How
shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1-2)
Remember, fearing God means knowing that God has the sole authority and power to judge your
eternal soul and decide where you will end up. Jesus made an intersection for you, basically
stepped in between you and God the Father, saying hey, you have already been redeemed. How
cool is that! Do you see how Jesus is the only way into heaven? Nobody is able to face that white
throne judgement on their own merits: there is no way.
Only one person who ever existed could face that judgement and pass, and that was Jesus. He is
the only one worthy of interceding for you, do not write this fact off. As Jesus was hanging there
on that cross, as He was dying, cried out to God and said:
Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34) Even to the very people
crucifying Him, Jesus still loved them enough to ask God to not hold that sin against them. They
did not know what they were doing, killing the only person who could save them from eternal
separation and damnation. Wow, what an amazing Savior! Jesus, we do not deserve your mercy
and love, thank you!
New Heaven and New Earth
Once the matter of judgement is resolved, there is only good news for the rest of eternity!
Remember when God made that paradise for Adam and Eve? That garden where God walked
hand in hand with His creation? Well man messed that up, and in Gods infinite wisdom and
righteousness, He will make a new paradise, even better than last time.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice
out of heaven saying:
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his
people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:1-4)
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Yes! Talk about God knowing what He is doing! This was His plan all along: to dwell hand in
hand with His creation, with His people who had chosen Him. Heres the thing: mankind needed
to go through all these events to get to this point.
If God had not given us the choice, the free-will, to choose God, then we would not deserve or
even be able to share in Gods loving home together. Remember those angels that fell? They
were the sons of God, meaning God created them also. And they were born sinless and perfect,
and dwelled with God in heaven.
After rebelling, they were cast out of Gods presence. If that many angels could leave the
presence of God and rebel, how much more would man choose to rebel? This was mans way of
earning the privilege and honor of being worthy enough to live with God forever! If God wanted
robots, then He wouldnt have given man the choice of free will. But God didnt want robots, He
wanted man to choose Him and worship Him out of love.
New Jerusalem
Want to see what our eternal home will look like?! We are told the light of the city is like the
most precious stones. There is a high and great wall with 12 gates, with 12 angels and the names
of the 12 tribes of the children of Israel.
There are three gates on the north, south, east and west. The city is in the shape of a square, with
the length width and height of 1,500 miles. The city is made from pure gold. The foundations of
the walls of the city are made from jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius,
chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth and amethyst.
The gates are made from pearls and the streets of the city are paved with gold like transparent
glass. There is no temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple of it. There is no need of the sun or moon here, since the Glory of God lightens the area
and the Lamb is the lamp of light.
The gates are never closed, as there is no need. There is a pure river flowing through the middle,
with water of life as clear as crystal. In the middle of the street on both sides of the river is the
tree of life. The tree bears 12 different fruits, a different fruit every month. God dwells with His
people and we dwell with God for eternity with the rewards received from our time on earth.
This picture of heaven or our new home is just the tip of the iceberg. There is no way to even
comprehend the joy, the love and the pure bliss of being surrounded by Jesus, God and fellow
brothers and sisters who have been rewarded with eternity of life! Just try to wrap your head
around this! Amazing!
Last Message in the last Chapter of the Last Book
The very last message we have in the bible, even after being told of the new heaven and new
earth, is a very important message. Lets see what that is:
And he said unto me, these sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets
sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come
quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to
worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then he said unto me, do not
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do that: for I am a fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the
sayings of this book: worship God.
And he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that
is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work
shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are
they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city.
But outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and
whoever loves and does falsehood. I Jesus have sent My angel to testify unto you these things in
the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is
thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every
man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in
this book. He which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord
Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Revelation 22:6-21)
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Chapter 50: Return of Jesus

If the very last chapter and verses in Gods Word tell us something, we should do our best to
listen. In fact, this is the most crucial part of the story. Not only in Gods love story but in our
lives. Jesus will be coming back to make an end of sin and take His bride with Him before
erasing sin from the world. This is a big deal.
What does this Mean?
For those of you already familiar with this fact, and for those who have not heard this before,
please pay attention. Jesus is coming back, with His return looking much different than His first
arrival on earth.
Whereas Jesus came to earth the first time as a man, He will return in His Eternal Spirit. Whereas
Jesus came the first time as a humble servant, Jesus will return as a victorious King and ruler.
Whereas Jesus came the first time to save, Jesus will return again to judge and destroy sin.
One of the reasons the Jews did not believe Jesus was the Messiah the first time is because they
looked at His description upon His return. They were looking for the Messiah to come as a king,
and were not looking for a humble servant. Even though the same scriptures described both
events, the Jews were only looking for an earthly king, not their eternal king.
According to the Jews, Jesus did not match the description of the Messiah. Basically, they do not
believe Jesus fulfilled the requirements of what the Messiah would do on earth. Even though we
have proven well over 40+ scriptural requirements that Jesus fulfilled as the Messiah, lets
understand where they are coming from.
Why Dont Jews Accept Jesus as Messiah?
1. Building the third temple. I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an
everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my
sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will
be their God, and they shall be my people. (Ezekiel 37:26)
Analysis- As we just read in Revelation, the third temple is not an earthly temple made of stone
and wood, but the new Jerusalem or the new heaven and earth God will make after the end of the
millennial reign. Remember that God the Father and Jesus will reign and we will be in their
midst? This is what Ezekiel was referencing. The word temple is not actually used in scripture,
but rather sanctuary and tabernacle.
2. Gather all the Jews back to Israel. Fear not: for I am with you: I will bring your seed from
the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, give up; and to the south, keep not
back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 43:5-6)
Analysis- In this description, Jesus gathers all of His people from the earth. We will learn shortly
this is in reference to gathering in the spirit, not in the physical sense. Jesus will be gathering His
people to him in the Spirit, not physically gathering them to Israel.
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3. Usher in era of world peace. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many
people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)
Analysis- This is in reference to the millennial reign where Jesus rules for 1,000 years. There
will be no more war or bloodshed, so this one is pretty obvious in interpretation.
4. Unite all people. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one
LORD, and his name one. (Zechariah 14:9)
Analysis- Yes, Jesus will be king over all the earth, in His millennial reign!
Prophecies Fulfilled vs Future Fulfillment
For those of us with eyes to see, these objections are very easily resolved once we understand
Gods timeline of events and reasons for the seasons. The reason the Jews refuse to accept these
prophecies of the Messiah is because they are future prophecies. Doesnt matter that Jesus
already fulfilled so many other prophecies, they get hung up on the future Messianic prophesies.
The sad part is, the Jews will accept the future antichrist as their Messiah.
Jesus fulfilled certain prophecies on His first arrival on earth, and will fulfill the rest of the
prophesies upon His return. If you have a hard time believing God would do that, just look at
how He had this prepared since the days of Moses.

1st Passover
2nd Unleavened Bread
3rd Firstfruits
4th Weeks- Pentecost.
5th Rosh Hashanah- Feast of Trumpets
6th Yom Kippur- Day of Atonement
7th Sukkot- Tabernacles

In the amazing way God does things, He set this up to mean more than just the feasts. This is a
calendar, reminder, prophecy and timeline of Gods events. To recap, lets see what these feasts
are supposed to represent.
1st Passover- Escape from Egypt. This is where they would sacrifice the perfect lamb for
atonement of sin. The Jews escaped with their lives by spreading the blood over their doorposts.
The firstborn of all Egyptians were killed, yet the Jews were spared.
2nd Unleavened Bread- Represents the day they left Egypt in haste, with no time to leaven their
bread. Leaven was considered unclean and represented avoiding sin.
3rd Firstfruits- Faith offering for harvest and provision. This was to represent honoring God for
faithfully providing for them during their time in the desert. This was a celebration
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4th Shavuot Wheat harvest. Also, when God gave Moses the law. This represented the
covenant God renewed with His people, through the law.
5th Rosh Hashana Jewish new year. Day of remembrance. Blowing of the shofar (rams
horn/trumpet). This would signal the new year and would be a time to look at past mistakes and
look forward to the new year.
6th Yom Kippur- Day of atonement. This is pretty straight forward, and represents a day of
atoning for sin and past mistakes. It meant repenting and asking for forgiveness from sin.
7th Sukkot Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. End Harvest. This festival was in celebration of the
end of the 40 years of wilderness and would be the final harvest for the season. They would build
booths called sukkah that were temporary shelters lived in during the wilderness.
So the seven candles are lit to represent the different feasts. So far so good? Notice any parallels
yet? If not dont worry, you are about to see.
1st Passover- Christ was slain.
2nd Unleavened bread- Christ was buried
3rd Firstfruits- Christ was resurrected
4th Pentecost- Holy Spirit given
5th Trumpets- Return of Christ and establishment
of 1,000 years
6th Atonement- Day of Judgement
7th Tabernacles- New heaven and earth, new
Jerusalem
This is representative of Gods timeline almost
uncannily. If you notice, Jesus fulfilled the first
four feasts in His initial appearance, and will have
the final three feasts fulfilled through Him as
well. God does everything according to His plan.
These seven feasts could also represent the seven different ages also, God is just so neat!
Old Testament Scripture about Messiahs return
Before Jesus returns, some things have to happen first. The scriptures describe this very clearly,
but just to give you some context, you will see how this event was prophesied a long time before
Christ came. This event is known as the great and terrible day of the Lord, the time of Jacobs
trouble, and just a generally bad time.
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible
day of the Lord come. (Joel 2:31)
And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that
time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found
written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)
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For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be
darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. (Isaiah 13:10)
And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at
noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day. (Amos 8:9)
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the
arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. (Isaiah 13:11)
But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall
run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4)
Okay so what is the takeaway here? For one, there is going to be some stuff going on with the
sun moon and stars. The sun and moon will be darkened, along with the moon turning to blood.
These events will signal the end of the age, be associated with judgement, and will occur when
knowledge increases. We good so far? Alright lets see what Jesus Himself said about His return.
What Jesus said about His Return
There is no better place in the gospels than Matthew 24. This is when Jesus gave His big speech
about His return. Mark 13 and Luke 21 tell us the same, yet Matthew 24 packs the most punch so
to speak. We are going to break this down into a few parts for clarity.
Signs of the End of the Age
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, tell us,
when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the
world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. You shall hear of
wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall
kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be
offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. because iniquity shall abound, the
love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:3-14)
Alright, so the signs Jesus told his disciples to look out for are:
1) Deception
2) Wars and rumors of war, nations rising against nations
3) Famines, pestilences and earthquakes all around the world
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Jesus tells us these are just the beginnings of the birth pains. He also told us what would happen
during this time.
1) Christians will be hated, hunted down, captured and killed
2) Many people will be offended and hate each other
3) False prophets and evil will be prevalent
4) The gospel will be preached to the whole world and then the end will come
Abomination of Desolation
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand
in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). Then let those in Judea flee into the
mountains. Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; nor let him
in the field turn back to take his clothes.
And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! But pray that
your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day; for then shall be great tribulation, such
as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. unless those
days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be
shortened.
Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. For false
Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it
were possible, they would deceive even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand.
Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the
secret rooms! Do not believe it. For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the
west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles
will be gathered. (Matthew 24:15-28)
Alright what is the abomination of desolation? This is in reference to Daniels vision of the end
times. The abomination of desolation is the antichrist, and Jesus tells us that when we see that
happen, run and do not look back. Just like how Lots wife looked back at the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah, anyone who tried to look back is not going to have a good time. Although
this a parable, the point is that this will be a sign to remove yourself from the world.
Jesus also tells us these days are going to be horrible, worse than any time that ever happened or
ever will come! They will be so bad that the days will be shortened and anyone with babies are
going to be in a bad position.
Jesus also lets us know that many false prophets will arise and try to lead people astray. Jesus
also tells us His appearance will be just like lightning, in the blink of an eye. He will not be
found anywhere on earth, but will appear in the blink of an eye, in the clouds.
The Coming of the Son of Man
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes
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of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)
Here we see more mention of the sun and moon darkened and the stars falling from heaven.
Basically something powerful is going to happen in the sky and heavens. People are going to see
this happening and everyone on earth will devastated. Then with the sound of a trumpet, His
elect will be gathered together from all parts of the earth and will be taken away from the
horrible events soon to take place.
As in the Time of Noah
But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels of Heaven, but only My Father. But
as the days of Noah were, so shall also be the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days
before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day
Noah entered into the ark.
And they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of
the Son of man. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two
shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Therefore watch; for you
do not know what hour your Lord comes. (Matthew 24:36-42)
This is perhaps the most convicting warning here, since we know what happened during the time
of Noah. Everyone was busy doing their own thing, then the flood came and took them all away.
Same thing.
One important part to point out is that no one knows the day or hour. We do not know what day
the Lord will come, and many people will take this verse out of context. Please remember, we do
not know the day or hour, but we know the season and the signs to look for. Just because we do
not know the exact hour does not mean we are not supposed to watch for the time!
Faithful Servant
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord has made ruler over His household, to
give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord shall find him doing so
when He comes. Truly I say to you that He shall make him ruler over all His goods.
But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delays his coming; And shall begin to smite
his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in
a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. (Matthew 24:45-51)
This is a big point Jesus is making here. He tells us He is coming soon, and gives us the example
of what a faithful and unfaithful servant look like. For those who Jesus finds doing good, they
will be rewarded. For those who are doing evil, they will be assigned their place in hell. I know
this is not an easy sentiment, yet this is what Jesus tells us.
What the New Testament Tells Us
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For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1
Thessalonians 4:16-18)
This is probably the most well-known scripture about our Lords return, and is what many refer
to as the rapture. Rapture is a newly coined term, which comes from the Latin word rapio, the
Greek word is harpazo, which means to seize, catch up, or take away. This harpazo is when Jesus
returns and takes up His followers.
This verse is key since we are told with the trump or trumpet shout, the dead in Christ will rise
first, meaning just like how the dead rose from the grave during Jesus crucifixion, the same
thing will happen this time! Graves will literally be split open and their bodies will rise up to the
clouds!
Then we who are alive and remain, meaning those who are alive on earth during this time, will
also be harpazo or raptured up into the clouds with Jesus. This is the typical rapture scenario that
many movies and books have been written on.
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night. For when
they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as travail upon
a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)
This is a pretty key passage, and we are introduced to the notion of a woman travailing in
childbirth. Jesus mentioned about the beginning of birth pains, and the rapture concept is often
paralleled to a woman giving birth. We are also introduced to the concept of when people say
peace and safety and then comes sudden destruction. Keep this in mind as we continue.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling
away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God.
Do you not remember that when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know
what holds back that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity is already at
work: only he who now restrains comes out of the midst. And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness
of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:2-8)
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)
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So basically the antichrist is going to be revealed and there will be a falling away from the faith.
He is going to exalt himself above God and cause everyone to worship him. He will perform
wonders and signs, and will lead many people to hell. We are told to avoid this man at all costs,
and to be aware of the events leading up to this so we will not be deceived.
Daniels Vison of the End
Since Jesus made references to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, so it is
important we know what He was talking about. Our encouragement is for everyone to read the
book of Daniel themselves to understand better what Jesus was referencing.
Basically in chapters 10-12, Daniel received a terrifying vision that made no sense to him. He
was told this vision was not for him but a future generation. He was shown the events at the end
times, yet the interpretation is somewhat difficult for most to grasp. The biggest takeaway is that
we are given a vision of what the antichrist will do during his time in the end.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of
the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But you,
O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to
and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:1-4)
Sound like anything we have read so far? Yes, there are many parallels in the book of Daniel to
the rest of the new testament prophecy.
Revelation 9:11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the
Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:11)
In case you still believe Jesus is not returning soon, lets take a Revelation scripture and make
sense of it. Apollyon, also known as Apollo, means destroyer and is the angel of the bottomless
bit. The ancient temple dedicated to Apollo was discovered near Geneva, or near the France-
Swiss border. CERN, which is the worlds largest laboratory for particle physics, also happens to
own the worlds largest machine.
Known as the Hadron collider, this $9 billion dollar machine is buried underground, on a 17 mile
track, directly on top of the Apollyon temple. This hadron collider is a particle accelerator that
collides protons together at high speeds, just to see what happens! Well they know what happens,
and during CERNs grand opening, former director Sergio Bertolucci let it slip that the super
collider could open otherworldly dimensions for a small lapse of time.
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In case you missed that, this hadron collider is opening up portals to other dimensions. Before
you write this information off as science fiction, do some research yourself, as the most ignorant
thing we can do is write something off without researching for ourselves. Based on CERN
whistleblowers and insiders, they have done more than just discover these portals. Some of their
stories will leave you shocked and horrified, which makes
sense when you go back to scripture.
Just to recap, this large particle accelerator sits on top of
the gateway to the underworld, being used to open portals
to other dimensions. CERN is experimenting with dark
matter, the very glue that holds our universe together,
attempting to permanently breach that veil that God
created. But hey, lets just let their fruit speak for
themselves.
This is CERNs mascot, placed right in front of their
building. The statue is the Hindu god Shiva, goddess of
destruction and chaos. Its almost as if they are trying to
reach the king of the bottomless pit, just like Revelation
speaks of. Their logo should also speak for itself

Rapture- Pretribulation, Mid-tribulation, Post-tribulation

The last point we will make in this chapter is the timing of the rapture within the tribulation
period. We will go into revelation events that tell us the timeline, just know we are given a
period of 7 years, broken up into two 3.5-year periods. The 7 years are known as the end times,
or Daniels last week. Basically 7 years is the time for all the events in revelation to take place.
The first 3.5 years is referred to as tribulation, the last 3.5 years are known as the great
tribulation or wrath. No part of these 7 years will be fun, but certainly the last 3.5 years will be
the worst. That is where most of the fire and brimstone will take place.
Many Christians take one stance or another on when the rapture will occur. The most common
views are either pre, mid, or post tribulation. That means people believe we will get raptured out
of the horrible events either before they happen (pre-tribulation), in the middle of the 7 years
(mid-tribulation) or at the end of the great tribulation (post-tribulation).
There is scripture to support all three arguments and we are not making claim as to which is true
or false. To be honest, more than likely all three are true, possibly more. Nowhere in scripture
are we told there is only one harpazo, and we are not given information on how many there will
be. There is one strong point to be made on the pre-tribulation rapture theory however.
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Do not allow a belief in the pre-tribulation rapture to lull you into a false sense of security. Not
saying this is true for everyone adhering to this principle, but simply saying none of this
information is relevant because we will just be raptured out before anything happens, is just
ignorant. Simply believing we will not have to face hardship, persecution or suffer for the faith is
borderline heretical and will leave many disappointed when this event does occur.
One thing we do know about the rapture event is that Jesus is coming for His bride. The analogy
of the bride is a prevalent theme throughout scripture and in reference to His church. Not a
physical church, but His church of people, of believers, of true followers of Christ in obedience
to His commandments. Even you gentlemen, are the bride. As odd as that may sound, Jesus
followers are the bride of Christ.
The entire purpose behind being called the bride is to signify the wedding that will be taking
place. Not the conventional wedding we think of, but an ancient Israel wedding. Jesus is the
groom and we are the bride. And just like in ancient customs, there would be a major
announcement of the wedding prior to the wedding feast and celebration occurring.
So whether that wedding invitation is sent prior to the tribulation, midway through the tribulation
or at the end, one way or another that invitation will be sent. Our duty is to remain obedient and
prepare ourselves just like the bride prepares herself for her groom. Make sense?
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Chapter 51: Stars

Thank you Jesus for the amazing wedding you have prepared for us! Thank you Heavenly Father
for the joy and privilege of attending! Please prepare our hearts and minds as we get ready, and
please find us worthy of attending!
Meaning of the Constellations and Planets
In order to understand the signs Jesus told us to look out for, we need a basic understanding of
the constellations and planets. This is astronomy, not astrology, big difference here. God wants
us to understand the signs He has put into the heavens, and it is our duty to appreciate and
understand what will be shown in the sky very shortly.
And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for appointed times, and for days, and years. (Genesis 1:14)
Many translations will have the word appointed times replaced with seasons. The reason we need
to make this distinction is because the actual word is moadim, which represents appointed times
or feast days on the Lords calendar. Remember those feasts with the menorah we just learned
about?
Want to hear something cool about that? For Rosh Hashanah, or the new year, the start of that
feast day is marked by the moon. The beginning of this feast cannot start until a sliver of a new
moon is present at sunset, and must be verified by another witness. Because of the uncertainty of
when the new moon will actually be visible, the days on the calendar are generally marked with
two days, as no one could predict the day or the hour the new year would begin with. Pretty cool,
right?
In the star constellations, the only
woman is the constellation
Virgo. Throughout history, she
has represented fertility, beauty
and femininity. (Image on the
left)
The constellation Leo is directly
above the constellation Virgo,
and is comprised of 9 stars. Leo
is associated with lion, or tribe of
Judah. (Image on the right)

Jupiter is the largest planet is our solar system and

known as the King planet. The wise men recognized this
as the Messiahs star when they traveled to Bethlehem.
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Blood Moon Tetrad

A lunar eclipse is often referred to as a blood moon, in which the moon passes through the
earths shadow (lunar eclipse), causing the moon to appear red like blood. When they occur on
the Lords feast days, they signify something significant.
The term Tetrad means 4, so when 4 of these blood moons occur on consecutive days on the
Lords Calendar, we call that a blood moon tetrad. These are basically beacons placed in the
heavens, signifying something important with Israel.

There have been 4 blood moon tetrads within the past 500 years occurring on the Lords feast
days. In 1493-1494 the Jews were expelled from Spain. In 1949-1950, the Israeli Independence
war was won and Israel was officially recognized as a state. In 1967-1968 Israel was attacked by
Jordan.
The last blood moon tetrad occurred this past 2014 and ended in 2015. This event has additional
significance since there was a full solar eclipse in the middle, and 2 partial solar eclipses on
March 2016 and September 2016.
For any of you who remember the blood moon tetrad a few years back, many of us, myself
included, got our hopes up and let down when these blood moons came and went without
anything happening. We were expecting the rapture to occur and be zoomed on out of here and
back home in heaven.
Here is the thing: the blood moons come before a major event. They signify a warning that
something is coming, like a giant beacon in the sky. Remember what scripture says about the
moon being turned into blood?
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible
day of the LORD come. (Joel 2:31)
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And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the
sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. (Revelation 6:12)
So blood moons and solar eclipses are associated with bad things happening. Not to oversimplify
this concept, but just realize the alignment of the sun, moon and earth is something God does on
purpose. We should not just write this off as pure coincidence or scientific phenomena.
Remember, we can explain the how with science, but science cannot explain the why.
Anyways, there will be a sign occurring on September 23, 2017 that many believe is the sign
discussed in Revelation 12. Depending on when you pick up this book to read, this date may be
just on the horizon or have long since came and gone. Regardless if you are reading this past that
date, lets see what that sign in the sky is.
Revelation 12 Sign
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon
her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child
cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold
a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and
seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third
part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:
and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to
be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that
they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days. (Revelation 12:1-6)
If you are confused by this, dont worry. For more than 2,000 years this has had many prophetic
teachers scratching their head and wondering what this could be. Many believe this is purely
allegorical, yet the very first sentence lets us know a great wonder appeared in heaven. This is
something that happens in the sky.
The woman is represented by the constellation Virgo, always has and always will, no dispute
there. Being clothed with the sun means the sun will be at her shoulders, where it gives the
appearance of being clothed in sun. The moon will be under her feet. This alignment of the sun
and moon with Virgo happens roughly every three years, and is just one requirement of this sign.
The crown of 12 stars above her head is a little bit more involved. Planets are wandering stars
and have been considered stars since Noahs day. The constellation Leo is made up of 9 stars,
and is directly above the constellation Virgo, so at all times Virgo has 9 stars above her head.
Now we happen to see the planets Venus, Mercury and Mars come into alignment right above
Virgos head on this date, so they form a crown of 12 stars above her head. This event is a little
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bit rarer, and takes place every 7-20 years . Now that we have the first two verses under our belt,
lets see what travailing in childbirth is about.
On November 20th 2017, the King planet, Jupiter, entered into the womb of Virgo, according
to its position on the constellation. Once inside the womb of Virgo, the planet retroactively orbits
inside the constellation and exits on the 9th of September 2017.
*In case you didnt catch that, Jupiter is inside the womb of Virgo for: 42 weeks, or 9 months,
aka conception time.
So Jupiter does a very unique
thing here. Just like how the
star of Bethlehem did a
retrograde orbit motion on
December 25th for the magi,
Jupiter does the same thing
again, yet this time does it a
few times, staying inside the
womb of Virgo for 9 months.
This event is actually
extremely rare, and has
baffled many different
skeptics. So now we have a
woman clothed with the sun,
the moon under her feet, and
the crown of 12 stars above her head. We have the woman in childbirth and the child or Jupiter
exiting the womb on September 9th.
Dragon
Okay, so whats the deal with this dragon? Seems like a lot of nonsense right? Lets look one
more time at what scripture says:
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven
heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the
stars of heaven, and did cast them to the
earth: and the dragon stood before the
woman which was ready to be delivered, for
to devour her child as soon as it was born.
This wonder suddenly appears in the sky
during the time of birth, a great red dragon
with 7 heads, 10 horns and 7 crowns above
his heads. Is a dragon literally supposed to
come out of the sky? The answer is yes and
no! The Chinese have referred to this as the
great red dragon, along with many ancient
civilizations, like the Sumerians and
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Akkadians. Lets see why they have called this object a dragon.
These are some shots from deep space of this
planet. Well this is more than a planet, its
actually an entire solar system and pretty
significant.
The ancient Akkadians called this Nibiru,
meaning crossing or transition point. The
Sumerians called this Marduk, meaning snake
or dragon. The Inuits called this Sedna, goddess
of the sea. The Greeks called this Eris and
Nemesis, goddess of discord and justice.
Scripture makes a reference to part of this as
Wormwood.
The reason for the red appearance is due to the
red iron dust trailing off this beast. There is a
whole bunch of debris trapped in the tail end of
its orbit, and gives the appearance of wings when traveling. This planetary system is so difficult
to see because it is only visible through infrared radiation, or through the use of an IR telescope.
The Vatican has actually had their own infrared telescope on Mt. Graham in Arizona since 1984.
The telescope is named Large Binocular Telescope Near-infrared Utility with Camera and
Integral Field Unit for Extragalactic Research, shortened to Lucifer. Hmm, does that seem at
all odd the Vatican would have this expensive telescope named after satan? All the Vatican has
said is they think it will be of importance in the future.
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Anyways, this solar system is actually orbiting our solar system in the complete opposite
direction of the rest of our planets, and does not reflect sunlight. Its actually kind of creepy.
Even more creepy is the timeframe of this systems orbit, which is 3,600 years. So every 3,600
years or so, this dragon system passes by our Sun.
Also, in our solar
system, 1/3rd of our stars
are made up of binary
stars or part of a binary
star system. This means
that when you see a star
in the sky, 1/3rd of them
are actually 2 stars
really close together. A
close encounter between
two binary systems will
result in gravitational
disruption, which leads
to stars being ejected at
high velocities, or
runaway stars.
Lets bring all this back together with scripture again.
Behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the
dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon
as it was born.
Once last thing to mention: this planetary system has made two trips into our solar system
previously. The first time was during Noahs flood and the second was during the Exodus from
Egypt. The next time this is due back: literally any day now. God is in control and uses many
different devices and instruments to accomplish His will. If using a planet to accomplish His will
does the trick, then so be it!
Crucifixion Darkness
So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of
Egypt three days. (Exodus 10:22)
During the plagues of Egypt, the Nibiru planets passed between earth and the sun, blocking out
the sun for three days. Although we cannot say for certain, another planet came into orbit with
the earth on April 3rd, 33 that also blocked out the sun.
At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the
sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the
Valley of Aijalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took
vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jasher? The sun stopped in the
midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. (Joshua 10:12-13)
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During this battle, God commanded the Sun and moon to stop, which they did. Joshuas long
day is recorded by the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Incas, and Aztecs who verify this account.
The day was extended and recorded, showing that God has full command of the planetary
bodies. If He wants to, God can command the sun, moon and earth to stop. So is it that far out of
the question to believe a 3 hour darkness came over the earth?
On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is
known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. (Zechariah
14:6-7)
And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord God, that I will make the sun go down at
noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight. (Amos 8:9)
He who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, who
shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not
rise; who seals up the stars. (Job 9:5-7)
Man-Child
So we have the sign with the woman, sun moon and stars. We have the birth down, we know
what the great red dragon is, we know that 1/3rd of our stars will be swept to earth, we know the
orbital path of this planet will come through Jupiter, lets see the whole Revelation 12 scripture
again:
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon
under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried,
travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven
heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the
stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which
was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child
was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she
hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days. (Revelation 12:1-6)
The last part to address is the man child. The identity of the man child has been associated with
either Christ or the body of Christ, aka the church. Just like how we are called the bride, many
have agreed that the man child is another name for Christs bride. Either way, we have the
heralding of the 1,000 years or millennial reign occurring. So after this sign we have the man
child being born, then we are harpazo or raptured out of there. This would be associated with the
mid-tribulation rapture.
We are told that the woman fled into the wilderness and there was a place prepared for her 1,260
days, or 3.5 years. This marks the halfway point of the 7 year tribulation. Should point out that
this sign appears 1,260 days after the blood moon tetrad, so there is something big going on here.
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What does it all mean?

Could mean nothing, could mean everything. Our faith should first and foremost rest in God and
His sovereignty. Halleluiah! Secondly, we should not get so caught up in the signs that we lose
sight of Gods purpose through it all. One mistake that many will make is to get obsessed and
focused on the signs, neglecting the most important commandment of loving one another and
sharing the good news with the world. This is our most important charge.
Yet God always warns His people before major events like this. And we have been warned! The
great American eclipse on August 21st spanned the entire continental United States, with another
total solar eclipse appearing 7 years later. Does 7 years seem like a biblical timeframe?
The Hebrew year is also 5777, with 5 being the number of grace and the 7 meaning perfection.
When repeated three times, it means completion. The biblical numeric meaning of 5777 means
the completion of the period of grace.
There have been many dreams, visions and prophetic warnings from members of the body of
Christ all across the world. If you would like to listen you can find many videos online. Do not
discount other prophetic visions from members of the Body of Christ, we are supposed to receive
their visions, prophecies and dreams.
And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men
shall dream dreams. (Acts 2:17)
So we have been warned, now does this mean the rapture will occur on this day? Absolutely not!
Is there a good chance something major will be taking place around this time? Almost
unequivocally yes! The sheer fact that this alignment of stars has never happened before or never
will happen again is one great indicator. That should at least get our hearts pumping!
But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the
Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32)
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The date of this wedding feast is only known by God the Father, pretty incredible! Jesus even
tells us He does not know the hour, since in Jewish wedding custom only the father of the groom
would know the date of the wedding feast. But here is something else to keep in mind:
Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish new year, is expected to occur between September 20th and 22nd of
this year. Remember that the blowing of the shofar, or rams horn, would signal the start? The
rams horn sounds a lot like a trumpet. Did we already read about the trumpet and trump of
Christ signaling a certain event? Oh yeah, the harpazo, the rapture!
There are too many events taking place that align with scripture to believe this is all coincidence.
This is not just a Christian belief that something major will happen this year: almost every single
civilization and society has prophesied some world ending event to take place around this time.
Rabbi Judah ben Samuel prophesied that at the start of this jubilee, or 2017, would be the start of
the Messianic end time, writing this before his death in 1517. The Mayans as we all know were a
little off, setting their date for the end of 2012.
We dont have enough time to go over St. Malachis prophecy of the Popes, which has St.
Francis as the last pope, Nostradamus terrifying predictions for 2017, Edgar Cayces
apocalyptic prophetic events to take place this year or Rabbi Moshe ben Yisrael Benyamins
Yalkut Moshe prophecy. The point here is that universally, the world is expecting something
crazy to happen.
If we chose to put our faith in any man or person, we are going to be solely let down. If we put
our faith, trust and hope in Christ Jesus then we are good. Just know that unless your biblical
foundation is strongly rooted enough, it may be even possible to deceive even the elect.
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Chapter 52: Gospel

Father God, thank you for your love. I humbly ask for divine understanding and grace as I seek
your Truth. Please open my eyes and ears, speak life into me! Thank you Jesus!
What is the Gospel?
Many of us know that sharing the gospel is our mission and purpose in life, yet defining what the
gospel is may seem a bit daunting. The word gospel simply means good news. To be an
evangelist means a person who shares the gospel. You can be an evangelist for many different
things, since there is a lot of good news people like to share.
When defining the gospel, the good news we are talking about is the good news of Jesus Christ,
and the salvation found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The good news is we have a
Savior who loves us and made a way for us to enter heaven!
In order to understand the good news, we must understand the bad news. The bad news is that we
are all sinners. Sorry to burst your bubble, but as good as any of us are, we still sadly fall
extremely short of the perfection required to be in Gods presence. For as many good works that
we can do, our works alone will not get us into heaven.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Remember the law given to Moses back after the Exodus? The ten commandments outlined for
us what sin was, since any disobedience from the law constituted sin. Even if you followed the
law to the letter, such obedience would still not be enough. Look at the Pharisees and Sadducees,
they followed the law and thought they were righteous. Yet they had it so wrong that God sent
His Son Jesus into the world to set them straight.
Jesus told us, you have heard that is was said by them of old, you shall not commit adultery. But
I say unto you that whoever looks upon a woman lustfully has committed adultery with her
already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)
Do you see how we miss the intention of the law? Just because you do not actually commit
adultery, simply looking upon a woman with lust in your heart makes you guilty of adultery. Oh
you have never killed another person? You must be righteous then, right?
But I say unto you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be liable to
judgement. (Matthew 5:22) Do you see that anger in your heart is the same judgment as
committing murder in your heart? Just because you do not act on those impulses, just because
you dont say what you are thinking, just because your silent judgement does not find words, you
are still guilty of breaking the law.
So what does that mean? Do we helplessly give up? By no means, lets see what Jesus said about
this:
Do not think I came to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)
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Did you catch that? Jesus did not come to say the law was wrong, He came to fulfill the law
because we had it all wrong. When a lawyer asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was,
Jesus told them:
You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor
as yourself. On these two commandments rest all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)
The first 3 of the 10 commandments are basically covered under loving God with everything,
since you will not worship other gods or make false idols if you are loving God with everything.
If you are loving your neighbor as yourself, you will not commit adultery with another mans
wife. If you are loving your neighbor as yourself, you will not commit murder, testify falsely,
dishonor your parents, etc.
Do you see how the great commandment covers all the letters of the law? Love is the answer.
Loving God and loving others. The most important aspect of the law was missed for almost
1,500 years. Simply not killing someone even though you hate them makes no difference in
Gods eyes, in your righteousness.
Paul realized this, and told the Romans as much in his letter to them. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness for everyone who believes. (Romans 10:4)
Okay, heres the rest of the bad news. The punishment for sin is death. Not just death in the
earthly sense, but eternal death. Eternal separation from our Father in heaven, our creator. God
must judge sin, and since we are all sinners, when we stand before the judgement throne we will
be held accountable for our sin. And when the righteous judges swings His gavel, every single
judgement made is perfect.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)
But because of your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the
day of wrath when Gods righteous judgement will be revealed. He will render to every man
according to his deeds. (Romans 2:5-6)
Ever since the garden, way back when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the perfect
world made for us. And through that one man, sin entered the world. Yet in Gods perfect and
holy plan, He knew there would be a plan for reconciliation- His Son Jesus.
Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death
passed on all men for that all have sinned. For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not
imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
likeness of Adams transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But the free gift is
not like the trespass. For it through the offense of one many are dead, much more the grace of
God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgement was by one to
condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one mans offence
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death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the first of
righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one
mans disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12-21)
So to sum that up, Adam disobeyed and sin entered the world. Yet Jesus obeyed and grace
abounded and eternal life entered the world. Death through Adam, life through Jesus. Clear on
that?
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent His Son into the world not to condemn
the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He that believes on Him is not condemned, but he that does not believe is condemned already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the
condemnation, that light came into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil.
For everyone that does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, or else his deeds
should be exposed. But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made
manifest, that they are worked in God. (John 3:16-21)
For He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Heres the thing: Jesus made attornment for sin on the cross, yet without the resurrection there
would be no proof. Jesus conquered the grave, showing the promise of eternal life promised by
the Father, with belief in His Son Jesus.
I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in men, though he were dead, yet shall be
live. (John 11:25)
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death
and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:10)
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Simple as that people, Jesus paid the price for our sins. The punishment we deserve for sins is
death. Out of love, God sent His only Son Jesus to the world as the perfect sacrifice, the only
acceptable sacrifice for the sins of the world, so that you could enter heaven.
Out of love this was done for you. Gods love was manifested on that cross. As Jesus was being
hung, blood dripping in his eyes and lungs giving out, all of your sins were casted upon Him. As
he gave His last breath, He said it is finished. It was finished meant the punishment for our
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transgressions was paid for. The reason Jesus was born into the world was summed up right
there.
Faith and Grace
For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
The gift of eternal life. The greatest gift ever given, and the only thing needed to accept this gift
is faith. What is faith?
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
Faith is being so sure of something that you believe in it fully 100%. Faith is complete trust or
confidence in something or someone. Faith is being willing to trust in Gods plan even when
your own eyes or ears may tell you otherwise.
When you step outside and feel the wind upon your face, you close your eyes and feel the
refreshing wind all around you. Can you see the wind? No, but you know its there. You feel the
presence of the wind yet just because you dont see it, doesnt mean it is not there.
You wake up in the morning and have faith that the sun will rise. Even on a cloudy day, you may
not see the sun but you know its right there beyond the clouds. Just because you cannot see it,
you have seen it before and you know its there. Even on a cloudy day you can still feel the
presence of the sun warming you.
That is what faith is, the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of something not being seen.
What do you have faith in? Maybe it is another person, maybe it is yourself. In your skills or
abilities, maybe faith in science or faith in technology.
Faith in anything other than Jesus will leave you sadly disappointed. Even faith in your pastor or
faith in your denomination will not be enough. Faith in anyone or anything on this earth will
leave you empty because it is of this earth. Faith in the one who created it all, faith in your savior
is what will never let you down. Faith in Christ Jesus leads to eternal life. Simple as that.
What is grace? The simplest definition is grace is unmerited or undeserved favor or love. It is the
free gift of eternal life, even though we dont deserve it.
Grace is when you stand before the judge, guilty of the crime you are convicted of. Even though
you deserve the death penalty for the crimes you committed, the judge looks you in the eyes and
lets you off with a warning. Grace is being loved even though you believe yourself to be
unlovable.
Grace does not make sense to us, as our world does not know what grace is. Imagine going to a
new restaurant and as you ask for the bill, your waiter tells you someone else already picked up
the tab! For those of you who have either done this or received this gift before, do you remember
what that was like? You deserved to pay that bill, you purchased those items on the menu
because you looked at the price and saw you had the money to pay for it.
The payment for your meal was laid out right in front of you, and even though you were willing
and able to pay for it yourself, someone else paid it for you. This would be one of the closest
examples of grace seen in our lives. Lets take this analogy a step further:
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Suppose you ordered those items on the menu, thinking that your bill would come to about $50.
The bill comes out, but instead of $50, it is actually $500,000! Hidden in the fine print was an
additional four 0s to your bill if you did not order the chefs special on the menu!
How outrageous! There is no way you would willingly pay that bill, you were tricked by the fine
print and there would be no way you could afford that bill. So you go speak to the manager who
is actually the chief of police and tells you yes, this bill is accurate and you have to pay the bill in
full.
The chief of police tells you that no one forced you to go eat at that restaurant, no one forced you
to order the items on the menu. By your own actions and choices, you have to pay the enormous
bill in full. You look around for help, yet no one is willing to lift a finger.
You are thrown into jail because you cannot afford to make the payment. Here is the thing: your
sin are those items on the menu you ordered. The chef special is actually Jesus Christ and your
bill is the payment for your sin.
Wow, not expecting that were you? Grace is being on your way to prison and as you are about to
be thrown into booking, the guard comes up to the jailer, telling him someone paid your bail.
Someone literally paid your $500,000 bill and now you are let free. What? You look around
wondering who in the world would have done that and why. You were the person who chose to
order those items on the menu, you deserve everything coming your way.
Even though the restaurant tricked you, do you think satan is not tricking you? Do you see justice
and fairness in the world today? The biggest advantage the enemy has is to get you to think he is
not real. To get you to order those items on the menu, knowing the price of them and knowing
you are unaware.
Grace is when Jesus stepped in and paid your bill for you. And guess what: He paid the bill for
everyone in that restaurant already. Yet only for those willing to acknowledge and ask for His
help.
You might say hey, I had no idea what was happening, and neither do those people eating there.
Thats not fair! Is it not? You can read, cant you? If you were paying attention you would have
seen the fine print, yet you chose to ignore or overlook the details. Yet you were still saved by
grace.
For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8
How do I Receive Christ?
This is not a difficult or tricky thing. Accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior is not a
complicated process. In fact, it is as simple as learning your ABCs.
A
Admit. Admit to yourself and to God that you are a sinner in need of saving. Admitting to
yourself that you are not perfect, and there is no way for you to enter into heaven on your own
merits. Admitting you are condemned to an eternity of separation from the loving arms of your
creator. Admitting there is no one to blame other than yourself and the choices you have made.
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B
Believe. Believe that God sent His one and only Son Jesus Christ into this world to make
atonement for sin. Believe that Jesus rose from the grave. Believe that God truly loves you more
than you could ever comprehend. Believe that this broken world is not your home, and believe
that God has your eternal home with Him in heaven. Repent of your sins. Repent of the mistakes
you have made and ask for Jesus to save you.
C
Confess. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Confess that you want to be born again in
the Spirit. Confess that you want eternal life in Christ Jesus and believe in your heart that by
grace you are saved through faith. Confess that your life is not your own, that your life was paid
for at a heavy price, by the blood of Jesus that was shed for you on Calvary hill.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father:
I am a broken person. I have messed up so much, and I know my sin separates me from you. I
realize how my own choices and actions have led me to where Im at, and I need a savior.
I dont want to do this on my own anymore. Im tired of living for myself, of the emptiness in
my heart, of knowing something is missing. Nothing can fill that hole in my heart except for you.
I truly repent of my sins, I am sorry for what I have done. Let me turn away from sin and please
forgive me. I believe that you love me. I believe in your Son Jesus. I believe Jesus paid for my
sins on the cross and that He rose 3 days later. I believe that Jesus is the only way to you and the
only way to heaven.
Jesus, please be the Lord of my life. Jesus I want to know you and I need your love. Please come
into my heart and change me. Please give me new eyes to see, and new hearts to hear, and a new
heart that beats for you.
Accept me in your arms, You are my savior and Lord. Grant me your Holy Spirit and wash me
clean in your blood. Let my life be a testament to you and when people see me, let them see You
inside me. My life is yours Lord, I believe in you and I know you will never abandon me. Please
speak truth and life into me, my life is yours.

If you have just prayed this prayer for the first time and believe this truly in your heart, there is
something you need to know: You have been saved!!!!!!! You have been saved from eternal
separation from God and you have a new home! The angels in heaven are celebrating and
singing glory to God in heaven right now! You have been given a new name and new identity in
Christ Jesus! Halleluiah! Your home in now in heaven with God the Father and Jesus Christ!
If you feel different, that is because the Spirit of God is now living inside you. You have been
hugged by the loving arms of Jesus and now you have the confidence of knowing where you are
going when you die. Death does not end in nothingness, you are an eternal being with an eternal
soul.
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You have eternity to look forward to, eternity with your maker! Eternity with no more tears, no
more suffering or pain. An eternity of joy, and worship and peace. Eternity side by side with
God, just as Adam walked with God in the Garden. Imagine, the God of heaven and earth now
has a relationship with you!
Relationship with Jesus
Being saved is more than just a one-time prayer. Jesus wants a relationship with you, a lasting,
powerful and beautiful relationship with you. And guess what: you now have access to that
relationship to God the Father through Jesus Christ!
I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John
10:10)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is new creation; the old has gone the new has new come. (2
Corinthians 5:17)
Jesus didnt come just to save you from sin, He came so that you may have life abundantly
through Him! He came so that you may have a relationship with Him.
For those of you reading who are in a relationship (that is everyone), what does a healthy
relationship look like? Maybe you need some work on that, maybe you have the most healthy
and beautiful relationship with the love of your life right now. As much as anyone loves you, or
as much as you love anyone,
Jesus loves you more.
In any healthy relationship,
what happens? Well for one,
you spend time with one
another, right? What about
communication, do you talk
with that person every day?
Do you share whats going on
in your life? Is it a two-way
street, meaning is there an
equal amount of
communication and love on
both sides?
Heres the thing: your new
relationship with Jesus very
similar to any relationship
with someone you love. Jesus is your partner, your best friend and your champion. There is not
anything He will not do for you, just look at what He has already done for you on the cross.
Jesus will speak with you and you will speak with Jesus. That process is called prayer. Praying
will open your spiritual senses and align you with Jesus. You will be aligned with Gods will in
your life, and the Holy Spirit resides inside you and will lead you to knowledge and truth.
Books upon books could be written on this subject, just realize with any relationship, if you
neglect it, the relationship will not remain healthy. How would that go with your wife/husband
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boyfriend/girlfriend if you just stopped talking with them for a few weeks. How would that turn
out for you?
Probably not great, right?! In the same way, making sure your relationship with Jesus stays at the
top of your priority list is extremely important. How can you expect to see the fruit of your
relationship if you have been neglecting Him?
Jesus is the best partner, because He is always there. Jesus never neglects you or forgets to call
you back. Jesus doesnt sit on your text and forget to respond! If you are struggling or feeling
neglected, ask yourself how much time you have spent with Jesus and let your heart answer.
Every single thing you are going through in life right now will be made better if you allowed
Jesus to take that burden for you. If you are in pain, tell Jesus about it. Ask Him for peace, ask
Him for healing and love. Jesus is your #1 fan, even when you are not a fan of yourself.
Dont allow your relationship to be one-sided. Ask yourself what you are doing for Jesus, and if
all you are doing is asking for help. Are you just asking for things, or are you doing things for
Him? Are you only asking Jesus for help in the bad times, or are you giving Him praise and
honor for the good times?
What does a relationship with Jesus look like?
If you already know what a life with Jesus as your best friend looks like, then please help those
who do not know. Even many Christians reading this who have been saved still do not know
what being in a relationship with Jesus looks like. Because there is no universal answer, you
have to look inside to answer this question.
One big indicator is that life will get harder! Ironically, accepting Jesus into your heart and living
life together actually makes your life more difficult! What?! How can that be?
Think about it, the moment you are saved, the spiritual battle for your soul begins. Prior to that,
you were in satans territory. You were in darkness, and the moment Christ came you were
brought into the light. And the darkness cannot stand the light. In fact, there would be no
darkness if there was no light.
Said in another way, the moment you are saved the tempter, satan, the devil, whatever name you
want to use, gets extremely angry because your soul is no longer his. And do you think he just
gives up? No way! Every single thing that can be done will be tried, because satan wants you to
give up and abandon Christ, because there is nothing he can do about it. But he can try.
To give you a quick example, three of our friends who read this book while it was still being
written, came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, along with many more. Our three friends
were atheists prior to this, and once they realized how much God loved them, they came to know
Jesus and were saved! Thank you Jesus!
One of them got into a car accident 2 hours after getting saved. The wreck left him unconscious
yet alive. The doctor even asked about him if he had a savior because there was no other
explanation for how he was still alive. There was no other way he could have survived without
divine protection because his car was totaled and he should have been killed.
One of our friends that same night got chased by a man trying to harm her. Luckily she got away,
but after accepting Jesus, her life was threatened and she barely escaped. Our other friend went
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home and told her parents she got saved, and instead of them being happy for her, kicked her
out!
So as you can see, at first glance, things can get pretty turbulent! The devil will try and send
everything your way he can. But guess what? God used it all for His glory! Our friend in the car
accident has a powerful testimony that God will use to reach people for Christs name. Our
friend who got kicked out went to her brothers house who is a believer and now she is in an
encouraging household where she will be nourished in Gods wisdom and love.
Heres the thing: we cant always see the big picture while bad things are happening to us. For us
writing this book, do you think things were always easy? Do you think we were not under
constant spiritual attack? We could share so many examples of the struggles and challenges
involved in getting this book into your hands. It really does not matter because God was there for
us the entire time. Jesus was our shoulder to cry on, our sword in the battles, our everything.
Jesus will never abandon you, just realize you will get tested and challenged. Just look at Jesus
life if you need any example of what that looks like. Before Jesus began His ministry, He spent
40 days being tempted in the wilderness with no food. Jesus was mocked, spat on, scourged,
abandoned, betrayed and nailed to a cross. Did He have an easy life? By no means! Yet did God
still use those events for His glory? Absolutely!
God loves you more than you can imagine, do not let your circumstances dictate the love you
feel or felt by God. Rejoice when you are faced with challenges, because that means God is
doing something powerful in your life. Rejoice because your reward in heaven is great, and will
last for eternity!
Now what?
Our encouragement to you is to get connected. We would love to get connected with you and
hear how God has impacted your life through reading! More than that, we would love to help
encourage you on your walk with the Lord. This journey is not an easy one, yet it is the most
rewarding walk you will ever take.
A great place to start is to share your story with others. Find fellow brothers and sisters to help
you grow in your relationship with the Lord who encourage and challenge you follow Jesus. Get
yourself plugged into a locals Church and get baptized (Matthew 28:18-20).
Grow, Glow, Go share the Love of Jesus. Receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Get a sound Bible
you can understand, with a translation that has not been watered down. Welcome to Gods
family: you now belong to Lord Almighty! The Lord is with you always, no one can take you
away from loving arms of Jesus Christ!
Now is time for you to trust and grow with Jesus. Now is time for you to be aware of God
working in your life. Now is the time to learn and share Jesus with others. Now is the time to
love like none other, like your life depending on it! The fruit in your life will be your indicator.
What sort of fruit in your life is being born?
I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, the same brings
forth much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Scripture, Prayer, Discipleship and Fellowship
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Make sure you stay connected and sharpened in your spiritual journey. Make sure you are
reading scripture daily, this is our daily bread and our sword. This is Gods roadmap of
instruction for us. This is how you come to know Jesus more, and as you look more into how
Jesus lived His life, your life will become transformed.
Prayer is the bread and butter of your spiritual walk. Prayer is your line of communication
between you and God. Prayer is the most powerful tool we have at our disposal. God answers
prayers by the way. Let me repeat that for emphasis: God answers prayers! Just because you do
not see your prayer answered immediately does not mean God didnt hear you.
Discipleship will allow you to be mentored and grown spiritually. There is so much to learn
starting a new life in Christ, and being discipled by someone with more experience will be the
best encouragement for you. Especially someone who has gone through the same things you
have, having someone to speak truth and point you to the Lord is fundamental in your walk with
the Lord.
Fellowship with believers is also
extremely important. Whether that
is a group of believers out of a
house or a church home, having a
church family is important in seeing
the body of Christ function and
work together as Christ intended it.
Love
This is My commandment, that you
love one another as I have loved
you. (John 15:12)
A new commandment I give unto
you, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should also love one another. By this
shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. (John 13:24-35)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant. Love does not behave
itself unseemly, does not seek its own, is not easily provoked and thinks no evil. It does not
rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all
things and endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging
cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love I am nothing. If I give away all I
have and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians
13:1-3)
The most important thing we can do as followers of Christ is love. Loving God first of all, and
loving others as yourself secondly. This is how we will be known, by the love we have for one
another.
Above all else, please remember we will never have enough love on our own. It is only through
the love of Jesus that we can love like He loved, show grace to those who need grace, encourage
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when we need encouragement ourselves. Jesus is love, and without Him we are nothing. Please
know how truly loved and special you are, please stay connected and let us know your thoughts!
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Chapter 53: Questions

The intention of this last chapter is to address some of the questions and objections either you or
others will have, both on the book and Christianity in general. This is by no means a complete
list, yet hopefully enough to equip you for sharing your faith with others. God has gifted us with
beautiful minds and complex brains: if we did not have questions, then something would be
wrong! Having questions is not a bad thing, yet do not allow your unanswered questions to
create doubt.
Abraham questioned how his wife could have a child in her own age. Moses questioned how he
would lead the people out of Egypt. Thomas doubted Christs resurrection. Even the most
influential and important characters we have learned about questioned and even doubted Gods
promises. In todays secular world, questions and doubts are more common than answers and
confidence. Understand that God has an answer for every question you have, and faith for every
doubt you may have. You are not alone; let us discover these truths together and create a
community together focused on Gods truth.
As a personal side note, if you think we had no questions while writing this book, you are sadly
mistaken. The brilliant part is, the more we ask God for answers, the more He gives us. Once you
realize that every answer is found in Gods Word, everything else naturally falls into place. God
has given us amazing tools like science, internet and technology to better answer the questions in
a way never possible before.
One last point before we start: just because you find your answer does not mean you will like it.
Many times we want an answer that makes us feel good and something that aligns with our own
reasoning. Many times this will be true, yet truth has a funny way of revealing things we do not
want to hear. We will do our best to answer these questions with as much scripture as possible,
so we do not give our own opinion but Gods perfect opinion!
Common Objections
1. If God loves us, why does He allow so much evil and suffering in the world?
This is perhaps the most common objection people have and the most difficult to explain. The
answer ultimately goes all the way back to our boy Adam, and the choice he and Eve made.
Once they chose to disobey God, sin entered the world and our world became broken. Instead of
peace, abundance and life, the world saw war, scarcity and death. Mankind no longer resided in
the perfect world God intended for us, we inherited a fallen and broken world. A world where
satan has authority.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from
seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan,
the deceiver of the whole world. (Revelation 12:9)
The good news is God has final authority and the devil cannot do anything unless God allows it.
From the book of Job, we learn that satan has to be given permission by God, having limitations
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and restrictions placed on his power. Yet that still does not answer the question of why natural
disasters, freak accidents and unjust suffering occurs.
One thing we learn from scripture is that God challenges and tests us, just like a hot iron in the
forge. That iron is hit over and over again on the anvil, until that beautiful sword is strengthened
and revealed in its beauty. The same thing happens to us when we are faced with persecution,
trials and evil acts, yet we are not the only ones who go through this.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various
trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faithmore precious than gold that perishes though
it is tested by firemay be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of
Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
When we suffer, God does not enjoy it. Suffering, murder and evil are not things God enjoys. If
we suffer, know that Jesus suffered for us more than we can know. And Gods heart breaks when
these things occur, but it is not He that does them. True enough that He allows bad things to
happen, but this is a result of our choices and sin. Evil and unjust murders are something that
appear to contradict the notion of a fair and loving God, yet God truly is love.
When we see justice go unpunished, know that God is the judge who will have the final say.
When babies starve to death, they are removed from the suffering of this world and in the
presence of God in heaven. To a certain point, there is only so much our human brains can
comprehend when we try to understand this answer.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
One thing we do know is that Gods plans are always perfect and holy. Our notion and version of
justice and judgement pales in comparison to that of God. The creation cannot fully know the
intentions of the creator, so when we place ourselves as judge, we essentially tell God He is
wrong and we are right. I pray that our minds be opened to Gods truth and mercy, there is a
reason this is the most difficult question to answer!
Martin Luther summed up this argument with a beautiful poem:
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure,
one little word shall fell him.
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2. Isnt the Bible filled with contradictions?

The intention behind asking this question should be noted, as the reason so many believe this is
because they want to believe this. Believing that the Bible has contradictions means believing sin
is okay and provides justification to pick and choose what to believe. Remember those statistics
mentioned at the beginning? 47% of Americans believe the Bible is inspired by God but not to
be taken literally. Lies told by satan since the beginning have twisted peoples minds and
understanding to believe this.
The fact is, there are no contradictions in the Bible. The gospel accounts may appear to provide
conflicting information, yet we fail to consider omission and aggrandizement. Simply put, just
because something was not recorded does not mean the information is contradictory. Just
because accounts may have more written on something, does not mean the information
contradicts itself. Without being able to account for time in between scripture, our perception
gets skewed.
For example: if I say I took a shower and then ate breakfast, if I said after I took a shower I got
dressed, would that be wrong? No, I did both things after taking a shower. Just because I wrote
different accounts does not mean either events were false. The events on Christs resurrection are
perhaps the most seemingly contradictory, as each gospel account provides different information
on that day.
Matthew tells us two of the Marys went to the tomb and saw an angel of the Lord roll back the
stone from the entrance of the tomb. Mark tells us two Marys and a woman named Salome came
to the tomb discovering the rock rolled aside and a young man in white inside. Luke tells us the
women came to the empty tomb and saw two men. John tells us Mary discovered the empty
tomb and ran back to get Peter, who then saw two angels.
As you can see, all four gospel accounts appear to tell us conflicting information, yet every
account provides additional information on what happened. From four separate accounts and
viewpoints, we get some shortened descriptions and longer descriptions. All of these things
happened, so just because one account has something different does not mean the information is
false.
We would love to expand on this question further, yet it would take another book to address this
one questions. Remember, statistics can tell us what we want to hear. We could have the same
set of data and get completely different statistics based on the story we want to tell. Just like with
the Bible, people can take verses and words out of context to tell whatever story they want. God
is infallible in His Word, and science cannot disprove anything written in the Bible, remember
our lesson on Noahs ark!
3. How can Jesus be the only way to God?
This question has been around for 2,000 years and led many to believe Christianity is narrow-
minded. With this mindset, lines are drawn with one side being right and the other wrong. This
would mean billons of people are wrong who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. This
distinction makes many people upset, uncomfortable and defensive. It is human nature to defend
what we believe to be true, as we defend Jesus statement when He said:
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I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John
14:6)
No other major prophet or religious leader has ever made this bold claim before, so of course we
can either accept or reject this message. Even with all the miracles He did, Jesus claim of being
the way, truth and life would be circumstantial were it not for one very important fact: His
resurrection. Rising from the grave provided the evidence needed to back His claim and
validated the truth behind His words. The resurrection is the cornerstone evidence behind Jesus
claim, without which we would not be able to accept.
Since Jesus did conquer death, we can be assured that Jesus really is the resurrection and the life.
Even if we discounted every other word and miracle in Jesus life, even if we discounted the
multiple prophetic scriptures He fulfilled, even if we ignored the historical evidence and His
sinless life, Jesus entire claim of being the Son of God would be discounted were it not for His
resurrection.
This is why Jesus is the only way to God the Father. If we say anything contrary to this, we
deceive ourselves into thinking there is a way around it. Not only that, but when you experience
and encounter Jesus for yourself, there is no way to deny this fact. It would be like telling you
how delicious ice cream is. If you have never tasted ice cream for yourself, you cannot know for
certain. You may accept my words that ice cream is delicious, but when you taste it for the first
time, all doubts and hesitations are removed in that first bite.
The Jews believe that by following the law they are saved. This is fundamentally centered on
doing certain things and avoiding certain things. Islam is based on following the 5 pillars, or their
law, and doing enough good works to enter into heaven. Buddha believed in karma and
reincarnation, where you are rewarded according to your good or bad deeds.
Every major religion since the flood has taught a notion of doing enough good things to enter
heaven or afterlife. They are merit-based faith systems where you have to do enough good deeds,
become a good enough person or reach enough enlightenment to earn eternal salvation.
Christianity is so distinct from the rest because Jesus already paid for salvation. He freely offers
forgiveness, salvation and acceptance into heaven, not based on your merits but His.
So yes, Jesus is the only way to heaven, yet this gift is freely offered and given. You do not have
to score a certain amount of points or do enough things to buy this gift, it has already been paid
for at the cross. This is why we can say with confidence that Jesus is different and Jesus is the
only way.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18)
4. What about people who have never heard of Jesus?
This is a great question, one that can extend to those before Jesus as well. Luckily, Paul
addressed this very question in his letter to the Romans. We understand more of the history of
Rome thanks to our uncovering of the Roman Catholic church, so we understand the deep pagan
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roots that traced back to Babylon. The people of Rome had these very same hesitations, so it
makes sense that the book of Romans provides these answers.
The thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God revealed it to
them. For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
realized by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be
without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)
For when the gentile nations, who do not have the Law, do by nature the things of the Law,
these, not having the Law, are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the Law written in
their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and the thoughts between one another
accusing or even excusing one another, in a day when God shall judge the secrets of men by
Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (Romans 2:14-16)
The answer we get from Romans is that God has revealed Himself to every person since the
beginning of creation. Through His creation, mens hearts, conscience and thoughts. Said in
another way, God did not condemn every single human for 4,000 years simply because Jesus did
not arrive on the scene yet. God revealed Himself to every person in their hearts by giving men a
conscious. That is why we know something is bad and wrong before anyone tells us. It is also
why we know something is good and right before anyone tells us.
When you pick up a newborn child, you can tell how innocent and good they are without needing
an explanation. Your natural response will be to protect and love them. Yet on the same note,
you also know that killing an innocent newborn is wrong, no one had to tell you that. In the same
way, Paul is telling us that people who obeyed Gods laws in their hearts obeyed God. At the end
of the day, God will judge every man accordingly. We cannot say who, or even what the full
requirements were, only that God is completely holy and righteous in His judgements.
Cornelius, the gentile man who Peter preached to, is a great example of that principle. Even
though he did not know who Jesus was, He worshipped God in spirit and truth. God instructed
Peter to reveal this revelation to Cornelius, who then believed and was baptized. Yet when Jesus
came into the scene, the world no longer had an excuse.
And Jesus said, for judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see might see;
and those who see might be made blind. (John 9:39)
This is not a contradiction, Jesus was telling us that upon His arrival, the world had no more
excuse. Because God had revealed Himself in Jesus, the excuse of people following God only in
their hearts no longer checked out. So although salvation through Christ was not possible prior
to 33AD, once Jesus fulfilled His mission the world became judged. Those who believe and
accept Jesus were now saved, those who did not believe and rejected Jesus were not condemned.
People were now judged on their decision to accept or reject God, through Jesus.
5. What about the terrible things done by Christians?
There is no denying that every Christian is guilty of hypocrisy. Many people, myself included,
have gotten burned by fellow Christians and even churches in the past. This can lead to a
mistrust of God and creates a logical fallacy on who Jesus is, based on the actions of those
claiming to be followers of Christ. Gandhi said it best when he stated:
I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.
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Inevitably, we all fall terribly short of the example set forth through Jesus. He lived a completely
sinless and perfect life, something none of us can do. He was faced with every temptation
possible and overcame, whereas we face temptation and give in. (hopefully less!) When Jesus
had compassion and ate with sinners and tax collectors, we judge and avoid those we consider
bad people. This is a very broad generalization to make a point: we have all been guilty of being
less than perfect.
The answer to this question is to admit most importantly to ourselves that we are unlike Jesus.
We are all broken people, weighed down by sin and regret, who unfortunately do not always
reflect Jesus. There are two sides to our nature: the flesh and spirit. By flesh we simply mean
primal, human nature-survival of the fittest mentality. We are naturally selfish and born into a
world that aggrandizes and glorifies self worship and vanity. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, Gods
essence, that lives inside us. This is the part of our nature responsible for everything good and
right in us.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of
the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are
opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16-17)
We are able to make the choice every day of obeying either our flesh or Spirit. If you are unsure
which you are making, look at the evidence in your life. Scripture tells us the works of the flesh
are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy,
fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
(Galatians 5:19-21)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ
Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also
keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)
So basically we either obey our flesh or we obey our spirit. If we are led by the Spirit, we are not
under the law. If we live by the Spirit we should produce the fruit of the Spirit. We are told this
dichotomy exists internally, where the desires of our flesh and Spirit will be opposed to one
another. Like the little devil and angel on your shoulder, one whispers yes and the other no.
When you find that lost wallet, one voice tells you to return it to its rightful owner, the other tells
you congratulations for becoming the new owner.
Unfortunately, we see too many Christians walking according to their flesh and not of the Spirit.
When we tell others how amazing Jesus is and the wonderful gift of eternal life found in Him,
yet the fruit in our lives does not reflect that, how can we expect anyone to believe? If you went
to the dentist office and your dentist had chipped, yellow and crooked teeth, wouldnt you doubt
pretty much everything about them?
If your obese doctor told you to lose weight, would you listen? Even if you could afford to lose a
few pounds, your doctor may have spoken the truth but that message would get lost in
translation. You cannot expect to preach and practice something without reflecting that in your
life. We are all guilty here, with the good news being Jesus came to save broken and sinful
people.
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When we fall short and misrepresent our representative, it is our responsibility to admit our
mistakes, repent and ask for forgiveness. First and foremost to Jesus, secondly to anyone else we
were witnessing to. You may be the only person who ever tells that person about Jesus, yet if you
do not love them through your actions, your message will not get through. Worse than that, you
may do more harm than good if you lead others away from Christ based on your actions.
Not to scare anyone here, just remember who we represent. When you watch the Olympics and
see your country win the gold, do you not get excited? Even though you were on your couch
watching, the athlete who won was representing your country and by proxy you. If that athlete
was to go around picking fights and acting like a fool, would you be glad you were associated
with them? Wouldnt other countries be led to believe your country was belligerent and arrogant,
because they witnessed the actions of your representative?
In the same way, we are all on the most important team together, Gods team. We all represent
Jesus, so when our actions do not reflect who we represent, a major error occurs. If you have
ever been hurt, rejected, judged or unloved by someone claiming to be a Christian, I am truly
sorry. Jesus told us others would know us by the love we show for one another, yet that fruit is
not always shown in our lives. We are flawed, yet our representative is flawless. We are broken,
yet our Savior mends us. We are unworthy sinners who have been redeemed by the blood of our
worthy and holy Lord, Jesus.
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according
to the Spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who
live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the
flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the
flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in
the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit
of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:3-11)

Last but hopefully not least discussion

We are so thrilled for the opportunity to share in this journey together. The Lord has used us to
bring this message to you, yet that is just the beginning! We are all the body, and the body has
many different parts. In order to function properly, all parts must work together in
synchronization. The body cannot move without the legs and the body cannot work without
hands. In the same way, our mission and hope is that we can come together as the body and not
just tell other who Jesus is, but show them. Not simply tell them how much God loves them, but
show them Gods love in the most undeniable and powerful way.
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For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though
many, are one body, so it is with Christ. But as it is, God arranged the members in the body,
each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is,
there are many parts, yet one body. (1 Corinthians 12:12,18-20)
Some of you may be gifted as apostles, others as prophets and teachers. Some of you may have
been granted gifts of miracles, healing, administration, wisdom or knowledge. By coming
together and using our gifts for Gods glory, we are able to show the world who Jesus is and lead
others to the same knowledge and salvation.
Unfortunately there are so many who are lost right now, who have been led astray and heading
towards hell. They are choosing to reject God and be eternally separated from the loving arms of
their Creator. If this does not convict your Spirit then it may be time to reconsider where your
heart is at. Jesus is coming back for us so incredibly soon, and there will be many who
unknowingly and knowingly cast themselves into hell. The good news is, Jesus has already done
the hard part. Our job is not to convince anyone what to believe, our job is to be obedient and let
God use us to fulfill His purpose.
Pray about it and please get connected. If you are already being used by the Lord to full capacity,
take heart in knowing your reward in heaven is great! If you are being obedient but can do more,
pray for an opportunity to arise where your gifts may be used appropriately. If you are not being
used by God right now, realize that is not Gods choice but yours. And just because you feel like
you are not being used does not mean you are not.
God will use us in every area of our lives, from work to family, friends and strangers.
Everywhere we go, every person we talk with, every action we take, let us remember who we
represent. It is not about us, it is about our loving God. It is about our Savior Jesus Christ who
has graciously given us eternal life, even though we did nothing to deserve it. It is about our
meager life on earth compared to the eternal life facing us.
We are all eternal beings, with the soul God placed inside us lasting forever. We will live
forever, that fact is not up for debate. Where we choose to live for eternity is up for debate, with
the choice resting with each one of us. For those who think they will not have to make that
choice, they already have. There will be no fence or neutral ground once your eyes close for the
very last time. We are not certain when our final day will happen, only certain that it will end. If
our mortal life determines where our eternal soul ends up, shouldnt this be the most important
discussion of our entire lives!
Thank you for taking this journey together and for our Creator bringing us together through this.
Stay encouraged, keep the faith, do not lose hope. We are truly living in the last days, things will
only get worse. Our world is reaching the point of no return, and I pray we get many more year
with our loved ones. However, we are not promised or guaranteed the next day. What we do
have is this very moment, what you chose to do with it is up to you!
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul
and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)