Reflections on Shabat! The 25th of August 2023

 

The young Asian man in the picture seems to be asking his boss,
"Sir, what may I do next?"

Pride and arrogance are on many people's lips these days

Today, many say they are proud of their own achievements, worldly treasures, deceptions, and even fornication. YHWH has always been and still is against pride and the proud! The apostle Paul aptly wrote on this subject:

1 Cor. 4:6-7
>>6 I have applied these things to myself and Apollos because of you, brothers and sisters, so that through us you may learn "not to go beyond what is written," so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other. 7 For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not?<<

Our Savior became an example of humility

He, who lived forever with his Father, would have had reason to boast before men! Instead, he willingly humbled himself and came among us to be like us and to teach what it means to have a right attitude of heart before Father Elohim. We read:

Philip. 2:5-11
>>5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that HaMashiach Yeshua had, 6 who though he existed in the form of Elohim did not regard equality with Elohim as something to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.

8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross!

9 As a result Elohim exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Yeshua every knee will bow - in heaven and on earth and under the earth - 11 and every tongue confess that Yeshua HaMashiach is Adonai to the glory of Elohim the Father.<<

Pride and self-love lead to a fall

That's what happened to the Cherub who became Satan and was thrown out of Paradise. The same happened to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who humbled himself, repented and asked for forgiveness for his sins. He received mercy.

King David of Israel committed adultery, and in addition, he murdered Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. Both crimes separately should have been sentenced to death according to the Mosaic Law. David humbled himself and asked for forgiveness for his sins. He received mercy.

The same must be done by us after falling into sin, if we want to enter the glory of heaven! Let's aim for humility and a mind that respects our neighbors!

The only bragging topic recommended for us

We are given another reason to boast in addition to the apostle Paul boasting about his weakness. This topic of boasting is mentioned in the OT and NT. I quote it from the OT where it is written in more detail.

Jer. 9:23-24
>>23 The YHWH says,"Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich. 24 If people want to boast, they should boast about this: They should boast that they understand and know me. They should boast that they know and understand that I, the YHWH, act out of faithfulness, fairness, and justice in the earth and that I desire people to do these things," says the YHWH.<<

Can we please Yehowah Elohim?

Of course, we can and should strive to please him in everything. After all, we just read from the previous passage in the OT, which is also repeated in the NT, that the right object of boasting is YHWH and he delights in those who boast about him. So we can please Yehowah Elohim and we are called to seek his favor, honor, give thanks, praise and worship him throughout the eternities!


Songs suitable for the topic

He Is Jehovah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDwMLe3TGf4

Sing to the Lord All the Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFjIcf3utnM

I will celebrate and Sing unto the Lord a new song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsuEqzqDAtc

Reflections on Shabat! The 18th August 2023

  Paradise is the place from which our ancestors were banished because of their disobedience and where people have longed to get back from this sin-corrupted world. Deep longing and the desire to get there have been people's constant travel companions.


The Rapture of the elect will take place even before Adonai Yeshua's return to earth

That's why we study today the differences shown in the Bible between the Rapture of the elect, i.e. the taking to heaven, and Adonai Yeshua's coming to earth.

Obs. Before you start reading this Bible study below, it is worth noting that there is at least two factual error and an assumption error. The factual error is the claim that when Yeshua began his preaching work, almost 40 years had passed in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple. The correct number of years is 46 years.

Another factual error is to claim that Israel gained control of all of Jerusalem in 1967, because the holiest area of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, is still under the control of Muslims, because they claim, without documented evidence, that Mohammed ascended from there on his horse to heaven and the Mosque of the Rock was built in its area.

That area of the Temple Mount, where Solomon's Temple was located, was left under the control of the Muslims in the signed peace agreement, so that the world's (now in 2017) approximately 1.6 billion Muslims would not continue the war against Israel for this reason.

Because of this, the most holy area of Jerusalem is still being trampled by the Gentiles! How long, only time will tell. I see here the imprint of the Almighty's finger, for without the Temple there is no permission to offer animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant on the holy Temple Mount. The almighty prevents animal sacrifices as if through Muslims!

The assumption error is that the Rapture of the chosen ones should take place when the biblical average human age of 80 years is added to the year when Israel gained independence, i.e. 1948. The sum then becomes 2028. This is not stated in the prophecy. (Sure, it might happen, but not necessarily.)

Regarding the signs of the second coming of Adonai Yeshua in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), he specifically said the following (Matthew 24:34): "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place."

- The opinion, that 80 years is the age of a human lifespan, is biblical, but the prophecy in question will also come true if someone's live to be 110 years and had seen one of those prophecies happen when he was born.

Jack Kelly may have fixed those errors in his update below after I translated his treatise several years ago. The reader himself notices if that has happened.

Please read the 7-part, detailed study on the subject at the following link:
(Obs. you can continue from part 1 to all 7 parts in order to the end)
https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/the-end-times-according-to-jesus-part-1/


Songs suitable for the topic

I'm But A Stranger Here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKnvQ4xfsPU

The Stranger of Galilee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztsgE4Z4yYU

Are You Ready For The Call

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLcJjrgs0gE

Reflections on Shabat! The 11th August 2023

WHY IS THE POSITION OF WOMEN IN THE WORLD SO BAD TODAY?

Let's think together about what factors led the female sex to a subordinate position to the man and what misery it has led women to. It all started when our first mother Eve took the fruit of the forbidden tree and gave it to Adam to eat as well.

Unfortunately, as a result, men have mercilessly taken advantage of women's subordinate position and made women's lives so miserable that many of them do not even want to live. The same fate has also befallen girls whose genitals are mutilated so that adult men can have better sexual pleasure during intercourse, and girls are often married to old men at an age when they are still playing with dolls.

Many widespread religions, such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, have degraded women even to the level of animal rights and deprived them of most of their rights, which in Western countries is considered a gross exploitation of human rights, and not for nothing.

In Afghanistan, for example, women are not allowed to study or walk the streets alone. In addition, they must wear a hijab, i.e. a black robe that covers the whole body, except for the eyes. They are considered completely the property of men without the right of ownership and the possibility or right of divorce. If for one reason or another they are walking alone on the street, they can be gang-raped without any punishment for the rapists.

But women in India are treated even worse than Muslims. According to a 2018 study commissioned by the Reuters Foundation, India is the most dangerous country in the world for women. 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-women-dangerous-poll-exclusive-idUSKBN1JM01X


THE ROOT CAUSE OF GLOBAL OPPRESSION OF WOMEN IS THIS: 

The woman's seed, not the man's seed and offspring, but woman's seed and offspring: named Yeshua HaMashiach, was tested by Satan in many temptations about 2000 years ago. Yeshua overcame all those temptations, suffered for all mankind and atoned for our sins. By dying sinless on Calvary's cross for us sinners, he stripped the Devil and his allies of all the weapons with which they had been able to hold all mankind hostage from the beginning, for millennia.

Devil (i.e. Satan) always appealed to the fact that before the fall of our ancestors, YHWH had told Adam and Eve that if they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree in Paradise, they would die. It was this word of YHWH that prevented people from getting eternal life and the Devil, or Satan, was able to accuse all people day and night in front of YHWH's throne, cherubim and angels, claiming that YHWH cannot change his words, because otherwise he would be contradicting himself and would be a liar.

However, YHWH loved humanity enormously and created a salvation plan, as a result of which his firstborn son Yeshua HaMashiach, who had already lived since eternity, was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary of the nation of Israel, a member of the tribe of Judah, and was born as a human being. When this seed of a Jewish woman was able to defeat Satan, who is thousands of times wiser than humans, and he was defeated before the eyes of his own angels and other angels, it was the worst possible and most shocking humiliation and loss of prestige for Satan! He was overcome with blind rage!

Satan thought that he had overcome the Messiah Yeshua then when Yeshua died on the cross of Calvary, but three days later on the morning of our Savior's resurrection was Satan's final fate sealed! Satan lost all his weapons against humanity and can therefore be brought to judgment for all the bloodshed that has befallen mankind, without YHWH losing the right to save the people he wants through his vicarious sacrifice. Satan will be condemned to Hell, which has been prepared for him and his angels!

YHWH Elohim's love for humanity was much deeper than Satan could imagine, because our heavenly Father suffered immeasurably while watching the infinitely painful death of his most beloved, his own Son. Yeshua hung for 6 hours stripped naked and very painfully nailed to the cross, brutally beaten and bleeding until he knew the sins of the world were atoned for before the Father. At that moment Adonai Yeshua said, "It is fulfilled!" - and gave his life into Father's hand.

We may wonder why YHWH Elohim did such an extreme act for us, sacrificing His own Son? The answer is simple but also very difficult to understand: No one forced him to do it, but his unfathomable love for humanity demanded that we, as a whole humanity, would not be forever separated from him and'll suffer pains forever in Hell!

John 3:16 "For Elohim so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

- - -

Since Satan now knows that his time in the world is very limited, he has directed his greatest anger against the female sex, especially against Israeli women, and it culminates, according to the prophet Zechariah, in the fact that in the end times, so that the number of Satan's sins for eternal damnation in hell would be filled, Satan will be allowed to gather all the Gentile nations against Jerusalem. The women there will be raped and half of its inhabitants will be forced into exile! (Zech. 14:2).

Also according to the prophet Hosea: "Samaria will suffer because she has rebelled against her Elohim: they will fall by the sword, their little children will be crushed, and their pregnant wives will be torn in pieces." (Hosea 14:1). This is the kind of destruction Satan will cause especially to Israeli women in the near future. So, of all the women on earth, it is the Israeli women who will be the target of Satan's anger the most!

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP ALL OF THE OPPRESSED WOMAN? 

Our most important weapon to help them is prayer in the Holy Spirit and let's especially remember women of Israeli background because of the aforementioned two prophecies! 

Since the traditions of several religions are thousands of years old, the work of enlightenment is also extensive and time-consuming. In my opinion, spreading the Apostolic Christian Faith works best here, because only Judaism and specially the Apostolic Christian Faith doctrinally give the female gender the freedom to study, to walk out alone freely, to marry or not to marry, to own the riches she has acquired and to choose a place of residence according to their possibilities and wishes.

Even though the position of women in these two religions is to some extent subordinate to the male sex, due to the fall into sin, they are treated in general, especially in the Apostolic Christian Faith, in the same way as the physically weaker gender should be treated and women aren't required to join the army for military training. It's completely voluntary, and girls are not considered inferior or less valuable than boys.

That all is already evident from the lower part of the text in the attached image. In Finland, girls do better than boys in higher educational institutions, mostly due to the fact that they develop mentally about a year earlier than boys, but both genders start their studies at the same age. In order to correct that imbalance, boys should start their studies a year later than girls.

Of course, the greatest benefit of global evangelization is that through it, both genders are given a chance for soul salvation and they are enabled to enter eternal life in the eternal Kingdom, in the glory of heaven. Its value is infinitely greater than any earthly equality, justice, freedom, success and wealth!

LET US FAITHFULLY SUPPORT REAL CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WORK!

We Christians have different views, depending on our family backgrounds and living conditions, about who and which organizations we think are doing best missionary work both doctrinally and practically. Therefore, let's choose the organizations we think are the best for our support and let's support them faithfully with prayers and, if possible, with our funds. I strong recommend supporting many different organizations at the same time!

It is very valuable if we ourselves are able to go on a mission and spread the Good News of Salvation, even if only for a short time, but for longer-term service on the mission field, not only a general mission command is enough, but also a personal invitation given by Adonai Yeshua through the Holy Spirit, otherwise we may fail.

SONGS RELATING TO THE SUBJECT

Bless the Lord O my soul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7utzmfkQmJA

You Are My All in All

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMauMg3-wN0

How Lovely on the Mountains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n82_H4yabC4

Reflections on Shabat! The 4th August 2023

 

The salvation of the soul was based on faith in the Old Law Covenant era. Similarly, it is also based on faith during the New Covenant. Therefore, we can receive the seal of the Holy Spirit only through faith. So he does not come to a person automatically in infant baptism or even in the baptism of believers in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, but the human heart must first be cleansed with the holy blood of the slain Lamb (Yeshua the Messiah) through faith. Then one must cleanse and sanctify oneself from all sin and wait until he comes.

In connection with receiving the Holy Spirit, everyone speaks a foreign language, and that gift of grace remains for everyone in the form that he is able to speak a foreign language at home in his own room, because Elohim does not regret his gifts of grace or his calling! More on the topic and clear explanations at the end of the thesis.

I got the inspiration for this thesis after reading a booklet by Osmo Haavisto, who has already died. The title of that booklet is Öljyn Kyllyys (Plenty of Oil). Here is Osmo's home page, which is worth reading before it is removed but unfortunately that home page is only in Finnish. Please, use Google translator: http://www.fkf.net/haavisto/ 

What is the sign of the seal or gift of the Holy Spirit?

When at the beginning of the 20th century a strong revival broke out in the USA on Azusa street, it was because the church in question really thirsted for the gift of the Holy Spirit. They prayed and fasted together. During that time they carefully read the Acts of the Apostles to find there guidance on the general sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Together they came to the conclusion that the only common and sure sign was 'the gift of speaking in Tongues' received by the first apostles and those who believed in them. After realizing that, they began to pray for that gift. After a few days they experienced a very strong outpouring of the Holy Spirit like the first apostles of Adonai Yeshua of old and began to speak in new tongues.

In 2022, there were 279 million Pentecostals in the world. The largest movement within the revival movement is the Assemblies of God . In 2022, it included 53.7 million  members worldwide and they consisted of 367,398 separate congregations.

Passages mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles

Let us examine in chronological order a total of five (5) passages mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, which mention the general sign of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit: (In all verses of our Savior I use his proper original proper names)

1.) Acts 2:4
>>And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.<<

2.) Acts 8:15-16
>>15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit: 16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Adonai Yeshua.) 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit.<<
From the other points I've made, it's obvious that Simon heard them speak with tongues.

3.) Acts 10:45-48
>>45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.

46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify Elohim. Then answered Peter,

47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.<<

4.) Acts 19:6
>>And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.<<

5.) Finally, the case of the apostle Paul: He was baptized (Acts 22:16) and later said that he spoke in tongues more than any of his contemporaries (1 Cor. 4:18). It is therefore believable that, like other chosen Israelites and believers of Gentile background, he received 'the gift of speaking with tongues' during immersion baptism.
- Acts 22:16
>>And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of Adonai.<<
- 1. Cor. 14:18
>> I thank my Elohim, I speak with tongues more than ye all.<<


Corrections to misleading interpretations

A.) Many say that the only mark of Christians is that they love one another. (John 13:35) Adonai Yeshua did not say that it is the ONLY hallmark of a Christian, but he referred that the people who are not Christians can identify Christians as real believers compared to those other. Among Christians today, there are many who are still in their first steps on the path of faith, and have not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is shockingly unfortunate that they are not even taught how to receive the seal of the Holy Spirit!

B.) Many say that not all Christians speak in foreign languages, referring to Paul's teaching (1 Cor. 12:30). They do not take into account that that mention is given only to the speaking of a foreign language in connection with the meeting of the saints and means that not all Christians speak with tongues in the congregation! There are three different types of speaking a foreign language as a gift:

1.) A Christian speaks a foreign language in such a way that he prophesies in a known language, which he himself most often does not understand, but the listeners do (see above Acts 2:4).

2.) A Christian prays speaking a foreign language, building his inner being, and no one understands him, because he speaks secrets in the Spirit. (1. Cor. 14:2)
>> For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto Elohim: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries.<<

3.) A Christian speaks a foreign language to everyone in the congregation, in which case either he or someone else who has the 'gift of interpreting tongues' must translate the message of the Spirit into the parishioners' own mother tongue. (1. Cor.  14:5)
>> I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.<< Even from this context, it is clear that it is about speaking in tongues in the congregation in the hearing of others, and therefore not about whether a Christian should speak a foreign language at home, in solitude.

Note: The natural ability to study and learn to speak new languages is not related to this in any way.

I am an experienced expert on this subject, as I have worked in different contexts in all three different ways.

 
How important is the gift to speak with tongues?

I think the next point seals the fact that it is even necessary for every Christian, at least in solitude, even daily to speak with tongues, in order to remain filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to serve the Savior! (1 Cor. 14:4)
>>He that speaks with tongues edifies himself; but he that prophesies edifies the congregation.<<

If you do not yet have this gift of speaking in a foreign language, i.e. you do not speak with tongues, then ask and seek it with all your heart's desire. So ask just for that gift through which the Holy Spirit will testify together with your spirit that you have been sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit to be saved!

 
Finally, songs suitable for the topic

Come Holy Spirit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Zp9AF1MMs

The Comforter Has Come 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puMEOnyYclk

Holy Spirit Living Breath of God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7yG5WUDI3c