The Resurrection & the GREAT SIGN

THE REDEMPTIVE SIGN OF OUR TIME

HIS Mighty Love & Amazing Grace on Resurrection Day: He is the RESURRECTION & THE LIFE.  YES, He can be Your Life– Transforming your every thought, dream, hope, fear and purpose.

This year my Resurrection letter will help you understand the Great Sign of Revelation 12 and its connection to the Cross and to us today. It will help you understand why we are under “invisible” attacks and how the book Cosmic Crossroad Countdown: The Fig Tree and Prophetic Generation reveals evidence to show the GREAT Sign is indeed about the present and the future and not just the past as all the prophecy teachings are saying. Why has the Great Sign been such an enigma and why is it located in the middle of the only book in the Bible that promises blessings to anyone who reads, shares it and understands it.

Know that at the time of the sign there was a smokescreen of falsehoods and conspiracy theories that either Planet X or Nibiru was going to crash into our planet. Ironically these obvious lies (which a lot of people believed) give more credence to the veracity of the Great Sign and underscores the fact that this sign was indeed from God.  Satan always tries to counterfeit or block God’s message. Each of us must understand that there are REAL forces, unseen forces, that oppose everything God does. For instance, when a major ministry built the Hope Complex in Plano, what went up next door?  A huge Mosque Complex was erected.  As you read this post you will see that the Sign happened as Revelation 12 promised, but with even more fanfare and evidence of God’s hand guiding it.  This Sign has many layers to it as you will see in this essay.  

Here is the Great Sign of Revelation 12: The Woman and the Dragon:

. And there appeared a great sign 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.

The Sign of Revelation 12 is not just about the past as most pastors teach. It is true that it refers to the past at 3 levels, but THIS DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT IT is primarily about the present and the future. This prophetic sign directly connects to Genesis 3:15. Here God speaks to the serpent while Eve is standing nearby, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” This was partially fulfilled at the Cross when Satan “bruised the heel of Jesus Christ” but the second part, the “crushing of the head of the seed of the Serpent,” has not yet happened. Satan’s days were numbered, and he was defeated but not crushed.  IN First Peter Satan is called a roaring lion which implies that his head or body is not crushed.  Note that because it deals with the present–we see the “red dragon” now and to understand it go to the end of this thesis.

At the Cross Jesus paid the price for our sins, but He did not crush the head of Satan nor his demons because the plan was not yet complete. Satan will be totally defeated after Jesus returns in His 2nd Coming. The 2nd way this especially important prophecy connects to the past is to the family of Jacob. This references Joseph’s dream of 11 stars that bow down to him. Some say that he is the twelfth star and thus the constellation Virgo represents Rachel and the constellation Leo is Jacob. Again, this is NOT the focus of the sign, but is part of the foundation to let the reader know that it includes both Israel and the Church. A Sign on the road is anchored to the ground (the past) but it tells you about something to come; the Sign points to the Future NOT the Past!  A 3rd connection is to the birth of Jesus Christ, Herod the Great, and the family fleeing to Egypt. These connections to the past support the message as they are unfolded in the present with a special prophetic completion in the near or distant FUTURE.  So, I ask you why do 99% of the prophetic speakers & pastors refer to this sign as connected to the PAST only?

The ancient Egyptians believed that the sun, moon, and stars in a certain pattern provided a pathway to the supernatural and to the “Field of Reeds” where Osiris ruled. This path was embodied by the great Sphinx built in 2500 BC, which had the body of a lion and the head of a woman (the Virgin of Virgo). Like all the ancient civilizations they had knowledge from Seth, Noah and the early elders who passed on the message of the Creation story and the Promise given by God himself. This message was written in the heavenly lights and given to Adam and Eve. The story was told through the constellations and was then passed on from one generation to another.  The message begins with Virgo or Eve and ends with the defeat and destruction of the red dragon by the Conqueror or Leo the Lion of Judah.  From the Bible we learn that Leo the Lion of Judah is Jesus Christ 

The Sign of Revelation 12 involves both Virgo and Leo along with the Sun, Moon, and 4 important planets. The planets are Jupiter which spends over 9 months in the womb of Virgo, Venus which forms a conjunction with Jupiter and enters the womb but stays only a short time. It then links up with both Mars and Mercury and forms a direct line with the star Regulus (which means Royalty and is the “heart” of Leo the Lion). Here you have all the characterizations of Jesus Christ: Venus the morning Star represents the Priesthood, Mercury depicts Him as the Word or messenger, and Mars as the Perfect Man.  These planets and star are aligned in a perfect line which is more than amazing. It is important to note that the main star in Virgo is Spica which means SEED and it is also in a general alignment with those 4 other heavenly lights.  Jupiter represents the authority and power of Jesus Christ which He gave to the church.  NOTE that the important KEY heavenly lights are now all in one place at one moment in time.  And REMEMBER that it was a similar star and planet array that led the “Kings from the East” to travel across nations to deliver gold, myrrh, and frankincense to a “King” they knew little about. 

Why the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus?  These two planets represent the Authority of God declaring Jesus Christ as The High Priest who would pay for our sins.  The length of time from the beginning of the conjunction to the Day of Atonement is exactly 400 days.  Is God telling us that His Full Power and Authority to transform or save mankind through Redemption is being displayed in the stars and planets?  Only Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest, could pay our debt eternally.  Jesus said, “It is Finished.”  He paid our Sin Debt in Full.  God has passed this authority and power on to the Church through the Holy Spirit and that is why Jupiter awaits in the “womb” to be raptured or taken away before the Red Dragon.

It is no coincidence that this sign appears in the same Chapter as the verse that portrays the Dragon’s demise: v. 11, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony….v.13, And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child….v. 17, And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” At first glance the woman is Israel, but she is the Jewish remnant only, or those Jews who trust in Jesus Christ. So, there is much more to this Sign than what the past presents. And who really is the child? The passage states that the child is “raptured” or taken away. Jesus Christ was NOT taken away. He was Resurrected. He is the Resurrection and the Life who saves those that follow HIM.

We the church are raptured. So, the child is NOT just Jesus Christ even though the reference does picture the birth. At Present the Church is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the Church. So, the Sign pictures the Church being birthed in the sight of the Red Dragon which desires to destroy it. This happened when the early church was formed and continues til now and into the future. Satan is doing all he can to prosecute, persecute and destroy the Church. He did not & will not have any power or control over Jesus Christ. Note that from the beginning of creation when God spoke to him in the Garden of Eden, Satan was defeated. From God’s timeless perspective the moment God spoke to him Satan was crushed.  Likewise, Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah was declared eternally Triumphant in that same conversation.  

So, what is the Sign Saying? It embodies Israel, the saved remnant, the Church, Jesus Christ and the Red Dragon or Satan. Cosmic Crossroad Countdown goes into detail explaining why the SIGN is not what people think. It was not a Sign to be seen like the Bethlehem Star.  That amazing Sign represented and pointed to His Birth.  But this Great Sign points to His Message and Promise.  It is both a Blessing and a Warning of things to come. It is like a RED LIGHT telling us to stop & contemplate our situation, repent and then move with renewed confidence in the right direction! It does point to the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, the persecution of the church, and the rapture. In one way it is like a portal into Past, Present and Future all at once reminding us that God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Church are in a struggle against evil, but through the death & Resurrection of Jesus Christ, have won the war from the beginning of time.

God wants the world to know that there is a blessing in understanding the book of Revelation and the Great Sign. Evil cannot win and Revelation is the only book that starts and ends with this unique promise of blessings;  right in the center of it all is the Great Sign with its special Promise for all those who unwind the truth or who are willing to listen. The 3rd verse of Revelation states, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy….” To hear means more than just letting the words fly past your head.  It is a Very Important word in Hebrew. It means “Shema” and the one phrase Jews were taught to repeat throughout the ages is the “Great Shema.” Shema implies that we respond to what we hear and obey! That may be why the book of Hebrews states, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” God wants us to know and respond to the Great Sign. For the Great Sign explains who Jesus Christ is and how He defeats the Serpent.  We will also see that He is the Promised seed of Abraham & David who will bless the earth and all its inhabitants.

There is another angle to the Sign. It is connected to the Jubilee 50-year period which ended 7 days after the Great Sign of 2017. The Jubilee was especially important as it marked a time in Jewish history for which all land was to be returned to the original owner and debts were to be forgiven.  This only happened every 50 years. It ended on Sept. 29-30 or the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the yearly Day of National Repentance.   So, the Sign is linked to this time of giving up, surrender, and return of what belongs to God.  This special Jubilee connects to the Jubilee of 1967 when Jerusalem was reclaimed by Israel.  And prior to it connects to the Jubilee of 1917 when the Ottoman Empire was defeated, and the Balfour Agreement stated Israel’s right of return.  God’s footprint is clearly all over history.  The book illustrates this in both words and in easy to understand diagrams.

In Jewish tradition the next few days would mark New Beginnings and the ingathering of Family, thoughts, promises and implements to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This was and still is a special time to tabernacle with God under the stars – to remind us that God desires that we find time to be with Him to celebrate His provision and His creation including the message in the heavenly lights. The Great Sign is thus linked to this whole period of introspection and celebration. And since it falls in the middle of the Feast of Trumpets, this Great Sign could be described as the Trumpet call to visit one’s sins, to seek forgiveness, and know God in repentance and obedience before it is too late.

The Feast of Trumpets and a 40-day period prior to Yom Kippur called Teshuva had been a call to return to God, a call to remembrance, confession, and repentance.  Teshuva included the epic American solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, which in my heart forewarned of storms to hit America as stated in the book. God put this warning in my heart early in June of that year and we rushed to put the book out, but a major misprint on the first page that placed a large capital Z next to the name of Jesus forced us to reprint (it looked like a sabotage).  Also, one extremely late evening as I was finishing out a key chapter the number 666 came up in blue right in the center of the screen. I cut out the paragraph and made a copy saving the document from the virus. Weeks after the Solar Eclipse we had 3 major hurricanes, one here in Texas that devastated the coast and Houston, one in Florida that amazingly turned landward near Ft. Meyers and headed towards my brother’s little house yet it did not even knock out his electricity.  Dade city nearby was struck and lost all its power!

The 3rd hurricane hit Puerto Rico.  All these storms were part of the warning signs connected to the Solar Eclipse.  They were a call for America to repent.  Many other significant stellar and lunar events were also connected to this period including the 4 Blood moons of 2014-2015. As mentioned earlier the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus which entered the “womb of Virgo” to begin the Sign happened exactly 400 days prior to the Day of Atonement. Everything was falling into place, at a Very Significant Time for a Very Important Great Sign from God that was aimed at a sleeping world and complacent church.  And like the Pharisees of old, a mostly myopic church leadership did not see the sign, nor did it care that God was going to give a Sign.  Jesus warned about this when he said, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red;’ and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” Matt. 16:2-3

It is no coincidence that this GREAT Sign appears right in the middle of the book of Revelation right before the “beast rises from the sea.” Thus, it may portend or foreshadow the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week of “Time, Times, Half-Time.” Jesus warns us in Matt. 24, that many false Christs will come in His Name, that wars and rumors of wars will occur, and that there will be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places.  Satan offers a false light with false desires and thinking that subjugates billions to darkness and to the lies of a world system. Does this Sign warn us of an increase in number and intensity of these invisible attacks that are aimed at the hearts and minds of both believer and non-believer?  Is God trying to warn the church?  Will this Sign be like a Pandora’s Box of evil and Satanic attack which will increase in intensity?  Will it be a time of rebellion where men’s hearts turn against God with greater ferocity? Will we see earthquakes and volcanic activity of increasing intensity in diverse places?  This is what Jesus called, “The beginning of sorrows or the birth pains.”

Cosmic Crossroad Countdown states the Sign will usher in many New Beginnings most of which will affect the world as has the Coronavirus. There will be sadness, but during this will come hope and changes that give people a 2nd chance and an opportunity to repent.  Presently we are seeing a worldwide persecution of Christians which has increased in intensity since the Sign.  There is a new intensity in the world-wide attack on the family, the moral and spiritual nature of man and the natural order of mankind (the rebellion of Romans Chapter one). This attack is against God’s natural order that preserves men as men and women as women, the unity and integrity of the Church, the Truth as a embodied by Jesus Christ & the Word, the innocence of babies, and the Power, Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit.  This is an invisible attack on the heart and minds of each child and adult.  It is a dark spiritual shadow and therefore a foreshadowing of the “Great Judgment to Come in during the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  Unlike Zechariah’s four chariots these four horses will move quickly bringing severe judgment to the entire earth. 

Chariots on the other hand, move slower and with a great tension between horses and wheels spreading both noise and fear. Fear and rumbling tend to make us look up to God.  These chariots will appear first and may already be on the move. They also represent both time and authority, a forewarning that time has come for God to begin His Preparation for purification of the earth.  The number 400 signifies God’s Holy Preparation and Purification.  For 400 years God purified the land of Israel under the Ottoman Empire prior to nation building and for 400 years He prepared the Kings of Israel and the nation for captivity.  For 400 years God kept his people under Egyptian captivity before deliverance. 

After the Blood moons and beginning with the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, God allowed ISIS to scourge the earth for 400 days.  The fact is the destruction of the Palmyra Gate of Baal Worship happened right at this time in late August of 2016.  Jupiter and Venus joined and made their move across the heavens to reside in the womb of Virgo.  Then America’s Great Solar Eclipse happened, and Teshuva began (a time of repentance to make changes).  Thus, began the last 40 days which would end at the Day of Atonement.  All this concluded God’s 50-year appointed time of Restoration and the Purification, the Last Jubilee which ended at Rosh Hashanah (the day before the Great Sign appeared).  This would be the most unique Jubilee of all.  It would also usher in God’s appointment of Trump who would restore Jerusalem to its original owner, Israel. The legal status of God’s city Jerusalem would be certified by the world system.

The character of the Dragon is linked to the worship of both the creature and the world’s idols.  He demands a sacrifice of the innocent.  Under his directive millions of babies have been killed.  To blind the masses, he has also established a work-based Babylonian religion that has persisted through the ages.  Note that Satan may not be interested in war at this time because he wins more souls to his side under prosperity and complacency.

In His Mercy, God is presently warning those who follow the Dragon. He is testing the nations, the institutions, the family, and individuals with bitter waters to forewarn them of what is to come.  This “shadow” will give people time to contemplate the condition of their mind, soul and spirit, allowing them an opportunity to change course and make righteous choices.  

Another facet of the dragon connects it to the Red Dragon of China and the 10 Headed Dragon of a future One-World Government and the pursuit of Globalism.  Globalism and its one-world religion will oppose the church and the Truth of God.  God has chosen Trump to fight this threat and to halt the authority and growth of this dragon, to reverse the abortion pro-Islamic actions of the Obama Administration, appoint God-fearing judges, to put a halt to the Prince of Persia (Iran) and to institutionalize Israel’s Legal Right over Jerusalem and the land of Israel.  Upon mighty chariots this righteous message is being carried to the four corners of the earth.  And like horse-drawn chariots there will be increased tension at every corner of this planet.  The chariots of Zechariah are going forth two to the northern hemisphere and one south with one waiting near the Holy City.  Read The Paradigm to understand the connection between the King Jehu, the rumbling tension of the chariots, and the appointed election of Donald Trump over America. 

The unique nature of the Great Sign is that it was impossible to see with naked eyes because the second the Sun appears on her shoulder the viewer is blinded by the sun’s rays. You are NOT able to see the stars nor the moon.  But astronomers knew it occurred and God knew that we would have these modern-day astronomers to let us know the position of the sun, moon, planets and stars.  So, I ask you, “Why does God say, ‘And there appeared a Great Sign,’ if that sign is not visible to the eye?”  This could be the KEY to the divine message. What else do we know that exists and is invisible or not visible to the human eye?  YES, the supernatural, the wind and bacteria or viruses.  The Sign could be warning us or preparing us for an invisible attack or series of events such as a pestilence, windstorms or earthquakes. This includes attacks by Satan and his demons who are “invisible,” plagues and the terrors that come by night.

The virus is killing an older prime generation that has run Europe for the last 50 years.  These are the people that learned the lessons of WWII and are influencing governments and economies.  Is another stronger wave of the virus coming in the late summer and Fall as it did with the Spanish influenza? Upon the ashes of this viral scourge will the Anti-Christ rise-up like a Phoenix?  Will he win the hearts of the new generation-X and the Millennials who lean towards tolerance and a blend of Babylonian beliefs, environmentalism, creature worship, idol worship, end-of-the-world fears, abortion, and the celebration of immorality?  He and his minions will rewrite history, up-root morality, and establish many false religions with false Christs, imposing a rule by persecution and unadulterated freedoms.  Will the Red Dragon of Revelation 12, be worshiped and exalted by China, Russia, and all of Europe? It seems as if the spirit of the anti-Christ has already impregnated the hearts of many of their leaders.  Satan is presently stirring up certain nations more than others and preparing for the rise of this charismatic Anti-Christ. Ironically, this “novel virus” is impeding the world system and may be impeding Iran’s nuclear bomb.

Part of the reason for the persecution of Jews may be that God is trying to motivate them to flee from the comfort and temptations in those very nations. Many like Weinstein, Epstein, Sanders, and Hefner never practiced the faith they were born into and have been enemies of God and the innocent. Like Vladimir Lenin, Trotsky and other notorious Jews they forsook Almighty God.  Those that still live will meet a dark end if they do not repent.  Does God feel the need to act soon to save souls before evil men do more harm than good?  Will He use elder Jews and the old guard leadership to quickly move Jews out of Europe and America to Israel? 

The pumping of 8-15 trillion dollars of debt could begin a world-wide recession mixed with inflation.  Some say a depression is on its way. Hitler showed that the most effective way to control a population is through economic collapse.  AS it spreads through both Europe and the U.S., panic may set in leading to a break-up of cherished institutions.  The EU was already in deep trouble before the virus hit and now that Britain is out and both Spain and Italy are crippled, pressures could intensify.  The U.S. may soon be viewed as a major threat whereas China may be perceived as a white knight.  We have already seen how China has manipulated our Big Alphabet Media.  Was this China’s plan all along?  More economic challenges related to disasters are ahead of us.  This is part of the tension related to the chariots.

At present we are seeing the closure of casinos, game-parlors, theme parks, sports stadiums, music and theatric halls, movie theaters, betting events, the martial and fighting arts.  The temples of idol worship are closed but so are the churches.  The economy awaits a new beginning to revive the country, but will it succeed? Israel is in a lock down and tourism is dead.  Is all this part of what Jesus said would be the Sign of the Time related to the Fig Tree?

The book, Cosmic Crossroad Countdown explains why and how the Fig Tree represents the modern nation of Israel.  Jesus states, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” Does this refer to revival of the ancient Hebrew language, a once dead language? Or does this relate to the recent virus induced shutdown of the economy in Israel or to the stalemate in the leadership? Israel had 3 major elections in the span of about a year. Is it just a coincidence that New York City which has the largest concentration of Jews outside of Israel and harbors the U.N. has the distinction of owning the worst contagion of the virus in the world? To help you answer these enigmatic questions I wrote the book titled Cosmic Crossroad Countdown: The Fig Tree & the Prophetic Generation. 

In Matthew 24, Jesus continues, “So, you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-at the doors!”   Now 3 years later, have those doors been opened? Is this contagion part of the pestilence that Jesus warns us about? During this contagion are we seeing God working to strengthen and invigorate the nation? There is “amazing grace” as heroic first responders and others successfully fight this invisible attack.  Is it more than a coincidence that this virus has the title “Corona” which means crown inferring that it is like a “king” of its realm?  Is God using this virus to test the church, our nation, and the world?  Read other posts and essays here at ToGodBtheGlory.org or at the Facebook page SOS or the page Cosmic Crossroad to understand the key to the Fig Tree and what the Prophetic Generation is. 

The Great Sign is also a warning telling us to break away from the Anti-Christ spirit controlling nations and aiding enemy powers such as, the Dragon-like, China which has gained economic dominance at our expense. The Chinese are masters at drone warfare.  The use of drones for germ warfare could be the next form of attack.  China may be watching to see how this virus affects our defenses and our economy.  Was SARS & other germ accidents trial runs? And now that the enemy attack has begun, is our Generation, one born at the start of the formation of the Nation of Israel in 1948, a parallel to the Prophetic Generation that both Daniel and Jeremiah belonged to?  That generation saw many new beginnings and was part of Jeremiah’s 70-year prophecy which motivated the Jewish people to return to rebuild Jerusalem.  Is the “Wheel of Time” about to repeat itself?

Will we see a captivity and destruction that Daniel and Jeremiah saw, or will there be a revival in the world that will save God’s remnant in remote places? Could this captivity be of a spiritual kind where our nation falls into gross materialism and idolatry?  Will there be another pandemic following this one with a death rate closer to 135,000?  Why is God in Heaven keeping count of numbers of new Saints & Martyrs?  Will the rapture begin as soon as the number is fulfilled?  Surely with such high casualty rates we are approaching this vanishing point.  So, keep praying and meditating in God’s Word seeking Truth that will redeem your time and thoughts.  The Great Sign has announced that the stage is ready and that the last “wheel in time” has begun. 

God works in both physical and spiritual trials to bring us together and closer to Him.  We saw this with a tiny virus that can kill or weaken the physical but in a deeper sense can suck the air out of your space magnifying fear, hopelessness, and loneliness?  It can make that hole in our lives bigger.  He wants us to know that only He can fill it.  He calls for us to open our eyes and heart to the simple truth that He is real and loves you: for more help you can also go to Facebook pages “SOS” Save our Souls, or Cosmic Crossroad Countdown or to the website .   There you will learn about the “Wheels of Time” and in my 2nd book Dentistry Xposed you will learn how to avoid lies, scams and myths.

People are stepping up in many amazing ways to beat the virus and the lie: whiskey companies are making hand-sanitizer, car companies are making ventilators,  hospitals are being erected throughout the country, and some media outlets are exposing the spirit of the anti-Christ in deep state lies that do no one any good.   Since the Big Alphabet stations of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC have become propaganda machines, the truth must be spread by word of mouth and on social channels. Would it not be great if we finally overcome all of this in less than 400 days? 

As a doctor who has been blessed by God after having suffered under the darkness of fear and powers of the principalities of evil, I am grateful for the opportunity to help others.  On the mission field in remote areas where Indigenous Indians have struggled to survive, the Lord showed each of us His power in healing, transforming, and protecting us and those in great need.   In the comfort of our nation it is easy to lose God’s perspective as we pursue wealth and prestige as professionals and as businesses.  

Now I feel like a lone voice calling in the wilderness and unfortunately few of those who control pulpits and the media are willing to listen. These entrenched leaders are more focused on reputations, budgets, and their own popularity.  But God wants our attention. Note that there have recently been 3 deadly tornadoes throughout America that have hit at night causing massive destruction and death.  Are these invisible windstorms another warning?  If you want to read more about the mission to protect your health, save money, and inspire ideas, read the book Dentistry Xposed: Protecting You, Your Smile (JOY), and your Wallet.  Profits will go to fight the battle and help those in need.

Psalm 91, written by Moses is one of the most beautiful Psalms and one that comforts the heart concerning unexpected and unseen trials.  The word “pestilence” is used 3 times and the “terror that comes a night” is also unseen. By the way in the movie The Ten Commandments pestilence is also spoken of 3 times as it sweeps the land in the form of the Angel of Death killing the eldest male of each family.  Is Covid-19 killing primarily the eldest males?  Many people cannot sleep because of the fears, thoughts, and anxiety that meets them at bedtime.  God, however, reminds us, if we abide in Him, His shadow will cover us and we can say, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my GOD in Him I will trust.”  In Psalm 91, God promises, “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,” and He then reminds us that we shall not be afraid of “the arrow that comes by day, nor the pestilence that walks in darkness.”  Words that the world throws at us cannot defeat those who rest in Him, nor can the darkly conceived pestilence eternally kill Saints.  “FOR HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU, TO KEEP YOU IN ALL YOUR WAYS.” 

Good news is that science is showing that millions more people have had the Coronavirus than previously recorded. This indicates a natural or herd immunity that lowers the death rate tremendously. There is another study that is showing that sheltering in place may actually do more harm than good by weakening people’s immunity and increasing the spread of the virus to those who otherwise would not be so extensively exposed. Outdoor fresh air and Light helps to heal and protect the body from viruses. So will we turn the corner on time? Will we let the LIGHT change us before it is too late. If not more judgment is due in short time. Again it will be unexpected, unseen and targeted for the sake of the innocent and to convey a message for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

One powerful statement that God made here in Dallas was a destructive tornado which wiped out over 13 miles of suburban Dallas in the middle of the night yet did not kill nor seriously harm anyone.   God completes Psalm 91 with a Gospel promise, “because you have set your love upon me, I will deliver you; I will set you on high, because you know MY NAME.  You shall call upon Me, and I will answer you; I will be with you in trouble; I will deliver you and honor you; with a long life I will satisfy you, and will show you My Salvation.”   Jesus Christ is our Life and Salvation.  Paul the Apostle promises, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  “For God so Loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting Life,” John 3:16.  Jesus states, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses,” Mark 11:25.   We are to be Givers and Forgivers,  In His Mighty Love & Amazing Grace,  Amen.

The Red Dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns:  There are many interpretations of this beast which is not fully developed but does exist today.  In Revelation: he is described as rising from the sea which implies the population of the world or world system.  The 7 heads may suggest the “complete” world since 7 is a number of completion and the world does have 7 continents.  The number 10 is known as a symbol of the authority and power through governments on the Earth. It can also symbolize responsibility, law and completeness and is often used as a symbol of God’s Authority in the Bible:  the 10 Commandments, the 10 Plagues, and the 10 days in the Feast of Trumpets before the Day of Atonement.  So here Satan is counterfeiting God’s authority in controlling the world system for his use. Distinct lines are being drawn as God unleashes trials and tests on earth and as rebellion rises against God.  Read Isaiah 60, Matt. 24, and 2 Thess: 2:3.

Victory in Christ

So many people claim Christianity because they live in America, went to church, have parents that were Christians, or have the cultural experience. Unfortunately Christianity is not a club, membership, work achievement, nor award.  It is completely irrevocably different than any religion. Religion by definition is man made and implies that mankind must do something in order achieve “membership” or acceptance. The Creator of the Universe has always opposed these man designed religions as being counterfeit attempts to distort His message of Redemption.  Redemption implies what was Lost can be Regained.  The fact is “religion” was the means that Satan used to deceive man, for it required man to do something in order to find a “higher truth”. “Take a bite of this for you surely will not die”. “You will instead have knowledge of the beyond.”  That Fall had supernatural consequences that requires a supernatural solution instituted by God to reconcile and restore man back into an “eye to eye” relationship with God.
 
We do not need a religion of man-made promises, nor any man-made god. This is exactly what our adversary wants us to focus on. A true faith in God is just the opposite – it is a relationship with the God who created you and knows you and loves you more than you know. It is a free Gift. “For it is by Grace through Faith that you have been saved, it is not of works, so that no one can boast.” Just ask God by Faith and He will Answer.  “If you confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that he rose from the dead, you will be saved.”
The Christian Faith is about a position that requires possession.  The Position is “son or daughter adopted into God’s family,” or “child of God,” or “saint-priest-disciple/follower of Jesus Christ.”  Those saved are forgiven, redeemed from sin, purchased by His Blood and immune from God’s wrath.   It is a special relationship with God who created man in His image and established the concept of partnership, servant-hood, priest-hood, marriage, and family.  Having been sealed with the Holy Spirit, each saved individual should be drawn to possess a desire to know God and His message and have fellowship with one another in Worship to God.  It is like receiving a Gift that is so great and awesome one cannot stop thanking God.  One, however, cannot possess this Gift unless you ask for it and receive it by faith.
As we experience God in Life and in His Word and with others, we grow in the Fruit of the Spirit and the Armor of God.  As the relationship grows we are draw by His Awesome Love, Power, Truth, and Peace.  Many people have positional victory, yet do not possess the fruits, truths, and crowns of victory that are given to all who believe and trust in Him.  The confused or immature believer often clings to the familiar and attractive,  to his or her worldly trophies and habits.  These will hold the believer back and keep them from enjoying the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and a relationship with the Living God.  Instead of putting on the full armor of God and growing in the Fruit of the Spirit the person languishes on the desires of the flesh and is distracted by the wiles of Satan the dark forces of this world.
The believer will be lifted up and protected in the everlasting love of the Father, under the Blood of Jesus Christ, and the direction of the Spirit.  The problem arises when that person does not know how to receive the freeing Promises that God offers us.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and He will make your path straight; fear God and do not be wise in your own eyes…”  Take possession of what God wants to give you.  You are a winner.  Victors, however, must have tests and challenges.  God will use those tests to teach you to stand for Christ.  You will grow in Him and will become a victor under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Truth Sword for Life

SATAN is the accuser of the Saints.  Those who accuse the church of evil, who accuse the saints of evil, are themselves deceived and have fallen into the trap that Satan has set.  This is the trap of pride and self.    Prayer and Bible study helps the believer to grow in Christ – to see Him for who He is.  That is why Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  The burden placed on those who worship the wrong Christ is great and destructive, the fear of failure and hopelessness of performance is tiresome and blinding.

We know from the Word that God created the Perfect Universe (“And it was good”), but we also read in Colossians 1, that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Universe and holds all things together!  The only explanation is that Jesus Christ is God and that the TRINITY IS REAL- God is the Father, The Son, and the Spirit.   Man (sin initiated by Adam) disobeyed God, creating an imperfect world that over time has become more and more disobedient and evil. A perfect sacrifice was required, and therefore the Perfect Sacrifice had to be God, in the flesh.  Only God has the answer to our sin problems and to evil and the pain in the world.  That is why He died for us and put the Spirit of God in us.  All this points to the simple fact that Jesus is God and that God is a Trinity.  But remember Satan is a consummate Liar & Deceiver and will do everything to stop you from realizing the truth mentioned in the Word and explained here.

2)  If you believe in a “false Christ” as Jesus forewarned (“watch out that no one deceives you”), you will not only deceive yourself, but in the long term could condemn yourself.  That is one big reason why God took the form of man, (as Colossians says, “The fullness of God dwelt in Him”), so that we could know clearly the character and purpose of God the Father (“The Father and I are One”).  To not see Jesus Christ as co-equal to God and the Spirit of God is to not know Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  That is the difference between those who are “In Christ” and those who are pretending to know Him.   God will answer the prayers of his “sons & daughters” but not those of the impostor wolf in sheep clothing.  Gal. 4:6-7, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying ‘Abba Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”  The point is “sons” know their father.  Those who are proud of their works and success are showing the cloak of the devil and will not succeed.  “It is by Grace through faith that you are saved, IT IS NOT OF WORKS SO THAT NO ONE CAN BOAST.”

3)  “The prayer offered in FAITH will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.”  James wrote this concerning the believer in Jesus Christ.  Faith is not presumptions nor positive thinking.  Faith is trusting in what you cannot see, and being sure of what we hope for.  It is knowing and asking God for what He has promised; “not my will, but your will be done.”  Having confidence in our prayers, by faith, will give us confidence.  Not praying and therefore having NO confidence in prayer implies either a lack of faith or having faith in the wrong person.  James says, “The effective prayer of a righteous man will accomplish much.”  God also says of those who trust in the real Jesus, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.  It is obvious that to be in Christ means to know him.  And as 1John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”  Peter takes it one step further, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. And His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”  Angry people often think evil thoughts and do not know the heart of God.  That is one reason Jesus came in the form of man, so that we can understand who God really is directly from the lips , hands, and feet of God.

4)   God has either shown you great Mercy and Grace or wants to.  If you treat Him with disdain, doubt, and disobedience,  you will  face more trials and tribulations.  God will do this for your sake until you discover Truth and obedience, and until you know Him and the value the Word of God.  He desires to teach you how to pray and give Him Praise.  Despite all the pain and trials that David went through, he found peace and rest.  You may also remember that David committed adultery and had a man killed to cover it up, yet because he was sincerely repentant, God forgave Him.  The Key is to understand confession, repentance, Forgiveness, Love, and of course other Fruits of the Spirit. “For it is Not by Might, nor by Power, but by my Spirit saithe the Lord”.

5)  A Question for you:  Do you know what the first of words of Jesus were in the Bible? When you discover this Word of Truth, see if it applies to you?  Then continue to investigate the Word as it reveals greater Truth to you!

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Trying to Understand the Trinity & God

Trying to Understand The TRINITY : 1. It’s a mystery.  Should we stop trying to understand and just believe and know God?  Note that what makes Christianity True and Unique is the essence of a Loving God in 3 Persons who wants a relationship with us and hence provided Himself in the form of man in order to die for our sins ; and in the form of a Holy “Spirit” to guide, encourage, convict, and teach us.  This is a free Gift!  Outside of the Trinity God has provided the angels – which are created beings and subservient to God!

When they are pressed with tough questions about how God can be three persons or how each member of the Trinity can fully be God, some Christians resort to an unfortunate tactic. They throw up their hands and say,  “It’s a mystery!” They don’t bother to explain any of the tough questions, and sometimes they accuse people of lacking humility when those people try to accurately describe the Trinity. Isn’t trying to define the nature of the infinite and unique Trinitarian God an impossible task? Aren’t we trying to “drink up the ocean in a tea cup” by trying to fit God inside of our tiny, finite minds?
A mystery, it has been said, is not something that is unknowable; it is something that is incomprehensible. I know that pi is the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference, but I don’t comprehend, and can never comprehend, the full value of pi, since it possesses an infinite amount of numbers after its decimal point. Likewise, I can know God is all-knowing, but I can’t fully comprehend what it’s like to be all-knowing. The Church teaches that the mysteries of our faith, unlike the value of pi, are those things human beings cannot come to know through reason alone. In that sense the mysteries of the faith are not like the “mystery” of the Bermuda triangle or the “mystery” of the value of pi, both of which merely represent a gap in human knowledge that can be filled with diligent research. The mysteries of faith must be revealed to mankind in order for us to know them.

The First Vatican Council taught that while man can, by reason alone, come to know God exists, man cannot fully understand that God is a Trinity of three persons. If God had not revealed these truths to mankind, we would still be in ignorance of them, which is why they are sacred mysteries of the Faith. Also, just because we cannot fully understand something doesn’t mean that we cannot understand errors about that thing. For example, Jesus Christ is the most mysterious person who ever lived, because he was fully God and fully man (just try fully understanding what that’s like!). This is what is called the “hypostatic union” and a good example of this is when a tired Jesus fell asleep in the boat and then the storm came.  He awoke and calmly told the storm to stop!

Simply put, there is a lot about Jesus of Nazareth that is mysterious, and we can’t presume to know more (such as what Jesus looked like) than what has been revealed for us. But correcting someone who says that Jesus was a woman, or that Jesus wasn’t a Jew, does not reveal a lack of humility; it reveals a sense of fidelity to those truths about Jesus we can know through historical investigation or by what the Church has revealed to us.    Since the Trinity is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith”, we ought to stamp out errors wherever we find them. Unfortunately, these errors usually come about when believers with good intentions try to create an analogy to help nonbelievers to understand the Trinity. The problem with using analogies to explain the Trinity is that God is the most unique being in existence. In fact, many theologians will tell you it’s not quite correct to call God a being but rather he is the being, or the reason anything exists at all. Because God is so unique, any analogy we use will inevitably fall short.

While these analogies can be helpful for children, when they are pressed too far they lead to conclusions the Church has deemed heretical.

2. “The Trinity is like how a man can be a Son, a Father, and an uncle at the same time. He’s one and three at the same time, just as God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the same time.” Nope. This analogy commits the heresy of modalism. Modalism is the false belief that God is one person who has revealed himself in three forms or modes. Modalism is also called Sabellianism after Sabellius, an ancient theologian whom Pope Callixtus I excommunicated in A.D. 220. Modalists were heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, which taught that God was an ultimate one, or act of unity. While this was a big improvement over Greek polytheism that posited a pantheon of gods who fought each other, it goes too far when it denies that God can be three relationally distinct persons in one being. Returning to the bad analogy that leads to modalism, though a man may be a son, father, and uncle, he is not three persons as God is but one person who has three titles.

Another popular but false analogy is the following: The Trinity is like how water can be ice, liquid, and steam. This again commits the heresy of modalism. God does not go through three different states. The Persons of the Holy Trinity coexist; the different forms water may take cannot. Water cannot be ice, liquid, and steam at the same time. It may be between two stages such as when ice is melting, but this isn’t coexisting, it’s transforming.

Another analogy—attributed to Sabellius—that lives on today is that of the sun. The Father is the sun, while the Son and Holy Spirit are the light and heat created by the Father. But this analogy also smacks of modalism, because the star is simply present under different forms.

Or it can be seen to express Arianism, which is the heretical view that the Father is superior to the Son and Holy Spirit by being a different and “higher” divine substance than the latter two. In the sun analogy, the light and heat are passive byproducts of the sun and are not true equals in the way that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share equally and completely in the divine nature. This is what the Jehovah Witnesses believe.

Another heretical byproduct of sabellianism is patripassianism: God exists as one “mode” and merely puts on the mask or role of “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Spirit.” But this would mean that when the Son suffered on the cross, the Father also suffered on the cross (though he was wearing the mask or mode of being the son). In William Young’s popular novel “The Shack,” the Trinity is illustrated through three people. The Father is an African American woman named “Papa,” the Son is a Middle Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit is a mysterious Asian woman. At one point Papa says to the main character that at the crucifixion “he and Jesus were there together,” and Papa even has scars just like Jesus (pp. 95-96). However, the Church teaches that God is impassible and that nothing human beings do can cause God to literally suffer like us.

Jesus was capable of suffering on the cross only because he assumed a human nature and possessed a human body. Basically, the main problem with modalism is that it denies that God is three distinct persons. When the Bible states, “’Father,’ ‘Son,’ ‘Holy Spirit’ it is not simply saying names designating modalities of the divine being.  They are really distinct from one another. With modalism you are left with is a confusing monotheism where God merely pretends to be three different persons instead of actually being three different persons. Unfortunately, in order to correct this error some analogies overcompensate. This leads to our next bad analogy.

3. “The Trinity is like an egg: yoke, albumen, and shell. The three elements form one egg just as the three members of the Trinity comprise one God.”
This commits (or could at least lead one to believe it commits) the heresy of saying God is composed of three parts and that those parts make up one God. But God has no parts, as Irenaeus affirmed: “[God] is simple, not composed of parts, without structure, altogether like and equal to himself alone. He is all mind, all spirit, all thought, all intelligence, all reason . . . all light, all fountain of every good, and this is the manner in which the religious and the pious are accustomed to speak of God” (Against Arian Heresies [A.D. 189]). The key here is understanding that we don’t believe in three persons who when united become God but in three persons who possess the same divine nature. ”The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e., by nature one God”.

Five ways to explain the Holy Trinity:
It’s better that our children not fully understand who God is, than have a false understanding of him,. The closest way to “dumb it down” for kids is by 1) a simple conversation about “being”, person, and nature; and 2) a simple diagram. There are other explanations: 3) the Athanasian Creed: we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals, but one Eternal. As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, but one Uncreated, and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Spirit Almighty. And yet they are not three almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.  4) the Nician Creed: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, for our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life who has spoken through the Prophets. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. 5)  Apostles Creed: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

-some of this paper was edited from Matt Fradd’s website

God’s Trinity vs the World’s Heresy

TRINITY EXPLAINED:    Ryrie (a pillar in Christian theology) writes:
Trinity is, of course, not a biblical word. Neither are triunity, trine, trinal, subsistence, nor essence. Yet we employ them, and often helpfully, in trying to express this doctrine which is so fraught with difficulties. Furthermore, this is a doctrine which in the New Testament is not explicit even though it is often said that it is implicit in the Old and explicit in the New. But explicit means “characterized by full, clear expression,” an adjective hard to apply to this doctrine. Nevertheless, the doctrine grows out of the Scriptures, so it is a biblical teaching. Other words that do not appear in the Bible, yet are used to explain clearly defined events promised by God are “millennium” and “rapture”.

Historical Background
Though the Bible taught truth of the Triunity of God implicitly in both Old and New Testaments, the development and delineation of this doctrine was brought about by the rise of heretical groups or teachers who either denied the deity of Christ or that of the Holy Spirit. This caused the early church to formally crystallize the doctrine of the Triunity. Actually, Tertullian in 215 A.D. was the first one to state this doctrine using the term, Trinity. Concerning the struggle the early church went through, Walter Martin writes: As the New Testament was completed toward the close of the first century, the infant church was struggling for its life against old foes—persecution and doctrinal error. On the one hand were the Roman empire, orthodox Judaism, and hostile pagan religions, and on the other hand were heresies and divisive doctrines. Early Christianity was indeed a perilous experiment. Probably no doctrine was the subject of more controversy in the early church than that of the Trinity. Certainly the teaching of “one God in three Person” was accepted in the early church, but only as this teaching was challenged did a systematic doctrine of the Trinity emerge. The Gnostic heresy, for instance, (which permeated Christendom in the lifetime of the apostles) drew strong condemnation in Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and John’s First Epistle. Denying the deity of Christ, the Gnostics taught that he was inferior in nature to the Father, a type of super-angel of impersonal emanation from God.

The Heresy:  Following the Gnostics came such speculative theologians as Origen, Lucian of Antioch, Paul of Samosota, Sabellius, and Arius of Alexandria. All of these propagated non-biblical views of the Trinity and of the divinity of our Lord. But perhaps the most crucial test of Christian doctrine in the early church was the “Arian heresy.” It was this heresy which stimulated the crystallization of thought regarding both the Trinity and the deity of Christ … Today there are still remnants of the Gnostic heresy (Christian Science), the Arian heresy (Jehovah’s Witnesses), and the Socinian heresy (Unitarianism) circulating in Christendom. All of these errors have one thing in common—they give Christ every title except the one which entitles Him to all the rest—the title of God and Savior (the Name above all Names, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Alpha & the Omega)….and not just a “created being” or angel like Michael the Archangel.

But the Christian doctrine of the Trinity did not “begin” at the Council of Nicea, nor was it derived from “pagan influences.” While Egyptian, Chaldean, Hindu, and other pagan religions do incorporate so-called “trinities,” these have no resemblance to the Christian doctrine, which is unique and free from any heathen cultural vagaries …The point, then, is simply this: While the term Trinity is never specifically used nor the doctrine explicitly explained in Scripture, it is nevertheless implicitly stated. The church councils, in their fight against heresy, were forced to think through what the Bible says about how God exists. The result was the doctrine of the Triunity, but let it be emphasized, the development of this doctrine was based on a careful study of Scripture. Cairns discusses this time of theological controversy in the early church and the extreme care given to this issue: It was an era when the main dogmas of the Christian Church were developed. The unfavorable connotation conveyed by the word “dogma” in a day of doctrinal laxity, such as the present, should not obscure the value to the Church of dogma. The word “dogma” came through the Latin from the Greek word dogma, which was derived from the verb “dodeo”. This word meant to think. The dogmas or doctrines formulated in this period were the result of intense thought and searching of the soul in order to interpret correctly the meaning of the Scriptures on the disputed points and to avoid the erroneous opinions (doxai) of the philosophers..

Finally, it should be said that the doctrine of the Trinity is the distinctive mark of the Christian religion, setting it apart from all the other religions of the world. Working without the benefit of the revelations made in Scripture, men have, it is true, arrived at some limited truths concerning the nature and Person of God. The pagan religions, as well as all philosophical speculations, are based on natural religion and can, therefore, rise to no higher conception than that of the unity of God. In some systems we find monotheism with its belief in only one God. In others we find polytheism with its belief in many separate gods. But none of the pagan religions, nor any of the systems of speculative philosophy have ever arrived at a trinitarian conception of God. The fact of the matter is that apart from supernatural revelation there is nothing in human consciousness or experience which can give man the slightest clue to the distinctive God of the Christian faith, the triune, incarnate, redeeming, sanctifying God. Some of the pagan religions have set forth triads of divinities, such as, for instance, the Egyptian triad of Osiris, Isis and Horus, which is somewhat analogous to the human family with father, mother and child; or the Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu and Schiva, which in the cycle of pantheistic evolution personifies the creative, preservative and destructive power of nature; or the triad set forth by Plato, of goodness, intellect and will—which are not examples of true and proper tri-personality, not real persons who can be addressed and worshipped, but only personifications of the faculties or attributes of God. None of these systems have anything in common with the Christian doctrine of the Trinity except the notion of “threeness.” Before we investigate the evidence for the Trinity, let’s define it and then study the evidence.
Definition of the Trinity: Webster’s dictionary gives the following definition of trinity: “The union of three divine persons (or hypostases), the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in one divinity, so that all the three are one God as to substance, but three Persons (or hypostases as to individuality).” Synonyms sometimes used are triunity, trine, triality. The term “trinity” is formed from “tri,” three, and “nity,” unity. Triunity is a better term than “trinity” because it better expresses the idea of three in one. God is three in one. Hypostases is the plural of hypostasis which means “the substance, the underlying reality, or essence.” That is why we use the term “hypostatic union” used to describe Jesus Christ as fully human and fully God (example: when he fell asleep in the boat as the storm frightened his disciples then calmly told the storm to stop).
Ryrie writes:
A definition of the Trinity is not easy to construct. Some are done by stating several propositions. Others err on the side either of oneness or threeness. One of the best is Warfield’s: “There is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence.” Person: In speaking of the Triunity, the term “person” is not used in same way it is in ordinary usage in which it means an identity completely distinct from other persons. Actually the word persons tends to detract from the unity of the Trinity. According to the teaching of Scripture, the three Persons are inseparable, interdependent, and eternally united in one Divine Being. It is evident that the word “person” is not ideal for the purpose. Orthodox writers have struggled over this term. Some have opted for the term subsistence (the mode or quality of existence), hence, “God has three substances.” Most have continued to use persons because we have not been able to find a better term. “The word substance speaks of God’s essential nature or being and subsistence describes His mode or quality of existence.”
Essence: In its theological usage, essence refers to “the intrinsic or indispensable, permanent, and inseparable qualities that characterize or identify the being of God.” The words triunity and trinity are used to refer to the fact that the Bible speaks of one God, but attributes the characteristics of God to three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the trinity states that there is one God who is one in essence or substance, but three in personality. This does not mean three independent Gods existing as one, but three Persons who are co-equal, co-eternal, inseparable, interdependent, and eternally united in one absolute Divine Essence and Being. Typically, the words triunity and trinity are used to help us express a doctrine that is scriptural, though replete with difficulties for the human mind. Again, it needs to be emphasized that this is a doctrine that is not explicitly stated either in the Old or New Testaments, but it is implicit in both. Note the following points:
(1) Evangelical Christianity has believed in the doctrine of the Trinity, Triunity, or the Triune Godhead because of the teaching of the Bible as a whole (Old and New Testaments) and not because of one or two particular passages. As will be shown below, the whole of Scripture gives testimony to this doctrine.
(2) There are many specific passages which teach us there are three distinct Persons who possess deity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but the Bible also teaches us with equal emphasis that there is but one true God or one Divine Essence or Substance and Being.
(3) Taking the whole of Scripture, one can see that there is stress on: (a) the unity of God, one Divine Being and Essence, and (b) on the diversity of God in this unity, three Persons identified as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It speaks of these Persons in such a way that it ascribes absolute undiminished deity and personality to each while stressing that there is but one God in divine substance. It is the doctrine of the trinity that harmonizes and explains these two thrusts of Scripture—oneness in three personalities.

When we see that the Bible teaches these three things: (a) there is but one God, (b) that the Father, Son, and Spirit are each God, and (c) that each is set forth as distinct Persons, we have enunciated the doctrine of the Triunity of God. In a chart, it can be expressed as follows below:

Diagram of the Holy Trinity: The three Persons are the same in substance, i.e., in essence or in their essential nature, but distinct in subsistence which describes God’s mode or quality of existence in three Persons. By mode of existence we do not mean one God acting in three different ways, but one Divine Being existing in three distinct Persons within one Divine Substance or Essence. Again, this is not exactly three individuals as we think of three personal individuals, but one Divine Being who acts and thinks as one within a three-fold personality. This is incomprehensible to our  
finite and limited minds, but it is the teaching of the Scripture. “In the Being of God there are not three individuals, but only three personal self distinctions within the one Divine Essence. The Father is the creator, the Son is the redeemer, and the Holy Spirit is the “sanctifier”. The Church teaches that the Son was eternally begotten by the Father. The Father has always been the Father and the Son has always been the Son. The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the father and the Son. The New Bible Dictionary has an excellent summary of this point: In the relationship between the Persons there are recognizable distinctions:
a. Unity in diversity
In most formularies the doctrine is stated by saying that God is One in his essential being, but that in his being there are three Persons, yet so as not to form separate and distinct individuals. They are three modes or forms in which the divine essence exists. ‘Person’ is, however, an imperfect expression of the truth inasmuch as the term denotes to us a separate rational and moral individual. But in the being of God there are not three individuals, but three personal self-distinctions within the one divine essence [italics mine]. Then again, personality in man implies independence of will, actions and feelings leading to behavior peculiar to the person. This cannot be thought of in connection with the Trinity. Each Person is self-conscious and self-directing, yet never acting independently or in opposition. When we say that God is a Unity we mean that, though God is in himself a threefold center of life, his life is not split into three. He is one in essence, in personality and in will. When we say that God is a Trinity in Unity, we mean that there is a unity in diversity, and that the diversity manifests itself in Persons, in characteristics and in operations.
b. Equality in dignity
There is perfect equality in nature, honor and dignity between the Persons. Fatherhood belongs to the very essence of the first Person and it was so from all eternity. It is a personal property of God ‘from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named’ (Eph. 3:15).
The Son is called the ‘only begotten’ perhaps to suggest uniqueness rather than derivation. Christ always claimed for himself a unique relationship to God as Father, and the Jews who listened to him apparently had no illusions about his claims. Indeed they sought to kill him because he ‘called God his own Father, making himself equal with God’ (Jn. 5:18). The Spirit is revealed as the One who alone knows the depths of God’s nature: ‘For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God … No one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God’ (1 Cor. 2:10f.). This is saying that the Spirit is ‘just God himself in the innermost essence of his being.’This puts the seal of NT teaching upon the doctrine of the equality of the three Persons.
c. Diversity in operation
In the functions ascribed to each of the Persons in the Godhead, especially in man’s redemption, it is clear that a certain degree of subordination is involved (in relation, though not in nature); the Father first, the Son second, the Spirit third. The Father works through the Son by the Spirit. Thus Christ can say: ‘My Father is greater than I.’ As the Son is sent by the Father, so the Spirit is sent by the Son. As it was the Son’s office to reveal the Father, so it is the Spirit’s office to reveal the Son, as Christ testified: ‘He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you’ (Jn. 16:14). For further understanding read the 3 Creeds: Nician, Athanasian, and the Apostles Creed here in this blog: under the title: “Trying to Understand the Trinity”- the last paragraph.    Also Check out “Generations…” and “Stars…”.

True Wisdom

True wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reveals the deep things of God. Man cannot know the things of God without them being revealed by the Spirit. The Spirit says, “man’s wisdom is foolishness to God”. Jesus said learn from me and you will know the Truth and the truth will set you free. To pursue His wisdom and to learn from Him is to open God’s Word and study it. Wisdom is revealed in scripture and is manifest through our obedience to what it says. One Bible verse says, “If anyone lacks wisdom, ask God and he will give it to you generously”. So ask God for wisdom in your thoughts and prayer. Wisdom is not magic, it comes through prayer and faith mixed with action. Faith involves believing that God is the source that will give us what we ask.  Choose the time and the right moment to pray. Amazingly the simple step of praying is not as easy as most might think. Since prayer is a pathway to the supernatural, Satan and the spirit of the world will do all that they can to stop you, including distractions, doubts, and wrong thoughts.  Trusting in prayer, acting by faith, and learning from the process is the biggest part of wisdom.

A clear path towards wisdom is to combine the Word with prayer by praying the Word of God into personal application. Just open the Bible and pick any verse. “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. Think of how you can apply the verse to your life, your job, your relationships, your success or failure. Then talk to God. “God, help me to incorporate this truth in my thoughts and not to ever condemn myself for my failure to…….” Let the verse become real to you and to your goals and decision making. Plant the Word in fertile soil and it will grow into wisdom. “Seek Him with all your heart and you will find him”, is a verse that applies not only to salvation but also to growth in your spiritual life. Continue in your Bible study and you will see that life’s lessons will spring forth as the Spirit of God gives you deeper insight and vision.

What the Old Testament brings forth in the lives of great men and women pursuing God, the New Testament completes with the cosmic answer  to everything humankind needs for lasting fulfillment.  The Word teaches that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law and Prophecies and through Him we are set free from both sin and death.   This supernatural fulfillment is both physical and spiritual applying to both the present and the eternal.  Jesus Christ will set you free and you will have freedom not to sin.  The Spirit of God through the Word of God will reveal to you that rituals and religious works cannot save you and that man made idols and rules will not save you.  The Spirit reveals that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  It is the Word that teaches you to listen.  Listening with belief is the greatest source of wisdom.   Wisdom comes in knowing that only Jesus Christ can and will rescue you; that salvation is a Gift from God; and that it is by Grace through faith that you have been saved.  The Word of God tells us that “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ Jesus”.  This is one very good reason why we should share the Gospel.

Common wisdom should tell you that if you receive a precious gift that you should keep it a secret.  Divine Wisdom will tell you that you should share the Gift and do everything in your power to learn how to be most effective in sharing it.  The sad thing is that many  “Gift receivers” have shut themselves off to this Truth and either do not care to share the Gift or do not know how to share it. God commanded us to make disciples of all nations and the way to do this is to be a light to your neighbors, a city of God on a hill, or a nation that seeks the wisdom and will of God.  When you share the wisdom of God you will be blessed with more wisdom just as a flowing stream will not grow stagnant.  Jesus said, “whoever drinks of the water that I give him never thirst.  But the water that I sahll give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life”.  Jn. 4:14

Wisdom tells us to board the Ark if a worldwide flood occurs.  The church is the modern day Ark and the only “ship” that will save the lost.  So why do we not try everything possible to bring people into our Ark?  Is it a lack of love or a lack of knowledge?  Is it because the “gift receivers” have spent so much time enjoying the world that they have turned away from the “Gift” and are embarrassed to share it?  Probably all of the above.  Are you embarrassed to invite people into your home to tell them about Jesus or share a “Christian” DVD?  Are you more comfortable just watching sports together or laughing at a dirty joke?  We will be held accountable for our lack of love & wisdom!  In order to fulfill His command and save the lost we must study the Word and allow His Spirit to guide us in sharing the Gospel to the world.  The Fear of God is the Beginning of Wisdom!

Divine Plan or Just Chance?

Does anyone remember the movie “The Ten Commandments”, or the details of the Exodus account.   What happened when the people erected a golden calf to their self created god?   They probably tried to give the true God some token credit as they celebrated their “freedom” and “success” in escaping the Pharaoh with many of the treasures of Egypt.  Does this sound a little like religion in America?  While Moses was on top of Mt.Sinai conversing with God and receiving the 10 Commandments the people decided to worship their own way-with their own idol and a lot of fun and evil desires.   Just as America has removed the 10 Commandments from the pubic Arena….., these people did not need nor want God’s Law, nor the curse of knowing their own sin.   They wanted freedom to do what they wanted without interference.   This is the same rationale of those who want abortions and the whole abortion industry.  This is the same rationale of those behind atheism and Evolution and the New Religions of self made gods….they do not want God interfering with their desires, habits, dreams, and psyche.   This is the  rationale of all those in leadership that want to control the masses through deceit, lies, and carefully designed illusions.
The whole world is turning against the Truth and the God of the Universe who is behind the Truth.  The penalty will be great.  Remember how the earth opened up and consumed the rebellious Israelites.  Well in reality that only happened later.  If you read Exodus you will see that God commanded Moses and Aaron to arm the Levites with swords so that they could execute all those who rebelled.  In a later rebellion God opened the earth to swallow a large rebellious family.   This illustrates that God will judge us not only by a nation’s action, but also according to  family and individual decisions and behavior. We will all be held accountable for our sin – the only difference will be whether one chooses to Trust in the Sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the Cross for your sin.  When you believe in Him you are in essence exchanging your sin for a new Life in Him, which means you are making Him Lord of your Life.
Now back to the main point.   The Golden Calf represents our own god that we wish to follow and celebrate.  Because of our sin nature we are separated from God.  However, when one erects a “standard” to this prideful rejection, it becomes a virtual “slap” in God’s face.   This happened when Israel and Judah erected “Ashtoreth poles” and other idols in and around Jerusalem during the reign of the “evil” kings.  In order to redeem His people God had to judge them by leading them into captivity.  Can and will this happen to America?  We are raising flags in jubilant gay  “Pride” parades, mosques to the moon god,  Hindu temples and other temples to “millions” of other gods, and now we are about to erect multiple replicas of the hellish Gate to Baal (Baal worship demanded the sacrifice of babies to appease the gods).  Ironically ISIS destroyed the Baal temple in Palmyra and has promised severe punishment to anyone who breaks its version of Shariah law.  They seem to understand the danger of erecting idols to other pagan gods.  America needs to wake up.
We have dumbed down our spiritual accountability and Biblical perspective to the point that worshiping skin, sports and “Shallowood” are the norm and the priority.  How many of you have heard of the “Festival to Moloch”?  Read up on it for it represents the deepest of evils in a land that God commanded to be destroyed.  No man, woman, or child was to be left alive because of the evil of the Canaanites.  They celebrated this Spring festival with the sacrifice of babies in their mountain top fire altars.  The two most holy days to the Satanist coincide with this Spring festival and the Fall festival of Halloween.  The retailers predict that we will spend up to 20% more this Halloween!
The media and now the general population seems to relish the shaming of Christians, Christianity, and anything related to Jesus Christ and the Cross. Warning signs are all around us:  extreme weather conditions, a Zika virus that has the potential of being a massive pandemic (since there is no attempt to quarantine), crazy election wars, an economic slowdown generated out of corruption and fear, and the crisis of war and terrorism throughout the world mixed in with a toxic blend of civilian crime, looting, aberrant behavior, drugs, and the perverted system of rewards for doing nothing.  Are these signs of His coming? When Jesus returns, he will return as the Judge to judge the nations and each and every individual.   Are you ready?
Do not forget that the Bible has eternal power like a supernatural double edged sword which can divide lies and deceit from Truth and Spirit …after all it is the “Living Word”.  Jesus called himself the Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” So lets see what the Word says: Gal 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
So is it coincidence that these mockers were treated to a judgement instead of a reward, a sign to all those who mock God?  John Lennon mocked God what he suggested that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ? He died with six bullets shot at close range. Tancredo Neves when running for President in Brazil bragged that if he got 500,000 votes not even God could remove him from office. He won, then died one day before taking office. Cazuza, a notorious Brazilian bi-sexual, mocked God by blowing a puff of smoke to a crowd saying “this is for you God”. He died of lung cancer at the age of 32. The man who built the Titanic said, “not even God can sink this ship”. The ex-vocalist of AD/DC sang, “Don’t stop me I am going down all the way down the highway to Hell” In 1980 he was found dead choked in his own vomit.
What we see day in and day out is the universal principle of “cause and effect”. Many think of it just in scientific terms, but since God created everything including science we see the “divine effect” transferred from the supernatural world into our daily world of trial and error, success and failure.   We cannot escape it because we were made in His image and for a very special reason. We were made to harvest the earth, tending to His creation, and having fellowship with Him.  However, instead of choosing Him, man naturally chose sin and self. What we reap is death, chaos, futility, and fear.    The Cross changed it all.   The Cross  restored our connection to God and opened the Door to Redemption and Fellowship with Him.  This truth will set you free!  Do not mock God!