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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Jesus Christ, the Light of the World

John 8:12 says;
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Lord Jesus, let us walk in Your Light in the dark world. Your Word is the Lamp unto our feet! Amen.

New Definition of the Planets


                  Planets

The planets in the Solar System revolve around the Sun and reflect its glory.  The Sun symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, and each planet reflects a different aspect of the person of Christ and His work of Salvation for all mankind.1  The planets are called the "Morning Stars" (Job 38:7), and the second planet is called the "bright Morning Star" (Rev 22:16).

After Satan fell, God refashioned, or re-created, the Universe to make it ready for man.  The constellations portrayed the Master Plan of the Ages and the Planets symbolized the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator, and His plan of Salvation.  The angels marveled at the magnificent creation.  The Lord asked Job:
Job 38:4, 7
4 "Were were you when I laid the foundation of the Earth?
Tell Me if you have understanding.
...
7 When the morning stars (planets) sang together,
And all the sons of God (angels) shouted for Joy?
The morning stars were the planets that the Lord placed in orbits around the Sun.  The planets "sang together" is a metaphor for shouting prophetic messages in song.  This is poetry that describes the harmony of Creation in glorifying the Lord and Savior.  The planets around the Sun symbolically sang praises to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Singing is divinely inspired prophetic utterance.  However, the messages of the planets were not audible.  They were conveyed through the visible light images of the planets.  The Elect Angels were filled with great Happiness and sang praises to God when they saw the new Creation.

In Biblical Astrology the names of the planets are titles of Christ as opposed to the Latin names of Satan's demons used by astronomers.  For example, the first planet (Mercury)symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ in the First Advent as the Savior.  The second planet(Venus) is the Morning Star, the symbol of the Christ in His Second Advent.  The Red Planet(Mars) symbolizes the Blood of Christ in His substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross.  The Earth(Our home) is the vantage point for viewing the heavens.  It is assumed to be in the center of astrology charts, although it is seldom shown.  The Almighty God(Jupiter) symbolizes God's Sovereignty as reflected in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Ringed Planet(Saturn) symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ as God of the Covenants.  The Mediator planet(Uranus), which has an axis that points East and West, symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ as the Mediator and High Priest.  The Redeemer planet(Neptune) symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who redeemed mankind with His blood from the slave market of sin.  And the Last Adam(Pluto) symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ as the Last Adam, who fulfilled the Adamic Covenant.

In addition to the planets, the Sun and Moon are also significant heavenly bodies used in astrology.  Since they are always plotted on the charts along with the other planets, in astrology they are commonly called planets.  Thus, the Sun, Moon, and eight planets (M-V-E-M-J-S-U-N-P) are usually plotted on charts, and astrologers commonly call them the 10 planets.  The Sun is the brightest and most significant indicator in Biblical astrology.  It symbolizes Jesus Christ as the Creator and Light of the world.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Pageviews by Countries

I checked with Blog's Stats and happened to know my Blog posts are being read by Christian borthers and sisters in 6 countries; pageviews by countries are 406 from USA, 69 from Russia, 6 from Germany, 2 from U.K. 1 from Indonesia and 1 from Malaysia.

My intenstion to write posts is to awake myself first, my family and friends by the Living Word of God in this critical time of the ages when we all wait for the Return of Jesus Christ.

Also be sure to know that I am not an English native speaker even though I have lived in the US for more than 30 years. Any grammatical or typographical error found  in my posts is from me and needs your mercy for reading if any. This is the only way for me to communicate with the readers. May my posts be used by the Lord Jesus Christ for His Kingdom to come!  Amen , Lord come quickly!  - Your servant.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Why Four Gospels?


The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to specifically as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and similar wording.  The term synoptic comes from the Greek syn’, meaning "together", and optic’, meaning "seen.”   The most widely-known examples of gospel are the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  What is the purpose of four ‘gospels’ (meaning good news) of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ?
The most plausible reason for this can be explained if these four gospels are viewed from each gospel’s thematic point.  Matthew highlights Jesus Christ as ‘King of the Jews’, Mark as ‘Servant ’, Luke as the ‘Son of man’ and John as the ‘Son of God’. 
Now, we need to do some matching work between the themes of four gospels with the descriptive images of the living creatures in Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4.
Ezekiel 1:10-11
10Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11Such were their faces.
 These angels propelled the spaceship of the Lord.
Revelation 4:6-8
 
6 and before the throne there was like a sea of glass like crystal; and in the midst around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 And the first living creature was like the lion, and the second living creature like the calf, and the third living creature had a face like man, and the fourth living creature was like the flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, saying without ceasing by day and night, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is coming."
Around the throne were four living creatures.  Living creatures is a translation of the Greek zw'/on (zo-on), which is from a root that means life.  The living creatures were angels with six wings, i.e. seraphs.  Since angelic rank is determined by the number of wings, the seraphs with six wings are the highest rank.  These angels have eyes all over their bodies and are very similar to the living creatures in the theophany of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 10:12).

If we match these two in the following, we can know better why the four gospels tell us about the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus viewed from different perspectives.

        Gospels           
 Themes
Creature’s  image in Ezekiel 1 & Revelation 4
Matthew
King of the Jews
Lion
Mark
Servant
Ox
Luke
Son of man
Man
John
Son of God
Eagle


That’s all I know about the four gospels. Thank you for your time for God’s business, my family and friends.   Soli Deo Gloria, So be it!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The heavens declare the glory of God


I will definitely ask the Lord when He returns how many stars and planets He placed in heavens. Astronomers estimate there are about 200 billion (200,000,000,000) stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy only. How many galaxies out there? To this question, honest scientists will say they don’t know.
King David composed praise song for the director of music at the Temple of God about 3,000 years ago and explains why God created so many celestial bodies in heavens in Psalm 19:1-6;
1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.a
4Their voiceb goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
        In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6It rises at one end of the heavens
     and makes its circuit to the other;
            nothing is hidden from its heat.


God’s creation has a limit, but God has no limit in space and time. He is greater than all of these. At every whistling breeze, we feel His breath and at every roaring sound of thunder, we hear His majestic voice. At every petal of flowers, we see His Hands of artistry. That’s reason why I love gazing at the night sky with a small telescope and planting trees and flowers in my small back yard. Soli Deo Gloria!

Space Shuttle Endeavour



Pictured above is the flight deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour, the youngest shuttle and the second to last ever launched. The numerous panels and displays allowed the computer-controlled orbiter to enter the top of Earth's atmosphere at greater than the speed of sound and -- just thirty minutes later -- land on a runway like an airplane.
When I saw this photo from NASA http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html, the vision of the prophet Obadiah (1:1-4) hit me;
This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom
We have heard a message from the Lord:
An envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Rise, and let us go against her for battle”—
2“See, I will make you small among the nations;
you will be utterly despised.
3The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocksa
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
4Though you soar like the eagle
and make your nest among the stars,
from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.

This prophecy of doomed destruction is against Edom, the children of Jacob’s twin brother Esau. Edom became the enemy of Israel. Figuratively to say, Edom can be the anti-Christian world which puts human things high above those of God.  The science and technology development of 21st century is the most brilliant gemstones among  all human achievements. Human can travel to the space and stay there for a long time. We can send the robotic space equipments to the remotest planets and even beyond the solar system for exploration and experiments. I am not against it, rather I enjoy  and appreciate it.
The sin of Edom was arrogance. Exalting human achievement above God and His Word is root of sin. That was a Satanic sin too. God will bring down His judgment upon them who say.
               
 Who can bring me down to the ground?”
  The answer is in verse 4;

   Though you soar like the eagle
    and make your nest among the stars,
   from there I will bring you down,
   declares the Lord.

Let us humble ourselves before God while remembering Isaiah 2:17,
The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” Amen and amen!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Israel - יִשְׂרָאֵל



Israel - יִשְׂרָאֵל
When you read Genesis 32, you will find a very dramatic account of Jacob when he returns from his long exile in Paddan-Aram, his mother’s hometown. While reading, pay attention to the Man who wrestled with Jacob that night.
22That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered.
28Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel (יִשְׂרָאֵל ),e because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” (   כִּי-שָׂרִיתָ עִם-אֱלֹהִים וְעִם-   אֲנָשִׁים, וַתּוּכָל. )
29Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
30So Jacob called the place Peniel( פְּנִיאֵל, meaning ‘Face of God), saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,g and he was limping because of his hip. 32Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Who do you think was the Man who wrestled with Jacob that night? What was the status of the Man? First, He had the appearance of a man and He was not able to overpower Jacob. Jesus was born of Virgin Mary and had an exact body like us. If Jesus, my Lord had wrestled with me, He might not have overpowered me too.
Out of his desperate situation with Esau, Jacob begged Him to bless him. The Man blessed Jacob by changing his name from Jacob( יַעֲקֹב ) to Israel( יִשְׂרָאֵל); namely  supplanter ‘ to ‘prince with God, or, power with God ‘. Earlier God changed his grandparents’ names; from Abram(high father ), Sarai(my princess ) to Abraham(the father of many nations) and Sarah(princess). Instinctively Jacob knew that the Man who changed his name is God Himself. That’s the reason why Jacob asked the Man’s name. Rather than telling His name, the Man blessed him. Jacob knew that he had seen God face to face and was troubled to know that he would die because he was fully aware of the fact that no man should live when he saw God face to face. Moses was an exception. Jacob named the place where he met God as ‘Peniel(Face of God).
Who was the Man? He was none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Lord who met Jacob at the ford of the River Jabbok is ready to meet us today to solve your life’s problem whatever it might be. Let’s go to Him in prayer and He will answer us in due time. Amen.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Concerning the Salvation



1 Peter 1:10-12 clearly tells us that the grace of God in Christ Jesus was given to us only. This kind of grace was never allowed to angels in heaven so they long to look into these things.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Why do you think God did not allow them the grace of Christ – the forgiveness of sin? There are many clues in the Bible as to why it is so. One of the prominent verses is found in Jude 6, “6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”

God never forgave the sins of fallen angels who rebelled against Him and abandoned their heavenly place. He kept them in darkness until the Great Judgment Day. This might have been closely related to the account in Genesis 6(Read previous post titled “Nephilim - Fallen Ones”).
What can we say? This kind of God’s decision belongs absolutely to His Sovereignty and Providence. We cannot say to God, “why did you desert those angels?” But we can say “why do You save a wretch like me, Lord?” Do you want to know why? Here is the answer for your question in the following verses in Ephesians 1:3-14 and read them with patience.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
 11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Once again, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  Let’s praise God for what He has done for you and me. Amen and amen.