091104: Sin

What is Sin?

The Fall of Man (Genesis 3:14-19): Original Sin

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Tree (Daniel 4:28): The Madness of Nebuchadnezzar

David Numbers the Fighting Men (1 Chronicles 21): The Census of David

Similarities between the stories

- Something bad was done, followed by God’s punishment.

- The subjects all share a form of pride and were in the end humbled.

- In the case of Adam and Eve, the curse is continuously inherited today, but Christ redeemed us all. It was not written in its story that Adam and Eve repented (whereas the subjects of the above two stories repented and received forgiveness).

What the stories say about Sin

- Sin is not just an abstract idea; there is a cause and an effect, i.e. Sin brings forth curses and judgments.

- Sin is an act, something that someone does. Who ever commits the sin has ownership of the sin. Sin is personal.

- The curses and judgments brought forth by the Sin can spread to others.

So… what IS Sin?

- Sin leads to death (Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.”)

- Sin = separation from God (start doing his/her own thing, walking away from God), as exemplified by the 3 stories above

- Sin results in curses and judgments. Once a sin is committed, a judgment will be cast. Even after repentance, the judgment will be carried through. Curses, on the other hand, can be stopped after repentance.

Are all sins forgivable?

- No. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unforgivable sin. (Matthew 12:31-32, “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”)

- Why just the Holy Spirit? We have yet to find a scripture that explains this, but our current thought is, the Holy spirit is nothing but good; it represents guidance, love, cleansing, etc. To express intense irreverence against a purely good thing is just unforgivable.

What is so bad about Sin that only the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away?

- We do not think the judgment resulting from the Original Sin has been set, though God has indeed cursed Adam and Eve (Genesis 3).

- The curse of the Original Sin is death and separation from God (see also above).

- We have yet to find in the Bible that suggests Adam and Eve have repented for their sins. In fact, they showed very little repentance in Genesis 3:12-13 when they readily laid blame on others but themselves. This may explain why we, their descendents, continue to suffer their curses.

- Repenting for our sins puts a stop to our curses (Repent = return to God). However, repentance cannot undo the sin (and thus judgment cannot be undone either). The sin STICKS.

- “For the wages of sin is death!” Something has to die because of the sin. And so, Jesus Christ died for us all. Blood was at the start of the covenant with God. Blood spilled was what broke that covenant. And so, the blood of Jesus Christ is what can bring us back to God. It is the only thing that can completely wash away all sins and make people CLEAN again and thus be allowed in the presence of God, because Jesus was perfect. Jesus never sinned.

091015: Rapture II

Matthew 25:1-13 “The Parable of the Ten Virgins”

Matthew 22 “The Parable of the Wedding Clothes”

- Virgins = Christians

- Lamp = light, heat, hope, faith, things of importance, guidance; Light from the lamp should be seen, not hidden (Luke 8:16-18); Jesus: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

- Trimming of the wick = Taking care of faith à clean faith

- Oil = foundation of faith

- Wick = Christian behavior

- lamps can’t be shared = each virgin needs her own faith/personal relationship with Jesus

- All virgins looked for the coming of the groom; 5 foolish virgins’ lamps went dry and were left behind; 5 wise virgins’ lamps were trimmed and went to the wedding

090930: Rapture I

Rapture

- the word “Rapture” is not in the Bible (neither are the following: the Holy Trinity, Demon)

- Rapture = to be caught up, the catching away; the term originated from harpazo (Hebrew) and is derived from rapere (Latin translation); the idea, however, has been around since the very beginning

- John 14: I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

- Acts 11: This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

- mainstream Christianity: Rapture is often linked to “the end of times,” in terms of the end of this (gentile) era/age; i.e. Judgment happens

When and How will the Rapture occur?

- 1 Corinthians: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

- Matthew 24: For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

- the general idea: the trumpet will sound (a specific trumpet; we don’t know which one) à the dead is raised à the alive are caught up à all Christians are gathered together for the mark of Jubilee, a time of great peace, where all sins are forgiven

- Matthew 24:40-41: Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

- Luke 17:26-35: Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.

What happens after the Christians are Raptured?

- 1 Thessalonian 4:13-17: Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Tribulation

- tribulation = trials

- Tribulation is 7 years; 3 ½ years of peace, 3 ½ years of war

- will occur AFTER the Rapture

090923: Luke 4-5

Luke 4

- Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit: why did Jesus prevent the demon from telling people who He was? Thought: Because it wasn’t time yet.

- Demon: evil spirit, angel casted down from Heaven who have chosen to fight with Satan against God’s rule

(Isaiah 14:12-17 http://www.cresourcei.org/lucifer.html)

- Demons in the Old Testament:

http://www.crivoice.org/demonsot.html

- Demonic possession: evil spirits over-taking the body, controlling the body, forcing it to do evil things with the body (dwelling with the dead, slander, convulse, evil thoughts and deeds, etc.)

Luke 5

- The Man with Leprosy: a “dirty disease” (Leviticus 13)

- Two major themes of the coming of Jesus: He will bring forth 1) forgiveness of sins, engraftment of the Gentiles into the kingdom of God, the proud being humbled; 2) rule, being the King of the world

- Jesus cured the paralytic by first forgiving his sins, suggesting diseases/disasters may be brought upon the self due to sins

- “Old wine is better than new wine”: People resist change, not willing to accept new ideas; people are the "old wineskins," Jesus is the "new wine"; in order to receive Jesus, the new wine, people have to change, have to become the "new wineskins," to give up their old way in order to receive the new way

090916: Luke 2-4

Luke 2

- “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.” à Implies Jesus performed things that men did in order to gain God’s favor.

- “When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom.” à Boys start to prepare for the Bat Mitzvah at 12 and start to observe the Feast, etc. Once the child turns 13, he is expected to behave as an “adult,” essentially one who is expected to distinguish right from wrong.

Luke 3

- John is the introduction to Christ.

- Isaiah 40:1-5: prophecy about John preparing the way for Jesus

- James 2:17: In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

- “[Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Fire is not a good thing, as suggested by the rest of the passage and also Number 11 (Fire from the Lord)

- Luke lists Jesus’ genealogy via mother’s side (written for Gentiles—reason being God is the Father of Jesus, hence it would make more sense to follow the line via Mary and not Joseph), whereas Matthew lists the genealogy via father’s side (written for Jews, a patriarch society)

Luke 4

- 40: the number of trials and testing (e.g. 40 days and night; 40 years)

- The devil knows the scripture and knows how all the prophecies will be fulfilled.

- Jesus went to the desert to be tested and did not eat. Why? Numbers 6

- “No prophet is accepted in his own town.” à As shown by what happened to Elijah, it is probably b/c 1) no one was “cleansed,” i.e. no one was pure of heart; 2) they did not ask for his help.

090909: Luke 1-2

Luke 1
- Elijah: a major Godly figure who came after Moses; translated live into the Heaven with a Chariot of Fire; had the power to heal people
- Gabriel, the angel: the only other time he’s mentioned is in Daniel 8, where he was called on to explain Daniel’s vision
- Genealogy of John the Baptist
Aaron, a levite: Moses’s brother, hence making John being born into the lineage of priesthood
- Prophesy of Jesus coming through the lineage of David becomes realized. The prophesy is recorded in Jeremiah 23:5, “’The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.’”
- Joseph was insulted that Mary, the virgin, was pregnant but not with his child, as recorded in Matthew 1:19, “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”
- Luke 1:41, “When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” à Interesting that she was able to be filled with the Holy Spirit when it is often thought that people didn’t fill with spirit until the Pentecost.
- Abraham is also known as the Father of 3 Religions: Jewish, Christianity, Mulism

Luke 2
- Birth of Jesus
- The Shepherds and the Angels
- Jesus Presented in the Temple
- The Boy Jesus at the Temple

090826: Hour 1 of Bible in 24 Hours

Hour 1 of The Bible in 24 Hours:
http://www.thestreamtv1.com/welcome_032.htm
By Dr. Chuck Missler

No person’s education is complete if they do not know the Bible. Supporters include George Washington, Abe Lincoln, Napoleon, Patrick Henry, Daniel Webster,

A Christian’s specialization must be in the Bible.

In 1963, we outlawed the Bible from our schools; and since then, the society has gone steeply downhill.

The Bible contains 66 books, penned by over 40 different individuals over several thousands of years.

The Bible can be corroborated by…
- Archeological discoveries
- Recent documentary discoveries
- Competent analysis

20th century science has vindicated the Biblical perspectives of reality
- The finite universe
- The Discovery of the nature of time (time is defined by the vibrations of the cesium atoms, which thus can cause time to differ in values due to differences in gravitational forces; space can thus interfere with the measurement of time)
- The realization of hyperspaces (e.g. where angles of the triangle adds up to more than 180 degrees, as is true in spherical trigonometry; Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity states that we live in a 4-D world, and that time and space cannot be separated)

Time is NOT uniform
- time is a physical property/dimension
- time varies with mass, acceleration, gravity, etc.

Albert Einstein
“People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between the past, the present, and the future, is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

Dimensions of Reality
- Nachmonides (in the 12th century), by studying the Bible, came to the conclusion that we live in a 10-D world, only 4 of which are “knowable”
- Particle physicists (from way back to today), after spending millions of dollars and years of research, have recently concluded that we live in a 10-D world, 4 of which are directly measurable (3 spatial + time); 6 are “curled” into less than 10^-33 cm, and thus inferable only by indirect means

Bible Code
- equidistant letter sequence
- every 7x7 = 49 spaces in the Torah, there is a message :
Genesis à TORH
Exodus à TORH
Leviticus à YHWH
Numbers à HROT
Deuteronomy à HROT
i.e. The Torah always points to YHWH (God in Hebrew):

The Old Testament is incomplete:
- unexplained ceremonies (sacrificial rituals)
- unachieved purposes (the covenants)
- unappeased longings (poetical books)
- unfulfilled prophecies

The Silent Years
- the about 400 years of gap between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament
- it’s not really “silent” because in Daniel 11, it talks about those years, written IN ADVANCE

The OT spans almost 2000 years; the NT spans one life time.

OT
- the Torah – the Books of Moses (5)
Genesis: the Book of Beginnings
Exodus: the Birth of the Nation
Leviticus: the Law of the Nation
Numbers: the Wilderness Wanderings
Deuteronomy: the Laws Reviewed
- the Historical Books (12)
- the Poetical Books (5)
- the Prophets (17): major (5), minor (12)