2 Peter

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His Part:  ³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Our Part:⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

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Paul stands on the authority that he did not just hear stories, he saw the Transfiguration of Jesus as God!  He was an eye witness!

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

AND every prophecy told in the scripture is from GOD:

²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

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One of the topics that has really been ‘highlighted’ to me this year is False Teachings.  We read about it ‘outside the church’ however there have been so many references about it ‘inside the church’.  How blessed I feel that we can be discerning NOW that we have read the Bible.  How would we be able to tell the difference?

Chapter 2 starting in verse 4 (again I read this as if Peter said it all in one long breath….).  It is obvious that Peter and Jude were “study partners”.  Actually, you can tell that Peter is expounding on Jude’s letter.  When you read through the Bible again: (please do)- take special note of the story of Abraham and Lot.  As we usually see Lot as the nephew that chose to love in Sodom, we make an assumption (at least I did) that because of his unrighteous decisions, he was unrighteous.  However. Peter points out the opposite:

⁶ if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷ and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless ⁸ (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 

(It makes me want to go back and re-read Genesis!!!

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²² Of them the proverbs are true:

“A dog returns to its vomit,”

and,

“A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

Peter is talking about someone who “tried” Christianity and then chose he liked Nt being a Christian more.  The judgment that falls on someone that has heard the Gospel and openly refused it will bring a very harsh judgment on them!  How strong the words are Peter uses to return to a life of sin:  vomit….mud.

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I know it is Christmas (or it was Christmas) but take your time on Chapter 3.  So many wonderful truths!  “Time” for us is an unusual concept.  Sometimes we feel it goes so slow (when we are waiting on the Lord) and sometimes it is going so fast (as we look at our old pictures.  But for God time is used for PATIENCE.  Why is he taking so long to bring Jesus back to fight the enemy once and for all??

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

As we wait…what should WE look like??  What are you going to look like in 2021??

 You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming…

¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Peter is bringing us RIGHT back to the introduction!⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

EACH one feeds the next

1. Goodness (virtue)-moral excellence
2. Knowledge- (the greek word is expenosis) means expert knowledge
3. Self-Control- (an action word)
4. Perseverance-Hang in there during your trials
5. Godliness-God-like-be right with God AND be right with other people
6. Mutual Affection-brotherly kindness
7. LOVE-Agape Love-Sacrificial Love

(Please excuse any typos…I am dragging today 🥱😴)

 

 

Jude

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(Overviews posted yesterday for both books)

Verse 4 states 2 reasons this book was written (although he wanted it to be a good letter, it isn’t).  Jude says people have slipped into the church and have perverted the Gospel by:

• preaching a “license to sin”
• denying Jesus as Lord

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Jude writes about groups of people:

The first set:

1. The people saved in the Exodus-but through generations did not believe
2. Angels- who rebelled when Lucifer did
3. Those in Sodom and Gomorrah-gave into a life of sexual immorality-craved it

All three are destined for Hell

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The next set: (Jewish Tradition has them categorized as “those that teach evil”

1. Cain-Murder
2. Balaam- (He was the one on the talking donkey).  He not only betrayed Israel, but he lured them into a trap (Num. 22)
3. Korah- A Levite that caused an uprising against Moses and Aaron.(1 Chron 2)

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¹⁷ But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. ¹⁸ They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

Now Read 2 Peter who must have read this letter first.

Merry Christmas

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.✝️

2 Peter Overview (yup, two book on Christmas day)

On December 19th I posted an overview on 1 Peter (if you want to go back to it).  His first letter was about what was happening around the church, outside.  This book is very different.  Actually, I think it is written as a ‘Sermon’ to be used at their church (it ends in a doxology, rather than the standard ending).  Peter, who died around 68AD at the hands of Nero (hung upsidedown on a cross) writes this letter/sermon because of teachings that were infiltrating the church.  It is called: Epicurean.  (Feel free to see how this is still taught today)

Epicurean belief teaches people to relax and enjoy life without worrying so much. God or gods did exist, but they lived so far away from the affairs of man, in a permanent state of ataraxia, that they didn’t interfere with humans.  They just sat up there in their world or Heaven.

There are two advantages (for them) having this mindset: First, there is no judgment after death; therefore, death shouldn’t be feared.  Second, there is no judgment during life. There is no way to appease a god who doesn’t know you personally exist.  Therefore, you are free to find fulfillment in life outside of religious rules and expectations.

They believe in the “golden mean”.  The ‘golden mean’ means to maximize your pleasure without leading to negative consequences.  Yup, that about sums up our world.

So, in true Epicureanism, the best life is characterized by sufficient food, a comfortable dwelling, peaceful relationships, and good friends. Wait it gets MORE relevant.  They back it up by taking scriptures and applying them to their lives.

• “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
• “Give us this day our daily bread”
• “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity”

Shall I go on?  You get my point.

You KNOW this is going to be a good book!

Jude Overview for tomorrow

Obviously, I googled the Beatles song to see if there was any correlation, and there isn’t.  BUT now the song is stuck in my head.  Click here if you want it stuck in your head too!  (and if you are too young to know this song, go away!)

This book opens with:

¹ Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,

So I went back and looked at the book of James, which opens with:

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

Let me show you how prideful I am.  If I was James or Jude I would have said “I am Jesus’ brother!”.  😳

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We know practically nothing about Jude other than his love for Jesus (and proud of his brother James).  James was martyred around 62 AD.  According to other writings and tradition James,(not officially an apostle because he did not become a believer till after the Resurrection), was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He was thrown from the southeast pinnacle of the temple (over a hundred feet down) when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a club. This is thought to be the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the temptation.

So the fact that Jude is willing to write this letter proves that he too is willing to die for Jesus if the letter gets in the wrong hands. 

The Book of Jude is an important book for us today because it is written for the end times, for the end of the church age. The church age began at the Day of Pentecost. Jude is the only book given entirely to the great apostasy. (fancy word, I know 😂). But now that we are not on milk, but mature enough in the Word, we can start using “meat” words.   Apostasy, from the Greek word apostasia, means “a defiance of an established system or authority; a rebellion; an abandonment or breach of faith.”   Ummm what? This will help:

• there are two main types:
  •  a falling away from key and true doctrines (I ask you, without reading the Bible, how do people know True Doctrine?)
  • a complete renouncement of the Christian faith.

Jude is a small but important book worthy of study, written for the Christian of today.

 

 

2 Timothy

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• Overview posted last night (and it is short! Amen)

⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (In short, thank you ladies for raising a godly man)

• Eunice was a Jewish believer who had been married to a Greek man, which would explain the fact that, as an infant, Timothy was not circumcised as all Jewish boys were. It was the responsibility of Jewish fathers to oversee that rite, and, since Timothy’s father was Greek, circumcision would not have been his custom. Paul had Timothy circumcised before they began their missionary journeys together in order not to offend their Jewish audiences.
• Lois was either Eunice’s mother or her mother-in-law. The fact that she helped raise Timothy may indicate that Timothy’s father had died or that the family all lived together, which was not uncommon in those days. It is possible that the father had died while Timothy was young since Paul takes on a fatherly role with Timothy and often refers to him as “my true son in the faith”.

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If I start quoting scripture on this book, this post will be longer than the Bible!  Click here (if you don’t have a Bible in front of you) and reread verse 6-12.  Now that you are a week away from reading EVERY word God wrote, what are you going to do?

⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

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Phygelus, Hermogenes, and Onesiphorus. Onesiphorus was from Ephesus and probably came to know the Lord during Paul’s 3rd mission trip.  The other two knuckleheads deserted him.  We know nothing about them, but I assume from all the false teaching being preached, they “fell away” from the “The Way”.  The flesh is weak!

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Chapter 2- Three great examples are given soldier, athlete, and farmer.

• No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
• anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.
• The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Dealing With False Teachers (verse 14-26)

• don’t quarrel about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 
• BUT do not be ashamed of correctly speaking the word of truth
• Avoid godless chatter, it only adds fuel to their fire (their teaching will spread like gangrene 😂 verse 17).
• Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus?  Free yourself up a little when words fall on deaf ears: “The Lord knows those who are his,” 
• Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. BUT be kind in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

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Chapter 3

So I hear people say all the time “Look around, we are definitely getting closer to the End Times”.  Umm, here is my advice: Each day we check off the calendar-we are 1 day closer.   😂

Even Paul says “MARK MY WORDS”

“There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

Ummmm. Jesus said:

^{Matthew 24:42} “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ 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. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

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So what are Paul’s final words to Timothy?  The same ones to us: (here are a few that stood out) for January 1, 2021 for you and me:

• ¹⁴ But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it (from God’s Word), ¹⁵ and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 
• I give you this charge: ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

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A few names if you are interested:

• Demas– was one of Paul’s fellow co-workers (once) (Phil 1:24)
• Crescens and Titus-they have left but it does not say they left him.  Maybe they went to share the Good News.
• Luke is still with him.  Probably as his Dr.
• Bring Mark back!
• Tychicus is actually mentioned quite a bit.  He is called a “dear brother” of Paul’s and a “faithful servant” of the Lord’s.  He was with Paul on Mission trips, and stayed with him during a time of Prison. He was also entrusted to deliver Paul’s epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. While traveling to Colossae, Tychicus accompanied Onesimus, the former slave who was returning to Philemon.  Finally, Tychicus was sent to Ephesus as an “interim pastor” to free up Timothy so he could visit Paul.
• Some guy named Carpus clearly borrowed his coat! And his parchment paper 😝  JK
• Alexander 🤬.  Do you remember way back in Acts 19 when Paul was in Ephesus and there was a silversmoth that was selling his trinkets at the Temple?  This guy rallied up other silversmiths and said “Dude, if they become believers they won’t buy our fake idols” (clearly not a direct quote).  Well this is the guy!
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• Priscilla and Aquila-I think you remember them!   The Power couple! (Acts 18)
• Erastus-worked with Paul in Corinth- He was also an influential man in Public Works.  It made sense for him to stay in Corinth and represent.
• Trophimus sick in Miletus, Covid maybe??
• Eubulus, Prudens, and Linus  (historical writings have them as the ‘bishops’
• Claudia- this is fascinating.  She knows Timothy, but hang with the 3 musketeers listed above. However, the name Cladia is only given to women in Rome that come from Royalty.  Some rumors have her as Pruden’s wife, others suspect she may have been Pilate’s wife.  (remember she was against the crucifixion).  She may have just been a woman of royalty who left her comfy life behind to serve the Lord through Paul.  Interesting possibilities.²² 

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.

 

2 Timothy Overview

Last week we read 1 Timothy and the overview was quite long so I will keep this short 😂 I promise!

Paul,  imprisoned in Rome, recognized that his earthly life was likely coming to an end soon. The Book of 2 Timothy is essentially Paul’s “last words.” Paul looked past his own circumstances to express concern for the churches and specifically for Timothy. Paul wanted to use his last words to encourage Timothy, and all other believers, to persevere in faith.  What would your last words be for the ones you love? ❤️

See I told you.  Short. (I know what you are thinking…why can’t all her posts be that short!)😝

 

Hebrews 11-13

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• 8 days left

I drove around in the car all day (Christmas shopping) and tried to think about “Why does chapter 11: “The Hall of Faith” follow chapter 10.  So I went back and read how it ended (I could not remember).  Two verses stuck out:

³⁴ You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

and

³⁹ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

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Christian persecution was getting intense under Caesar Nero.  How easy would it be to “shrink back” and blend in with the unbelieving Romans?  So easy for me to say they should “persevere” since the only form of persecution I go through is being “mocked” by family members for being a “born again Christian” as if I joined a cult.

Faith: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for”

Faith is not a loophole to explain the unexplained.  It is knowing that The Lord’s promises WILL be fulfilled.  We have full confidence.  Some of these examples are about knowing His promises WILL be fulfilled…and we may not live to see it. There is a big picture because we serve a big God.  They will also be fulfilled regardless of our circumstances or the world’s circumstances.

The Israelites had Faith but lacked trust.  Think about that for a minute.  Ok, let me stop rambling….

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Chapter 11:

The first set: Pre-flood: Abel, Enoch, and Noah – They were all commended for their Faith.

The second set: The Patriarchs.  Their Faith, the best way I can think of it was “being blindfolded”.  They never looked back, they let God direct their path.  Amazing Faith and Trust!  They all went to the grave with unfilled promises of their generation, and they held their Faith to the grave that His Promises would be fulfilled in the generations to come.

The third set: The Exodus to the Conquest.  Time after time Israel’s deliverance was accomplished in defiance of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  In the same section, ‘The Moses’ transitions to a gentile prostitute.  Oh I bet the Jewish Leaders reading this had an aneurism😂!  Salvation is not based on identity nor your history.  Salvation is based on Faith.

The next section says ³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets….

What?  sure you do!  I was excited that I recognized all the names… (lies Patricia! 🤥  You had to look back to see who Jephthah was!). What did they have in common?  They had Faith yet made huge mistakes!  (See, there is Hope for everyone!)

So what is the point of this chapter??

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  

The entire chapter has been written as an encouragement to those being persecuted to preserve the view of the fact that God’s promise remains unfulfilled. Their Hope lay beyond the grave, and so do ours.  Chapter 11: “Hall of Faith” is not about the ancestors, it is about the God who keeps His Promises.

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Chapter 12

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, SO THAT you will not grow weary and lose heart.

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I think the rest of the read is really amazing, and I have babbled on long enough…Feel free to end hear, but my random ADHD thought are below.

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• (4-12)Discipline.  How we have made that un ugly word.  When you hear it do you think punishment??  I think it is important to reflect to discern the difference between discipline, consequence, and punishment.  Very different circumstances. 
• (14-16)…or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Esau, oh Esau.  Just like kids today!  He exemplifies the person who exchanges the “unseen future” for an “immediate pleasure”.
• (18-29) Ummmm that was like reading another language…very confusing.   I read it a few times and I pulled out the contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.  Fear verse Grace.

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The Conclusion (This conclusion is SO good, we could have skipped the 1st twelve chapters and just read this!

• loving one another
• ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.   👼🏼👼🏼👼🏼
• remember those in prison/mistreated as if it were you (have empathy)
• Honor your marriage (if you are currently married).  It is an oath you made.
• ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”

⁶ So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”

• • I pulled out the above scripture because I have seen people pull this one apart and use parts of it in their lives where they want it.  READ the whole thing in context.  VERY POWERFUL.

• ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
• ⁹ Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. 
• Continually praise the Lord with your mouth
• ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
• ¹Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority
•  Pray

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8 More Days

Hebrews 7-10

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• 9 days left

Last night I put a post on the Background of Melchizedek.  If you read it before today’s read it will make Chapters 7 and 8 crystal clear.

The book is from a Jew to a Jew telling them not to be a Jew.  Remember the audience.  The Jewish people had a priesthood ever since Moses came down the Mountain from Mt. Siani.  Telling them to throw everything they ever knew out the window was hard.  It would be for you and me too.

Verse 1-7- the explanation.  I felt like the author says these seven verses without taking a breath!  Justifying why the Levitical line did not matter today and then ending in verse 7 with…There weren’t even Levites when this even happened!

Click here to print this:

So let’s put one of the arguments on the table: Verse 11

¹¹ If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 

Let’s get the conversation out of the way about WHO Melchizedek is:

• Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. 
• He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, ² and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.
• The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”
• also “king of Salem” means “king of peace.”
• Without father or mother,
• without genealogy, 
• without beginning of days or end of life,
• resembling the Son of God, 
• he remains a priest forever.

So is Melchizedek a Typology or a Theophany?

• A typology is a form of symbolism that is prophetic.  In Old Testament typology, people and objects that foreshadow,  point to something that is yet to happen or someone (most often Jesus) who is yet to come.
• A theophany or Christ is a physical appearance of God/Jesus to a human being.
  • Non-human form (like the burning bush)
  • Human form (like when Jacob wrestled with the man in Peniel)
  • Angel form (Angel of the Lord)

If I was on a debate team, I feel like I could sound intelligent arguing both.  I have an opinion on this (a strong one too).😂 

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Back to Hebrews 7 😁

Why do we need a NEW Priesthood??

1. ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. (It was Changed.  From External Law to Internal Law, written on our hearts)
2. ¹⁶ one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life
3. .¹⁸ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless ¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced,
4. ²⁰ And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹ but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:
   • • “The Lord has sworn
           and will not change his mind:
           ‘You are a priest forever.’

²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.²

Jesus as High Priest:

• one who is holy,
• blameless,
• pure,
• set apart from sinners,
• exalted above the heavens.
• he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, (first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people).
• He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

My vote is curtain #2- the priesthood from the New Order!

(Imagine how long this would be if I didn’t post last night!  Bless!!)

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Chapter 8 is AMAZING.  Can I cut and paste the whole thing right here so I can underline and bold my favorite parts??  Ok, I won’t BUT I have to do at least one!

I will start with the last verse:

¹³ By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Now back to verse 8:

“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
⁹ It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,

This reminds me of Matthew ¹⁷ Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

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Chapter 9 and 10: “Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. ² A tabernacle was set up.”

Do you miss the OT as much as I do? (I mean studying it, I don’t want to be under the law)😂

The Tabernacle was just a foreshadow of Christ.  That is why the blueprint was set up like a Cross.  Not just the furniture inside the Tabernacle, but the arrangement of the tribes by population.

The Tabernacle/Temple worship has been fulfilled!

¹¹ Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴ For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

¹⁸ And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

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Let’s clarify a point:  Levitical Sacrifices in the OT did not take away sins.  However, the faith that the sacrifice was an atonement (a covering) did.  Both Covenants relied on Faith.  However, the Old Covenant was temporary and required continual sacrifice.  Salvation is the same before the Cross and After.  Your sin was covered by FAITH that the shedding of blood from something innocent covered your sin.

The New Covenant fulfilled all the rituals and regulations of the Law.  The Perfect Sacrifice was made to cover the sin of those with Faith but it was done once and for all!

To reject the sacrifice in both the old and the new systems leads to death.

²⁶ If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

This is a very serious passage!  A reality check!✅

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Have a wonderful night.  As I read the ending of this read, let me say that if you have read any/part/all of this read through, it literally is one of the best things you have done.  Honestly, I don’t know how you can stay with something this long without accountability??  I know I would have failed if I wasn’t accountable.  How much more does your reading Glorify the Lord than my writing.  So much more!! I love that the Lord chose the dreaded 2020 to put a desire on your heart to do this.  We are so close to being done.  I encourage you to stay the course and continue studying in 2021 SO THAT you can be a light to others.

❤️ Patricia

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—

❤️ God

9 days left

 

Background before tomorrow’s read-Melchizedek

Think of this post as a Movie Trailer for Chapters 7 and 8.  I am going to give the background to the mysterious chapter 7 of Hebrews (because we are human and curious) but the whole time the focus is not on Melchizedek, it is on the Lord.

Genesis 14- (Oh,how I wish we could now go back and reread the entire Bible…the gems we would see now)

Background: Before Genesis 14, Abram (Abraham) left his home and headed to Canaan (obeying the Lord).  He took with him his nephew Lot.  Well, they had too many possessions and to avoid arguments they split company.  Lot, being young and wild, headed towards the region of Sodom, the party town.

In the meantime, rulers and kings were fighting for land called.  For about 12 years, 4 kings:—Elam, Shinar, Ellasar, and Goiim—had ruled in and around Canaan. However, five kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar have gathered their forces to take their stand against the eastern kings.  To make a long story short (too late), the 5 kings defeated the 4 kings.  HOWEVER, in all the chaos, Lot got swept up in the plunder.

A survivor comes and tells Abram what has happened. Without hesitation, Abram—who is more than seventy-five years old, gathers a mere 318 men trained for battle to save Lot.

What could Abram’s small army do against this force that had conquered all in their path without a loss? With God’s help, they could win. They do so in one night! Abram’s forces chase down the enemy and retrieve Lot, all of his possessions, and everything else the eastern kings had plundered along the way.

As Abram returns home, two kings come out to meet him.

• One is the king of Sodom (Genesis 13:13), who survived the battle.
• The other is a mysterious figure identified as Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of God Most High.
  • Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness,” was a king of Salem (Jerusalem) (Peace) and priest of the Most High God
  • Melchizedek brings Abram bread and wine and a blessing from God.
  • Abram immediately responds by giving ten percent of all the plunder to God’s priest.
  • Melchizedek is both a High Priest AND a King.

Why are we talking about Melchizaeke in Genesis and why does he get a whole chapter in Hebrews? (chapter 7)

Read part of Genesis 14: (Click here to read the chapter…it’s so good)

¹⁷ After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, ¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
²⁰ And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

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The LAST scripture in yesterday’s read (Hebrews 6) was: He (Jesus) has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Here is what we know and some questions…

• The priests in the Old Testament come from the line of Levi (Melchizadek does not)
• The High Priest comes from Aaron’s (Moses’ brother) descendants (Melchizadek does not)
• If God put the Levitical priesthood in place- why would we need a Priest from a different order?
• Was the old order weak and flawed?
• Finally, who is this guy??

By the way, Cindy, thank you for the kind words in the Christmas card to Karen.🎄