Easter Sunday

I believe this is what happened:

"a subatomic particle, 

one that no one can explain it's creation or existence, 

(other than the laws of physics allow for something to be created from nothing)

 exploded, 

(and no one knows how or why this explosion took place), 

and every piece of matter in our universe came to exist because of this.

And everything in the universe was contained in that subatomic particle.

All the billions of galaxies,

each with billions of stars.

all were contained in that subatomic particle."

I believe it.
I honestly do.

I know who caused it as well :-).

There's not but one entity that could have.

I have no problems reconciling this with the creation story in Genesis.

None.

I'll tell you why.

If God's word conveyed to the prophets can have multiple layers of meanings?

Ezekiel 37 for instance, was about much more than the dry bones representing the nation of Israel.

It contains layers of meaning that Ezekiel didn't even know he was writing about.

An onion doesn't quit being an onion because you peeled it down to the forth or fifth layer right?

Then why can't God's word be interpreted as literal when it needs to be by some?

And allegorical and metaphorical when it needs to be by others?

The Bible is a living book.

Does it make it any less true which ever way you believe it?

Does it change the fact that God did indeed create the universe, ie, heavens etc?

What was God supposed to do?

Explain subatomic particles to Moses?

I think I'm in pretty good company as well.

Easter Weekend

Here comes Debbie Downer again lol.

Brother Joe quoted from a recent survey a few Sundays ago something to the effect of:

"Seventy percent of all Christians believe there is another way to get to heaven besides believing in Christ."

I think he equates this with religious pluralism, which I really don't necessarily so I'll have to ask him about it sometime.

So I got a couple of questions for these seventy percent types.

1. Why are you even calling yourself a Christian if theres another way?

Why not just go that route instead?

2. Where do you find this belief in the scripture?

Guess what?

Seventy percent of Christians are wrong.

This is why so many people don't like us.

The majority of us don't believe what we say we do 

and the ones that do believe what they say they do 

can't defend their beliefs very well 

other than to yell and scream at others 

and tell them they should change and be like us or they're going to hell.

Cause thats a great way to attract people right?

How about

1 Peter 3:15-16 instead?

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. 

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

All religions contain truth.

Some contain a lot of truth.

Some a little.

I'm very fond of the Sufi branch of Islam and Rastafarianism.

Does that make me a Sufi or a Rasta?

No.

It means I see truth there.

Just like I see truth in the sayings of Buddha or Confucius.

Does that mean I'm a follower?

No.

All religions contain truth.

Only one religion contains all the truth.

Look around this Easter Sunday.

At a minimum,  seventy percent of the people you see won't make the cut when the time comes.

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Easter Weekend

We now live in a world, where it is perfectly acceptable 

to believe that a subatomic particle, 

one that no one can explain it's creation or existence, 

(other than the laws of physics allow for something to be created from nothing)

 exploded, 

(and no one knows how or why this explosion took place), 

and every piece of matter in our universe came to exist because of this.

Everything in the universe was contained in that subatomic particle.

All the billions of galaxies?

Each with billions of stars?

All contained in that subatomic particle?

The Milky Way galaxy alone is thought to be about 100,000 light years across.

This means that light traveling at 186000 miles per second, or 671 million miles per hour, would take 100,000 years to get from one end to the other.

Thats just one galaxy, of which there are billions.

This train of thought is perfectly acceptable.

But believing Christ rose from the dead is a fairy-tale.

I'm sorry, I must have missed something, who are the hypocrites again?

More on this in a bit.

In

less than nine days, 

"The Donald", 

has fired The Secretary of State, 

The National Security Adviser, 

and stated that the U.S. would be 

"coming out of Syria, 

like, very soon," 

and called on other countries to 

"take care of it now." 

without prior knowledge by anyone else in his administration.

"An early U.S. exit from Syria would raise concerns of a resurgence by ISIS militants in the region. It would also heighten the fears of Israel and Saudi Arabia of growing Iranian and Russian influence in Syria."

Duh.

Go figure right?

People really need somebody to explain to them whats going on here?

Queue the Prince song.

"Sign..."

Trump freezes $200M in Syria recovery funds: report

And

yes I am aware of the goddess Ishtar and all the spring fertility rites of the pagans, and we don't know the exact day of the Crucifixion, resurrection blah, blah, blah, etc.

I'll say the same thing I posted that I borrowed from somebody else at Christmas.

God doesn't just convert people.

He can convert customs, pageants, celebrations, rituals, rites and customs as well.

So now whats your argument?

Regardless of what it may be?

Know this.

God loves you.

So much so that he sent his only son to die for your wrongs.

All of them.

So

it's Good Friday.

Holy Week.

Leave it to me to be Debbie Downer right :-).

Everybody's got special plans this weekend right?

Lots of people anyway.

Chocolate bunnies and eggs and Easter egg hunts 

and new dresses for girls and new outfits for boys and special diners and on and on and on.

I didn't wanna write this.

I really didn't

Been putting it off for days.

But?

I do what I'm told.

Regardless of who it angers.

So?

Here goes.

You can go to Church every Sunday of your life.

You can go to Sunday School.

You can teach Sunday School.

You can be the Vacation Bible School Director.

Lead the youth group.

Sing in the choir.

Be a deacon.

Be the finance director.

Be on multiple committees.

Pray all day every day.

Read the bible everyday.

Tithe and give gifts above whats expected.

On and on and on.

But know this.

God knows your heart.

And if you don't in your heart honestly believe that Jesus Christ was the living son of God, born supernaturally, lived a sinless life and was sent specifically to die on the cross and shed his blood for the atonement of the sins of mankind, and that on the third day he arose, defeating death forever, proving once and for all that he was indeed who he said he was?

If you don't honestly in your heart believe that?

Then none of this:

You can go to Church every Sunday of your life.

You can go to Sunday School.

You can teach Sunday School.

You can be the Vacation Bible School Director.

Lead the youth group.

Sing in the choir.

Be a deacon.

Be the finance director.

Be on multiple committees.

Pray all day every day.

Read the bible everyday.

Tithe and give gifts above whats expected.

means a thing.

God knows your heart.

I hope this Sunday some people sit in the pews and actually examine what it is in their hearts  they truly believe.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Love you Lucy.

Ezekiel 37 Commentary (a running post)

Cool.

Half way done with the chapter.

:-).

I love my job by the way.

Loving God and loving you Lucy.

How much better does it get than that sweetheart?

Time

and time again.

I will what?

I

will

bring 

you

back.

Just seen it too many times, in myself and in others, to be foolish enough to think it isn't true.

Back

Back

You

You

Bring

Bring

Will

Will

I

I

Ezekiel 37 Commentary (a running post)

So now?

Lets look at the application of this vision and how it relates to the present calamitous condition of the Jews in captivity. Remember, these bones represent the entire nation of Israel (or all of God's people in a broader sense), both the northern kingdom and the southern, the ten tribes and the two. Here we are going to see what they are, as well as what they should be.

Remember the depth of despair to which they are reduced,  Ezekiel 37:11, "Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off." They have given up. Sound familiar :-)? They are lost and gone, they say "our bones are dried, we've been here to long, our strength is exhausted, our spirits are gone, all hope is lost, everywhere we have looked for assistance has failed us, no relief is in sight, we are all cut off from parts. Let those who wish to hope do so, but most of us see no cause to do so." And this is just so great as a side note, when troubles continue long, when hopes have been often frustrated, and when all creature-confidences fail, it is not strange if the spirits sink; and nothing but an active faith in the power, promise, and providence of God will keep spirits from quite dying away. (All I can say is, yep :-) Guess what though?) Notwithstanding all of this? Guess what they are not seeing? Yeah, they're not seeing The height of prosperity to which they shall be advanced. Therefore, because things have come to this last extremity, prophesy to them, and tell them, now is God's time to appear for them. Jehovah will see, will provide, "Man's extremity is God's opportunity." Ezekiel 37:12-14, "Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” He's going to what? Restore you. To what? A condition greater than you were previously. (reference Joel 2 :-). Where are you going to go? Home. The place you've always belonged, whether you even knew it or not, you're going. Why? you ask. How do you know he has done it? The whole point of brother Joe's sermon a couple of Sundays ago. How do you know its to be done? Because, "I the Lord have spoken" and because of this what? "I have done it, declares the Lord." Tell them, say unto them, my words for me :-).

So now what happens?
They shall be brought out of the land of their enemies, where they are, as it were, buried alive. Ezekiel 37: 12. "I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel "(Home :-). All God's people shall be restored, not just the ones whose bones were scattered at the grave's mouth, Psalm 141:7, "They will say, “As one plows and breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of the grave.” but also those who were buried in the grave both literal at the proper time and figurative when people accept Christ and leave a life buried in sin. Though the power of the enemy is like the bars of the pit? And we think it's impossible to break through, strong as death and cruel as the grave they seem, and guess what? It...gets...conquered. God can bring his people up from the depths of the earth. Psalm 71:20, "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up." Redemption, restoration, it will be yours, both when you accept Christ and when he comes back and we go to be with him. This? This is the providence of God Almighty alone. It's what his book is all about. However far you've wondered, whatever you've done. Redemption, restoration, new life, it's all right around the corner if you desire it.

So what's happening?
They shall be brought back into their own land. Ezekiel 37:12, "Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Where what? Where they will live in prosperity, as in God's riches, both here on earth and in heaven. He will what? "place you there" Ezekiel 37;14 "I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’” God puts spirit in us to good purpose, and so that we shall indeed live, when he puts his Spirit in us.

And lastly?
What is done above all else in this vision? Whats the main accomplishment? People were brought back to life from being dead in sin? A nation was restored? Dry bones were built back into a living body? Hardly. The main thing here in all of this, is this, God will be glorified, period. "You shall know that I am the Lord" Ezekiel 37:13 "Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them." God's rejuvenating the dead more than anything else contributes greatly to his honor and to the honor of his word, which he has magnified above all his name and will magnify more and more by the punctual accomplishment of every bit of it.

I will bring you back 

:-)

Callantes

The vision of Ezekiel, the resurrection of the flesh.

(It's in The Mendenhall bible)

:-)

"Well,

I've been watching, while you've been coughing.

I've been drinking life, while you've been nauseous.

And so I drink to health, while you kill yourself.

And I've got just one thing that I can offer,

Go on and save yourself, and take it out on me.

Go on and save yourself, and take it out on me. Yeah."

Not

normally the manner in which I think of 

"A month of Sundays" 

but I'm caught up on my notes. 

Lol

Romans 6:22

But now that you have been set free from sin 

and have become slaves of God, 

the benefit you reap leads to holiness, 

and the result is eternal life.

Romans 6:1-2

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

What shall we say, then? 

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 

By no means! 

We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

Ephesians 2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith

and this is not from yourselves, 

it is the gift of God 

not by works, 

so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore put on the full armor of God, 

so that when the day of evil comes, 

you may be able to stand your ground, 

and after you have done everything, to stand.

Psalm 34

Of David. 

When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, 

who drove him away, and he left.

I will extol the Lord at all times;

    his praise will always be on my lips.

I will glory in the Lord;

    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;

    let us exalt his name together.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Fear the Lord, you his holy people,

    for those who fear him lack nothing.

The lions may grow weak and hungry,

    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Come, my children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Whoever of you loves life

    and desires to see many good days,

keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

Turn from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

    and his ears are attentive to their cry;

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

    to blot out their name from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;

    he delivers them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The righteous person may have many troubles,

    but the Lord delivers him from them all;

he protects all his bones,

    not one of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked;

    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.

The Lord will rescue his servants;

    no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

2 Chronicles 20:15

He said: “Listen, 

King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! 

This is what the Lord says to you: 

‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. 

For the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Somebody

the other night said they were previously in a region of the world where they couldn't see stars.

Dark nebula

Revelation 3:20

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. 

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, 

I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

You know what though?

You gotta open those ears that don't hear first.

And woe to the people that heard and then decided not to listen.

Their case will be far worse off than if they didn't ever hear to begin with.

2 Peter 2: 20-21

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.

Bro Joe :-)

"Christianity

is not a religion, 

it's a relationship."

Matthew 4:4

"Jesus answered, 

“It is written: 

‘Man shall not live on bread alone, 

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Not came from.

Not past tense. 

Present tense.

Every word you hear that comes from God.

Let it resonate.

Let it vibrate.

Follow your instruction.

Accept him.

Trust him.

It will work out if you do.

Open you eyes that don't see.

Your ears that don't hear.

It's all around you.

It's in everything.

Even this:

Deuteronomy 8:3

He humbled you,
causing you to hunger
and then feeding you with manna,
which neither you nor your ancestors had known,
to teach you that
man does not live on bread alone 
but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

"The

word of God creates new life.

A great army.

It changes the impossible to possible.

Hope is gone?

Were finished?

His power restores, 

heals, 

fixes 

brokenness, 

changes despair to hope,

death to life.

The word of God is living waters."

(Reference Ezekiel 37 :-)

"My

heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim, is higher ground."

Isaiah 53:6

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

THE SEVEN WORDS (Sayings) OF JESUS ON THE CROSS

THE FIRST WORD

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." 

Luke 23:34

THE SECOND WORD

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." 

Luke 23:43

THE THIRD WORD

"Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." 

Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother." 

John 19:26-27

THE FOURTH WORD

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 

Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34

THE FIFTH WORD

"I thirst." 

John 19:28

THE SIXTH WORD

When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished;" 

and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit. 

John 19:30

THE SEVENTH WORD

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 

"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." 

Luke 23:46

I didn't find out till recently there were seven times Jesus spoke on the cross.

I did know that in the bible seven is number signifying completion.

Brother Brian made mention of this one night and I just sat there astonished.

I said, "It had to be seven right?"

He just looks at me.

"I mean it couldn't have been six or eight or any other number of times, it had to be exactly seven times right? :-)"

Of course it did.

Romans 9:6-9

God’s Sovereign Choice

It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

Oh I love this one :-).

Save it away for a rainy day :-).

Sure as I'm livin' somebody will argue, "You're not Jewish, your not a descendant of Abraham, so you can't be a child of God."

Really?

"not all who are descended from Israel are Israel."

In Mathew Henry's commentary on something, somewhere he called Israel, "The nation of God." and he meant Jew and Gentile alike I assure you.

"it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring"

God's people as it were.

"the children of the promise"

And

some were from Central Baptist Bible Study as well.

Galatians 6:11-18

Not Circumcision but the New Creation.

(The title itself tells you what is important here)

See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Daniel 2: 46-47

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”

Genesis 41:38

So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”

These are all

notes from Bro Joe's sermons the last few weeks BTW.

If you're gonna make disciples?

You need to be one first.

If you walk with God?

Others will see it in the way you live.

You will be a light in the darkness.

Everything in your life will be affected.

Outlook.

Attitude.

The way you spend money.

Everything.

Rejoice in everything.

God will use the Holy spirit in us to reach others.

You have to let the Holy Spirit do it's work through you.

Acts 1:6-9

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

Philippians 1:22-24

22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

ISAIAH 54:15

"If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing;

whoever attacks you will surrender to you."

Lady

the other day:

"I tell my friends I know God is real."
"They say you can't prove it."

I don't get this from people anymore.
They know I got way more ammo stacked up on my side than they ever thought to consider and I know their arguments and they aren't going to change their ways so it all just becomes a mute point.

Christians in general do a horrible job defending the existence of God.
Seems like were to busy running around trying to tell everyone how to live their lives instead of just quietly leading a life that demonstrates our beliefs.

So here is how we can respond to the above.
In a logical, rational, not screaming telling you how to live your life, your going to hell kinda way.

Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord..."

"I know there is a God."
"You can't prove it."
"If I could it would be science, not faith, that's the whole point of free will.You can't prove there isn't, we really gonna sit here and go around and around like people already have for millennia? Whats the point?"

"How do you know he exist?"
"Look at the stars at night, where do you think they came from, whats your theory?"
"I believe in the big bang."
(Most of the people who will tell you this don't know the first thing about the theory, in fact it's more excuse than theory to them and gives them a convenient "out" and the ones that do know some about it and don't accept the fact that the laws of physics allow for miracles to happen are even worse.)
"Really?"
"Yep."
"You do know that one of the first things one has to accept in order to believe in the big bang is the fact that the laws of physics allow for something to be made from nothing?"
"No, I didn't know that."
"So your accepting a theory you don't know that much about on faith alone but you wont do God the same favor?"
"I never thought of it that way."
"All the matter in all the universe came from a single explosion of a subatomic particle that no one knows how its existence was formed, but water can't be turned into wine, or the dead raised to live again, or a virgin birth? I just have a problem with that."

The gears are now not meshing in their brain.
"I'll give you another reason why I know he exist"
"His word, the Bible, written by about 40 men over a period of 1600 years, yet all with one unifying purpose, sound like some vast conspiracy or hoax that man could pull off without anybody finding out it was all just some fairy-tale people decided to invent? Man alone by himself couldn't accomplish that."

"Where you going? I got more."
"The prophecies in the book that came true, and are still coming true to this day, from where Christ would be born, to his being a supernatural birth, just on and on and on all some coincidence right? I just can't buy that."

"Okay thanks but..."
"Hang on you wanted proof"
"The fact that we exist at all, that we are capable of being able to stand here and discuss this and that we have rational minds is evidence as well of his existence..."

"Okay..."
"Hang on just a lil bit more and I'll wrap it up."

"The manner in which 1000's of people change once they accept him, the changes I've seen  in myself as I have walked closer with him and studied his word and prayed more often, have all led me to believe there's no other alternative..."

"That God exist?'
"Exactly, I just see way more evidence that he does, than that he doesn't, thanks for letting me share."

I don't think

It was an accident that Bro Joe preached about this last Sunday, or that I heard it either :-).

Ezekiel 37 Commentary (a running post)

Not even half way done yet:-).

It was probably 10 years or so I first heard a sermon on the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision.

I had never heard of it before.

I walked out of church that Sunday thinking,

"What the f$#@ was that all about?"

And then just went about my Sunday.

Funny how things change.

Evil one fighting me hard today.

Obvious he doesn't like series this being posted.

Mouse pointer keeps jumping back in text where it wasn't when I stopped typing.

Previous post almost deleted etc.

It's not easy.

And as Nicholas or others at New Age could attest to, 

I'm not all that great of a typist to start with.

Love you

 Lucy 

Ezekiel 37 Commentary (a running post)

So?

Ezekiel looked down and preached upon the bones in the valley and they became human bodies. It's almost hard to remember that this is a vision right? It seems real, like we are right there with the prophet.

First? What he had to say to the dry bones was that God would bring them to life, and he would do so in his way, a way that is never wrong or never fails. This is what the Lord God Almighty says to these bones. You shall live! Ezekiel 37:5, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life", and again, Ezekiel 37:6, "I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord." They will live, he will make them alive. He will clothe them with skin and flesh just as he did at first, Job 10:10-12, "Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit." He that made us, can in like manner make us new again.

Second? That which was done for them was they were molded into a new shape. It's all about foreshadowing whats coming. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" How do you think Ezekiel preached to these bones? Do you think he may have been subdued? Somber? Soft? Muted? Or do you think he preached with great liveliness and vigor? I'd go with the later :-). Particularly when he saw what he said begin to take effect. Can you imagine? Seeing the first bone rattle around moving? Then another, and another, and another? I imagine the more the bones starting moving into place the louder and more animated Ezekiel became. There was noise right? There had to be. A word of command perhaps from heaven itself, seconding what the prophet was saying or the noise may have signified the motion of angels that were to be employed as the ministers of the Divine Providence in the deliverance of Gods people. We can read of the noise of their wings, Ezekiel 1:24: "And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings." And the sound of their going, 2 Samuel 5:24, "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” And so what happens here? A shaking, a commotion among the dry bones. Noise. Even dead and dry bones begin to move when they are called to hear the word of the Lord. Hear that preachers and ministers? :-) This was fulfilled when Cyrus proclaimed liberty, those spirits God had stirred up began to think of making use of that liberty and getting ready to be gone. Get it together Lucy, were going home sweetheart! 2 Chronicles 36:23, "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you – may the LORD their God be with them, and let them go up." (Side note, Cyrus, the king of Persia is the only non-Jew God put his righteousness on in the Old Testament. Isaiah 45:13, "I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.”). Back to the point being made. There was a noise. There was a noise when David heard the sound of the goings on in the tops of the mulberry trees. Paul heard a voice saying "Why are you persecuting me?" What was it? It was a noise, a metaphoric shaking of the dry bones, he trembled and was astonished. But this isn't all of it. The bones came together under divine direction. Even though there are 206 bones in the human body, of all the bones of all the slain in this valley, not one was missing, not one missed its place, not one went on a path it wasn't supposed to, almost by intuition, each bone knew and found it's fellow. Isaiah 34:16, "Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together." The dispersed bones (Remember the bones represent the Jewish people or nation in this vision, or the people of God in a larger context) came together and they were knit together, the divine power supplying that to these dry bones which in a living body every joint supplies. Tell me this isn't how it will be in the resurrection. The scattered atoms will be arranged and marshaled in their proper place and order and every proper connection made and by the same wisdom and power by which our bones were first formed in the womb, a physical body will become a spiritual one. Amen? 1 Corinthians 15:44, "They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies." This is how it was in the return of the Jews, those that were scatted in several parts of the providence of Babylon, they came to their respective families, and all were in agreement to the general rendezvous, in order to facilitate their return home. Sinews and flesh came upon these bones, Ezekiel 37:8 "I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them but there was no breath in them.". This is fulfilled when the captives got their effects about them and the men of their place helped them with silver, and gold and whatever they needed for their journey. Ezra 1:4, "And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem." But still there was no breath in them; they wanted spirit and courage for such a difficult and hazardous task as this, returning to their own land, their home.


So what happens?
Ezekiel then looked up and prophesied to the wind, or breath, or spirit, and said, Come, O breath! and breathe upon these slain. Because now we just have a bunch of dead bodies right? But Gods work is perfect. He is not the God of the dead but of the living. Mark 12:27. "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living..." Therefore breathe upon these that they may live. In answer to this request? The breath immediately came into them. Ezekiel 37:10 "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." The spirit of life is from God and God alone. He breathed life into man at his creation, Genesis 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." And he will again in our resurrection. Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." I imagine the dispirited, despondent, depressed, dispersed people of Israel were suddenly wonderfully animated, with resolution, resolve and determination to break through all their discouragements and obstacles that lay in their way of , and on their return home and applied themselves to it with all imaginable vigor. So they stood on their feet, not just put back together and given life, but now they are an exceedingly great army. Ezekiel 37:10 "...they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." They're an army because they aren't just going home. They're going to rebuild GOD's temple as well. They are not only living people now, but effective ones, fit for service in Gods spiritual wars, and formidable to all that gave or will give them any opposition, brought back to life from being what? From being dispirited, despondent, depressed, dispersed. Sound familiar to anybody yet?

It's an accident I'm sitting here writing this right now, at this particular moment in my life right? Okay, sure, I keep saying, the people that believe that? They got more faith than I do, cause there just isn't any way any of this is an accident :-).

Love you Lucy.

Wanna

take a guess what the record du'jour is?

:-).

Love you Lucy.

:-)

"Heaven on Earth

We need it now

I'm sick of all of this

Hanging around

Sick of sorrow

Sick of pain"

:-)

"In a little while

Surely you'll be mine

In a little while... I'll be there

In a little while

This hurt will hurt no more

I'll be home, love

When the night takes a deep breath

And the daylight has no air

If I crawl, if I come crawling home

Will you be there?"

:-)

"Who's to say where the wind will take you

Who's to know what it is will break you

I don't know where the wind will blow

Who's to know when the time has come around

I don't wanna see you cry"

:-)

"Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one

Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home

That's where the hurt is

And I know it aches and your heart it breaks

And you can only take so much"

:-)

"At the corner of your lips

As the orbit of your hips

Eclipse

You elevate my soul

I've got no self-control

Been digging like a mole

Now, going down, excavation

I and I in the sky

You make me feel like I can fly so high

Elevation

A mole digging in a hole

Digging up my soul

Going down, excavation

I and I in the sky

You make me feel like I can fly so high

Elevation"

Still

plenty left to cover :-).

And were only dealing with the first half of the chapter here :-).

Just

because I love it so much :-).

Those that do as they are commanded, 

as they are commissioned, 

in the face of the greatest discouragements, 

need not doubt of success, 

for God will own and enrich his own appointments. 

Ezekiel 37 Commentary (a running post)

Now lets look at the weapons of spiritual warfare, 

or the means that were used to bring these dispersed bones back together and bring them back to life.

How in the world is this to be done?

Such a daunting task.

How much faith would it take to do as commissioned like Ezekiel here was?

How was he told to do it?

He is ordered to prophesy upon these bones.

Ezekiel 37:4 

Then he said to me, 

“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 

‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

Not once, but twice was he told to prophesy

Ezekiel 37:9

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; 

prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 

Come, breath, from the four winds 

and breathe into these slain, that they may live.

So what does the prophet do?

Like any good servant of the lord he does what he is commanded.

Ezekiel 37:7

So I prophesied as I was commanded. 

And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, 

a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 

And again:

Ezekiel 37:10

So I prophesied as he commanded me, 

and breath entered them; 

they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

People these days get prophesy and prophesying, all jumbled up.

It's not about telling about events to come in the future, though that does happen.

A lot of times unwittingly for the prophet himself.

Other times?

The knowledge of future events, in small parts anyway, is plainly revealed.

But never in their entirety, for this is the providence of the Almighty only.

The Mendenhall bible defines a prophet as a preacher of or from God.

Gods mouthpiece as it were.

They are not his mouthpiece all the time cause they are human.

But when led by the spirit they are Gods preachers.

They aren't Catholic, or Methodist or Baptist per say, 

although they will seek their spiritual nourishment where they feel most comfortable.

They are first and foremost Christian, led along by the Holy Spirit.

Also?

They can reduce complex subject matter in to simple terms 

so that many more people may come to understand it.

God's preachers, speaking his words when directed, 

as directed, making things simple for others.

It get confusing sometimes because it becomes difficult to tell when the Prophet is speaking in his voice and when he is speaking for God.

It's just the way God uses them.

The Holy Spirit will let you know when it's the human speaking 

or God Almighty as you read his writings.

So Ezekiel prophesying here? 

Is him speaking God's words for him to the dry bones.

Basically?

He was ordered to preach to the dry bones.

I betcha there are a lot of preachers/priest out there saying to themselves:

"Hey, I do that a lot of Sundays myself!"

Well?

At least your not looking out in the pews and seeing a bunch of literal dry bones sitting in the pews I guess lol.

I'm glad we got all that cleared up :-).

And when he did preach?

The dead bones lived.

How?

They did so by a power that went along with the word of God which he preached.

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

"Every word"

Brother Joe made a great point.

It's not just the bible.

It's not past tense.

It's present tense.

Which means all the answers we receive in prayer, 

all the instruction or commands that resonate with each of us.

"Every...word."

Okay, so he preached as a means of spiritual warfare, what else did he do?

He prayed. 

And what happened as he did?

The dead bones were made to live in answer to his prayer.

Why?

Because as he prayed a spirit of life entered the dry bones.

Prayer for others will enrich our lives as well as help the person(s) it's intended for.

This is the wonderful effect of the word of God, 

hearing his voice, reading his written word, and prayer.

And the need for all of it.

For it will raise dead souls, just as it raised these dead bones back to life.

God tells his minister preach to these dry bones.

Every Sunday if need be :-).

Say to them, live!, live!

Do as you are commanded, again and again.

You dry bones out there?

Here the word of God.

But they are still dead right?

We call in vain.

They are still dead.

They are still very dry.

So what do we do?

We will be earnest with God in prayer for the working of the Spirit with the word.

Come o Breath, breathe upon them.

Oh and I love this one:

Gods grace can save souls without our preaching, 

but our preaching can not save souls without Gods grace.

Thats just awesome.

God's grace, his love, his forgiveness.

How do you enter it?

By prayer.

What must ministers do?

They are to diligently use the means of grace 

even with those that there seems to be little probability or reaching.

Hey?

At least your not Ezekiel in this vision right?

You are not as destitute as the dry bones are right?

It could be worse.

To preach to a bunch of figurative dry bones might seem as a great penance, 

some might compare it to watering a dry stick, 

yet whether they hear or ignore we are commanded to fulfill our commission, 

we must preach Gods word as instructed 

in the name of him who raises the dead, both literally and figuratively 

and is the fountain of live for all mankind.

Speaking of fountain of life, Hydrogen is one of the components of water right? 

H2O.

Hydrogen is also one of the oldest elements in the universe.

Go figure right?

Accident I'm sure.

But that's a whole different series of post lol.

What is the wonderful effect of using these spiritual weapons?

The following?

Is probably what convinced me to do this commentary.

Hit me like a ton of bricks.

Just the perfect words, coming at the perfect time.

Those that do as they are commanded, as they are commissioned, in the face of the greatest discouragements, need not doubt of success,
for God will own and enrich his own appointments.
More on what the word of God can accomplish

Psalm 33:6

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Joel 2:11 

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Love you Lucy.

Ezekiel 37 Commentary (a running post)

So?

Ezekiel looked down and preached upon the bones in the valley and they became human bodies. It's almost hard to remember that this is a vision right? It seems real, like we are right there with the prophet.

First? What he had to say to the dry bones was that God would bring them to life, and he would do so in his way, a way that is never wrong or never fails. This is what the Lord God Almighty says to these bones. You shall live! Ezekiel 37:5, "This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life", and again, Ezekiel 37:6, "I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord." They will live, he will make them alive. He will clothe them with skin and flesh just as he did at first, Job 10:10-12, "Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit. He that made us, can in like manner make us new again.

Second? That which was done for them was they were molded into a new shape. It's all about foreshadowing whats coming. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" How do you think Ezekiel preached to these bones? Do you think he may have been subdued? Somber? Soft? Muted? Or do you think he preached with great liveliness and vigor? I'd go with the later :-). Particularly when he saw what he said begin to take effect. Can you imagine? Seeing the first bone rattle around moving? Then another, and another, and another? I imagine the more the bones starting moving into place the louder and more animated Ezekiel became. There was noise right? There had to be. A word of command perhaps from heaven itself, seconding what the prophet was saying or the noise may have signified the motion of angels that were to be employed as the ministers of the Divine Providence in the deliverance of Gods people. We can read of the noise of their wings, Ezekiel 1:24: "And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings." And the sound of their going, 2 Samuel 5:24, "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” And so what happens here? A shaking, a commotion among the dry bones. Noise. Even dead and dry bones begin to move when they are called to hear the word of the Lord. Hear that preachers and ministers? :-) This was fulfilled when Cyrus proclaimed liberty, those spirits God had stirred up began to think of making use of that liberty and getting ready to be gone. Get it together Lucy, were going home sweetheart! 2 Chronicles 36:23, "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you – may the LORD their God be with them, and let them go up." (Side note, Cyrus, the king of Persia is the only non-Jew God put his righteousness on in the Old Testament. Isaiah 45:13, "I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.”). Back to the point being made. There was a noise. There was a noise when David heard the sound of the goings on in the tops of the mulberry trees. Paul heard a voice saying "Why are you persecuting me?" What was it? It was a noise, a metaphoric shaking of the dry bones, he trembled and was astonished. But this isn't all of it. The bones came together under divine direction. Even though there are 206 bones in the human body, of all the bones of all the slain in this valley, not one was missing, not one missed its place, not one went on a path it wasn't supposed to, almost by intuition, each bone knew and found it's fellow. Isaiah 34:16, "Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together." The dispersed bones (Remember the bones represent the Jewish people or nation in this vision, or the people of God in a larger context) came together and they were knit together, the divine power supplying that to these dry bones which in a living body every joint supplies. Tell me this isn't how it will be in the resurrection. The scattered atoms will be arranged and marshaled in their proper place and order and every proper connection made and by the same wisdom and power by which our bones were first formed in the womb, a physical body will become a spiritual one. Amen? 1 Corinthians 15:44, "They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies." This is how it was in the return of the Jews, those that were scatted in several parts of the providence of Babylon, they came to their respective families, and all were in agreement to the general rendezvous, in order to facilitate their return home. Sinews and flesh came upon these bones, Ezekiel 37:8 "I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them but there was no breath in them.". This is fulfilled when the captives got their effects about them and the men of their place helped them with silver, and gold and whatever they needed for their journey. Ezra 1:4, "And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem." But still there was no breath in them; they wanted spirit and courage for such a difficult and hazardous task as this, returning to their own land, their home.


So what happens?
Ezekiel then looked up and prophesied to the wind, or breath, or spirit, and said, Come, O breath! and breathe upon these slain. Because now we just have a bunch of dead bodies right? But Gods work is perfect. He is not the God of the dead but of the living. Mark 12:27. "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living..." Therefore breathe upon these that they may live. In answer to this request? The breath immediately came into them. Ezekiel 37:10 "So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." The spirit of life is from God and God alone. He breathed life into man at his creation, Genesis 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." And he will again in our resurrection. Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." I imagine the dispirited, despondent, depressed, dispersed people of Israel were suddenly wonderfully animated, with resolution, resolve and determination to break through all their discouragements and obstacles that lay in their way of , and on their return home and applied themselves to it with all imaginable vigor. So they stood on their feet, not just put back together and given life, but now they are an exceedingly great army. Ezekiel 37:10 "...they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." They're an army because they aren't just going home. They're going to rebuild GOD's temple as well. They are not only living people now, but effective ones, fit for service in Gods spiritual wars, and formidable to all that gave or will give them any opposition, brought back to life from being what? From being dispirited, despondent, depressed, dispersed. Sound familiar to anybody yet?

It's an accident I'm sitting here writing this right now, at this particular moment in my life right? Okay, sure, I keep saying, the people that believe that? They got more faith than I do, cause there just isn't any way any of this is an accident :-).

Love you Lucy.

Seems

like I remember somebody saying multiple times, 

in front of witnesses, 

again, way before I ever met you, 

just how foolish it was to think you could fight the supernatural with the physical.

It's just the height of folly.

You just will not be able to hide anywhere from God's army when he sends it.

Joel 2:5-11 

Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Utter his what?

Word.

His camp that executes his word is what?

Very great.

Why?

For he is strong

"The day of the Lord"

The coming of the end.

If you want to know who can abide in it?

Feel free to read the rest of Joel 2 :-).

Joel 2

What did the Demon say that committed the murder in the Church in Nashville not long ago in a cryptic FB post before the shooting?

"There are more of you than they told us.

There are more of you than they told us."

Angels outnumber demons two to one to start with.

This isn't even including believers and martyrs.

It's a slaughter.

It's not even close.

No wonder Hollywood made a movie about an Angel switching sides.

(Not biblical and I can't remember the name of the movie.)

If people only knew.

How awful it's going to be.

They would get down on their knees right now and beg for forgiveness of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

Seems

like.

I promise it seems like I could remember somebody saying a log time ago.

Even before I met you.

Russia and China wont attack us militarily.

They are way to smart for that.

They will wage, economic, diplomatic and cyber warfare against us.

It's just the easiest most efficient way to accomplish their aims.

Four winds leveling anybody?

Revelation 7:1 

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, 

holding the four winds of the earth, 

that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.