Give Jesus your heart

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For a threshingfloor, for the personal purification of your old man/person, in order that you do not fall under His judgment.

2 Samuel 24:20-25 "And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel."

God came with judgment over Israel on account of the sin of the census, which David had organized. It was a sin of pride of life. God answered this committed sin by sending pestilence over Israel, as a result of which 70,000 Israelites died.

In these last, sinful days God's anger will, in ever increasing measure, also come over the world and unrepentant Christianity. God's wrath is to come over The Netherlands too; this country that leads the world with its sinful laws, such as the laws of the homosexual marriage, euthanasia and other wicked practices.

David had to appease God's wrath with a burnt offering which he was to bring on Araunah's (or Ornan's) threshingfloor. A burnt offering is a voluntary sacrifice and is a type of the voluntary offering we have to bring to God for the deliverance of our sinful heart and life on the basis of Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary, in order that we no longer should live under His burning wrath, and that we might be protected from His judgments.
A burnt sacrifice had to be completely burned to ASHES. Nothing was to be left. This means NOTHING is to be left of our sinful heart and life. Everything has to be burned away in the Fire of God's Holy Spirit if we want to escape His judgments.
In 1 Corinthians 5 verses 6-8 it is written: "a little yeast (sin) will spoil the whole dough (new life)." All sin must be burned in the Fire of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 3:11-12 "I (John the Baptist) baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor (of our heart and life), and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

On a threshingfloor chaff was separated from the corn/wheat. Chaff is the type of the old, sinful, natural life we have to lose to Jesus; and corn/wheat is the type of the New, Divine life we will receive from Jesus. We have to be completely delivered from our natural, i.e. sinful being: the sinful state of the natural man/person.

Ephesians 2:1-3 "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."

1 John 2:15-17 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

A person consists of body, soul and spirit. The sins of the body (flesh) are: the desires (lusts) of our flesh which we commit with our five senses and which we then misuse and make as many idols of. The sins of our soul are the desires of the eyes: the pursuit of luxuries, property, money and wealth; of material things.

The sins of the spirit are: the pride of life, pride, arrogance, conceit, dominance over other people. We have to lose all these sins to Jesus by confessing them, by surrendering them to Him.

We find bible verses that deal on this subject in:

Proverbs 28:13-14 "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief."

Isaiah 59:1-2 "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The need of deliverance from the sinful nature.

Besides confession and surrender/subjection we also have to undergo the working of His Spirit's Fire. It is necessary, but not enough, for the deliverance of our sins, to believe in His offer and in His power to deliver from sins.

John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

It is also necessary, but not enough, to have ourselves immersed in His death and resurrection through the (water)baptism. Our redemption from sin does NOT happen AUTOMATICALLY after we have done all these things. We also have to be willing to be baptized in His Fire by the Holy Spirit.

We did read Matthew 3:11-12; we will now go to Malachi 3:1-4:

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord as in the days of old, and as in former years."

Our surrender, as Arauna's (or Ornan's), is to be complete (100%), in order that He burn away our old life unto the foundations thereof.

Isaiah 61:8 a "For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering (namely a burnt sacrifice that is not completely burned up)..."

A milder statement than the burning in His Fire, is the washing in His Blood, but this, in fact, means the same thing. We are to undergo voluntarily the Spirit of purification, because we have a free will and God will not go against this free will of ours. We are to carry/bear our cross voluntarily; this means: we must be willing to die to our personal sins, which sins we are to overcome in Jesus' strength.

Jesus defeated satan through His sacrifice on the cross, He gained the victory over him, but we have to overcome our personal sins and our sinful life ourselves with the help of Jesus, and on the basis of our faith in His sacrifice on the cross. For this purpose we are to take up our cross voluntarily; this means we are to be willing to die to our sinful being.

Luke 9:23-25: "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?"

CLICK HERE if you want to read this study – that is to long for the Blog – further.

By E. van den Worm

LUKE (Chapter 3) - Wanting to live in a continuing disposition of repentance

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The active effect of the Word unto repentance.

In this chapter we will study the Word of repentance active in us. We have looked at it in its "before-state"; we have studied it in its birth, and now in its active working in the life of the person who is willing to open up to this purifying and justifying power which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The power of repentance must first of all be active in our personal life, and then also in the Church for it to be effective outside; for it to bring this word of repentance to outsiders.

It goes without saying that there has to be an interaction: We must be willing to repent, to accept Him as the Prince of our further life; We must be willing to conform to the word of repentance; We must be willing to turn our back to the powers of sin; We must be willing to resist the urge of worldly lusts in our flesh and the worldly standards and requirements; We must now turn more to God and His Word; We must now ask: "Lord, what are your standards, what do you want me to do?" Then He will give us the strength to actual repentance which is in Jesus Christ.

This word is directed to all, but in particular to the young people of these last days wherein satan works in an extraordinary measure. In our days the (strong) inclination is seen to shake off standards of life, while these standards have mostly come from the Holy Scriptures. One regards as hypocrisy the keeping of these standards. One wants "the truth", and in the case of sinful man: letting oneself go in sinful lusts and desires, while man should comply to the will of his Creator instead. Let us realize the situation, especially the young ones among us. It is only when man is willing to comply to God's standards, that God can give him what He wants to give him: strength to continue to choose His will, and above all a sharing of Himself!

Luke 3 verse 1-2: "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tuberous Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch (prince over one quarter of the Roman province of Palestine) of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness."

Here we get to know a working of the Word of God. Precisely determined, measured in time, the Word of God came to John. John had already been called by God, but... had not yet been sent out on an actual ministry. Now, at that exact point in time, the power of God's Word came over and in John, and took control of him, because he was a spiritual channel, which had been fully prepared to receive this divine Word; to be taken over by this Word. John then became the personification of that "living word unto repentance!" Glory to God! And if this Word of repentance has completely "taken over", filled us completely; when we have become the personification of this Word, then, it is true, we have become insufferable for the world, but irresistible for those who are willing to repent. Then we will pull them out of the world's pool of sin, out of God's fiery judgment! To God be the glory!

Luke 3 verse 3-6: "And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Here we see the divine working of the Word to repentance. Once it is in us, it is irresistible, and it does not need any propaganda. For this divine Word then is like a light in the darkness, as a fire which consumes the dry wood. The appearance of John, in the valley of the Jordan, worked like a bright flash of lightning in those areas. It was seen by everyone, everyone came to him; drawn as it were by a magnet.

No propaganda is necessary for the Spirit of God if He is active. A true Holy-Ghost revival was going on here, which was powerfully effective in that area. Without any "propaganda" the whole country knew John the Baptist in no time at all. So was the Lord Jesus Christ's action too. Therefore, beloved, if you want a Holy-Spirit revival, pray and beg for it, and be willing to be cleansed, sanctified and used by Him yourself. Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and offer yourself to become His instrument; let Him be, and remain, your Master so that God's anointing work through you. Pray earnestly about this. It may cost you everything; you must dare to pay the price for it. Let God work, give Him a free hand and you will see that the anointing of God will make an instrument of you and me which will bring many out of this world unto voluntary repentance and subjection to God. Beloved, let us seek this, for the end-time (= the end of times or the last days) requires such laborers; laborers who allow God's anointing to work through them. Then you will see that, in a short time, the work will surpass that of many years. Be sanctified in Him that the anointing can work freely through you; that the anointing will not be hindered by our hobbies, pet subjects, habits (good and bad). If we then have allowed this Word of repentance to work in us, we will see that God's power in us, as an introduction to His full grace, will prepare the way hereto: namely to the union with His anointing, with the full Word of God, with the living God Himself, Who is a consuming Fire, but also an enchanting Love-fire. Then all valleys – the sinful pits in our being – will be made smooth; all mountains and hills – all stubbornness and proud desires – will be made low by God's powerful and recreating Word. Then the crooked ways in our life will be made straight. Let Him do all this in your being; long for it. However strange this may sound, but in this light it is understandable: Long for the cross...; love your cross... Long for it, that all works of the flesh, which, naturally, are always sinful, be killed by the works of the Spirit (Romans 8:13); also praying for His strength to undergo all this. This "Way of sorrows", it is true, is a painful affair for our flesh, but He will be with us, and will make this sacrifice of our flesh a joyful, holy feast after our spirit. Remember, that the Israelites had to travel three days out of Egypt to offer the Lord a sacrificial feast there (Exodus 5:1-3). For us, too, this sacrifice of self will be a spiritual feast of joy and peace and justice in Christ Jesus!

So all flesh shall see "the salvation of God". If we are prepared to bring this sacrifice, then we will receive this promise we have read about in verse 6. All flesh that had "itself crucified" will see and taste the salvation, the glory of God. Let us be willing to be purified from al the old and sinful in us by the Word of repentance, so that we will be different people, NEW CREATIONS of God, new men, new women, Jesus-men and Jesus-women, who have truly and completely given up the old life, who have been found willing by God to pay this price. Glory to God!

CLICK HERE if you want to read this study (Chapter 3) – that is to long for the Blog – further.[1]

By E. van den Worm

[1] For Chapter 1 and 2, see our Blog at 10 November and 10 December 2009.

Three reasons that will bring us joy in the Lord

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Three reasons: Mentioned in Isaiah 9

We live in the end-time, a time full of God's judgments over manhood because of its many sins. This is why it is good for God's children to learn how to be able to live in His spiritual joy in order that they might live in His joy, His strength, in spite of worldly problems. Nehemiah 8 verse 11 says:

"The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Let us first read Isaiah 60 verse 1-2:

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord (YaHWeH) is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord (YaHWeH) shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."

The Netherlands, as it were, defy God with their laws, their homo marriage and euthanasia laws, their abortion law, their attitude toward life. Isaiah 8 verse 21-22 and 9 verse 1 speaks about these dark last days:

"And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness. Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the natoins."

The world of the last days force God to judge it.We read further in Isaiah 9 verse 2:

"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined."

When we are plunged in great social and political darkness God will shine a GREAT LIGHT of His Spirit and His Word over us, as a result of which people's consciences will be strongly convicted of sin, and they will be converted; that is to say: the wise among us.

Let Isaiah 9 be our guide further. I will quote the next verse from the literal translation of the original Hebrew text, because the translation we have differ from it.

Isaiah 9 verse 3: "You have multiplied the nation (a great revival took place because of God's light of Word and Spirit), the joy You have not increased. NOW they rejoice in Your sight. They rejoice in the harvest the way one does, when the spoil is divided."

Many will be converted because of God's light. But there will only be spiritual joy in their hearts if they obey the three reasons, conditions, the three "FOR"s Isaiah's prophecy mentions in the following three verses.

The first "FOR":

Isaiah 9 verse 4: "FOR thou hast broken the yoke of his (satan's)[1] burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian."

The Lord fulfilled this on Calvary. There He broke satan's power of sin for ever. He worked an "eternal redemption" there .

Hebrews 9 verse 12: "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."

We have to firmly believe in this victory over satan and, always/at all times. We should keep this in our hearts as a firm promise of God.

2 Corinthians 4 verse 10-11: "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."

Thus, we must stay focused on Calvary! One also must BELIEVE that Jesus has the power to deliver us from all power of sin.

1 John 3 verse 8: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,that he might destroy the works of the devil."

The second “FOR”:

Believing in His offer for us, however, is not enough. This happened nearly 2000 years ago, but NOW, now that we are converted to Him, He must be able to fulfil this finished work in our personal lives. The sin in our hearts and lives still has to be defeated. For this purpose we must open our hearts and lives to Him so that the King of Glory could come in and wage war with us against every (power of) sin that reigns in our hearts, thoughts and lives.

Revelation 3 verse 20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Then He will have SUPPER with us, which means that He will work in us His death and resurrection, His victory over the power of sin and over satan. He must be allowed to do away with, and burn away, our sins and our sinful state; He must be allowed to wash them in His blood.

Isaiah 9 verse 5 tells us the same. And this is the second "FOR" that will make us rejoice in the Lord.

Isaiah 9 verse 5: "FOR every boot of the trampler is with shaking and the coat rolled in blood shall even become burning, fuel for the fire" (literal translation of the original Hebrew text).

Every act of ours that steps on our neighbour mercilessly, and every way of life, every tongue that kills/murders our neighbour, every sin of body, soul and spirit in relation to material or neighbour, as well as all labor for the Lord that we did in our own strength, must be burned away by the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit and of God's Word. We must be delivered of any stain of the old sinful life through participation in His death, in His victory over sin; we must be purified in His blood.

Again, this being freed from sin is not enough. We must also receive from Him the NEW divine life in this sinful world, and continue to walk in a fresh, living RELATIONSHIP with Him, our King and God.

The third “FOR”:

This is the third "FOR" through which we may receive joy in the Lord. Being delivered from the old, sinful life, we may also take part in His resurrection life. In that life we first are born again, and are then allowed to grow therein unto completeness, perfection, until the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ nature. In the process our relationship with Jesus Christ, our King and Lord, also grows into completeness.

First He is born in our heart:

Isaiah 9 verse 6-7: "FOR unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

He, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, has been given to us for an ETERNAL Friend

John 14 verse 16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever."

In this NEW LIFE we must be willing to obey our Leader and King under the discipline of His precious Word, and we must continue to walk circumspectly/carefully.

Psalm 2 verse 10-12: "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth (we must OBEY the Son). Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling (we must SERVE Him). Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him (we must LOVE Him).”

We must continue to SERVE Him and to LOVE Him, and stay within the FEAR of the Lord lest we fall back into sin. Then He shall lead us with His wonderful counsel, and prove Himself our strong God. He shall be a Father to us and a Prince of Peace, and He shall be our King from NOW until eternity.

Let us also take the next verses to heart:

Matthew 5 verse 8: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall SEE God."

Psalm 16 verse 11: "...in thy presence is fulness of joy..."

Now the purified person can pursue the perfect relationship with the Spirit of the Lamb, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Philippians 3 verse 10-14: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Our old person must participate more and more in His suffering and death. The New in us, the divine nature, must in ever greater measure have a part in His resurrection Holiness, Glory and Power...! Amen.

By E. van den Worm

[1] We write the word satan not with a capital, as it is not a name, but a word meaning opponent or adversary, accuser.

Three reasons (mentioned in Isaiah 9) that will bring us joy in the Lord

LUKE (Chapter 2) - The birth of Jesus Christ and our NEW LIFE

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The birth of the NEW LIFE
The previous chapter ended with the circumcision of John the Baptist, the symbol of a willing entering (on our side) of the Blood-covenant with Christ: a willing surrender unto God, that all of the process of God's work on the cross, unto the annihilation of our old life, might be done unto us. After the promises without repentance of God's Word the NEW LIFE of God, which will then be poured into us, will follow such faith and attitude of life. In this light it is understandable, that in this new chapter the NEW LIFE of God is depicted in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. God's profound wisdom lies herein: John the Baptist had to be born earlier, and only thereafter God's Christ: first heartfelt repentance and surrender must be born in us before NEW LIFE of God can be produced in us; because, as we saw, this NEW LIFE could only develop within us on the pure and holy foundation of Jesus Christ.

The birth of Jesus Christ.
Luke 2 verse 1-3: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria). And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city."
Here is a brief report of the first census in the Roman empire. This census had taken quite a lot of doing: everyone had to be registered in the town or place of origin of the family. This most probably had to do with civil rights. In any case, this registration was done in connection with taxes, that were to be charged. Thereafter such censuses were to take place once every 14 years in the Roman empire.
Luke 2 verse 4-5: "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David); To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
Obeying the command of the emperor of Rome, because Israel in those days was under the dominion of the Roman Empire, Joseph, too, went with Mary to whom he was to be married, to Bethlehem, the city of the origin of the entire house of David, unto which Joseph as well as Mary belonged. Mary then was in an advanced state of pregnancy of the Child Jesus: it was about the time that she should deliver. One understands how difficult that must have been. This gives us a striking idea, how a Christian who is truly full of Jesus, often has to suffer painfully the things of this world. Here Mary already stood in the adumbration (the most central, darkest part of the shadow)(or foreshadow) of the cross, which would also crucify her own life, her "I"/self, completely. Quietly, and without grumbling, with a patient heart, Mary must have gone this for her difficult way beside Joseph.
Luke 2 verse 6-7: "And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger (i.e. a feeding trough for animals!); because there was no room for them in the inn."
He, Who is the NEW LIFE, the Resurrection Life, Himself, was born in a manger, in a stable for animals. He must be born there. God had determined that. That stable was the place predetermined by God. In that dirty stable for animals, where also was dung, He must be born; because the human heart into which He must be born in the Spirit, is also dirty, like a stable for animals, because of all the sins of the people. This explains why He had to be born there, exactly there. He was laid in a manger, because He was to be food, the Bread of Life, for us. When we eat Him in the spirit; i.e. when we open our heart unto Him, and allow Him (access) into our heart and life, then we will receive NEW LIFE. I repeat: Jesus Christ can only really become the Bread of Life for us, when we, in answer to the call of the preacher unto repentance (in those days John the Baptist), repent sincerely. If we thus have communion with Him, as our Prince of Life, by accepting His Word and by having all His promises in our life fulfilled by Him, then we know, by our faith, that the ETERNAL LIFE, the Kingdom of God, enters into our heart and life.

The witnesses to His birth.
Now we shall have a close look at the witnesses at His birth. Projected unto the inner life of our heart, the birth of the NEW LIFE knows similar witnesses. God's Word is unfailing and wonderful. As He came among witnesses in those days, so it is with the coming of the NEW LIFE into our heart.
God's Word mentions three kinds of witnesses around His birth. Shortly after His birth: the shepherds. Forty days after His birth: two old, faithful souls: Simon and Anna. The third group of witnesses are the three wise men, who came to witness to the birth of the "born King of the Jews" about two years after His birth. Alleluia! And so it is in the deep center of our own being. Let us learn to see this, as we study the relating Scripture parts in the light of the birth of the NEW MAN in us. For you already know that the Gospel after Luke is the Gospel which announces the NEW MAN in God, who as a matter of course is a priest of God; all this because this Gospel mentions Jesus Christ as God's NEW MAN and High Priest. By Him alone we could be a NEW CREATION, and priests of the most high God.

CLICK HERE if you want to read this study (Chapter 2) - that is to long for the Blog - further.[1]

By E. van den Worm

• If you find our (end-time) studies interesting, we would like it, if you will tell others about our website and/or Blog.
  

[1] For part 1, see our Blog at 10 November 2009

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

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Psalm 24 verses 1-10:
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory."

Here the psalmist asks: "Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?" The answer is: "He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (verse 4)
The Lord created the earth and man, but unfortunately man has fallen into sin. Satan planted the cancer of sin into the nature of man and made him a lost creature. Without the redeeming help from the Almighty all of manhood is lost.
We need the redeeming help from the Saviour; we must allow Him to do His work of salvation in us. We must let Him into our heart and being in order for Him to do this work in us. If we do this in faith satan has to let go of us, because the Lord won the victory over him and the power of sin on Calvary. This victory must be proclaimed/broadcast to all people in order that they, after letting Him realize their personal conversion in their heart and life, through faith in the power of His victory, will themselves become victors/conquerors over the sin in their heart, thinking and life.In this way the whole of mankind must be delivered from Satan’s claws for God created the world and it belongs to Him only.
Let us have another look at above question: “Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?”

Whoever

1. is clean of hands;
2. is pure of heart;
3. does not lift up his soul unto vanity;
4. does not swear deceitfully.

Thus: only they that are

• clean of hands,
• pure of heart,
• pure of soul, and
• pure of tongue;

In other words, they that live a pure life inwardly and outwardly. Thus no one among men, for we all sin. We do need the salvation of God's Saviour. This salvation, however, does not happen automatically after we have believed in Him and go to church; we are to cooperate in this salvation!
Verse 6 mentions, that we must ask Him, seek His face in prayer. This means, that we must be willing to leave behind our sinful life and convert to Him in willing surrender, if we are to be saved by Him.Thus, we have to meet Him in prayer. In this way He can heal us, body, soul and spirit; quicken us and make us healthy.
Isaiah 1:18 says:

1. “Then come,
2. let us reason together.”

Thus He requires from us a voluntary act: we are to come to Him, seek Him and confess our sins. But this is not enough either. In verse 7 (Psalm 24) it is written: "Lift up your heads, ye gates (gates of our body, soul and spirit)... that the King of glory may come in."
In days of old the hinges of the gates were underneath and the gates had to be lifted up by means of chains: thus, their heads had to be lifted up, that the Saviour/Redeemer could come in. Man consists of body, soul and spirit. So the gate of the body must be opened first: we must be willing to hear the redeeming Word of the Cross, of the shed blood of God's Lamb.
Then, the gate of our soul has to be opened. We are to be willing to accept Him and His salvation of our own free will; we must be willing to be saved.
Finally, the gate of our spirit must be opened. We have to let Him into our heart; we must love Him and His salvation, for the Redeemer must personally bring into effect the work He fulfilled on Calvary in our willing heart and life.
He must be allowed to burn away the sins of our body (flesh), our lusts; and wash them off in His shed blood. We also have to be delivered from the sins of our soul: sinful desires of the eyes for material goods and property, for riches and luxuries. Finally also the sins of our spirit have to be burned away: pride of self, lust for power and haughtiness.
Let this King of glory in, that He deliver you from all these sins; let Him share His victory over all these sins with you. "For," says the Word in this psalm: "He is strong and mighty in battle (namely the battle against sin)." (verse 8)
For this purpose he worked on Calvary an eternal salvation! (Hebrews 9:12). We have to want this, for we have a free will, and He will not torpedo this free will.
John 8:36 says: "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
This is the highway of salvation that the Lamb of God has paved/cleared for us.
Hereafter He will also share His Divine life with us and will pour out His peace, joy and love in our redeemed heart and life, and will make us sons and daughters of God.
This divine life shares with us the struggle against Satan and the salvation of our fellow-man.
That is why this psalm ends with: "Who is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory."
Then all of us, whom He thus saved, will form His hosts, God's army, that will fight satan's power and annihilate it.

To God be all glory!! Amen.

by E. van den Worm

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord - About holiness and purification

Bible studies, available on our website www.endtime-messenger.com

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1. A closer look at Christ's Second Coming
2. Called by the Spirit of God to take part unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb of God and unto the Divine Marriage.
3. Called to be made up to God’s purpose with mankind: an eternal sanctuary of our almighty God and Father.
4. God shall shake the Church and the world in the end-time.
5. Jesus our Guide, Redeemer, Saviour, Sanctifier and Complete and Perfect maker.
6. JOHN – The book about the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
7. LUKE – The book of the NEW MAN in Christ (about Jesus, the High Priest, and how we, as priest of the most high God, must serve Him).
8. Our earthly Divine calling: “And you shall by My witnesses”.
9. Sanctification.
10. Soon there will be a Divine Wedding here on earth (namely, a great latter Rain, a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in these last days).
11. The 5 wise and the 5 foolish virgins and their destiny in the end-time.
12. The 7 phases of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
13. The 7 Spirits of God and of the Lamb of God (Revelation 4:5 and 5:6).
14. The 7 thunderclaps of Revelation 10:3.
15. The 10 fulfilled (perfect) laws of the Kingdom of heaven on earth (the Church), given by our Lord Jesus Christ.
16. The Day of YaHWeH (and the development of the Church during that “Day”).
17. The Divine healing work in the Church of the end-time.
18. The false state church of the last days (a co-ordinate institution of Christian Churches in the end-time.) The great harlot of Rev.17.
19. The ladder of God's blessing bringing grace.
20. The New Jerusalem, the Bride of God's Lamb, the Body of Christ.
21. The perfection in Christ on earth, in the end-time.
22. The sermon of the Lord Jesus Christ on the mount (the constitution of the Kingdom of heaven on earth – part 1, 2, 3).
23. The shed Blood of God’s Lamb, Who now sits on heaven’s throne, Who overcomes all satan’s (sin)power.
24. The tabernacle of Israel (God’s prophetic model of the spiritual developments of a true child of God unto all perfectness).
25. The ultimate, Divine GLORY of the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the end-time, which is GREATER than the glory of the first Church.
26. The victors; over (the power of) sin and satan in the last days.
27. The wonderful works of the Holy Spirit in the end-time.
28. Thou, people of Israel, wake up! (A prophetic Bible study with relation to the political repair and the complete return of the whole of Israel to Canaan).
29. What God has prepared for those, who love Him.
30. What Scripture teaches about the Millennium of King Jesus (the porch of the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem).

The study: “What Scripture says about our almighty God” is not yet ready.

A. Klein

PS:
On our Dutch website – http://www.eindtijdbode.nl/ – we have a lot more Bible studies (from different writers/Bible-teachers), as well on the website as on our Blog. If you can read Dutch, you can take a look.

Bible studies about the endtime and Second (2nd) Coming of Jesus Christ

LUKE (Chapter 1) - The gate of repentance unto the NEW LIFE in Christ

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Part I:
The court-life of the believer

Introductory words:
In the Gospel after the evangelist Luke we see the Lord Jesus portrayed as the Son of man (after the flesh: from the seed of David – Romans 1:3), as the NEW MAN in God, as the New Creature. And, of course, each new creature is a priest of God, because he enters into, and is in, a relationship with God. It is exactly this relationship which issues the new creation. And by and in that relationship with God the new creature is a priest, who stands between God and fallen man. Therefore the Gospel after Luke is, in the first place, a revelation of Jesus Christ as the wonderful High Priest of God, because He is revealed here as the Son of man, the First among the new creations of God. Spiritually, what applies to the Head (i.e. Jesus), also applies to the Body (the Christians). It is therefore also a book of the Christian as a royal priest, who can be a priest, because He, Jesus Christ, is the High Priest. It is the book of the NEW MAN, because he lives in unity with that wonderful High Priest and Savior, whereby the NEW MAN can also be a channel of God's streams of mercy on behalf of God's people.
This first chapter shows us in particular the gate of repentance opening unto the NEW LIFE. We will look at this Bible-book in the light of the Tabernacle. Would it have been possible for us to approach that holy place of that time, we would first have had to enter a gate in order to come unto holy ground. This is also the case if we begin to read this Gospel prayerfully and with proper respect.
The colors of Jesus' Being are displayed by this gate: scarlet, blue, purple, and white. Especially the white typifies purity, characteristic for the NEW MAN. The purple signifies the Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is expressed in the Gospel after Matthew. The scarlet signifies God's Son as a servant, His willingness to die for fallen humanity, as the Father asked it of Him, already before the foundation of the world. This is told unto us in the Gospel of Mark. The blue tells us of Jesus as the Son of God, which is described in the Gospel of John. The color of Jesus, as described by Luke in his Gospel, is therefore white. He is that pure NEW MAN and High Priest.

Luke 1 verse 1-4: "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in (good) order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee, in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."
Luke, the doctor and later evangelist, wrote to a certain Theophilus. This last name may be a fictitious name, as "Theophilus" in Greek means "son of God". Therefore he directed this Gospel to each son of God, to each perfect (read: sincere) child of God. And the purpose of the evangelist is to bring religious security in the heart of each child of God.

The birth announcement of John the Baptist.
We will now have a close look at the birth announcement of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a preacher of repentance. He called to repentance the people of Israel, that is to say the Jews (namely the tribe of Judah, wherein is also included the tribe of Benjamin[1]). He came in the spirit of Elijah, the prophet that called Israel to repentance, after it had strayed (spiritually), and had served Baal through the doing of queen Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab of Israel. The Baal religion in fact is a nature worship. On closer consideration the Baal religion wants to let itself go in worldly lusts, the worldly ways are indulged. The Baal cult (i.e. the worship of Baal, an idol) had a licentious character, whereby the fertility was idolized.
Elijah called Israel away from Baal – away from the loose worldly lifestyle that Israel had fallen into – back to YaHWeH. He called them to the living God and Lord, the God of purity, modesty and justice. This was Elijah's manner, and so was this John the Baptist also.
We read, that God announced the birth of this John the Baptist. Everything right and good comes from God. It is God, Who calls us unto repentance. We can't come unto God without this call to repentance; and He uses the mouth of the preacher of repentance for this. The preacher of repentance is a gift of a loving God, to people who are lost in sin. God in His compassion filled him with the Spirit, Who calls unto repentance. He is a sounding board of the call which comes from the heart of God.
The birth of God's instrument, which would sound forth this call, was announced here. Again: the call to repentance must come from God into the heart and being of the sinner. Without this voice of the Spirit, Who also was in Elijah, no sinner will repent. This we read in John 6:44 "No one comes to Me (i.e. Jesus) unless the Father, Who sent Me, draw him..."

Luke 1 verse 5: "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth."
Zechariah was a priest, and his name means "God remembers" or "God is mindful (of)". From him this preacher, who preached repentance, was born. Zechariah had prayed for this son, who was given to him and his wife in their old age. Let us understand the spiritual meaning of this. As Zechariah prayed for a son and prayed for his people, so also must we pray God to let His call unto repentance be heard on behalf of sinners, whom we love, and whom we would love to see "in Christ". If we pray in this way God will hear, and will send that call unto repentance through the mouth of one of His serving children. So also was this John the one asked by God, who had to sound forth the call unto repentance to the faithless people of Judah.
This priest (Zechariah) was of the course of Abia. In his time David had established 24 divisions (see 1 Chronicles 24:1-19). Such division consists of a chief priest with his helping co-priests. As one would understand, with the growth of the generations the number of priests had increased greatly, but the number of divisions remained 24. Twice a year a certain division had a chance to serve in Jerusalem in the temple. Zechariah was of the eighth division, namely the division Abia had when he was chief priest. God chose for this John the Baptist to be born, a man of the eighth division. We see how wonderfully God worked, because the symbolic worth of the number 8 is that of the new beginning, of the resurrection. He also chose Zechariah, because he and his wife were righteous in His eyes. We read this in the following verses:

Luke 1 verse 6: "And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."

Luke 1 verse 7-9: "And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord."
We know that such a division counts many priests. The task to burn incense among all religious acts the priests are to perform, is a holy task. Incense was to be laid on the altar of incense, after it had been cleansed of the ashes, and whereon new coals had been laid, after which the assembled people were to be blessed. It was a wonderful, holy task in their eyes: it was the most holy task the priests of such a division had during that week. Because it was such an extraordinary task lots were drawn. During such a week only seven priests of an entire division were appointed by lot for this work. It was customary that the one on whom the lot had fallen, withdrew from further lot drawing for the rest of his life; the reason being that such a division was especially large in number. It so happened that the lot fell on the priest Zechariah... After the altar of incense was cleansed of the ashes of the offering of the previous day, and new coals had been laid on it, he entered. Quietly he came near, knowing what holy task was awaiting him; namely to offer incense unto that great God, to bring Him honor, and praise and worship.

Luke 1 verse 10: "And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense."

They waited outside for this priest's blessing.

Luke 1 verse 11-12: "And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zechariah saw him he was troubled, and fear fell upon him."

When he was thus occupied with the offering of incense, to then worship God, and afterwards to exit backwards, keeping his face towards the altar of incense, he suddenly noticed the angel! Fear came over him!

Luke 1 verse 13: "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zechariah: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John."
John means: "God is merciful", "God gives grace".

Luke 1 verse 14-15: "And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb."

And see now what task was awaiting him:

Luke 1 verse 16-17: "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

I already pointed out to you: Elijah was a preacher of repentance, his task was: to call to repentance. He must sound forth the merciful call, which came straight from the heart of God, to the people of Israel. He was a sounding board for God's grace. It is God, Who always calls to repentance! The repentance unto God, a deed which goes out from us, after God called us thereto, is not only the basis and the beginning of a healthy religious life, but also a new beginning each day. This must be a distinguishing mark of our religious life each day: absolute, wholehearted repentance unto God. Not a single Christian can go on in sincerity for God without this daily mark!
John had to "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children"; he had to move the hearts of the elders to a childlike acceptance of God's will, and a similar approach to God. He had to "turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just". For disobedience to God's will characterized Israel, and characterizes today's spiritual Israel (the Church)! Repentance shows obedience to God; yes, being willing to obey with all one's heart His entire Word. If, in any way, we are disobedient (or want to be disobedient) to God's will, then there is no repentance in us! If there is a bondage of sin, which keeps us captive, there is a pain in a repentant heart, a wrestling in prayer to God for deliverance and mercy to be able to obey Him! And this wrestling in prayer continues until God pours out His redeeming grace! When we receive God's strength unto deliverance, then again it is up to the Christian himself to show his good will, and break the bondage of sin, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, himself, in the power of grace he received. God calls us out of the darkness of sin, and we must ourselves be willing to get out of the darkness, in God's strength. So Abram had to leave the people of Ur of the Chaldees, his original dwelling place. God called him hereto in order to bless him; but Abram had to do it himself, he had to leave those people in the strength given him by God. The will to act and to obey must come from deep within ourselves, as a positive answer to God's call, then the strength to obey will issue from Him. God must be able to see in the depth of our heart a sincere repentance life, an sincere longing for that life in His justice. Then He will satisfy such a heart with His justice.
John had to "turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just". Wisdom is the distinguishing mark of the just. A righteous person will, at each deed he wants to do, ask himself prayerfully: "is this after God's will?"

Luke 1 verse 18-19: "And Zechariah said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings."
When still young, Zechariah had prayed for a son, but he now did not believe the angel's announcement for he and his wife were already old, and, humanly spoken, the fertile period was over; he therefore asked the angel for a miraculous sign. He could not accept God's Word... but God requires of His people that they believe His Word! Then the announcer made himself known: "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God!" Do you know who Gabriel is? He is the messenger of God's revelations and will; he is the teacher of God's children. So, also Mary received from him the announcement regarding Jesus' birth (see Luke 1:26-35), and, earlier, also Daniel received a revelation from him (see Daniel 8:16-26; 9:21-27). There is but One with God, Who teaches the children of God, and He is the Holy Spirit. Therefore Gabriel is an Old-Testament appearance (revelation form) of Him. He is the third revelation form of the Godhead Himself, and had to condemn Zechariah' unbelief! Zechariah received the sign he asked for; but that sign was at the same time God's judgment over his unbelief:

Luke 1 verse 20-22: "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zechariah, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless."

When Zechariah came out, his hands were stretched out to bless, as is customary with all the priests, who perform such a deed, but his mouth remained silent... he could not utter the blessing...
Beloved, let us continue to repent from the heart, and obey Him from the heart, but let us also be willing to believe His Word. These are the pillars on which a blessed, religious life rests!

Luke 1 verse 23-25: "And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach (contempt) among men."

The miracle of Elisabeth's conception (at a very old age) then happened. She kept her joy over this miracle of God to herself for five months. After all, the people would not have believed her, and would have laughed at her... Only when it became visible that she was pregnant, she showed herself to the outside world. God had removed her "reproach among men" by this conception, and that in her old age. A barren woman was someone God did not want to bless. In people's opinion her righteousness must have some hidden sins or shortcomings. But now they could not say or think any such thing of her. God had splendidly made good all defamation she suffered by working this miracle in her!

CLICK HERE if you want to read this study (Chapter 1) - that is to long for the Blog - further.

By E. van den Worm

[1] There is a difference between Israel and Jews, which we like to explain in short. First the people of Israel contains twelve tribes, named after the 12 sons of Jacob (who received the name Israel from God). Later there was a split, and the Bible mentions then the “House of Israel” and the “House of Judah” (the Jews). The “House of Israel” (also named Israel) is the empire of 10 tribes which in history was taken in exile from Canaan by Assyria. After this they mingled with the heathens (originally to Europe etc.) where they now live as an “hidden nation”. Specially the “Christian nations” in the North West of Europe and the countries to which many immigrated, like America, Canada and Australia. The “House of Judah” contains two tribes namely Judah and Benjamin, which lived in the promised land in the days that Jesus walked on earth. The house of Judah (the Jews) is the part of Israel that was hardened (see Rom. 11:25).