Part Three:
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
This series is about the true identity of the man,
Jesus of Nazareth: of his human weakness, temptations, and obedience to Yahweh
his Father, as he was perfected through suffering.
If you are willing to receive it, John the
Baptist is Elijah who was about to come…he who is having ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew
11:14-15
Be a voice in the desert churches and cry out in a loud voice, and
say, “Make the paths straight again, prepare the way for the Lord’s parousia”.
Yahweh’s message right now
is beckoning to those with a willing heart, a discerning mind, and prayerful,
diligence to move beyond shallow, lukewarm wading ponds. The shallow waters are found everywhere and
anywhere amid churches of Laodicea. Many
are called, but few are chosen. Joshua
of the new covenant has already drawn a line in the desert sands of charismania
and churchdom. When the shallow ponds
evaporate and your life is over, what will you have to show for the time that
was apportioned to you from the Father of spirits?
·
Matthew 16:24-27 Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever desires to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if
he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul ? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the
glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to
his works. New King James Version
Will you be one of the wise
stewards who, out of loving obedience to a firm but fair Master multiplied the
talent that He gifted to your capable and worthy stewardship? Or will you be as the servant that made
excuses for his own laziness, apathy, and indifference toward spiritual
things? Will you say to Jesus, ‘Master,
I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and
gathering where you had not winnowed, so instead of taking any unnecessary
risks with the talent You gave to me, I hid it, and buried it here in the
earthen flesh, just beneath the surface of my carnal life’? (Matthew 25:24-30)
I strongly feel in my
spirit of late (February 2007) that Jesus is speaking to His older children in
the family of God (I mean those older in both years and maturity). By now, many of them ought to have become
teachers of others. Many, if not most of
them are living a Christian life plagued with self-doubt and regrets about
their indecision.
If you the reader are
implicated, then, guilt hangs over you like a dark cloud. As you now prepare to move into your ‘golden
years,’ you’ve begun to seriously question the substance of the relationship
you’ve had with God thru Jesus Christ the past three decades. Thankfully, our Father God is not a God of
the past or for that matter, in relationship to you and me, He is not a God of
tomorrow either.
God’s word to us says,
“Today, if you will hear My voice and obey, I will lead you in the paths of
righteousness for My name’s sake.” Yes,
of course you have heard His voice calling before and now past failures are
being used as an excuse not to step off of your cushy-comfort zone ledge of
self into the deeper pools of His Presence.
Jesus is calling you just the same, tugging your spirit to be part of
his church in Philadelphia, the church born out of brotherly love, not carnal
works of the flesh or new church programs or accountability groups.
If God is speaking to you
thru these words, and you are finally saying, “Here am I Lord!’ then be
prepared for some pruning. Jesus teaches
us not to nitpick each other’s faults and judge one another because of the
shortcomings we behold in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Jesus
Christ. He exhorted his disciples not to
go about scrutinizing each other’s weaknesses or to fancy themselves as the
‘greatest’ (i.e. ‘holier than you’ type attitude).
We are no different from
the first apostles; they too were just human beings, not extraordinary, or
supernatural phenomena of one period unique to mankind. While scripture holds that we need not fret
about our forgiven past, we are admonished to call to mind what manner of
person we used to be, lest we become conceited and delusional about the nature
of our true innate, spiritual ‘goodness.’
Even the man Jesus did not
claim inherent goodness, but gave that credit only to God. The rich Jewish ruler that called him ‘good
Teacher’ received a very strong rebuke from Jesus of Nazareth:
·
Luke 18:18-19 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good (agathé) Teacher, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life?" 19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me ‘good (agathón)?’ No one is good (agathón) but One, that is, God. New King James Version
Luke 18:18-19 proves Jesus
is neither ‘God’ nor inherently ‘good.’
Those are his words, not mine. Jesus
is certainly a lot more ‘good’ than me; that’s for sure. The point he is making to this Jewish ruler
is that no human being, whether it is God’s only begotten son, or someone else,
deserves to be put on the same status level of moral ‘goodness’ as God the
Father. This statement by Jesus may help
explain why he needed water baptism. To
affirm this use of the Greek, Jesus’ own flesh and blood brother James, uses
the term to depict God the Father just as his sibling Jesus does in Luke 8:19
(see James below):
·
James 1:17 Every good (agatheé) and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows.
New International Version
The apostle Peter uses the
same Greek word as Jesus used in his rebuke to the rich man for ‘good’ (meaning
literally ‘morally good’).
·
1 Peter 3: 16, 21-22 and keep a good (agatheén) conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good (agatheén) behavior in Christ will be put to shame…21
There is also an antitype which now saves us — baptism (not the removal of the
filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good (agatheés) conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. New King James Version
The apostle Paul also uses
agathón; the Greek word typically rendered as ‘good’ in the New
Testament, to described the nature of Yahweh God’s commandments and the
embodiment of the law as ‘good.’
·
Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good (agatheé). New King James Version
·
Romans 7:18-19 For I know that in me; that is, in my flesh, nothing good (agathón) dwells; for to will is present
with me, but how to perform what is good (agathón) I do not find. 19 For the good (agatheé) that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not
to do, that I practice. New King James Version
I’ll leave you to make
your own conclusions, but to me it is clear that if Jesus had a body of flesh,
and learned obedience in things he suffered in order to be ‘made perfect’ there
is some degree of moral flaw, which makes him unable to compare his moral
quality to that of God. If we don’t
deify Jesus Christ, and see him as a man, then we are not forced to wiggle our
way out of difficult passages such as these.
·
Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which
in an honest and good (agatheé) heart, having heard the word, keep it,
and bring forth fruit with patience. King James Version
Besides, a moral flaw does
not take away from Jesus’ unblemished moral character, part of which was
necessary to make his willing sacrifice a propitiation for our sins. The real test for Jesus took place in two
primary fronts; the first was when God the Father allowed Satan himself to push
and impel Jesus into the desert, where he was tempted and tested 40 days and
nights without any food.
His final major testing
time was of course at Gethsemane and Golgotha, and his obedience was tested and
proven blameless when Jesus of Nazareth gave his own soul as an offering for
sin (Read Isaiah 53:1-11).
One of the best examples
in the New Testament of Jesus passing his test to offer himself for our
transgressions without himself sinning in the process, and for which God the
Father (i.e. Yahweh Elohiym) validated his sacrificial gift as full payment for
the sting of death is in 1 Peter 2:20-25 (below). The same Greek word cognate rendered ‘good’ (agathos) is used by the apostle
Peter in his description of Jesus’ offering his life on the cross. He describes Jesus as a man that was willing
to ‘do good’ and bear up under its horrific weight of suffering.
It was THIS act of ‘good’
that Jesus did that ultimately made his propitiation pleasing and acceptable to
God. His obedience was reckoned by the
Father as worthy to cancel the debt owed by mankind for for sin. Thus, thru one man’s disobedience (Adam) sin
entered the world, thru one man’s OBEDIENCE, sin was paid for to those who
believe in God thru that sacrifice and mediator, the man Christ Jesus.
·
1 Peter 2:20-25 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults,
you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before
God. 21
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that you should follow His steps: 22 "Who committed no sin , Nor was deceit found in His mouth"; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24
who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by
whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray,
but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. New King
James Version
THANK YOU Jesus! In Luke 8:15 and elsewhere, Jesus also uses
this same Greek word agathón whenever he teaches in parables, such as
the illustration of ‘good soil’ that bears ‘good fruit’ coming from a ‘good and
honest heart.’ There is no implication
here that bearing ‘good’ fruit is the equivalent of sinlessness.
The scripture never uses
the word ‘sinless’ and the concept of ‘sinlessness’ did not exist in Old
Testament Hebrew mind or new covenant, first century church. The notion that Jesus Christ had to be
‘Deity’ (i.e. ‘God’) in order for his ‘divine blood’ made a ‘worthy’ sacrifice
is derived from Greco-Roman paganism, which can be traced back in time to the
most ancient peoples known to man. The
to be efficacious
I realize there are many
other problematic verses, and I do not claim to have all the answers, but I am
willing to examine and all that are brought to my attention with a willing,
pliable, and discerning heart and mind.
Throughout this series, we will tackle interpreting some of the toughest
verses in the Bible, and hopefully gain some much needed insights to help us
with future studies
God’s standard for
holiness is not generated from a life of blaming others or trying to play Holy
Spirit while looking for the speck in our brother’s eye. In the process, we fail to notice the
ophthalmologic irritation bulging out of our own eye socket, a spiritual
annoyance comparable to a good-size 4X4 wooden fence post!
If you want just another anointed
goose bump to make you feel spiritually secure, this message is not for
you. If you want real relationship with the
Father, as YOUR ‘Abba’ Father, then you must be led of the spirit. Prayer and fasting is a good place to begin,
but not the end all. Yes, by all means,
crack open you Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and your Vine’s and study the
Scripture; it’s your plum line source for truth. However, all of the vigilance in prayer and
study means little unless you’re willing to share it with others, especially
those who need your years of wisdom and experience. If you have the Amplified Bible, read Isaiah
58:4-14 concerning the true ‘fasting’ that Yahweh requires; below are a few
highlights from this text:
Yahweh says, “The fast that I have
chosen is…
… You must loose the bonds of wickedness
… You must undo the bands of the yoke
… You must let the oppressed go free
… You must break every enslaving yoke
… You must divide your bread with the hungry
… You must bring the homeless poor into your
house
… When you see the naked, that you shall cover
him
… You must not hide yourself from the needs of
your own flesh & blood
… Then shall your light break forth like the
morning
… Then your healing restoration will come
… Then the power of a new life shall spring
forth speedily for you
… Your justice & your right relationship
with God shall go before you
… Then the glory of the Lord shall be your rear
guard
… Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer
… Then you shall cry, and He will say ‘Here I
am’
… If you take away from your midst yokes of
oppression
… If you take away your finger pointed in scorn
toward the oppressed or the godly
… If you take away from every form of false,
harsh, unjust & wicked speaking
… Then shall your light rise in darkness
… Your obscurity and gloom become like the
noonday
… Then the Lord shall guide you continually
& satisfy you in drought
… Then in dry places the Lord make strong your
bones
… Then you shall be like a watered garden
… Then you shall be like a spring of water
whose waters fail not
Just speak the truth in love, and let
God do whatever it is HE wants done. Set
the time aside for God, don’t fret about what you should do, but simply obey
whatever he directs you to do or say.
He’s God, He can do it if you let Him.
Jesus replied to a question that
his disciples asked about the Prophet, who said Elijah must come first before
Messiah; he said to the disciples, ‘“Elijah was indeed to come," Jesus
replied, "and would reform everything because all the Prophets and Law
prophesied up until John and if you are willing to accept it, John is Elijah
who was to come before the kingdom & has come already and they did not know
or recognize him, but did to him as they liked, and the Son of Man will also
suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples
realized that he had been referring to John the Baptist. (A loose knit combination of Matthew
11:13-14; 17:10-13)
The name of Elijah is a much
misunderstood and distorted topic; many Dispensationalist proponents of the
Pre-Tribulation Rapture claim that Elijah is ‘one of the Two Witnesses in the
Book of Revelation, which is absurd.
Old time Pentecostal preachers that grew up in Neo-Pentecostal revivals
are still clinging to the last relics of hope that they are the embodiment of
the ‘spirit and power of Elijah’ and that the ‘latter rain’ revival is yet to
occur. They live in the ‘good old days’
or what they call ‘the glory days.’ It
is not from wisdom that they make such boastful claims, according to the
Scriptures.
·
Ecclesiastes 7:10 Do not say, “Why is it that
the former days were better than these?"
For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.” New American Standard Bible - Updated Edition
Before John the Baptist was even
born, the angel of Yahweh visited his father Zacharias, a priest of the Levites
who was ministering at the altar of incense in prayer at the temple in
Jerusalem. The angel foretold of the
birth of the child as the one prophesied in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah
and Malachi. He would grow up to become
the ‘messenger; of Yahweh, sent before God’s Anointed (Messiah) to prepare the
way (Read Luke 1:11-23).
The angel’s message has
some interesting implications for the church today, and for believers whose
ministry is tantamount in nature to what John the Baptist did the first time
messiah came to his people Israel. The
angel instructed Zacharias about the child saying in Luke 1:15-17, ‘For he
{John the Baptist} will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his
mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord
their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, '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.”
It is interesting to note
that John was forbidden wine and strong drink (which was like a very strong,
malt liquor, often made from the fruit of date palms. Why do you think Yahweh God forbid John from
indulging in ‘an occasional beer’ or ‘wine with dinner?’ After all, it’s common knowledge that most
all of the people in those days drank some form of diluted wine, oftentimes
because the water supplies were tainted and the sourness and acidity of the
grape skin contained sufficient antioxidant properties to kill the larvae of
harmful critters in their H2o. The
apostle Paul told his young disciple Timothy, whose constitution was weak and
vulnerable to bad drinking water ‘take a little wine for your stomach’s sake.’
It is obvious that Yahweh
did not want His prophet-messenger vulnerable to the likes of what alcohol can
do. What kind of credibility would John
the Baptist have if he’s drunk and out in the middle of the Jordan River
baptizing? Actually, he is believed to
have baptized in an area of the Jordan that had shallow a sand bar protruding
enough to enable people to wade in without drowning.
You may take offense at
this, but if you are called and chosen of the Lord to be His ambassador,
there’s no reason why you should be consuming alcohol. What possible justification do you have these
days? Bad drinking water? Unlikely, and even so, boiling is an option
to kill any parasites. The fact is, too many
Christians have made a compromise in this area, and quite frankly, they like to
catch a buzz from the booze. At least be
honest about it, and quit your smugness and condescending attitude or
accusations toward others that don’t as being ‘legalistic.’ Isn’t it entirely possible you are the one
defending your own self-righteous stand for beer or wine?
Enough said on that. The other thing that I find interesting about
John the Baptist and his calling from Yahweh, is that he is to come in the
‘spirit and power of Elijah.’ When we
reflect upon the ministry of the prophet Elijah, the first thought that comes
to mind is his amazing bravery in the face of overwhelming antagonistic odds in
1 Kings 18:19ff, as he challenges all Israel at Mount Carmel, and the 450
prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah, who ate at Queen
Jezebel's table. It was 850 false
prophets being challenged to a sort of ‘My God versus your gods’ dual at the
altars of sacrifice. I mean, it’s a sure
thing Elijah’s gonna get chopped to pieces if he loses this contest, and Yahweh
doesn’t come thru for him, especially if he was doing this dual out of sheer
human bravado (Read the story and what happens afterward in 1 Kings 18-19).
After Yahweh not only
consumes Elijah’s sacrifice, but His heavenly fire also eats up the stone altar
and the gallons of water poured over it to insure that Elijah’s God is the only
true God of Israel, the false prophets are slain. You’d think Elijah would be BMOC now, but
when wicked queen Jezebel threatens his life, he cowers and hides in a cave for
40 days. And unlike his protégé Elisha,
whom he gave his prophet’s mantle to as the chariots and horses of Yahweh took
him skyward to heaven, Elijah did not really do the same amount of miracles as
Elisha.
In this, the apostle and
brother of our Lord Jesus named James discusses in his epistle to the
churches. In this letter we find some
key aspects of Elijah’s character that illustrate he was a humble, tender, and
broken vessel, which is why Yahweh was able to use him, and not worry that he
would abuse the power and authority granted for self-interests.
·
James 5:15-20 the prayer that is of faith will save him who is sick, and
the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be
forgiven. 16 Confess to one
another therefore your faults, your slips, your false steps, your offenses,
your sins and pray also for one another, that you may be healed
and restored to a spiritual tone of mind and heart. The earnest, heartfelt,
continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available dynamic in
its working. 17 Elijah was a human being
with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution
like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years
and six months. {Read 1 Kings 17:1ff}
18 And then he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land
produced its crops as usual. {Read 1 Kings 18:42-45} 19 My brethren, if anyone among you strays
from the truth and falls into error and another person brings him back to God, 20 let the latter
one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save that one's soul
from death and will cover a multitude of sins and procure the pardon of
the many sins committed. Amplified Bible
The last day church is
going to be one without walls and without any particular denomination. They will be like John the Baptist, in that
their goal individually is to decrease, that Jesus corporeal in the body of
Christ might increase. Charismania would
have us believe that the last day church will be one of many wonder-working
miracles, but we find that Jesus teaches about this in an unfavorable
light. He says that many will say on the
final judgment, on the Day of Yahweh ‘Lord, Lord, open up us! Did we not do many miracles in YOUR
name? Did we not heal the sick, and cast
out demons in YOUR name?’ And the Lord
will turn to them, and he will say ‘Depart from ME, you workers of iniquity, I
NEVER KNEW you.’
Is God against working
miracles? No, of course not! However, even though he does still do
miracles, miracles themselves are not a sign of a person’s godly character. The fact is, when God does a miracle thru the
hands or words of His anointed vessels, He is not doing so for their benefit,
but for the benefit of the gospel message, to confirm and bear witness to
others, that they might believe. God
never intended miracle working to be an everyday affairs and/or entitlement just
because we profess the Name of Jesus.
The name of Elijah is
derived from two root words ‘el’ and jah.’
In the Hebrew, Elijah has several variations in use, application, origin
and meaning. The root meaning of ‘el’ is
literally ‘strength’ or ‘might.’ This
Hebrew term ‘el’ is the singular form of another Hebrew word rendered ‘God’ in
the Old Testament ‘elohiym.’
The other half of Elijah
from the word ‘jah’ is the Anglicized enunciation of ‘Yah,’ which is a
shortened form of YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton, which is God’s covenant
Name ‘Yahweh’ in the old and new covenant.
This term ‘yah’ is derived from a Hebrew verb hāyāh meaning
‘to be; to exist,’ and joined in construction with certain Hebrew noun and
pronoun forms, both ‘el’ and ‘yah’ are used in words and names to make
association (or affiliation) with Yahweh and Elohiym apparent, such as ‘Bethel’
(house of God or House of Strength’) and Ishmaiah, (Yah is hearing’ or ‘hearing
of Yah’).
Elijah in its literal form
and use means ‘He is strength,’ and from each person that has come to know,
trust, and rely upon Him as their Father in heaven, ‘He is my strength.’ The misuse and mischaracterization by
charismania of the Greek word in the New Testament for ‘power’ (dunamis) has
robbed many of an important truth. I
mention dunamis in light of Elijah’s name definition because we need to find
pragmatic applications for teaching so that it is more than mere information.
Charismania is a name I
coined (one of many Craigo-ism’s) for the hyper-zealous and misguided concepts
that are being promoted within the worldwide Pentecostal/Charismatic
churches. These churches embrace and are
supposed to be using prayer in tongues to build up and strengthen the body of
Christ. Instead, they have allowed
themselves to be invaded and taken over by ‘name-it-and-claim-it’ false
teachings and false teachers acting as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They have promoted the
'blessings-and-financial-prosperity-doctrine' that originates from the devil
himself, and made the gifts of the spirit into a money-making machine that
requires its adherents to routinely ‘plant money seeds’ to purchase the next
formula, gimmick, or snake oil in the form of ‘anointed oil, anointed water,
anointed prayer cloths, anointed this and that… gag.’
The dunamis or power of
God is more correctly translated as capability or ability; dunamis from Yahweh
is simply the ability and spiritual and/or physical strength needed to do the
will of God. Like its plural form elohiym,
the Hebrew word ‘el’ in the name Elijah is also used of mighty men of valor,
men of rank, judges, magistrates, princes, etc, depending upon the
context. Therefore, the Hebrew word ‘el’
for strength and the Greek word dunamis are intended, for the most part, to
convey the same idea.
When the angel of Yahweh
came to Zacharias and said that John the Baptist would come to Israel in the
‘spirit and power of Elijah,’ we now understand what it means. This refers to the same anointing and
humility that Elijah was using to bring truth and engender repentance from
God’s people. Times have changed since
that ancient prophet Elijah ascended Mount Carmel to challenged the false
prophets, but the carnal and spiritual nature and condition of human kind has
not changed. If anything, it may have
worsened.
In his message, which
Yahweh God sent via His son, (Revelation 1:1-2) and He delivered thru a
messenger sent by His son to the apostle John on the isle of Patmos, Jesus is
revealed (unveiled). John the apostle,
(not the same as John the Baptist), is enabled to see and hear in vision form
the spirit of Jesus speaking and working to and within each one of seven
churches that are in Asia.
One of these churches is
called Philadelphia, and is it only one of two of the seven churches total that
does not also receive a stinging rebuke along with commands and
admonitions. The other church that
receives no rebuke is Smyrna, meaning ‘myrrh’ because Jesus simply tells these
faithful martyred believers, ‘Be faithful unto death, and you will receive a
crown of life.’
The reason I mention
Philadelphia in this context is because in Revelation 3:10, Jesus tells these
type of believers why he is so pleased with their works and hearts. He says to them ‘you have but a little
strength, and have not denied my Name (see verses below please):
·
Revelation 3:8-9 Jesus says to Philadelphia church, ‘I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and
no one can shut it; for you have a little strength (Greek for ‘little strength = micron dunamis), have kept my word, and
have not denied my name. 9 Indeed I will
make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but
lie — indeed I
will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have
loved you. “ New King James Version
Notice in the red
highlights added to make the text stand out that the Greek words ‘micron
dunamis’ are rendered ‘little strength.’
The text specifies the reason or purpose (aim) that Philadelphia
believers use their God-given microscopic amounts of divine ability for… to
have ‘kept my word and not denied my name.’
They do not boast and brag that they are able to work miracles and/or
cast out demons, which they likely are anointed by God to do from time to
time. The point made in the text is illustrated
by the comparison to Christian church believers symbolized as ‘those of the
synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie.’
The Word ‘Jews’ is from a
Hebrew root that in both Hebrew and Aramaic means literally ‘the praise of Yah.’ These are phony, by name only professing
‘Christians’ that claim they ‘praise the Lord’ and their big, fancy church and
charismatic pastor is proof of their spirituality. However, God says that they are liars, and
that He will make them come and bow before the feet of the Philadelphian
believers, and ‘worship’ them.
I mention this not because
these false Christians will actually ‘worship‘ Philadelphia believers the same
way they worship God the Father, but to demonstrate the Greek word proskuneo,
rendered ‘worship’ here is used for human recognition of one’s rank or
superior, such as bowing before a king.
Christians have tried to use portions of the Book of Revelation that
depict Jesus receiving ‘worship’ (same Greek word) and alleging this is ‘proof’
that he is ‘God.’ I beg to differ on
this conclusion, based upon the text in Revelation 3:10, where you have people
falling prostrate before Philadelphia.
Enough on that topic. To summarize this section, I find it
compelling that we have two significant men in the church of Jesus Christ that
are named ‘John.’ The name John means
‘beloved’ or ‘loving’ and John the Baptist demonstrated his love for Yahweh God
the Father by his obedience, humility, and courage to speak the truth in love
impartially. John the Baptist came to
Israel as a messenger and a voice in the wilderness to prepare the way for
Messiah’s coming.
Like the church in Philadelphia, his message of truth was uncompromising, yet delivered in the same ‘spirit and power’ as Elijah’s message. This means humility, willingness to confess one’s faults to the brethren, that they might pray for him or her and restore, not condemn, gossip about and judge. These are the characteristics of the last day church preparing for the great and terrible Day of Yahweh, just ahead. Below are some highlighted in colored fonts scripture passages that make mention of Elijah. These provide an in-depth overview for those believers looking for the Father to deepen their roots, and console them in their alone-ness. If you have come from a church background that believes ‘Jesus is God’ doctrines or the Trinity, it’s probable that finding meaningful Christian fellowship with others is difficult, at best. In this way, you share the