jesusinthescriptures

The wisdom of foolishness

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:40:57 GMT

John 14:6. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

The date circled on the calendar above has for ages been the date that people played pranks on each other. Pranks vary from simple wordplay questions, like the ones below, knock-knock questions, and tricks attempting to catch another person doing something silly.

Did you hear about the guy who drank invisible ink as an April Fools' prank? He's at the doctor waiting to be seen.
Why don’t chickens play pranks on April Fool’s Day? They don’t engage in fowl play.

Some historians speculate that April Fools' Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar , as was called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. The Julian Calendar, like the Hindu calendar, began a new year with the spring equinox around April 1.

People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April, became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” These pranks included having paper fish placed on their backs and being referred to as “poisson d’avril”, April fish, said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish, or a gullible person.

The Merrian Webster’s dictionary defines a fool as a person who acts unwisely or imprudently. One would in the secular world ascribe this behaviour to a person who is often characterized by a lack of good sense, judgement, foresight, or logical reasoning rather than merely a low IQ. Secular definitions focus on practical, day-to-day behaviours that lead to avoidable failure or harm.

Many literary works also feature a person being foolish, for instance Philippa Gregory's novel The Queen's Fool. The book depicts a young Jewish girl on the run from the Inquisition, sworn into the service of the handsome Robert Dudley, who sent her as a Holy Fool to spy on Princess Mary Tudor, the forgotten heir to King Edward’s throne. Queen Mary was the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII and his first wife, Katherine of Aragon. She was a devout Catholic, like her mother. She became queen in 1553. It is said that Mary, through all her tragedies gained no wisdom. The female character of the novel, Hannah, possessed a gift of sight. As a character, she had a unique assignment, to watch the reign of Queen Mary dissolve into a mess.

Queen Mary, despite her father’s disapproval, ascended to the throne on 1 October 1553. Her main objective was to reverse Protestant reforms and restore the religious beliefs to that of Catholicism. Mary is remembered in the 21st century for her vigorous efforts to restore the primacy of Roman Catholicism in England after the rise of the Protestant influence during the previous reigns. She is known as Bloody Mary, for her persecution of the Protestants.

The life of Queen Mary reminds of the words of Jesus in John 16:2 “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God”. Queen Mary, in her judgement, thought that preserving the Catholic religion, was wisdom. But religion is the not the way to heaven. Whether Catholic, Protestant or any other, there is only one way: Jesus. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.

Jesus called the rich man in Luke 12:20 who stored up many riches and decided to relax and enjoy his life, a fool. Jesus also told the parable of the ten virgins. He illustrated that believers should always have their lamps filled with oil, a picture of the Holy Spirit. Failing to do so results in foolishness, Matthew 25:1-13.

Jesus, in the parable of the builder, labelled anyone who hears His words but does not act on them as a "foolish man" building on sand, Matthew 7:26. His words to Nicodemus explicitly stated that salvation is universal to everyone who believes in Him. “ In the biblical narrative, not acknowledging that there is a God, is foolishness, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’”, Psalm 14:1. And God sent His Son, so that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life.

The Jewish Passover 2026 starts at sundown on Wednesday, April 1, April fool’s day. It is on this day that Jesus became the Passover Lamb. Jesus ate this meal with His disciples and at the Last Supper confirmed that He would take the sin of world upon Him by laying down His life. This, to His Jewish audience, would not have conformed to their expectations of the Messiah.

However, Paul who was a Jewish believer in Jesus, wrote in his letter to the Corinthian church, amidst great opposition: But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1;23-24. There is still opportunity to make the wise choice and not be a fool.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me”, Revelation 3:20.

The Covenant of Love

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:57:58 GMT

Genesis 9:13. I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

The colours of the rainbow throughout all the ages carried significant meanings. There are seven colours in the rainbow: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Red is also one of the three primary colours. From ancient times the Sumerians, who were the earliest civilisation in Southern Mesopotamia around 4100-1750 BC, associated the colour red with fire and divinity. According to tradition, the Arkanians were a cultural group around 2334–2154 BC who were apparently capable of seeing infra-red light. Because of this, they believed that they reached the pinnacle of civilisation.

Later empires like the Babylonians, who ruled the world from 1894–1595 BC, used the colour red in their spell work. It was also often used in rituals aimed at protection and vitality. It was believed that it warded off evil spirits and brought strength to the practitioner. The Neo- Babylonian Empire ruled from 626-539 BC. Babylon was ruled by Nebuchadnezzar who died in 562 BC. He was succeeded by his son Amel-Marduk who was assassinated only two years later. In 560 BC Neriglissar took the throne. When he died in 556 BC, he was succeeded by his son who was assassinated shortly after he came to the throne. Nabonidus then assumed power appointing his son Belshazzar as co-ruler. It is in his reign, just as had been prophesied by Daniel, Babylon was defeated by the Medes and the Persians.

Red lead or lead tetroxide pigment was widely used as the red in Persian miniature paintings. To this day the colour red is the signature colour of Persian carpet weaving. It is used in the intricate patterns to represent vitality and passion.

But this great Empire led by Darius III of Achaemenid Empire, fell to the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, in the battle of Gaugamela 334-331 BC. Red, to the Greeks, conveyed the strength and courage that warriors embodied in battle. Citizens saw red as the colour of vitality and protection, linking it to blood and the essence of life itself.

His empire ruled the world until it was defeated by the mighty Roman Empire in 146 BC following the Battle of Corinth and marking the end of the Achaean War and the start of Roman dominion.

Rome with its pomp and affluence liked bright colours, and many Roman villas were decorated with vivid red murals. The pigment used for many of the murals was called vermilion , and it came from the mineral cinnabar , a common ore of mercury . It was one of the finest reds of ancient times. Wool and flax provided the fibres for Roman clothing and dyeing was accomplished mostly in shades of red, purple, and blue. The Roman Empire, as predicted in the book of Daniel, ruled until 476 BC when it split into West and East.

From the early 1900 hundreds, February became celebrated as the month of love. This was usually expressed by the anonymously giving of red roses to one’s loved one. Red roses since ancient times represented passion and love. In Roman mythology, it is said that from the blood of Adonis, the lover of the Roman goddess for love, Venus, roses sprang. This made the flower sacred to her and a lasting emblem of love and beauty.

Biblically, the colour red is associated with salvation. This dates to the days of Noah. God set the rainbow in the sky as the constant reminder of His covenant with Noah. God also sealed His covenant with Israel with the slaughter of the Passover lambs on 14 Nissan 1446 BC when they put the blood on the lintels. God chose the people of Israel by demonstrating His salvation by the blood of the lambs sealing His covenant of love. Years later the prophet Jeremiah wrote these words of God pertaining to Israel “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you,” Jeremiah 31:3.

One thousand nine hundred and ninety-six years ago, Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, died on the cross, shedding His blood for the salvation of mankind. The blood that flowed from cross confirmed the gift of God because God so loved the world that everyone who believes in Him, will not perish, but have eternal life. Isaiah wrote, “Though your sins have stained you like the colour red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the colour scarlet, you can become white like wool,” NET Bible. Jesus sealed the New Covenant of Love in His own blood.

In His great love, the colour red speaks of redemption and life. Through the blood of Christ, the Son of God, the free gift to mankind, eternal life, is secured. He triumphed over evil and through Him is eternal life. The apostle Paul described this love as:

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.

References

https://starwarsdarkdreams.fandom.com/wiki/Arkanian
https://babylonian.mythologyworldwide.com/the-significance-of-colors-in-babylonian-spellwork
https://bible.org/seriespage/chapter-v-rise-and-fall-babylon
https://melalepersian.com/persian-colors/
https://deepsymbol.com/red-in-ancient-greece-war-and-vitality/
https://www.gardenia.net/guide/red-rose-meaning-history-of-love-and-passion
https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/the-imperial-wardrobe-of-ancient-rome/

2026 — A pivotal year.

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 19:28:09 GMT

Revelation 2:26. The one who conquers and who keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.

Just watching all the fireworks, laser light displays, and musical festivals around the world, creates an atmosphere that 2026 is indeed a year that will bring ….?

In the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, the following emerges: The number 26 speaks of the beginning of humankind, Genesis 1:26 : “Let us make mankind in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." In Exodus 26:1, the number 26 is the number which expresses the way in which God wanted to be worshipped. God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle. “Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skilfully worked into them.”

In contrast, the prohibition against idol worship is captured in Leviticus 26:1, “You shall not make idols for yourselves, or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up as figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God". In the wilderness of Sinai, God instructed Moses to do a census of all the males of the 12 tribes of Israel, over 20 years old who were able to go to war. The tribe from whom Jesus would be born is recorded in Numbers 1:26, “Of the people of Judah, their generations, by their clans, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war.”

Israel however, recorded in Numbers 26, who did not obey the Lord, was struck by God with a plague. After the plague the Lord instructed Moses to do another census. “Take a census of the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” Numbers 26:1-2.

And Deuteronomy 26:1-2 describes the place where God wanted to worship, “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, you shall take some of the first fruits of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place the Lord your God will choose to make His name to dwell there…”

From the creation of man, through the wilderness into the promised land, the number 26 is on display. Why would this number be so central in the history of man?

Arithmetically, the number 26 is 13 plus 13. It is also the sum of 20 plus 6 and it is also the sum of 23 plus 3. The number 3 represents the cycle of life — birth-life-death; time — past-present-future and it is also found in the strongest structure — the triangle. Twenty-three has the distinction of being the only integer less than a 100 that cannot be expressed as the sum of fewer than 9 cubes of positive integers. These nine cubes are: 23 = 1 ³ + 1 ³ + 1 ³ +1 ³ +1 ³ +1 ³ +1 ³ + 2 ³ + 2 ³ . The only other number that has the same quality, is 239, which can prima facie be read as 23 and 9, nine being the last single digit whole number. All this point to uniqueness of the number 23. Together, this combination, 3 and 23, expresses the totality of human life ,3, which finds a strong structure, only in one unique number, 23.

Biblically, the number 3 speaks of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and His relationship to Israel. Through the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the nation of Israel was established through whom the Messiah would be born. The number 23 directly correlates with Jesus. The numerical value of the two Hebrew letters את, which are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, is the name Jesus called Himself., the Aleph and the Tav. The number 3 in the history of Israel, reflects their generations but also reflects all the generations who are saved by the Person in Whom everything holds together, Jesus, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together…,” which was a mystery Paul said, that was hidden for ages, Colossians 1:26.

The second combination, 20 and 6, expresses the length of a man’s life. The number 20 in Psalm 90 is expressed as “score”. The Bible refers to a man’s life as 3 score and 10 or 4 score if he is very strong. The number 6 is the number of man as is stated in Revelation 13:18. Here, using the superlative as 666.

The 3 ^rd combination, 13 + 13, is significant. The number 13 in ancient mythology was believed to be the number of the Greek god Zeus who was regarded as the most powerful god. The number also indicates the cycles of the year. There are approximately 13 cycles of the moon every year; the four seasons have 13 weeks each and the reverse number of 13, 31, is the number of days in 7 months of the year. The number 13 therefore combines worship to time.

Biblically, although Jesus can be seen in all the numbers, the number 13 is the number that expresses His earthly ministry. Jesus had 12 disciples and He was the 13 ^th man. The reverse number of 13, 31, is the standard value of the word El אל, which means God. The apostle John makes it clear that Jesus is God Who would baptize with the Holy Spirit, John 1:26. Jesus will return to rule and reign as the King of the Universe and will be worship by all. His first coming and second coming can then be seen as 13 plus 13, 26.

From the combinations above, it was demonstrated that the number 26 is significant from the first book of the Bible to the last. It ties creation, worship, salvation and time together. Everyone’s name, who believes in the Son of God, is recorded in the Book of Life, a census if you will, Revelation 13:8. However, there is an even more significant reason why this number is singled out.

Exodus records the burning bush experience of Moses. In Exodus 3:15, God revealed His name to Moses, LORD “This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” The word LORD is written with four Hebrew letters יְהוָ֣ה Yahweh. The numerical value of this word is 10 + 5 + 6 + 5, 26. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that no one should perish but have eternal life. This life is in His Son, Who is the Word, דבר dabar, in Hebrew. And the Hebrew word dabar has an ordinal value of 26. The number 26 therefore speaks of the only true God, and His Son, the Redeemer of the world, Who should be worshipped.

Whatever 2026 might bring, this is the year of the LORD.

Titus 2:13. Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 x 13 = 26).

I am the Light of the World

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 09:12:03 GMT

John 8:12. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

As far back as 600 BC, Thales of Miletus observed static electricity. Thales was born 624/623 and died 548/545 BC. He was an ancient pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor.

Fast forward 2 250 years, Benjamin Franklin was born on the 6 ^th January 1706 according to the Julian calendar and the annunciation style of enumerating years. He was a writer, scientist, inventor and politician. He was also an editor and a printer in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin died on the 17 ^th April 1790. His studies of electricity made him a major figure in the American enlightenment. With his kite experiment in 1752, he demonstrated the connection between lightning and electricity and significantly advanced the understanding of the electrical phenomenon.

Alessandra Volta was born on the 18 ^th February 1745, thirty-nine years after Benjamin Franklin. He improved the electrophorus, a device used to generate static electricity. He was appointed to the chair of physics at the University of Pavia in 1779 and invented the electric battery. He passed away on the 5 ^th March 1827.

Michael Faraday improved on the invention of Volta and invented the first electric motor. He was born on 22 ^nd September 1791 and died on the 25 ^th August 1867. In 1831 James Clerk Maxwell, a physicist unified electricity, magnetism and light into a single framework by showing that they are all manifestations of the same fundamental force: the electromagnetic force. He is also credited with the classical theory of radiation. He was born on the 13 ^th of June 1831 and died on the 5 ^th of November 1879. His key contribution was a set of mathematical equations, now known as the Maxwell’s equations.

Another trailblazer in the field of electricity is Nicola Tesla. Tesla was a Serbian-American engineer. Nicola Tesla developed the alternate electric current, AC, the tesla coil in 1897, fluorescent and neon lighting and remote control amongst many others. Nicola Tesla was born on 10 ^th July 1856, and died on 7 ^th January 1943.

In another village, 2 000 years ago in Bethlehem, a city located ten kilometres south of Jerusalem, Jesus was born. The exact date of His birth is unknown. Herod Antipas, also referred to Herod the Great, ruled over Galilee at that time. This places the birth date of Jesus around 4 BC. That Jesus’ birth was a significant event, is clear from the words of Herod: “where is He that has been born King of the Jews,” Matthew 2:2.

Although the 25 ^th of December is celebrated as the birth date of Jesus, it is unlikely that this is the correct date for the following reasons:

Luke 2:8 states that the shepherds were out in the field at night keeping watch over their flocks. December is winter in Israel and it is unlikely that the flocks would be out in the field at night in winter.
The Roman census which took place at the birth of Christ, would likely not have been conducted in the dead of winter due to travelling constraints.
The early Church never celebrated the 25 ^th of December as the date Jesus was born.
The 25 ^th of December coincides with the pagan festival of Saturnalia. This festival was in honour of the Roman god Saturn, marking the end of the autumn planting season and the winter solstice. It was celebrated with feasting, singing and gambling. All business came to a halt. The festival was also marked by exchanging gifts.
Jesus’ birth date likely would have coincided with the Feast of Tabernacles which is about September/October on the Gregorian calendar. This assumption is based on the fact that Jesus came to fulfil the Old Testament Feasts. The Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the 40-year wandering of Israel in the desert. Apart from this fact, it is also a time of rejoicing, and a symbolic looking forward to a future age of peace when all nations will worship God. Jesus, according to Isaiah is the Prince of Peace. In addition, the Gospel of John uses the word “tabernacle.” It states: “The Word became flesh and tabernacled or dwelt among us.” The Greek word for “dwelt “ in this text ἐσκήνωσεν eskenosen , which means “to dwell in tents,” reinforces the Tabernacles birth date.
The angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband was serving in the temple in the division of Abijah when she was told that she would conceive. This coincided with the month of Tammuz. Elizabeth would then have conceived in the fifth month, which is the month of Av. Six months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy plus nine months of Mary’s pregnancy arrive at Tishri, September / October on the Gregorian calendar.

There is also much debate around the exact crucifixion date. The day Jesus was crucified is clear, the 14 ^th of Nisan. According to the narrative in Exodus, the Passover lambs were sacrificed on the 14 ^th of Nisan which was a shadow of Jesus as He is the Lamb slain for the sin of the world. The year however, is debated. Some scholars argue for a 30 AD, and others for a 33 AD date. Support for both these dates can be found from the Luke narrative. The ministry of Jesus started, according to Luke 3, in the 15 ^th year of the reign of Tiberius. The difficulty is to establish the first year of the reign of Tiberius. If it is calculated from his co-regency with Augustus, which was 12 AD, it would mean that the 15 ^th year of his regency was 27 AD, and the crucifixion date is then 30 AD, three and a half years after Jesus started His ministry. However, if it is based on Tiberius’ succession of Augustus’ after his death in 15 AD, it would place the date of the crucifixion in 33 AD.

It is astounding that the precise dates of the births and deaths of the inventors of electricity are documented to the day, month and year. Even the Roman rulers at the time Jesus was on earth, like Julius Ceasar, who was born on the 12 ^th of July 100 BC and died on 15 ^th of March 44 BC, is documented. The dates of the birth and death of the Light of the World, however, Who was prophesied about in every book of the Old Testament, were not recorded.

His birth and death were both significantly announced by celestial events, His birth, by the Bethlehem Star, and His death by three hours of darkness over the earth. However, in the case of Christ’s birth and death, historicity is completely without importance. Kierkegaard’s philosophy regarding the great philosophers, can equally apply to the inventors of electricity: It is important to know when Miletus, Franklin, Volta, Faraday and Tesla died, because they are all dead, but in the case of the birth and death of Christ, what is important, is the fact that He is alive.

May the Lord shine into your heart this festive season the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

John 1:9. “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world, and the world was made through him, yet, the world did not know Him”.

The Dead and the Living

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:03:25 GMT

John 1:5,9. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

It is almost one hundred years ago that the first feature film to incorporate sound was released. The film Don Juan was released in 1926 featuring a synchronized musical score along with sound effects. It utilized the Vitaphone system but with no dialogue. On its heels followed the Jazz Singer in 1927 which then incorporated dialogue. Movies in the 1930’s covered themes of social realism and escapism . Many horror movies have been produced since the twenties, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1920, The Phantom of the Opera , 1925, Bend in the River, 1935, The Exorcist , 1973, and Halloween, 1978, which directly inspired the slasher subgenre of horror films. This influenced countless others that followed. ¹

Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland. Samhain, in the ancient Celtic religion , was one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the year. At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to humankind. In the 7 ^th century Pope Boniface IV established All Saints’ Day on November 1. The evening before All Saints’ Day became a holy, or hallowed, evening, from which the word "Halloween" evolved.

When the Romans conquered the Celts in the 1st century CE, they added their own festivals of Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead, and of Pomona, the goddess of the harvest. As a secular holiday, Halloween has come to be associated with a number of activities. One is the practice of pulling, usually harmless, pranks. Celebrants wear masks and costumes for parties and for trick-or-treating, thought to have derived from the British practice of allowing the poor to beg for food, they beg for food, called “soul cakes.” Trick-or-treaters go from house to house with the threat that they will pull a trick if they do not receive a treat, usually candy. Halloween parties often include games such as bobbing for apples, perhaps derived from the Roman celebration of Pomona. The holiday has incorporated scary beings such as ghosts , witches, and vampires into the celebration. Another symbol is the jack-o’-lantern , a hollowed-out pumpkin , originally a turnip , carved into a demonic face and lit with a candle inside.

Films have long been recognized as a powerful medium for reflecting and shaping societal attitudes and cultural values. As a mirror to society, films capture the zeitgeist of their time, providing a snapshot of the prevailing social issues and concerns. Fear and anxiety are the most essential emotions underlying the horror genre. Usually, fear is defined as an instantaneous reaction to an impending threat, while anxiety is understood as the maintenance of that emotion. According to the Journal of Affective Disorders, the disease burden of the anxiety disorder will become increasing more severe. This can be attributed to amongst others, to the influence of horror movies and television.

Measuring the foundation upon which Halloween is based against the infallible truth of the Word of God, the following emerges: Unlike the unfounded and erroneous belief of Samhain, God indeed was manifested and made visible to mankind. John 1:1 reads: “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And verse 14 states, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory as the glory of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The cognomen Halloween, which derived from the word hallowed, is a blasphemous. Jesus, when He taught His disciples to pray, He introduced the prayer with, “Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” The word “hallowed” is derived from the Hebrew word kadash קרש. It is used multiple times in Leviticus when God instructed the Israelites, who was His chosen people to be holy, for He is holy. By eminence, the word speaks of the people who have been sanctified, then by the Law, and now by the blood of Jesus, by the grace of God.

That Halloween could even remotely be connected to All Saints’ Day, boggles the mind. All Saints’ Day was introduced to honour the unknown saints who passed away and gained everlasting life. All the glory and the honour belong to God the Father, not saints who passed on. God said to Isaiah. “I am the LORD; that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to carved idols, Isaiah 42:8.

Then, calling the treats “soul cakes?” This reminds of what the Lord said to Hosea which he was instructed to convey to the children of Israel. Hosea is the prophet whom God instructed to marry a prostitute to illustrate the apostacy of Israel. Hosea 3 describes this adulterous relationship and the Lord compared His love for Israel to Hosea loving his prostitute wife. This, the Lord said, is despite the fact that they turned to other gods and loved cakes of raisin. A clear analogy can be drawn here between idolatry and the “soul cakes” of Halloween.

If this does not illustrate the idolatrous and demonic nature of Halloween, the demonic face cut into a pumpkin, and then lit by a candle, should unambiguously confirm that both in origin and practice, although disguised as All Saints Day, is demonic in nature. There is only one Person Who can light the darkness of this world, Jesus, Who manifested in the flesh, lived a sinless life, died for the sins of world, and rose from the dead on the third day. To Him belong all the glory, honour, and praise. And in contrast to instilling fear, Jesus said:

Peace I leave you; My peace I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. -

John 14:27.

^1. https://aithor.com/essay-examples/the-impact-of-horror-films-on-society-and-individual-psychology .

When the Trumpet Sounds

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 08:47:38 GMT

1 Thessalonians 4:17. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

The term heritage is a broad term referring to anything inherited or passed down from the one generation to the next. It encompasses tangible elements like historical buildings, objects, and natural landscapes, as well as intangible elements such as traditions, customs, skills, beliefs, and stories. Many countries in the world celebrate heritage day. Spain celebrates its heritage day on Fiesta Nacional de España which falls on the 12 ^th October each year. Ireland dedicates a whole week to celebrating its heritage which takes place in August each year and the USA celebrates Independence day on the 4 ^th July each year. On this day these countries honour their unique cultural traditions, history, and diversity to foster unity and national identity.

South Africa's Heritage Day, celebrated this year on September 24, evolved from "Shaka Day," It was a provincial holiday honouring the Zulu King Shaka, and evolved into a national event in 1995. It aims to foster unity after apartheid by celebrating the country's diverse cultural heritage. President Nelson Mandela's government expanded the day to encourage all South Africans to share and embrace their unique cultural traditions, acknowledging both individual and collective identities within the nation. As can be seen from the South African history, it is the collective memories of a people, and traditions valued and preserved to be passed on to future generations.

The fabric of heritage day is not unique to modern societies. It is deeply rooted in the biblical narratives. God told Abram that he would become the father of a great nation, God was establishing a new people, the nation of Israel through Abraham. He gave them the Promised land, today known as Israel, which would become the heritage of Abraham and his descendants.

Throughout the Bible God fulfilled His promise to Abraham. After their exile to Babylon the prophet Jeremiah confirmed this promised, Jeremiah 29:14. It reads, “I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the Lord. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile. I will bring you back to land.” This promise was fulfilled in 1947 when the United Nation passed resolution 181 to recognise Israel as a state. Israel became a state on 14 May 1948. On this day Israel took possession of the heritage that God promised Abraham approximately 3 850 years before.

Just to pause a moment on Israel’s heritage, on Friday 13 September 2025, the United Nations voted in a 140-10 vote to divide the land of Israel into two states. This contradicts God’s plan for Israel and in fact is one of the two reasons God will enter into judgement with the nations. The prophet Joel wrote. “I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,” Joel 3:2.

This decision was made at the 80 ^th General Assembly of United Nations which started this year on the 9 ^th September. The High-Level Week of general debate starts its first day on Tuesday 22 September. This date coincides with the Jewish feast the Feast of Trumpets, Yom Teruah . The biblical feast Yom Teruah , will begin at sundown on Monday, September 22, 2025, and conclude at nightfall on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. The Feast of Trumpets marks the beginning of ten days of consecration and repentance before God. It is one of Jewish feasts appointed by the Lord, Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 29:1-6.

In the Leviticus passage, the words trumpet blasts are a translation of the Hebrew word teruah, which means “a shout” or “a blowing.” The shofar, ram’s horn, was to be blown at this time, as prescribed in the Levitical Law. Jewish tradition indicates that both the ram’s horn and the priestly silver horns, hazozerah, were used in the Feast of Trumpets.

There is another time that the Bible records when there will be a loud trumpet blast. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 states: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.”

This event signifies the return of Jesus at the end of the age. Jesus will return to rule and reign for a thousand years. After this time, the New Testament speaks of a time when the saints will take possession of their eternal inheritance, according to 1 Peter 1:4. This inheritance will not pass from one generation to the next, it is an eternal inheritance which is kept in heaven for the saints.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”

1 Peter 1:4 .

No One Knows the Day and the Hour

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 09:51:21 GMT

Matthew 24: 3 "Tell us, when will these things be, and what is the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24 records the answer to these three questions that the disciples asked Jesus after He said to them that there will not be left one stone upon another, speaking of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. In most people’s minds, the answer to the question when the end of the age will be, is that no one knows the date when Jesus will return, for Matthew 24: 36 states: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

However, this answer was not given in respect of the end of age. In the verse just prior to that, Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. Clearly, the next verse, then should be seen as an answer to this statement. The day and hour when heaven and earth will pass away, is the day and hour that no one knows, not when the end of the age is.

Matthew 24:21, states that there will be a Great Tribulation prior to the time when heaven and earth will pass away. This is followed by the second coming of Christ. The event described in Luke 21:24, the reverse of Matthew 24:21, indicates that it will be after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. It states the following: They will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This verse is the key to unlocking the timing of the end of the age. The fact that the scriptures in Matthew and Luke are reverse numbers, link the content of the verses in a contextual manner. The Great Tribulation and the cessation of Jerusalem being trampled underfoot, are therefore two events and are intrinsically linked to the times of the Gentiles.

The date that initiated the times of the Gentiles is 70 AD. The second temple was destroyed on the 9 Av 70 AD. Using this historical marker, 70 AD, and applying it to events in the history in Israel, it unlocks the answer to the question, when was, or will the times of Gentiles be fulfilled.

Jeremiah prophesied that at the end times Israel will be return to her land. “Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in My anger and My wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety, Jeremiah 32:37. The regathering of Israel started with the first Zionist Congress. Tabulated below, are the first three significant dates in the process.

By using the number 70, which was the year the temple was destroyed, and adding this to the dates in the above table, then mark other another set of historical dates in the process of Jerusalem being liberated from the trampling underfoot by the Gentiles.

One other question needs to be addressed. How long will this pattern, of one historical date pointing to another historical date, continue. The answer is found in Genesis 6:3 “My Spirit will not remain in humankind forever, since he is indeed flesh; yet his days will be one hundred twenty years.” From the starting point of this design, 1897, plus 120 years, is 2017. This suggests that the pattern terminated on this date.

But, not only does one historical landmark date in the history of Israel determine the next, but another significant pattern emerges from other landmark dates, using the addition of the number 70. The Knesset passed the Law of Return, granting people with a Jewish ancestry to return to Israel in 1950. It was called Operation Magic Carpet which was based on two passages from the Old Testament: Exodus 19:4 and Isaiah 40:31. This is a fulfilment of the prophesy in Ezekiel 34:13. ”And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.” Adding 70 to the year 1950 is the 2020. In this year on the 15 ^th September, the Abrahamic Accords was signed. This is a set of agreements that established diplomatic normalization between Israel and several Arab states.

Another historical date in the history of Israel was 1956. Egypt closed the Suez Canal from October 1956 until March 1957 during the Suez Crisis. The Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, was aligning himself with the Soviet Union and nationalised the Canal. The fighting over the Suez began October 29, 1956, with the Israeli invasion of Egypt; it ended November 6, when the UN declared a ceasefire and ordered the withdrawal of British and French troops. Without elaborating on the complexities that were created, it would suffice to say that the closure led to the Rottem crises. The Rottem crises, often historically neglected, was the most serious crisis to Israel’s doctrine of deterrence.

Nasser in his address to the United Nation’s Assembly on 27 September 1961, said: “that the only solution to Palestine, is that matters should return to the condition before the error was made, .... the annulment of Israel’s existence”. The error, referring to the establishment of an Israeli state.

On the 7 October 2023, Israel declared war. This war paved the way and created the opportunity which can possibly lead to the next historical landmark in the history of Israel. A peace agreement. This agreement is already being discussed. In Christian eschatology, the next Biblical event after the peace agreement is the 42-month rule of the Antichrist which will then start in 2027, as shown in the table, based on the premise that adding 70 years to a historical date, will determine the next historical date.

Should this transpire, from the date in the table above, it can easily be ascertained that 42 months from the rule of the Antichrist, the fullness of the Gentiles would then be 2030. In this year, the Feast of Tabernacles is from 11 to 18 October. This is the date of the Jewish Feast, generally accepted in Christiaan circles, Jesus will fulfil when He returns.

Ecclesiastes 1:9.

What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.

Between a rock and a hard place

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Mon, 19 May 2025 18:26:56 GMT

Psalm 120:6. Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when they speak, they are for war.

Bisbee is a city in southeastern Arizona in the United States. Bisbee was founded as a copper , gold , and silver mining town in the 1880s. Mineral development in the region had proceeded slowly in the 1860s, and often rich strikes were abandoned due to hostilities with the fierce Apache tribes. However, with electrification and a new railroad in the early 1880s, change swept through the town and the population grew rapidly. With no regulations in place, drunkenness and violence was common place.

The onset of World War I caused a dramatic rise in the demand for copper. Although this should have been a positive development, miners were often expected to work harder and longer hours for the same pay. While increased commodity prices were generally seen as a positive development in western mining towns, the reality was that it placed more strenuous demands on the miners.

Because of this, the miners would strike for better renumeration and conditions. They were harshly treated when they were striking, and it is recorded that on one occasion, 1 000 miners were shipped through the desert without water of food at gunpoint. Allegations were that they were members of the Industrial Workers of the World union.

The phrase “ between a rock and a hard place” apparently originated here in the early 20th century. It is said to have first been used by these miners in Bisbee, Arizona, who in 1912 had to choose between facing the hard conditions in the mines (the rock), or the equally difficult conditions outside the mines (the hard place). Various other idioms express the same concept: “Between the devil and the deep blue sea”, “on the horns of a dilemma,” “Hobson’s choice” and “in a tight spot.”

Psalm 120:1 reads: “In my distress I called upon the Lord and He answered me.” The Hebrew word for “in my distress” is בַּצָּרָ֣תָה batsaratah. This word is derived from the Hebrew root word צָרָה tsarah. The word tsarah occurs in 73 times in the Hebrew Old Testament and it means facing an opponent, to be a narrow place, or to be boxed in. A tight spot, as expressed by the idiom.

There are many reasons biblically why people found themselves between a rock and a hard place. One such an example records the battle of the five and four kings in Genesis 14. It describes how Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, mustered the coalition of Arioch, the king of Ellasar, Tidal, the king of Goiim, and Amraphel, the king of Shinar to battle in the valley of Shiddim. Lot was taken captive by Sodom, one of the opposing kings. Abaham recued Lot with 318 men. After this Melchisedek, had bread and wine with him, and said: Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” The word enemy is spelt צָרֶ֖יךָ, tsareka, a derivation of the word tsarah. Lot was saved regardless of facing these opponents.

In another instance, recorded in Numbers 22:26, the word tsar צָ֔ר, dropping the ה hey, is used. The word here is translated as a narrow place. This chapter records the narrative where the donkey supernationally spoke to Balaam. Balaam, it is recorded, went with the Moabite officials to curse Israel. God, the narrative states, was very angry about this. It is on this journey the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. The text records that the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow place. Here it can be understood that God will protect His people. So much so, that He places the enemy in a narrow place, tsar צָ֔ר.

The book of Jonah records another reason why we find ourselves in distress. The book does not express who the author is, but only Jonah could have known the intimate details described in the book of Jonah. Jonah took a ship to Tarshish in disobedience to God’s instruction to go and preach to Nineveh. God divinely caused a storm on the sea and Jonah was hurled overboard where a great fish shallowed him. He was literally boxed in. In the belly of the great fish, Jonah 2:2, it is recorded: “ I called out to the Lord, out of my distress.” The Hebrew word here mits’sarah מִצָּ֥רָה, using the root tsarah, is translated as distress.

And sometimes we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place because it is part of God’s divine plan. The narrative of Joseph tells the story of how Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites. God’s favour on his life caused him to be promoted to second in charge of Egypt. When the famine hit Israel, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to buy provisions. Here is what Joseph said: And now, do not be distressed because you sold me here. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, Genesis 45:5,50:2.

Joseph moved his father, Jacob, and his whole household to Egypt in 1875 BC. They lived in the land of Goshen, but when a new Pharoah arose, he oppressed them. The Bible repeats the phrase “brought you out of the land of Egypt,” approximately 56 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.

The name Egypt is spelt מצרים Mitsraim. Mitsraim is derived from the word metsar מצר written with double stress indicated by the letter yod and mem, im ים. The word therefore means double stress. Egypt was the first recorded “world government” of ancient times. It is no surprise that Jesus said: “In this world you will have tribulation,” John 16:33, as the very name Egypt, symbolic of the world, in the Hebrew reflects distress, adversary, and opposition. Embedded in the name Egypt, the noun tsarah צרה means distress, the noun צר tsar means adversary, and the verb צור tsur, to oppose.

This is also the situation in which the author of Psalm 120 found himself. He spoke of deceitful tongues, sharp arrows and dwelling among those who hate peace. Today, the players are different, but God is still the same. He will deliver from distress even though the television headlines daily announce wars and rumours of wars, as He did in the battle of the four and five kings, He will protect you amidst lies and verbal onslaughts, as He did for Israel in the narrative of Balaam, He will deliver you from distress, even if it was caused by your disobedience, like Jonah, But the pivotal reason why God delivers, is because His divine plan is for good and not evil, like Joseph. Whatever the reason might be, call on Him, He will deliver you from distress for:

We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose, Roman 8:28.

Hold Onto Your Dream

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Sat, 03 May 2025 13:41:00 GMT

Revelation 22:12. Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

On 15 January 1929, the year the Great Depression started, a baby boy was born in Atlanta Georgia. Until the age of twelve, he and his family lived with his mother’s parents. As a child he was taught to read the Bible out loud and his grandmother told them stories from the Bible at bed time. This black boy befriended a white boy who was the son of a business owner across the street. Due to the segregation laws in America however, he was compelled to attend Yonge Street Elementary school, a school for black children. His favourite song was, “ I want to be more and more like Jesus.” His grandmother died when he was twelve years old, and he struggled to understand how God could call his grandmother home as part of His divine plan.

He was a brilliant scholar and average a B+ throughout his high school years at Washington High school. Here, he joined the school’s debate team. His oratory skills at the Pennsylvania Crozer Theological seminary elevated him to one of the “sons of the calvary.” He received his doctorate on 5 June 1955. Later, he also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

At the age of 34, on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln memorial, he delivered his speech which change the course of the American Civil Rights Movement. This is what he said:

“I have a dream that one day this nation shall rise up and live out

the true meaning of creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident:

that all men are created equal.”

His unrelenting pursuit of his dream, amidst many setbacks and in the face of much opposition, contributed to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1968. This boy was Martin Luther King Jr.

Another 17-year-old boy, the eleventh son of a family of twelve children, also had a dream. His parents were herders, and due to his young age, he was not yet out in the field. His father’s parental favouritism of him, caused him to be the object of his brothers’ envy. His brothers even found it difficult to conversate with him in a peaceful manner.

He innocently shared his dreams with his brothers. He dreamt that they were all in the field binding the sheaves together and the sheaves of his brothers bowed before his. They mockingly called him “the dreamer.” This is of course the narrative of Joseph, Jacob’s son.

The last time Joseph took provisions to his brothers, was when they were in Dothan. The name Dothan דתינה, is derived from the root word דת, dat. This Hebrew word means fountain which was a precursor of the later unfolding story of Joseph’s life. Dothan is mentioned one other time in the Bible, in the narrative of Elisha in 1 Kings 6. Elisha surrounded by the Armenian armies said to his servant, “Do not be afraid, those who are with us, are more than those who are with them. Dothan can therefore be associated with God fighting our battles and as recorded, Joseph’s.

Back in Dothan, Joseph’s brothers devised a wicked plan to get rid of him. They first threw him into the well, and later when a caravan of Ishmaelites from Gilead passed by, they sold him. From here, Joseph went from the palace to prison. Having been forgotten by his fellow inmate, God gave Pharoah a dream which no one could interpret, and Joseph was summoned to interpret the dream.

The familiar narrative described how Joseph was promoted to second in command in the land of Egypt, saved the nation from starvation, and how his brothers, just as he dreamt, bowed before him.

Another young man, exiled from his country, but devoted to serving the Lord, did not have an illustrious background either. He witnessed the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 586 BC, he saw the city in ruins, his faith caused him to be thrown in the lion’s den and he found himself before the powerful Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, when no one could interpret the king’s dream.

Daniel’s faith in God and his integrity caused him to find favour in a secular, idol worshipping world. He, like Joseph, was promoted to second in command of the then known world.

While in exile, in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel had dreams and visions, which are recorded in the book of Daniel. His dreams described the historic future of how the world governments would unfold. He saw four beasts: the lion, the bear, the leopard, and a beast of “fierce countenance.” These beasts represented the Babylonian, the Medo- Persian, the Greek and Roman Empires. What the future holds is unknown, but through this vision, God revealed to Daniel the rulers of the world until the end of the age.

And then there is another Joseph. A young man on the threshold of his future, engaged to a lovely Jewish girl. Unfortunately, he discovered she was pregnant. In today’s day and age, this is still frowned upon, but two thousand years ago, this was punishable with death. Joseph resolved to divorce the girl. However, in a dream, the Lord appeared to him and calmed his emotional turmoil: “Be not afraid to take Mary as your wife.”

What was revealed to Joseph, was incomprehensible for a devout Jewish man. The child of His fiancée was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This took place about 34 years before the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost. The Old Testament view of the Spirit of the Lord, which was Joseph’s view, is captured in narratives such as when the angel of the Lord appeared Gideon when he sat under the terebinth in Ophrah, the anointing of David as king, and when the Lord spoke to Ezekiel. Isolated incidences which could hardly explain the supernational conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

But Joseph, based on his knowledge of the Word of God, however understood that the words of the angel of the Lord, who appeared to him, was prophesied by Isaiah, Isaiah 7:14. The words of Isaiah were repeated by the angel in Matthew 1:23, it reads: “ Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bare a son, and they shall call Him Emmanuel.” Joseph understood that the words of the angel of the Lord was a fulfilment of the Messiah whom Isaiah prophesied would come. So, Joseph took Mary as his wife and called their Son, Jesus.

Not only was the birth of Jesus revealed through a dream, but His second coming was revealed to John on the isle of Patmos. The vision that he saw, was so clear, and so detailed, that John, with pinpoint accuracy wrote to the seven churches of Asia Minor the words of Jesus. Jesus appeared to him and said, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore.”

John described the unfolding of the end times in the visions of seven seals and the seven trumpets. His vision of the bowls revealed how wrath of God will be poured out an unrepenting world.

From the narratives above, dreams and visions were given to individuals like Joseph, who held onto his dreams, believing God, and became the second in command in the land of Egypt. Daniel, like Joseph, through his trust in God’s revelation, became second in command in Babylon. Through visions and dreams God revealed the future of mankind to Daniel and John. And most significantly, through a dream the Angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the birth of Saviour of the world.

Therefore, hold onto your dream, keep doing good, and in due time, you will reap if you do not give up because Jesus said:

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done, Revelation 22:12.

Overlooking The Cross

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 05:16:30 GMT

Luke 23:3. "...looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

The date, 14 ^th Nisan 30 AD. In Jerusalem, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five years ago, a Jewish man was brought before the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, who was presiding over the Sanhedrin. Caiaphas was a Sadducee and held the office from 18 AD to 36 AD. The Jewish community thrived under the Roman Empire, but with the rise of the followers of Jesus, tensions started to mount.

They sought testimony against this Man and many false witnesses were brought. His words, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up,” were distorted. These witnesses, misled by the leaders, thought that they were doing a sacred duty to let justice prevail. When Jesus was brought before Caiaphas on that day, the Jewish Passover, Caiaphas adjured Jesus to confirm that He was the King of Jews. Jesus replied: “You have said so,” Luke 23:3. Jesus in fact, never proclaimed to be the King of the Jews, He said that His kingdom was not from this world.

Caiaphas however, interpreted this statement as an affirmation by Jesus that He claimed to be the Son of God. He recommended to the Jewish Council that it was better that one man should die, rather than the whole nation perish. His concern about the Roman tolerance of the Jewish institutions took pre-eminence over his knowledge of the way in which Jesus would die, and they deliberately made plans to kill Him. Caiaphas handed Jesus over to the Roman governor.

The Roman governor, Pilate interrogated Jesus, but He gave no answer. This response greatly amazed the governor. In the Roman legal system, the audi alteram partem rule was a fundamental principle of natural justice. It mandated that no person should be judged without a fair hearing, ensuring both parties in a dispute had an opportunity to present their case. This offered the accused of a crime the right to a trial and the legal presumption was that he was innocent until proven guilty. In Pilate’s view, Jesus had not committed any crime. But Pilate, wanting to please the crowd, offered to release another criminal in the place of Jesus. Even when given this choice, the crowds, instigated by the Jewish leaders, chose to set the criminal free. The rowdy crowd shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate, realising he could not persuade the Jewish crowd, washed his hands before the crowd. Washing one's hands of guilt was not a gesture particular to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Instead, it was a well-established Jewish custom, and part of the ritualized judicial practice at the time. A judge who could not base his ruling on investigative evidence or hard proof, but had to rely on the statements of witnesses, absolved himself from any responsibility by washing his hands. Pilate, convicted and sentenced Jesus, and took no regard of the implications of crucifying Jesus. He wilfully overlooked the implications of his verdict that in Jewish law, anyone who hung on a tree, was cursed, Deuteronomy 21:23, and handed Him over to be crucified.

As Jesus was led out to be crucified, the roused-up crowd, asserted that Jesus was misleading the Jewish nation and forbidding them to pay tribute to the Caesar. Paying tribute to Caesar was a way of acknowledging his power and rank as one of the gods in the Roman pantheon. Every nation paid this tribute to all the Caesars, and failure to pay, would result in death or imprisonment. The tribute was a penny. That this accusation was completely devoid of any truth, was borne out in Matthew 22:21 when Jesus’ response was: “Render unto Caesar what is Ceasar’s.”

Then Jesus was handed over to soldiers to be crucified. To these soldiers He was just another criminal. They mocked Him, put a scarlet robe on His shoulders, and a crown on His head. After they mocked and reviled Him, they stripped Him of His clothes and led Him away to be crucified. All in a day’s work. They took His clothes and divided it and put an inscription on the cross. “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” These hardened soldiers have done this job many times. In fact, next to Jesus, they crucified two robbers.

The soldiers did what they were instructed to do, having no regard to who the Man was Who had just been crucified. To them it was just another criminal who was convicted by justice system of the mighty Roman Empire. The inscription on cross, elicited people to deride and mock Jesus. The words of the passersby, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross, were lost in their ignorance of what had just happened on the cross.

From the sixth hour to the ninth hour, there was darkness over the land. When Jesus cried out Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani, some of the bystanders, probably Jews, interpreted the words, as Jesus calling Elijah. To them Jesus did not fulfil the expectation of the prophesied Messiah and they downplayed the crucifixion. In response to Jesus’ words, “I thirst,” they ran and filled a sponge with sour wine and gave it to Jesus.

And then Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” The temple curtain tore, there was an earthquake and the tombs were opened. The response of the guards who were keeping watch over Jesus was, “Truly, this was the Son of God.” Only by the display of these signs, did they realise that the cross of Calvary was the place where the Son of God paid the price for the salvation of the world.

For different reasons all these people overlooked the cross: Caiaphas, because of his preference to rather save the Jewish nation; the witnesses, because of their misplaced pursuit of truth and justice; Pilate, because of his unwillingness to let a riot erupt and thereby jeopardise his authority and the crowd, because they were deceived by the Jewish leaders. The soldiers overlooked the cross because they were just executing orders. The bystanders overlooked the cross because of their disbelief in Jesus. He did not measure up to their expectation of Who the Messiah was. To them, the Messiah would free them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. And the guards who were keeping watch over Jesus, realised too late He was the Son of God.

The Son of God, a High Priest, after the order of Melchisedek, also overlooked the suffering and pain of death on the cross. He is the King of Righteousness, and the Redeemer of the world. He offered Himself willingly as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. He was obedient to death on the cross to purify our consciences from dead works. He humbled Himself, despised the shame and died on the cross to destroy the works of the devil. He, according to Hebrews 12:2, overlooked the cross for: “the joy that was set before Him.” For this reason, He was given a name above every name, JESUS. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father, from where He will come to judge the world.

Therefore, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us and keep our eyes fixed on the crucified and risen Christ, Jesus.

“Looking to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith.”

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 06:31:31 GMT

Romans 3:23. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Courtroom dramas have a unique way that captivates the imagination of everyone. One such television series, Suits, recorded 53.1 billion minutes viewing on channels like Netflix. What exactly makes this kind of drama so popular, is not easy to pinpoint. Maybe, the dignity imparted and dress code that exudes the sense of severity and authority vested in the court. Maybe, there is the innate sense that justice should be done and people’s unwillingness to let criminals go free. Or maybe, it could be because of the formality when the door opens and the judge enters the court room. The formal announcement made by the judicial assistant is an all-inclusive call for silence in the court: “All rise, the court is now in session. The honourable Judge So and So, presiding.” Whatever the reason is, the scene captures the attention of all in the court room and all those watching alike. Once the announcement is made, the judge then takes his seat at the bench.

A similar courtroom scene is described in the Revelation 20: then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. From His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. The reverence and authority in these words, far exceed the rising of the “all” in an earthly court when the judge enters the court room.

In the courtroom, the appearance of the judge is sombre and authoritative. He is usually dressed in a plain black robe with a peruke on his head. In contrast, the attire of the Judge on the heavenly throne is described as having the appearance of jasper and carnelian in Revelation 4. Around the throne is a rainbow that has the appearance of an emerald. In addition, John saw the full bench of the heavenly court. There are twenty-four thrones around the throne and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.

Once the judge has taken his seat, the prosecution is ready to present its case. In a criminal case the onus of proof rests with the prosecution. The charge is read and the prosecution explains how the evidence will be presented. The state prosecutor may or may not make an opening address. In practice this occurs only in complicated or serious cases. The purpose of the opening address is to allow the state to explain what the case is about and how it intends to prove it. This assists the court and the defence to follow the evidence. The prosecutor then leads the evidence of the state and presents its witnesses. Once the prosecutor concludes his evidence, the counsel for the defence presents the case of the accused.

Revelation 20:12 similarly, records the process of presenting evidence in the heavenly court. It reads: “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. The charge, “You have all sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.” In the book of Revelation, the defence is described in one sentence. The only evidence presented, is the name of the accused written in the Book of Life.

During the court procedure, the judge may at any time request evidence as he thinks fit to inform himself as to the proper sentence to be passed. In the court process, the judge is not merely a passive umpire; he is an administrator of justice. Neither was Jesus, He came as the Saviour of world and paid for the transgressions of the world, so that all who have sinned, can be found innocent.

Once all the evidence has been presented, the court is ready to give the verdict. If the verdict of “Guilty,” is pronounced, it is followed by the sentence. The main purposes of sentencing are retribution, deterrence, prevention, and rehabilitation. In some ways, sentencing is the most important part of the trial. Equally, the main purpose of passing sentence in the heavenly court, is to determine where eternity will be spent. Jesus said "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven," Matthew 7:21. The will of God is that no one would perish but have eternal life and this life is only through confessing Jesus as the Saviour of the world. Therefore, anyone who confesses that Jesus is the Christ, died for his sins, and was raised on the third day, will have his name written in the Book of Life which proves beyond reasonable doubt, that he can enter the Kingdom of heaven. In addition to this confession, the Judge of heavenly court will judge everyone according to what they had done.

Unlike a court of justice in this world, in the heavenly court the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden remained on man and contrastively the accused is guilty until proven innocent . Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome says, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all men because of one man.”

The pivotal point of the court procedure is when the judge reads the sentence . At this stage, the accused is requested to stand. If the verdict is the guilty, the accused is remitted to custody.

In the heavenly court the verdict has already been captured in the pages of the New Testament. It is either eternal life of eternal death. Jesus told the Pharisees that only in Him there is eternal life. The verdict that will be pronounced on those who are found guilty, is “I never knew you,” and the sentence will be “depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." But for those who are washed in the blood of Jesus, the Judge of the heavenly court will say:

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

But the Greatest is Love

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 13:19:12 GMT

John 13:34. Love one another as I have loved you.

The month of February is synonymous with love. The 14 ^th February is celebrated as Valentine’s day in many countries. Valentine’s day became celebrated as a day of romance in the 14 ^th century. The day however, has deep roots associated with Christian martyrdom.

One legend is that the day was named after a priest who was martyred in AD 270 by emperor Claudius Gothicus. The story goes that the priest signed a letter to his jailer’s daughter, after he fell in love with her, with the words, “from your Valentine.” Another legend is that St Valentine secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war as emperor Claudius ll outlawed marriage as he decided that single men made better soldiers.

By the 1700’s printed cards were used and in the 1800’s the image of Cupid was featured on the cards. Cupid was the ancient Roman god of love. The Roman god of love was referred to as “Amor” in Latin poetry. This inspired Gabriel Ruiz to compose the song “Amor, Amor Amor” in 1943. The English version of the song captured the imagination of many famous singers, amongst whom are Bing Crossby, Julio Iglesias, Matt Munro and in 2001, Luis Miguel. The song expresses the undying love of the lover. The Greek counterpart for the god of love, was Eros. The English word erotic, most probably derived from the name of the Greek god.

Love is also the central theme of the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for love is אהבה ahava. The word in Hebrew is spelt aleph-hey-bet-hey. The Hebrew alphabet evolved from pictographs. The letter aleph א is a pictograph of an ox and represents the strong leader. The letter hey ה means, look or behold, and the letter bet ב is a picture of a house. The letter bet also speaks of Jesus. Jesus is the Word Who became flesh and dwelled amongst us. Differently stated, He “housed” among us. John 1:1 uses the word “tabernacled” amongst us.

There is a mystery hidden in the construction of the letter bet. The letter is constructed with three vavs. The letter vav is a picture of a nail. Jesus was nailed to the cross with three nails. But the mystery is even deeper than this. The letter vav is the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet and has a numerical value of six. The three vavs in the letter bet therefore has a numerical value of eighteen. This is also the numerical value of the Hebrew word, חי chai, which means life. Jesus gave His life, so that all who believe in Him will have eternal life.

But there is even a deeper mystery in the word ahava. Interpreting the pictograms, the word ahava reads: “ The strong leader, behold, the Son, behold.” Embedded in the word ahava is the word “father, av .” The first and third letters of the word אהבה spell the word אָב av. “For God (the Father) so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

This required that Jesus gave His life for a sinful world. On the eve of the Passover AD 30, Jesus was having the Last Supper with His disciples. Jesus knew that His time had come and during the supper, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet as he could not understand how Jesus, Who was his master and Lord, could take on the menial task of washing his feet. This act was particularly significant in the light of the cultural background. It was only given to the lowest of servants. This act underscored the essence of Jesus’ love. He said that He did not come to be served but to serve. Jesus explained to Peter that only by allowing Jesus to wash his feet, can he demonstrate his loyalty, submission, and preparedness to serve. Peter in his usual spontaneous and forward manner, now that he understood, wanted Jesus to wash his whole body.

After Judas Iscariot left the dinner table that night to conclude his act of betrayal, Jesus started His last intimate conversation with the eleven disciples. This is what He said: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This love spoke of the unselfish ministry of Jesus: meeting all the needs of the people, teaching them, healing all who came to Him, and even performing the menial task of washing His disciples’ feet. And this love required that Jesus gave His life to express His love. This was not in response to what man deserve, but totally undeserved. The apostle John expresses it like this, 1 John 5:8: “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 13:15.

Remember To Forget

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 16:33:31 GMT

Isaiah 42:9. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare.

Memory of time is the basis for self-identity. The words in Hebrew for time, zaman, and remember, zakar, both start with the Hebrew letter, zayin. The word zakar זכר is spelt zayin-kaf- resh. But before looking at the meaning of these pictograms, let us examine the importance of remembering.

After the mighty display of God’s omnipotent power, Pharoah, devasted by the death of his firstborn son, let the people of Israel free after 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Moses instructed the people to slaughter the Passover lamb, and, on that night, God struck the first born of Egypt. On the very same day the Lord brought the people of Israel out the land of Egypt by their hosts, Exodus 12:51. The very first words Moses said to Israel were, “Remember this day in which you came out of Egypt.”

Moses, as received from the Lord, instructed Israel to keep the Feasts of the Lord and to pass this information on to the next generation. So important were the words of Moses in Deuteronomy that he said to the people to bind it as a sign on their hands and that it should be “as frontlets between their eyes.” They had to pass the information to their children. Moses further commanded them to take care lest they forget the Lord their God, Who brought them out of Egypt.

The pictographs of the Hebrew word “remember” render the exact same analogy. The first letter of the word zakar, is the letter zayin, which is a pictogram of a dagger, something one can make a mark with. The second letter, the kaf, is a picture of the palm of the hand, and the third letter, resh, is a picture of a man’s head. The word “remember” therefore speaks of a mark in the hand and in the forehead which is what Moses commanded Israel. He said: “Remember this day.” The day when God brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Israel left Egypt, they were fed manna in the desert, water poured from the rock and as is widely known, Israel defeated Amalek while Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms. The very profound words of Joshua, recorded in Exodus 17:13 were: “And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.” The Lord then said to Moses to write these words in a book of memorial, “I will blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven.” Moses was also instructed to recite it to Joshua so that he can remember.

Three months later, Israel reached the foot of mount Sinai. Moses received the Ten Commandments, and the fourth commandment reads, “Remember the Sabbath that you keep it holy.” Israel entered the Promised land, and was first ruled by the judges, and then, on their insistence, by the kings. Over and over Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord sent His prophets to warn them.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Can a virgin forget her ornaments or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number,” Jeremiah 2:32. Ezekiel, who spoke against the elders of Israel, reiterated the fact that Israel did not remember God. Hosea said that Israel have forgotten her Maker and built palaces. Zephaniah, that because they did not remember, they turned from serving the Lord, and Isaiah that the people had no remembrance of God.

It is evident from the Old Testament history that it was impressed upon Israel to remember God, to keep reminding themselves, to teach their children to love the Lord, speak of His mighty deeds and honor God. An instruction which Israel failed dismally to execute.

Therefore, in the fulness of time Jesus was born to redeem mankind. Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah 42:9 reads: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.” And Paul, in the book of Hebrews, wrote that the Lord will be merciful toward our iniquities, and He will remember our sins no more. Jesus’ sacrifice ensured that we could forget the past.

So, remember to forget the woes and troubles, the difficulties and disasters, the stress and the strain, the despair and the disappointments, the loss and the pain. Remember to forget the success and celebration and the achievements and acknowledgements of 2024 and as Paul said, just do this:

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward for what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13.

Behold, He is making everything new, 2024 has passed away and 2025 lies ahead with the promise of a new beginning. Remember to forget what lies behind. May God bless you in 2025.

Merry Christmas

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 05:34:09 GMT

John 8:12. I am the light of the world.

At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So, the Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, “How long will you keep us in the suspense?”(John 10:22).

The Feast of Dedication commemorates the victory of the Jews over the Greek oppression and the rededication of the temple. In 162 BC Antiochus Epiphanes took control of the temple and offered a pig on the altar in the temple desecrating the temple. Under the leadership of Judah Maccabee and his three brothers, they raised up an army of freedom fighters. For three years they fought and regained control of the temple on the 25th Kislev in 165 BC.

The temple was rededicated for 8 days and the miraculous event of the eternal flame burning for eight days, with only one day’s oil supply, gave rise to the Festival of Lights, or better known as Hanukkah. On the Gregorian calendar this date coincided with the 24th December in the year 165 BC.

It is on this day Jesus, the Light of the World, was walking on the Porch of Solomon. The question the Jews wanted answered was: ”If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus responded and said: “ I told you, and you do not believe.”

The Jews was outraged at this statement and accused Jesus of blasphemy. This accusation was levied against the backdrop of the statements recorded in the gospel of John, where Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven, that He claimed to be the Light of World, that He will raise the dead on the last day, and that He forgave the woman who committed adultery.

When Jesus however, told them that He and the Father is one, the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus for blasphemy. Jesus as always, referred them to scripture and asked them for which of the works He had done, did they want to stone Him. Their reply: “You, being a man, make yourself God.”

Jesus quoted from Psalm 82 to refute the accusation of blasphemy against Him. Psalm 82 reads:

God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods, he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit all the nations!

In His reply, by quoting from Psalm 82, Jesus placed the emphasis on the fact that the Israelite community who received the law at Sinai, the ones to whom the word of God came according to Rabbinical interpretation, was seen as “gods”. The Psalm however, elevates the supremacy of the only God and Jesus by using this very analogy, not only “made Himself out to be equal to God” but made the statement that He was the One the Father sent into world, clearly claiming that He was God. In fact, He plainly stated in verse 36 that He was the Son of God.

This discourse took place on the 25th Kislev, which is known on the Gregorian calendar as Christmas eve, the evening before the day that is celebrated by most people, as the day on which Jesus was born. Was Jesus born on the 25th December? Unlikely. But on this day, Jesus declared Himself to be the Son of God, Who came into the world to redeem mankind. What a reason to celebrate.

A Coat of Many Colours

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Mon, 21 Oct 2024 08:57:48 GMT

Psalm 43:3. Send your truth and your light, let them lead me.

That dress code plays a role in promoting specific motives and behaviour, is evident from events such as the Academy Awards known as the Oscars. The first Oscars were hosted on the 16 ^th May 1929. Besides the honour that befall the winners, the evening glitters with the attire of the actors and actresses. They are envied and admired for their magnificent evening wear. This however, is not unique to modern society. In Genesis 37:3, we read that Jacob made a coat of many colours for his son Joseph. The Hebrew words read: ketonet passim. The word ketonet appears twenty- nine times in the Old Testament. References are found in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Job, Nehemiah, 2 Samuel, Ezra, Songs of Solomon, and Isaiah. The Hebrew word ketonet means coat and passim, many colours.

When these two words are mentioned, the incident of Jacob giving his son, Joseph, a coat of many colours, immediately comes to mind. Joseph was the oldest son of Jacob and Rachel. Jacob, counting backward from when he left Egypt to return to his country, must have been ninety-one years old when Joseph was born. It is for this reason that Jacob gave Joseph the coat of many colours, because he was the son of “his old age.” Joseph was seventeen years old when his father gave him the coat.

How many colours there were in the “coat of many colours,” is purely speculative. The only other place that these two words appear together, is in the narrative of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Samuel 13:18. Amnon was David ‘s first born son by his wife Ahinoam and first in line for the throne of Israel. Tamar was Absolom’s sister. Amnon deceitfully got David to send Tamar to bring him food under the auspices that he was ill. He raped her and then despised her. Afterwards, Amnon called his servant to accompany her out of the room. The narrative then explicitly makes mention of her ketonet passim, a robe of many colours, which was the traditional attire, according to the text, worn by the virgin daughters of the king.

The description here does not include any mention of colours, and it still leaves the reader unable to make any conclusion about Joseph’s coat of many colours. However, in both incidents, the coat distinguished the person who wore it. Joseph’s coat distinguished him from his brothers, as the son that Jacob loved. Tamar’s robe distinguished her as a virgin.

Further insight into the robe or tunic can be ascertained from the clothes that God made for Adam and Eve after they sinned and realised that they were naked. It is germane to the understanding of this coat, to look at the Hebrew words.

Genesis 3:21 states that God made for them katenot כְּתֹנֶת ohr ע֖וֹר. Katenot is the plural form of the word ketonet, robe. The Hebrew word ohr, here, is translated as skin. God made them a tunic or coat of skin. The word ohr ע֖וֹר, in this text, is an alliteration and wordplay of the word ohr א֑וֹר, which is the word used in Genesis 1:3 when God said, “Let there be light, ohr.” The word in Genesis 1:3 is spelt א֑וֹר. The two words are distinguished by the first letters of the words. The one word is spelt with an aleph א֑, and the other with an ayin ע֖. Further insight is obtained by looking at the Hebrew pictographs. Each Hebrew letter has a pictograph. The aleph is a picture of the strong leader, the vav a picture of a nail, which speaks of joining one object to another, the resh is a picture of a man’s head and the ayin is a picture of an eye. The word ohr therefore “joins man either to God or to his own insight.”

Contrasting these two words, ohr, with the aleph and ohr, with the ayin, it explains that ohr spelt with the letter ayin, indicates that man is no longer joined to the strong leader, the aleph, but rather does what seems good in his own eyes, the ayin. This is exactly what Adam and Eve said, they saw that the tree was good to eat from, ate and disobeyed the Word of God. This was not the will of God.

The letter of John states that “ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world, 1 John 2:16.” When the eye of man is on his own desires, instead of God, as was the case in the garden of Eden, man sins. The katenot ohr that Adam and Eve were clothed with, reflected their behaviour, their disobedience.

However, God created man for the praise of His glory. This required a changed of garment and atonement for sin. As part of the consecration of the priests, Moses had to put a coat, ketonet הַכֻּתֹּ֖נֶת, on Aaron and tie a sash around his waist and put the ephod , a breastplate, on him wherein the Urim and Thummim were placed, Leviticus 8:7-9. The word Urim is the same word used in Genesis 1:3 and is therefore the light. The Thummim is derived from the Hebrew word taman, which means complete and blameless and by inference, the truth. The priest wore these garments when they made atonement for sin.

Adam and Eve, when they sinned became naked. This did not so much refer to their physical nakedness, but spiritual blindness. Jesus in Revelation 3:18 said: “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”

The white garment was paid for on the cross of calvary. Jesus is the blameless Lamb of God Who was given as a sacrifice for sin, the second Adam Who is the light of the world and the Way, the Life and the Truth.

Paul wrote to the church in Rome, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the book of Hebrews, to keep the eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of their faith. He wrote to the Colossians to put on hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And to the Ephesians, to fasten the belt of truth, and to put on the breastplate of righteousness, the garment embroidered with the Light and the Truth, Jesus.

Send your truth and your light, let them lead me, Psalm 43:3.

The Last Generation

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 04:15:23 GMT

Matthew 24:34. The generation that sees these things will not pass away until all these things have been accomplished.

Many explanations have been given for Jesus’ words in Matthew 24. When Jesus was asked by His disciples when the things will happen that He spoke of, and when He would return, Jesus gave them a lengthy list of the signs of the end times: many will come in My name, wars and rumours of wars, nation rising against nation, famines, earthquakes, pestilence, false prophets and a great tribulation.

But the event that initiates the great tribulation, that will be more severe than any other one in the history of the world, is the abomination that makes desolate. Jesus said that immediately after the tribulation of that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven and these people, who see this, will see Him coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Jesus further endorsed this by saying that the generation that sees these things, will not pass until all these things take place.

This narrative poses a two questions. The first question is, how long is a generation? Genesis 2:4 reads as follows: “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the heavens and the earth.” This is the starting point of generations in the Bible.

The gospel of Matthew records the generations from Abraham to David as fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation from Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations. This is a total of forty-two generations.

From the above demarcation of generations, it is clear that a generation does not refer to a certain number of years. Abraham was born 1960 BC. He was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans when he was seventy-five years old. From this time, 1885 BC, to the birth of David in 1040 BC, is eight hundred and forty-five years. From David to the Babylonian exile in 586 BC, is four hundred and fifty-four years. And from the exile to the birth of Christ in 4 BC, is 582 years.

If the time lapse between each of these demarcations is divided by fourteen, the length of the generations in years is different. The above equates to sixty years and three months, thirty-two-years and four months, and forty-one and a half years approximately.

A generation seems to rather speak of the characteristics that define a certain group of people at a certain time. The Bible speaks of a wicked generation, Matthew 12:39; a generation that do not know the Lord, Judges 2:10; a stubborn and rebellious generation, Psalm 78:8; a generation of the upright, Psalm 112:2; the generation of His wrath, Jeremiah 7:29; a perverse generation, Acts 2:40; and the generation that will not pass away until all these things take place, Matthew 24:32.

The generation that will not pass then, is identified by a certain qualities.

Jesus specifically told His disciples that the great tribulation would start when they saw the abomination that makes desolate. The second question is: what or who is this abomination? The word for abominable in Hebrew is shikkoots שִׁקּוּץ,and it means detestable. There are many things in the Old Testament are detestable, but the prophet Daniel associated the abomination that makes desolate, with the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away which will allow for the abomination to be set up. The purpose of the burnt offerings was for general atonement of sin and an expression of devotion to God. Jesus became the burnt offering for sin.

This leaves us to conclude that when Jesus is no longer the solution for atonement, it will constitute the abomination that makes desolate. Is this generation that generation?

How countries structure their policies around religious instruction, is the barometer of a generation’s standpoint on the importance of biblical values and more so, on the one event that changed the the history of the world.

Globally, the Bible is illegal in 52 countries of the world, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, and Niger to name a few. ¹ The full list is available on the website cited below. In addition to this, on the 2 June 2023, Utah banned the Bible for its “vulgarity and violence”. ² And in many countries religious instruction has been removed from schools. But it gets more intense. INTO are urging the Catholic church to remove the requirement for religious training for teachers who want to teach in Catholic schools. ³

Locally, the South African government has published a paper on its National Policy on Religion and Education, and it states the following:

“Our policy for religion in education therefore is designed to support unity without uniformity, and diversity without divisiveness.” ^4.

It also states that public schools cannot establish uniformity based on a single faith.

Freedom of religion or rather restriction of religion in the education of children, is part and parcel of the UDHR that was adopted 1948. Since then, most of the countries in the world has aligned the rights proposed in the document with their Constitutions.

Is this the last generation? The question can be answered in this manner: There has been wars and rumours of wars, the 1 ^st and 2 ^nd World Wars, being the first global wars, took place in the 20 ^th century. Nation is rising against nation. The word “nation” in Greek is the word ethnos and refers to ethnic groups. Ethnic conflict is one of the major threats to international peace and security. Conflicts in the Balkans, Rwanda, Chechnya, Iraq, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Darfur, and Israel are among the many. ^5.

Nearly 45 million people are at risk of starvation ⁶ and there has been a total of 9 790 earthquakes this year alone. ^7.

And 2019 saw the global Covid-19 pandemic.

A world devoid of the salvation message “salvation by grace through faith in Christ,” will certainly make the world desolate. And this is in progress.

Jesus said:

“As lighting comes from east, and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

References

^1. https://lovepackages.org/bibles-dangerous-illegal-covert/

^2. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65794363

^3. https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0403/1441483-into-religion/

^4. https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/religion0.pdf

^5. https://www. britannica.com/topic/ethnic-conflict

^6. https://www.bing.com/search?q=famines+in+the+world

^7. https://www.l ist of earthquakes in 2024 - Wikipedia

Declaration of Dependence

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 16:59:08 GMT

Acts 17:28. In Him we live and move and have our being.

The history of the world is permeated with the desire to be independent. For this cause people fight wars, they dedicate their lives and are willing to make any sacrifice that will aid in the pursuit of independence.

This is not only so on an individual basis. History bears this out. South Africa had been under British Colonial rule for centuries and on the 31 May 1910 the Union of South Africa was formed. It was however not until 1961 that South Africa became fully independent. The former Rhodesia adopted a Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965. And many other countries such as Ghana, on the 6 March 1957, Malawi 6 July 1964 and more. Many countries under French rule got independence in the sixties, and countries under Portuguese rule, such as Mozambique and Cape Verde in the mid-seventies.

The American declaration of independence was approved on the 4 ^th July 1776 when thirteen American colonies severed ties with Great Britain. The preamble of the American Declaration of Independence is well known: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.”

These independent countries represented in United Nations, drafted a milestone document in the history of human rights and proclaimed it in the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948, GA resolution 217A. It sets out, for the first time according to them, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.

That this is not the first time that human rights are protected, is evident from the Ten Commandments that Moses received 3500 years ago on mount Sinai. The Commandments read amongst others:

“ Honor your father and mother” – the right to inherent dignity.

“You shall not kill” – the right to life.

“ You shall not bear false testimony” – the right to a fair trial.

“You shall not covet” – the right not to be deprived of property.

It is a sad reality that the first, second and third commandment of the Ten Commandments are ignored. You shall have no other gods before me, you shall not make an idol and bow down before it, and you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain. Instead, the right to freedom, privacy and religion feature. The drafters of the Universal Declaration of Independence lost sight of the fact that these rights can only find their fulfilment if people’s hearts are inclined to God.

Therefore, instead of independence, we should state our dependence on God, because

In Him we live and move and have our being.

A Pearl of Great Price

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:24:42 GMT

Matthew 13:45. The Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for pearls.

In the materialistic world of 2024, money rules supreme. Materialism is the concept or belief that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications. Differently stated, it is the tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual needs.

Materialism has a long and complex history. Its beginnings are associated with the Carvaka School of ancient Indian philosophy. Its underlying claims are that the material matters and is the only thing in our reality that truly exists.

The first documented literature on the subject was Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura. Many other great names in philosophy, like Hobbs an Gassendi being the forerunners of the movement in the 17 ^th century, followed suit. Familiar names such Darwin, Aristotle, Democritus, and Descartes all tried to make sense of the unseen world that cannot be defined by matter.

Today, these philosophical ideas have translated into a society that is measured by possessions. Materialism holds the view that all facts, including the human mind, are casually dependant on physical processes.

Jesus had a completely different viewpoint. He said do not worry what you will eat or drink, or what you will wear. Your heavenly Father knows that you need these things. Jesus further instructs His disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these material things will be added.

But moreover, Jesus told His disciples not be anxious for anything. He repeats the word “anxious” four times in seven verses of Matthew 6. It is therefore important to know what Jesus meant by the word. The Greek word is μεριμνήσητε, merimesete. This means not to be distracted, or figuratively speaking to go to pieces. The Hebrew for the same word is אל תדאגו al tidagu. As each Hebrew letter is associated with picture, the two words from their pictographs read in a sentence: The strong leader on the cross is the doorway that connects the humble to God. No eternal damnation. No reason to be anxious. Jesus was not focussed on the material needs, as He knew that our Heavenly Father will supply these. He was concerned about the spiritual, as this is the choice of every individual.

Jesus, said that He has gone to prepare a place for those who follow Him, so that where He is, they may be also. This is what He referred to in the parables of the Kingdom of God. It is like a net that gathers good and bad and it is like a hidden treasure and it is like a pearl of great price.

Therefore, Jesus said not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, or In today’s vernacular, material possessions. The reason is that nothing here, is of permanent nature. It will either degenerate or it could be lost. The only lasting “possession” is to seek the Kingdom of God as it is not subject to the rules of the world. But the more important fact is that if you treasure these earthly possession, you will lose interest in what is a pearl of great price, the Kingdom of Heaven because:

Where your treasure is, there will your heart also be.

The Man Clothed in Linen

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Mon, 27 May 2024 09:19:28 GMT

Ezekiel 9:11. And behold, the man clothed in linen, with the writing case at his waist, brought back word, saying, “I have done as you commanded me.”

The mysterious figure of the man clothed in linen is first encountered in the book of Ezekiel. In the 6 ^th year of Ezekiel’s exile to Babylon, he saw the vision of a man clothed in linen. From the content of the book itself, it can be concluded that this was before the exile of Judah in 586 BC. This places the vision prophetically between 606 BC and 586 BC. However, Ezekiel was probably taken captive in the second tranche of the exile in 597 BC. One chapter earlier, the timeline of the vision is identified. This was in the 6 ^th year of the 6 ^th month on the 5 ^th day of the month. This places the vision on the 5 ^th day of the Hebrew month Elul, in 591 BC.

Elul is the month of introspection. The Spirit of Lord however lifted Ezekiel and brought him to the entrance of the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem. Here Ezekiel was given God’s perspective on the sin of Judah. Ezekiel was told that firstly, they drove God out from His sanctuary. Secondly, that they replaced God with images and idols carved on the walls and were offering incense to the gods.

Thirdly, Ezekiel was shown an even greater abomination than at the North Gate of the entrance of the house of the Lord. The North Gate is identified in Ezekiel 8 verse 4 as the “gate to the altar.” Here Ezekiel saw 25 men with their backs to the temple worshipping the sun. Not only did they drive God out, carved idols on the walls which was forbidden but now they transgress the law even further by worshipping the sun transgressing the 1 ^st and 2 ^nd commandment:

You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

It is after this reminder of Judah’s apostacy, that Ezekiel saw the man clothed in linen. Ezekiel saw 6 men coming from the Upper Gate, which was the gate that led from the outer court to inner court, with weapons in their hands. They were accompanied by the man clothed in linen. This man however, did not have a weapon in His hand but a writing case at His waist. He is instructed to pass through the city of Jerusalem and to put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sighed and groaned for the abominations committed in the city.

The Hebrew word used here for mark, is תו tav. Tav is the 22 ^nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet and is a picture of the cross. Jesus died on the cross where His blood was shed which is the mark of salvation. The vision in Ezekiel prophetically, not only spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem because of sin, but of Jesus dying for sin.

Fifty-five years later, Daniel saw a vision of a man clothed in linen (Daniel 10:4). The timeline of the vision is described as the 3 ^rd year of Cyrus. Babylon fell to Cyrus in 539 BC. The 3 ^rd year of his reign would then be 536 BC. The vision was further recorded as given on the 24 ^th day of the first month. This places the vision on 24 ^th Nisan 536 BC.

From the description of the man in linen in verse 6, it can be understood that this was a vision of Jesus. The verse reads: “His body was like beryl, His face like the appearance of lightning, His eyes like flaming torches, His arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of His words like the sound of a multitude.” This is the same symbolism that is used in Revelation.

Daniel was then told by the person who touched Him the unfolding of the end times. Daniel 11:40-45, describes the rise of the Greek Empire, referring to them as the King of the North and the King of the South. The description of the King of the North is contracted into these verses. The prophesy is vague on the extent of the rule of the King of the North, but verse 6 affirms that he shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, Egypt symbolizing the world. This is alluding to the succession of the Roman Empire after the Greek Empire. After the demise of the Roman Empire, the prophesy describes the development of a one world government as it is known today, united under the United Nations.

The vision concluded with the prophesy of a time of great tribulation at the end of the last kingdom. Someone standing on the bank of the river, asked the man clothed in linen, how long this would be. For the first time, the man in linen spoke and answered:

“I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished (Daniel 12:7).

This confirms that the man clothed in linen was Jesus as Revelation states that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy.

Revelation is the 3 ^rd time where there is reference to the apparel a man. In Revelation 19 :13 it speaks of the Rider on the white horse who was clothed with a garment dipped in blood. The Greek word for garment in this text is ἱμάτιον himation. It refers to the outer garment. This takes one back in history to the Passover meal which Jesus ate with His disciples. At this occasion, he took off his outer garment, or himation, and washed the feet of His disciples.

Now, John does not see the Jesus that took off his garment, but the Jesus that is coming to judge the nations fully dressed in military apparel. On His himation, the outer garment, are the words written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

The Eleventh Hour

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Mon, 06 May 2024 08:53:44 GMT

Revelation 22:13 “I am the first and the last”

Matthew 20:1-16 records the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. Early in the morning the master of the house went out to hire labourers for his vineyard. This reminds of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. “And God said to them,’ Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

The narrative of Matthew then states that at the third hour, the master of the vineyard went out and hired more labourers. This reminds of the call of Abraham when God said to him: “ The LORD said to Abram , ‘Leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s home. Go to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse.’”

In the sixth hour, the master again went out and called more labourers. This reminds of Jesus coming in the flesh as the Messiah to His people. “Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.’” Here addressing the Jews to take the gospel to the Jews.

The call to work in the vineyard, started at creation, and is all inclusive, both Jew and Gentile. Starting with Adam, a gentile, God then took a people for Himself, Israel, and called Abraham to be light to the nations. Jesus then came to His own people who rejected Him. He died on the cross at the ninth hour, crucified by His own people. The words reverberated from before the judgment seat of Pilate when they shouted: “Crucify Him!” But Pilate’s act of washing His hands did not exonerate him. He had the power to release, or not to release, whoever he chose. But he chose to please the chief priests. Unwittingly, he wrote the King of the Jews on the inscription above the cross. The very same expression that is recorded in Isaiah 44:6: “Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel(Jews) and His redeemer, Yahweh of hosts. I am the first and the last and besides Me there is no God.” The inscription confirmed the deity of Jesus.

Rejected by His own people and crucified by the Romans, God again called workers to the vineyard. Cornelius, a Roman centurion, had a vision in the ninth hour and he heard God clearly saying to him, “ Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon, who is called Peter.”

Knowing the heart of Peter, God prepared him to go to Cornelius in a vision. It is in his house that Peter delivers the first message of salvation to the gentiles. He confirmed that God anointed Jesus from Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, how He went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed of the devil and how He was crucified. The King of the Jews, the first and the last. The Hebrew word for last is acharon אַחֲר֔וֹן, the same word that John used when he spoke of the last hour, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour (John 2:18, ESV).

The eleventh hour, or last hour is characterised by the presence of the antichrist. The word “anti” means in opposition to Christ. The many Christ rejecting religions of the last 2000 years speak of this: Jewish, Islamic, Druze, Bahai, Sikhism, Buddhist and the like. This is how we know we are in the last hour.

And just as Peter told Cornelius that Jesus commanded them to preach that Jesus is appointed to judge the living and the dead, the call for the eleventh hour is: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

Through the ages, early in the morning, the creation, the third hour, the call of Israel, the sixth hour, the new creation, the ninth hour, the call of all, the eleventh hour, the last call to repent, God is calling a people to work in the vineyard. Because at midnight there will be a cry:

“Here comes the bridegroom.”

The Path of Totality

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 11:06:25 GMT

Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars.

Historically, solar eclipses marked significant events. In the eighth century BC, Jonah, an Old Testament prophet, was sent to the Nineveh, the capital of Assyria in the time of king Jeroboam II of Israel. Assyria was the world empire that ruled from approximately 900 to 600 BC. It is quite amazing that the capital city of the ruling world power repented on 8 words: ”Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” unless there was something besides Jonah’s words, which gave the impression that the message was from God. This could very possibly have been the solar eclipse of 763 BC. This eclipse of the 15 June 763 BC is the longest recorded eclipse in history and lasted 7 minutes and 27.54 seconds. It could very well be that it was at this precise moment that Jonah was spewed out by the fish. Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching. A 150 years later in 612 BC, Nineveh fell to the Babylonians.

In another 150-year span, looking back to 1874 there has been 15 eclipses over the USA, 1878, 1889, 1900, 1918, 1923, 1925, 1930, 1932, 1945, 1954, 1963, 1970, 1979, 2017 and 2024. Two of these eclipses are total solar eclipses. The eclipse of 1918 traversed the entire country. This year marked both the year of the Purple Death flu, also known as the Spanish flu, and the end of World War 1 (WW1).

In 1918 the battle of Amians was the opening phase of the Allied Offensive and later became known as the 100 days offensive. The American eclipse of 1918 was 8 June 1918. Exactly two months after the eclipse on the 8 August 1918, the allied forces advanced to France.

The most powerful nation of the Western world, comparable to Assyria of the eight century BC, deployed warships to the Middle East following the declaration of war by Bejamin Netanyahu on the 7 October 2023 . The first was the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier strike Group on 14 ^th October. The purpose is to prevent other nations from entering the Israeli-Hamas war.

In a strange way the possibility of war is again connected to a solar eclipse, just as WWI. On the 8 ^th of April 2024 the path of totality of the American solar eclipse will cross Mexico, part of the USA and Canada and will last 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

Seven years ago, on 21 August 2017, the USA had a total solar eclipse dubbed the "Great American Eclipse" which was visible within a band that spanned the contiguous United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. The paths of totality of this eclipse and the one of 2024,if mapped over the USA, form the Paleo- Hebrew letters aleph and tav , the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Jesus, in the book of Revelation calls Himself, the aleph and the tav. Two thousand years ago the “path of totality” was the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus walked carrying His cross to the Golgotha, where He was crucified for the sins of the world. For three hours from midday there was darkness. The sun was obscured because the Son of Man died for the sins of the world. There is no scientific explanation for this phenomenon, but if Nineveh could repent after the perceived longest solar eclipse of 7 minutes, it is incomprehensible that the world did not repent after three hours darkness.

The book of Revelation speaks of this Jesus who is worthy to open the seals and Who is coming to fetch His bride. The sixth seal in Revelation 6:12 states that “When He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth (a solar eclipse), the full moon became like blood.” It is after the sixth seal was opened that John wrote of a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, who stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.

This great multitude will be shouting:

“Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!

For His judgments are true and just.

He has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

He has avenged the blood of His servants

that was poured out by her hand.”

(Revelation 19:1-2).

Jesus is coming soon. He is the way (path), the truth and the life. For those who believe in Him, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing under its wings.

Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

The Mystery of the Number 7

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:39:56 GMT

Luke 21:28 When you see these things begin to pass, then look up your redemption is near.

Everyone who has a sliver of interest in Bible numbers, can attest to the fact that the number seven is more frequently used than any other number. The Hebrew word for seven is שבע sheva and appears 394 times in the Old Testament. The ordinal number, seventh, is used 97 times in Old Testament. The Greek word ἐπτα hepta, seven, appears 88 times and the ordinal number, seventh, 9 times. That the number seven has significance, is undoubtedly the case.

From Genesis to Revelation seven is the number indicative of time and matter. From the outset of the Exodus, the number seven is used. In Exodus 7:25 it is recorded that seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile. The first plague being the Nile turning into blood. When God makes His covenant with Israel sparing them from the death of the first born by putting the blood on the doors, the Israelites are instructed to keep that day as memorial through all their generation. “ Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:15). This was the fourteenth day (7+7) of Nissan.

The Israelites left Egypt and on Mount Sinai Moses received the law. God singles out one day, the seventh, which He instructed Israel to keep holy. God also instructed them to keep a jubilee year. They were to count seven sabbaths of years. That is 7 X 7. This was the year of restoration and setting free the slaves and returning the land to its rightful owner.

After their wonderings through the desert, Moses gave them the blessings and the curses for keeping and disobeying the law. If Israel kept the law, their enemies will flee before them in seven ways.

But not only was the number seven significant when Israel was set free, Psalms 12:6 reads that the word of the Lord is refined seven times, Proverbs 6:16 lists the seven things that God hates and Isaiah 30:26 that the sun will shine seven times brighter. The number also played a significant role in prophesy. Daniel’s seventy weeks of seven being one.

But why seven, why not six or eight? One answer can be found in the Hebrew letters. Seven is spelt shin-beyt-ayin שבע. The first letter of the word is 21 ^st letter of the Hebrew alphabet, reading from left to right, and has a numerical value of 300.

The shin has three lines and represent thought, speech and action. If each one of these is 100%, it denotes perfection. From Romans 3:23 however, it is known that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If one is penitent and confess his sin, God is faithful to forgive sin and cleanse from all unrighteousness. The Hebrew word for penitence is shuva and links to the Day of Atonement. This is most holy day on the Jewish calendar in which reflection is done and forgiveness of sin is sought. The day of atonement is Yom Kippur. The numerical value of kippur is 300. This is the same value as the letter shin. The kippur is the covering for sin.

The second letter in the word sheva, is a beyt. The letter beyt is pictogram of a tent and speaks of Jesus becoming flesh and dwelling among men. In Him we have redemption of sin.

The last letter of the word sheva, is the ayin. The letter is a pictograph of an eye and has a numerical value of 70. The place from where Israel was delivered, connects to the letter ayin. They were delivered from Egypt. The Hebrew word for Egypt is Mizraim and has a numerical value of 70. The word Mizraim means constraint or limitation. The immediate thought connected to Egypt from a Biblical point of view, is that Israel was delivered out the house of bondage.

It is of this redemption that Paul writes in Ephesians: “ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you. The riches of His glorious inheritance.” In Old Testament vernacular, the promised land.

It can then be deduced that the number seven speaks of the redemption from sin by the atoning blood of Christ who delivered the sinner from the bondage of sin to obtain an eternal inheritance. This inheritance is what Jesus speaks of in Luke 21:28. Differently put: Luke 777:7777.

When you see these things, then look up your redemption is near.

The Friend of the Bridegroom

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 05:37:14 GMT

John 3:30. He must increase, but I must decrease.

In Jewish weddings the best man or the friend of the bridegroom is usually given the responsibility of safe guarding and witnessing to the ketubah or the marriage contract. The best man also shares characteristics and incidents of his friendship with the bridegroom with the wedding guests. He is also the person that is involved in making the arrangements for the wedding. In the gospel of John this very scenario played out.

The first words that John, who was the friend of the bridegroom according to John 3 said, were: “Make straight the way of the Lord.” He further stated that he John, only baptised with water but after him the bridegroom is coming who he was not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal. This discourse took place in Bethany across the Jordan when the priests and Levites were sent to enquire why John was baptising.

The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him and his words were: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The deep admiration and knowledge of the bridegroom are expressed in the words of John. Friends usually spend time together and this is evident from the narrative in John 1:29-34. John deepens the understanding of who the bridegroom was, and adds that he has seen and borne witness that the bridegroom is the Son of God. He was an eyewitness when the Spirit of the Lord descended on Jesus in the form of a dove.

John also gives honour to the bridegroom. He was in no way perturb that the people were going to Him. In fact, he endorsed this. He says in John 3:29: “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.”

Etymologically, the Hebrew word for bridegroom reveals a deeper understanding of the character of the groom. The ancient Hebrew language is pictographic script and served as numerals. Each Hebrew letter represents an image of animals, objects or parts of the body and has a numerical value. (Table below).

The Hebrew word for bridegroom is חתה chatah. The word is spelt chet-tav-hey. The letter chet is a picture of a fence, depicting an enclosure and speaks of protection. The tav is a picture of the cross and the letter hey a picture of a man raising his arms to heaven. This letter speaks of revelation. The Hebrew word, interpreting the pictographs for the chatah, bridegroom, therefor speaks of the revelation of the protection of the cross.

The numerical value of the word chatah is 413. The number four physically denotes the basic demarcation of time and space. There are four directions, north, south east and west. There are four seasons, summer, winter, autumn and spring. There are four divisions of time in the day, morning, midday day, evening and midnight.

The number 13 is the number that is associated with Jesus. He was the 13 ^th man. The bridegroom in terms of the pictographic interpretation and the numerical value of the word, reveal that not only did the Bridegroom create the world, but He died for the world. He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.

The friend of the bridegroom exalts Him, testifies about Him, intimately knows Him, obeys Him and worships Him because

The Bridegroom is from above and above all.

Jacob’s Ladder

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 05:17:40 GMT

John 1:51 And you will see the angels descending and ascending on the Son of Man.

The only accounts in the Bible of a ladder or a similar analogy, are in Genesis 28 and John 1.

Genesis 28 records the familiar story of Jacob who fled from his brother Esau, after he deceitfully received the blessing from Isaac. That the blessing was significant, not only in material possessions, but also prophetically, is evident from the text. Genesis 27:29 reads: “Let the people serve you, and the nations bow down to you.”

En route to Rebecca’s brother in Haran, Jacob stayed overnight and made his bed on a stone. Jacob dreamt of a ladder between heaven and earth and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Verse 13, notably speaks of the Lord standing above it. The number 13 speaks of Jesus. A better translation would be standing over or beside him.

A further confirmation that the Lord is standing beside Jacob, is that Jacob, when he woke up said: “Surely, the Lord is in the place.” This clearly refers to where he was sleeping and not somewhere on the top of the ladder. He also called the place, The House of God בית אלהים (bet Elohim) and the gate to heavenשער השמים (sha’ar hashamayim).

God came to meet Jacob personally and confirmed His covenant with Abraham and Isaac to Jacob. Significantly, as previously alluded to, Jesus used this analogy when He speaks to Nathanael in John 1.

The latter’s scepticism portrayed in his words “can anything good come from Nazareth?” changed in a moment. Jesus greeted him with these words: “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” The paradox of these statements is striking. Nathanael doubted if anything good can come from Nazareth, and Jesus commended him for an Israelite without any deceit.

Nathanael was amazed that Jesus knew him. In response to his question Jesus replied that before Phillip called him, He saw him sitting under the fig tree (John 1:48). This prompted Nathanael to say: Rabbi, You are the Son of God!” Even Jesus expressed His surprise at this statement. Jesus’ answered, referring to the incident of Jacob, “Truly, truly I say to you, you will see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51). Why would Jesus use this analogy? Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek appears to be a better example.

To get a better understanding of the significance of this, the Hebrew word for ladder offers an explanation. The word is sullam. The word is spelt samech-lamed-mem סלם. The letter samech represents the ascending and unending glory of God.

The meaning of the letter lamed, becomes clear by the spelling of the word lamed. Lamed is spelt lamed-mem dalet. According to Jewish sages this is an acronym for lev meivim da’at- a heart that has understanding.

The third letter in the word sullam, is mem. The letter mem in its closed form, the stumah, as used in the word sullam, speaks of concealed mysteries. Jesus confirmed what Nathanael said when he stated that Jesus is the Son of God when He used the phrase “you will see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus connected Jacob’s dream to what Jacob said. “Surely, the Lord is in this place.”

Jesus revealed the mystery that was hidden for ages. The Son of God, as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets was standing in front of Nathanael, just as the Lord was in the place where Jacob had his dream. Jesus is the gate to heaven, the unending spiral of God’s glory to a heart that has understanding. Just as the letters in the Hebrew word sullam express.

The dialogue between Nathanael and Jesus is recorded in the first chapter of the gospel of John as a prelude to the blessings that descended when Jesus came to dwell in physical form on the earth. He changed the water into wine (John 2); He healed the official’s son (John 4); He healed the man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5); He fed the 5000 (John 6); He forgave sin as demonstrated in the narrative of the woman caught in adultery (John 8); He healed the man born blind (John 9) and He raised Lazarus from dead (John 11). These seven miracles confirmed the fact that Jesus was the Son of God.

The narrative of John does not record the baptism of Jesus but confirms the concept of Jesus as the Son of God. When Jesus was baptised the Holy Spirit came down in the form of dove (Chapter 1: 33-34).

But the reference to Jacob’s dream also recalled Jacob’s blessing. The blessing of Jacob was demonstrated in the Old Testament narrative when Joseph’s brothers bowed down to him in Egypt historically. (Joseph was the first-born son of Jacob and Rachel). The blessing will find its ultimate fulfilment at Jesus’ second coming.

Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

The Cycle of Life

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:28:50 GMT

Ecclesiastes 1:9. There is nothing new under the sun.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to tear, and a time to sow;

A time to keep silent, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time for war, and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

What has been, is what will be, and what has been done, is that which will be done and there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

These are the words attributed to Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived. Prophetically, these words encapsulated the reigns of the kings of Israel that succeeded him.

The refrain of the of the kings that succeeded Solomon, is stated over and over. Israel, Judah and the kings by name, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 14:22), Nadab did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 15:26), Baasha did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 15:34), Ahab did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 21:20) and on and on. Israel and to a large degree, Judah, continued the cycle of apostasy. That which was, was that which was done.

The same cycle is repeated in the time of the judges. When Ehud was the judge, Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Judges 3:12), so did Othniel and Israel when Samson judged Israel.

In both the time of the judges and the kings, Israel continued in a cycle of disobedience to God, God’s judgment on them, Israel’s crying to the Lord, Israel repenting, God sending a deliverer and Israel turning back and falling into sin again.

The same is evident from the covenant that God made with Noah after the flood. Genesis 8:22 states: “While earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will not cease.”

The New Testament is permeated with references to the Old Testament. One example is Matthew 27:37-40. The phrase “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” is a quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5.

Another, when Jesus was asked when the Kingdom of God will come in Luke 17, Jesus refers to the days of Noah and states that it will be like that when the Son of Man comes. He also refers to Lot. “ As it was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking and marrying, buying and selling, planting and building, until Lot went out from Sodom.

The repetition of the scripture and endorsement of Paul regarding the fact that all scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), not only endorse the fact that history is by design, but that the historical cycles repeat itself with different role players.

However, although there was no precedent for a flood, it had not even rained up to this point, God destroys all mankind except Noah and his family who found favour in the eyes of the Lord. God struck Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone when He judged the unrighteousness of the city. This latter also an event without precedent. Just because there was no precedent, does not invalidate the reality of the events.

Today, like in the days of Noah, the Gospel is preached and people are warned of the coming judgment of the world. But just as in the days of Noah the preaching is disregarded. Even after the seals are opened in Revelation 6 and the trumpets are blown in Revelation 8 and 9. Revelation 9:21 reads “nor did they repent of their sorceries, speaking of the end times.

Mistakes will be made and repeated. The unrighteous will become more unrighteous and evil will increase at the time of the end. The indifference and willful ignorance of the Gospel will continue and history will once again repeat itself.

But just as God send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for mankind, an event without precedent, Jesus will descend from heaven with the shout of an archangel at the last trump. Then the dead in Christ will rise and those who are alive will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. Like the flood, the rapture will be an event without precedent.

Then there will be a tribulation like there has never been before. Unless those days be shortened, no flesh will survive. Immediately after the tribulation, heaven will be opened, and the Rider on a white horse will come with the heavenly armies and cast Satan into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Then all, small and great, rich and poor will appear before the judgement seat of God. Unprecedented? In form yes, but not in substance. God judged Adam and Eve, He judged Israel, His chosen people, and He will certainly judge the sinful world.

Today, when you hear His voice, harden not your heart.

"Do not be afraid."

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:19:36 GMT

You are worth more than many sparrows.

These are the words that God says:

To Abram (Genesis 15:1);

To Isaac (Genesis 26:24);

To Jacob (Genesis 46:3);

To Moses (Exodus 3:11);

To Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:15);

To Joel (Joel 2:21);

To Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 3:9);

To Joseph (Luke 2:10);

To His disciples (John 14:27);

To Paul (2 Timothy 1:7);

To the apostle John (Revelation 1:17).

That fear is a very real and common emotion is evident from the repetition of God’s instruction not be afraid to the many people listed above, and the list is not exhaustive.

According to the Oxford dictionary fear is an emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm. The medical world describes excessive fear as for instance acrophobia, a fear of heights; claustrophobia, as a fear of closed spaces; aerophobia, as a fear of flying; aquaphobia, as a fear of water; and glossophobia, as a fear of public speaking and the like. These fears are uncontrollable, irrational and lasting fears of a certain object, situation or activity.

The situations described in the lives of the people mentioned above are however not referring to this excessive fear, but cut across all walks of life. It includes old and young, rich and poor, free and slave. No one escapes the uncertainties of life.

From the Old Testament text, just looking at Abram and Moses, Abram had to leave behind the familiar environment of his residence and set out on a journey of which he did not know the destination. Moses is called when he was fleeing from persecution after he killed a man. He had to assume leadership of a nation, address the Pharoah, and set off into the unknown. He did not have a road map, an inventory of the food, and most of all, he did not even know if the Israelites will accept him as leader.

Fast forward to the New Testament. The disciples find themselves on the eve of the Passover being told that Jesus will be crucified. They are anxious because they do not understand what Jesus is talking about and they did not know where He was going as is evident from the text. Jesus starts this conversation with the words “ Do not let your heart be troubled.”

These situations commonly speak of the anxiety of an unknown future. In addition, Moses doubted his ability to be appear in front of Pharoah and address the Pharoah with the message, “Let my people go.”

People today, share these anxieties. As the economies of the world decline, the future becomes more and more unclear, the demands greater and the concerns more real. The anxiety to perform one’s duties to the standards of the Pharaohs of this world is mounting.

None of the people listed, were expected to just stop fearing on God’s command. When God instructs them “Do not fear,” God makes the following promises:

To Abraham: “I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.” (Genesis 15:1);
To Isaac: “I am the God of your father, I will bless you.” (Genesis 26:24);
To Jacob: “I will make you great nation, and I myself will go down with you to Egypt.” (Genesis 46:3);
To Moses: “The Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob is sending you.” (Exodus 3:15);
To Jehoshaphat: “The battle is not yours but the Lords.” ( 2 Chronicles 20:15);
To Joel: ”Be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things.” (Joel 2:21);
To Ezekiel: “I will make your face as hard as theirs.” (Ezekiel 3:8);
To Joseph: “I bring you good news of great joy.” ( Luke 2:10);
To Jesus’ disciples: “I will send you another Helper.” ( John 14:16);
To Paul: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard nor the heart of man imagined, God has been prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
To the apostle John: “I am the First and the Last, and the living One. I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” ( Revelation 1:17).

On each of these mentioned occasions, the instruction not to fear is followed by God’s promise. It is not because of our abilities but because of God’s faithfulness that we should not fear.

There is one occasion however that Jesus says that we should be afraid. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says that we should fear him who can destroy body and soul in hell. In all other instances we are instructed not to fear. Jesus gives the reason. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

The meaning of the words “do not fear” is expressed in the Hebrew pictographs. The Hebrew words for “do not fear” are al tira. The first word is spelt with the same consonants as the word El which is the shortened form of Elohim, God. The second word תירא tira, is spelt tav-yod-resh-aleph. The pictographs of these letters are a cross (tav), an arm (yod), the head of man (resh), and an ox (aleph). This reads: God, by the mighty act of God on the cross connects man to the strong leader.

Isaiah 35:4 foretells this incident: “Behold, your God will come with vengeance…... He will come and save you… The eyes of the blind will be opened and the ear of the deaf will be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a dear and the tongue of the mute shall sing for joy…. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return to Zion with singing, and everlasting joy shall be on their heads…. and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

Today, God is still instructing everyone not to be afraid. The promise: “I am with you till the end of the age.” You are worth many sparrows, and if God did not spare His own Son, how much more will He not give you all things.

Do not be afraid.

The Inner Circle

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Sun, 26 Nov 2023 14:27:41 GMT

1 Corinthians 13:13. “And now remains faith hope and love.”

Matthew 10:1-4 records the event of Jesus calling His disciples. It lists all twelve of whom Peter, John, Andrew, and James were the first four. They naturally spent more time with Jesus than any of the other eight disciples. Of the four Peter, John and James are the three that Jesus shares His deepest sorrow and highest glorification. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, they were the three disciples that He took with Him and to whom He said “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). Peter, James, and John were also the three disciples that Jesus took with Him on a high mountain recorded in Matthew 17 and they saw Jesus transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

Peter was a rugged fisherman, but he became the evangelist proclaiming the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ to the Jews. He was a logically man. We find one occasion of this when Jesus instructs his disciples to throw the nets in on the deep side. His response: “ Lord, we toiled all night and took nothing.” His logical mind was based on exploring the facts. If they could not catch fish all night, then why would they in the day.

When the disciples find themselves in the midst of the storm in the fourth watch with the waves beating against the boat, it is Peter who cried out to Jesus who was walking on the water, “ Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you.” Peter did not take it for granted that it was Jesus, he ascertained the fact. Jesus replied, “Come.” The Hebrew word “come” is much more explanatory. The word “come” is spelt בוא beyt-vav-aleph. The beyt is a picture of a tent, speaking of Jesus tabernacling with man, the vav, a picture of a nail, fastening two objects and the aleph a picture of an ox, speaking of the strong leader. The “come” pictographically then expresses Jesus as the mediator to the Father. Jesus confirms this in John 14:6: “ I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Peter also did not hesitate to ask the difficult questions. He asks Jesus how many times should you forgive your brother and he did not shrink back from answering the difficult questions. When Jesus asked him who do you think I am, he boldly answered, “ You are the Son of the living God.”

Yet, his boldness failed him when a servant girl recognised him as one of Jesus’ disciples. It is this experience and Jesus’ commission of to him to feed His sheep, which made Peter realised that there hope beyond his denial. He writes in his letters of the hope of future grace, the hope of salvation and speaks of the hope of glory, which is Christ in us (1 Peter 3:14).

James, like Peter, was a fisherman. His mother was Salome and his father was Zebedee and he, like Peter was born in Bethsaida. The name meaning house of fishing. Bethsaida connects the place where Jesus walks on the water to the place where Jesus healed the blind man. The blind man was from the same town. The healing of the blind man of Bethsaida speaks of faith. In Mark 8 we read that the people brought the man and begged Jesus to touch him.

James and John were called the sons of thunder, Βοανηργές (Boanerges). This nickname pointed to the ministry of James and John. The use of the word thunder appears in the account of the giving of the law on mount Sinai. Exodus 19:16 reads: “ On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightning. As the thunder on mount Sinai announced the law, so the sons of thunder announced the fulfilment of the law. Righteousness, not through the keeping of the law, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The book of James reveals some of the characteristics of James. He was a man who was self- controlled. His exposé on how to bridle the tongue leads the reader to believe that he must have had experience to the contrary.

James was also a man to whom wisdom was important as he believed that wisdom will show in a person’s actions. That he clearly meditated on this topic is evident form the detailed description he gives on wisdom. His analytical mind leads him to define wisdom. It is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

But above all, James had unwavering faith. He believed that God hears prayer and his words are so often quoted: “The fervent prayer of the righteous man has great power.” He concludes his letter with a statement of faith. “Believe on the Lord Jesus.”

The third man of the inner circle is John. Although James and John were both the sons of Zebedee and Salome their emphasis is different. James places the emphasis on faith where John places it on love. 1 John uses the word love 36 times. (Translations differ on the number of times.) John is also the apostle that wrote the gospel of John in which he says that God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.

John was also a lexicographer. He defines who the antichrist is . Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist (1 John 2:22); A murderer - anyone who hates his brother, (1 John 3:15); God’s promise - eternal life, (1 John 2:25); Sin - all wrongdoing, (1 John 5:17); The manifested love of God- He sent His Son, (1 John 4:10); abidance, the Spirit of God, the spirit of error, a liar and many more.

Because of his analytic mind and attention to detail, when incarcerated on the island of Patmos, he receives the revelation of Jesus Christ. Written about 95-96 AD, the book of Revelation gives a detailed message to each one of the churches. It describes how history will unfold in the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls to the culmination of the end of the age when Jesus will come as the Rider on the white horse described in Revelation 19.

The characteristics of the men in the inner circle can be expressed by the words of 1 Corinthians 13:13. “And now remains faith hope and love.” Peter, the apostle of hope, James, the apostle of faith and John, the apostle of love.

David and Goliath

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Sat, 04 Nov 2023 10:56:40 GMT

Fighting your battles

The narrative of David and Goliath is one of the best known in the Old Testament. It tells the story of a seventeen-year-old shepherd boy who is sent by his father Jesse, to take provisions for his brothers who are fighting the war against the Philistines.

It is also a well-known fact that David is a type of Christ. Not only does the gospel of Matthew refer to Jesus as the Son of David in His genealogy, but many Old Testament prophesies speak of Jesus as a descendant from the line of David. The root of Jesse in Isaiah 11:1 being one.

But the narrative speaks of more than just a shepherd boy as a depiction of Jesus. The geographical setting, the nations warring, the champions of each camp, the weapons chosen for the battle, the similarities between Jesus and David and the employment of numbers reveal layers of Jesus not visible from surface reading.

The numbers that feature predominantly are 40,17 and 5. The narrative is recorded in 1 Samuel 17. This number 17 represents sin, the fall and the victory over sin. From Genesis to Revelation the threat that runs through the Bible is that of evil verses good.

Genesis 1:7, which is 17, when the colon is dropped, reads: “And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. The pictogram of the letter מ mem looks like a wave and can be interpreted as peoples, nations and languages. This interpretation is evident from Revelation 13 where the rising of the beast is described as from the sea.

Co-incidentally, Revelation 1:7, also dropping the colon, speaks of another event where there will be a separation of the people and reads: “Behold, He is coming in the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those that pierced Him, and all the people of the earth will mourn. Both verses end the with words confirming the context. In Genesis 1:7, “and it was so” and in Revelation 1:7, “even so, amen.”

Jesus restored the chaos of Genesis 1 and He will the restore the chaos of the world at His second coming. In addition to this, Jesus died and rose from the dead on the 17 ^th Nisan.

The numerical value of the letter מ mem, is 40. The life of Jesus at his first coming links to the number 40. Jesus came to fulfil the law and the prophets. Moses was on mount Sinai for 40 days when he received the law, Jesus was in the desert for 40 days, tempted by Satan before He started His ministry.

The inability man to comply with the law was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross for the sin of the world. In the narrative of David and Goliath, the sin of the world is personified in the giant, Goliath. He was a Philistine from Gath.

Both David and Jesus slew Goliath. David in the physical and Jesus in the spiritual. David took 5 smooth stones, one for each of the five cities of the Philistines: Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath and Gaza. Jesus was victorious over all that He created, heaven and earth, things visible and invisible, thrones and powers, rulers and authorities. Five entities. He disarmed the powers and authorities by triumphing over them on the cross. This is Colossians 2:15, 2 plus 15 is 17.

It is the blood of Jesus that overcame the enemy. The blood cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7), and there is redemption of sin in the blood (Ephesians 1:7). It is here that the enemy is stopped at the border of blood, Ephis dammim, the place where the Philistines camped in the valley of Elah.

Both camps had a champion. The camp of Israel, David, and the camp of the Philistines, Goliath. David’s name means beloved, Jesus was the beloved Son of God. David was a shepherd boy, Jesus is the Good Shepherd; David’s brothers rejected him, Jesus’ brothers rejected Him; David’s words to his brothers were, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him”, and Jesus says, “do not let your heart be troubled.”

What is significant is that Saul did not know David. He calls for David and David informs him that he is the son of Jesse of Bethlehem. The name Jesse ישי means Yah exists. As a type of Christ it can be understood that Israel did not recognise him, just as they did not recognise Jesus when He came as the Saviour of the world. Jesus identifies Himself as the the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Light of the world (John 8:12), the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:12), the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 11:25),the Vine (John 15:5) and the Son of God.

The sad reality is that from the time that David slew Goliath, Saul started to persecute him and in like manner the Jews shouted “Crucify him”.

Friendship with Jesus

marbre@mweb.co.za (Marlene Bredenkamp) — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 07:19:53 GMT

What a friend we have in Jesus.

In the time that we are living in, having a friend has become a strange commodity. The handshake of friendship meaningless and the motives questionable. But there is friend that sticks closer than a brother. He was the first-born son of Joseph and Mary 2000 years ago.

As a young man He started His ministry and chose His friends not from the ranks of the academia, the Pharisees, but from the fishermen of Galilee. The tough kind. Jesus knew that the twelve to whom He would give the command to preach the gospel to all the nations, needed to have endurance and experience.

Jesus, as a friend was intimately involved in the everyday problems of His friends. He was there when His friends celebrated a wedding. As a family friend, he changed the water on the Cana wedding into wine. And not just wine, but the best wine.

Jesus also noticed the everyday struggle of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. For thirty-eight years this invalid was lying at the pool. Jesus’ question to the man was: “Do you want to be healed?” He did not know him yet, He healed him. A friend like Jesus noticed that the man could not reach the pool by himself. He went to the invalid and asked him what he needed. Jesus did not have to adhere to the rules of healing, He simply said to the man: “Get up, take up your bed and walk.” He simplified the problem to mere obedience to His Word. Jesus is the friend as the saying goes, a friend in need is a friend indeed.

On another occasion, a woman was brought to Jesus who was caught in adultery. The objective was to use this woman’s sin to find a motive to crucify Jesus. The law of Moses prescribed that adultery must be punished with stoning. But Jesus is a friend who knows when to be quiet. When the accusers brought the woman before Jesus, he did not answer them. Instead, he bent down and wrote in the sand. What was written is not known, but from Jeremiah 17:13 it could possibly be this:

Lord, you are the hope of Israel, all who forsake you, will be put to shame.

Those who turn away from You, will be written in the dust.

This statement definitely applied to the Pharisees. Instead of the woman being humiliated and shamed, the Pharisees exposed their evil motives and had to walk away. How discreet is Jesus?

Having saved the woman from death. One would think that Jesus would at least reprimand the woman, instead, He asked her, “Where are your accusers.” Jesus is the friend that when you come before Him with your sin, not only does He save you from death, but He will say, “ Neither do I condemn you,” just as He did to the woman.

Among Jesus’ friends were also Martha, Maria and Lazarus. Jesus received the tragic news that His friend Lazarus died. Jesus arrived at the grave four days later, and His heart was filled with sorrow and compassion. We read that Jesus wept. Martha and Maria did not understand the power of their friend. They knew He could have healed Lazarus if He came earlier, but now grief-stricken, Jesus revealed to them that He is the resurrection and the life.

One can hardly imagine the utter amazement, shock and disbelief of the mourners when Lazarus came out of the grave on Jesus’ command. A friend like Jesus did not only raise Lazarus to temporal life, but he will raise our temporal bodies to eternal life.

And just before He is crucified, in the intimate setting of the last Passover, Jesus demonstrates to His disciples His humility by washing their feet. He foretells that Peter will deny Him, but reassured Peter that prayed for him, He reassures the twelve that although He is going away, He will return. He did not only through His ministry met their physical needs, but now He is meeting their emotional needs.

He is the friend of whom it is said that no one has greater love, as He laid down His life for His friends.

The Whirling Wheels

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 05:04:07 GMT

God is the same today, yesterday and forever.

From the time that God heard the groaning of Israel in Egypt when the first Passover was celebrated and Israel leaves Egypt, the presence of the Lord went with them. Through the wilderness for forty years, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night went with them.

In this time Moses acts as intermediary between Israel and God and we see in Exodus 32 that his face shone when he came down from the mountain after speaking with God.

On God’s instruction Moses builds the tabernacle and erects it. In Exodus 40 we find the same symbolism of the cloud as the presence of God. It reads:” Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and filled the tabernacle.”

Years later at the dedication of the temple, Solomon prays that God’s eyes might be opened night and day toward this house, referring to the temple, and if Israel sins and return and pray and plead in this house (the temple) that God will hear and forgive.

This is the problem that Ezekiel faced. He could not plead in the temple for forgiveness. Ezekiel is exiled to Babylon in 597BC. The bible does not record whether Ezekiel prayed, but if he did he probable said something like Moses did: Lord, show me your glory.” There is no reason to believe that he did not. Daniel, another one of the exiles, opens his window to Jerusalem and prays for his people.

Historically, this is about 4 years after he was exiled which would place this around 593BC, before the temple was destroyed, which fits with the vision in chapter 10 of the abominations that were committed in the temple.

The vision that he saw of the four living creatures in his own words in Ez 10: 20 were the cherubim. This must have been his recollection of the cherubim of Exodus 25 that were at the two ends over the mercy seat. Exodus specifically states that their wings were spread out over the mercy seat.

The vision of the cherubim in Ezekiel however, is much more informative. They each had the face of a human, a face of an ox, a face of a lion and a face of an eagle. From other scripture we find that the symbolism of a lion is used in connection with Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah. the ox as animal of toil, depicting Jesus as the suffering servant, the face of a human speaks of Son of God who became flesh and dwelt among us and the eagle an expression of God’s eternal power.

Exodus describes that the Lord met with Israel between the cherubim, but Ezekiel’s vision adds a whole other dimension to the presence of the Lord. No longer is presence contained to the ark between the cherubim, but is always moving.

It reads wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with it, and the spirit of the living creatures was within them, when those went, they went, when those stood, they stood and when those rose, they rose.

Experientially, Ezekiel did not known that the presence of God is everywhere. Solomon, being the wisest man that ever lived ask the same question at the dedication of the temple. “ Will God indeed dwell on earth ? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Him, how much less the house that I build “(1 Kings 8:27).

The vision, in “exodus” manner starts with “Behold, a stormy wind came out of the north and a great cloud and fire flashing forth continually."

Ezekiel calls this vision, visions of the glory of God. Now, having the New Testament, we can confirm who or what this vision was. Hebrews 9:5 reads that Jesus is the glory of God and Hebrews 1:13 that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory.

This is further confirmed in John’s vision on the isle of Patmos. Revelation 1:15 describes the voice of Jesus as the roar of many waters. The sound of the wings of the cherubim was the sound of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty in Ezekiel.

The wheels within the wheels speaks of something without beginning or end and Jesus says in Revelation 1 :8. I am the Alpha and the Omega, He who was and is and is to come. Jesus confirms this to John in Rev 1:17 : Fear not, I am the first and the last, the living one, I died, and behold I am alive forever more.

Another confirmation is the description of the throne of God in Ezekiel. The cherubim were between the throne and the earth. This is picture of Jesus being the mediator between God and man.

Hebrews 9: 15 reads “Therefor, he (Jesus) is the mediator of the new covenant so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance."

God is the same today, yesterday and forever. He always had a mediator to ensure that man can be saved. He calls Moses to mediate for Israel in the Old Testament , and Jesus died on the cross being THE mediator and He is still interceding for us.

Ezekiel could from this vision understand that God is the God of the universe. It does not matter if it is in freedom in his own country or in bondage in another.

The Councel For The Defence

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 04:46:10 GMT

Meet my advocate, Jesus Christ , the Messiah.

I would like to introduce you to an advocate that I hold in high regard. If you ever find yourself with your head on the block, he is the only advocate that I will recommend. He is the only lawyer that I know that has never lost a case and if you consider trusting him, he will definitely be successful. This is the kind of advocate you need when you are facing a death sentence. He will plead your case with passion.

As a background, the person I want to introduce you to, is well versed in all the aspects of law. He is a brilliant cross-examiner and can put His opponent at a loss for words.

When you choose an advocate, you should consider the following:

Does the advocate know what the judge’s position is on the case;
Does he have the same opinion as the judge;
Does he know his opponent? Is he familiar with the tactics and does he know how to use this to your advantage;
Does he have enough evidence to bring against the prosecutor to render a not guilty verdict;
Does he know what is important;
Does he sympathise with your position;
Does he have a perfect defence that the prosecutor cannot shoot holes in;

This advocate that I am introducing to you, can answer all these question in the affirmative:

He is the son of the judge. The judge and advocate have the same opinion on the matter;
He has first -hand knowledge of his opponent as he has had personal altercations with him;
He has collected all the evidence and reduced it in writing in a book;
He knows what is important, as his first words are that you should plead guilty;
He sympathises with you to the extend that he will put himself in your place.

There would be no case if there was not a dispute. The prosecutor knows this. The charge that he brings is irrefutable. It complies with all the requirements of the crime. There was an act, it was unlawful, there is causation and culpability. He is asking for the death penalty. The prosecutor has a mountain of evidence. Everything that was done, said and even the motives with which it was done. But the advocate already knows this. He has also been recording everything in books that he kept.

You expect that an advocate of this calibre is unaffordable. But this is not so. The only requirement is that you plead guilty as charged. The view of the advocate is that you are guilty until proven innocent.

You might wonder if this advocate has the right to appear in this court. In law this is called locus standi. Usually, the person bringing the charge must prove this, but the court where this advocate will defend you, is the place where he was qualified. The requirement for locus standi is that there is sufficient and adequate interest in the case.

Let us consider this advocate’s legal competencies. He gave a legal opinion on:

Divorce;
Interpreting the ultra vires doctrine. (This is acting outside of your authority)
The application of customary law in another city;
The requirements for committing a crime;
Aquittal: Who is responsible;
Criminal behaviour, the cause;
Court procedure;

But a legal opinion is just that, an opinion. Is the advocate able to apply this in the court room? Let’s consider three cases: How to prove authority, the question of international taxes and what is a constitutional question.

In the first case, this advocate brilliantly counteracts the question by referring to another case. He asks the question of who gave the other person his authority. The opponents realised that no matter how they answered, both answers will incriminate them. They took the easy way out and replied that they do not know. The case was dismissed.

The second case, equality brilliant, refers to the matter of international tax laws. In tax law the principle that determines whether tax is payable or not, is residence. In this case, the advocate proved the taxpayer was resident in the country and earned an income there. This settled the question.

The third case is the question of what law should apply to determine if a principle is constitutional. Answering this question, the advocate reduces the answer to two concise principles. The only answer was. We have got nothing further.

Meet my advocate, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Jesus is faced with the charged that Satan brings: The wages of sin are death, and all has sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The extend of the crime varies from disobedience to outright rebellion. His only requirement to defend you in the court of law is that you confess your sin and that you put your trust in Him to defend you.

Concerning choosing Jesus as your advocate, He certainly agrees with the judge as the He came because the Father so loved the Son that He commissioned Him to die for the sins of world. Jesus states that this is reason why He came into the world, to save the lost.

Jesus also knows His opponent; He was tempted in the desert for forty days but always refuted the temptations by quoting the word.

The evidence that He brings, is His death on the cross. He does not have to plead the case based on mistaken identity or an alibi, for He himself took your place. He has intimate knowledge of the penalty. Crimes cannot be punished twice. This is called double jeopardy. Jesus died and paid the penalty. The case has already been heard, trialled and a conviction has been given: Death on the cross. Paul puts it like this. The curse that was upon us has been nailed to the cross. This is the perfect defence; his blood gives us forgiveness of sin. We are acquitted.

We do not have an advocate that does not sympathise with our weaknesses, for He himself has been tempted. He knows what it takes.

He knows what is important, He says I am the way, the life and the truth.

Jesus has the right to appear before the heavenly court. It is His residence. He is the bread of life that comes down from heaven and more over all authority has given to Him in heaven and on earth. Jesus certainly had adequate and sufficient interest in the case. He died so that we can have eternal life.

From a purely human perspective, Jesus is in all ways competent to present your case. When asked about divorce, he refers to the insufficient knowledge of the Pharisees. When asked about his authority, he refers to John the Baptist and wanted to know where his authority came from and when asked how many times you must forgive, He also points out that your heavenly Father will not forgive you unless you forgive those who trespass against you.

Jesus also explains that murder is more than taking the life and adultery is more than the actual act. All sin starts with the condition the heart. Therefore, if we believe in our heart that He died on the cross and was raised from the dead, we will have eternal life.

Jesus understands how the procedure of the heavenly court works. It starts with confession, but ends with calling God your Father. He trusts the system. He knows that God search the hearts and if we confess our sins and believe in our heart, He is faithful to forgive us.

Jesus is not this advocate arriving in his three-piece suit with a briefcase full of legal documents. He is not praised and honoured for his brilliance, but He was despised and rejected by man, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He was oppressed and afflicted and when they brought the accusations against Him, He did not open His mouth because the earthly court had no jurisdiction over Him. He laid down His life on His own accord.

But His power and authority reach beyond the cross. He is coming as the judge:

When the Son of man shall come in His glory

with all the Holy angels with Him

He shall sit upon the throne of His glory

and judge the living and dead

The Death of Saul

Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:21:51 GMT

The tragic hero

The life of Saul has all the elements of a Shakespearian tragedy which consists of the tragic hero (only great men are heroes), the tragic flaw, the tragic story, the supernatural fate, and the irony.

Saul is described in 1 Samuel as this distinctive, handsome man that becomes the first king of Israel. His military prowess reflects his courage and leadership. A great man and a great hero.

As with any tragic hero, he had flaws that caused his downfall. His stubbornness, his poor judgement and his manic jealousy of David caused him to lose the kingship and his life.

This drives Saul to endeavour to eliminate the illusionary threat to his royal crown by any means. After David killed Goliath and brought his head to Saul, he spent the remainder of his life pursuing David. Despite the two opportunities where David spares Saul’s life, he refused to let go of his pursuit, or perhaps he was so consumed that he COULD not let go.

When he is faced with the challenge to prove his military excellence as in the beginning of his life, he has disintegrated into a fearful man who had to find solutions from the supernatural.

Maybe partially influenced by the words of the image of Samuel that the witch of Endor called from the dead or on account of his fear and pride, Saul commits suicide by falling on his own sword when he realised that lost the battle against the Philistines.

His tragic life comes to an end and the enemy fastened his body to a wall at Beth- Shan.

The place Beth-shan only appears three times in the Bible and all three times in connection with Saul’s conclusion of the battle against the Philistines.

The irony of the life of Saul is captured in this name. The word beth in Hebrew means house, and the word sha’an means “of the undisturbed”. The place where Saul’s body was hung speaks of the contradiction in terms that is captured in the account of his visit to the witch of Endor.

On his request, the witch calls Samuel. The very first words that the man who was supposedly Samuel says are : “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up.”

The narrative of Saul’s life depicts as is the case with all tragedies, that the tragic flaw causes the hero in most cases to die, as is the case here.

Tragedies are epic stories that aim to bring across a critical message. This was no different in Saul’s case. The underpinning principal in this narrative is the importance of obedience to God. Saul’s life took a turning point when he disobeyed the word the Lord as brought by Samuel and spared the life Agag and the booty. He was instructed to destroy the Amalekites. When confronted with this, Saul resorts to lying to Samuel and excused his disobedience by the fact that the livestock was taken to offer to the Lord.

This is what Samuel says to Saul:

Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice

Behold to obey is better sacrifice and to listen as the fat of rams

For rebellion is as the sin of divination

And presumption is as iniquity and idolatry

Because you have rejected the Lord

He has also rejected you.

1 Samuel 15 : 22

In his letter to the Ephesians Paul in the New Testament addresses the issue of envy.

Therefor let us put away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander, and be kind to one another, tender hearted and forgiving (Ephesians 4:31). This is the message that Saul should have heeded to avoid his tragic life, tragic story and tragic end.