As old as the trees

(sorry for delay and will have new article this evening now)

Chapter 4 in the Book of Daniel is what’s called “the tree vision” and it’s a rather odd account in Nebuchadnezzar’s life.

“What you have is a picture of Nebby’s insanity,” explains Richard Jordan. “He had bats in his belfry. He was a dingbat. He was an insane ruler and I’m sure they kept it quiet, and I don’t know if you know much about history or monarchs, but down through the ages, folks, many of them have been lunatics, and some of the most brilliant geniuses who have ever lived, militarily and politically, have been wacko in their private life and Nebby was one of them and he had these spits of insanity.

“They don’t come on him all the time. They come in and they go out and he has one in this chapter here that’s of divine origin. God sends it upon him.

“What you see here in the chapter is a foreshadowing of the pride and the madness and the downfall that’s going to be the characteristic of the Gentile time. And then the restoration of Nebby is a picture and a foreshadowing of the restoration of certain Gentile nations to enter in to the kingdom.

“What you have here is not just a tragic picture of a monarch gone bad, but rather you’re having here a picture of the course of the Gentile nations.

Nebby is the head of that image in chapter 2. He’s the first king who reigns supreme in the times of the Gentiles, and in Nebby’s pride that lifts him up, and the madness that followed that pride, and in the tremendous fall he takes because of that, you see the course and the characteristics of what make up the Gentile powers.”

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Daniel 4: 1-3 says, [1] Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
[2] I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.
[3] How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.”

“What you’ve got here, and you notice in the first three verses, is that this chapter is really the Babylonian state document. This is an official governmental decree and proclamation that Nebuchadnezzar sends out to the whole world.

“Verse 1 says he was king over all of them. Babylon ruled over everything and he sends his proclamation and this thing literally is a confession of his sin of pride and of his subsequent conversion to the most high God.

“You’ll notice in Daniel 2 that Nebuchadnezzar, the king, fell upon his face and worshipped Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar is converted to Daniel’s God. And in chapter 4 Nebuchadnezzar gives evidence of genuine conversion to the Lord. He gives a personal testimony about how God had been dealing in his life.

“You know what the greatest testimony in the face of unbelief is? A personal testimony about what you know.

“It’s SOME dream and Nebuchadnezzar’s troubled by that thing. The thing that bothers him, no doubt, is not so much that he sees the tree, but it’s the fact that when you get on down there to the interpretation, or rather to the watcher coming down and talking about it, it says, ‘He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches.’

“See, Nebuchadnezzar knows that that tree represents somebody; it’s not just a tree, it’s a HIM! It’s a personification. So Nebby’s got a problem. He’s all worried and shook up about the thing, and so he gets Daniel. He says, ‘Dan, nobody else can do it, but I know you can, man. You’ve come through before. God’s with you.’

[19] Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
[20] The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
[21] Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
[22] It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

“Daniel’s going to give him the interpretation and 'astonied’ is an old English word that means astonished. Daniel was shook up by the thing too. He was ‘astonied’ for one hour. Old boy was just speechless for about an hour. And his thoughts troubled him. He got worried about the thing.

“ ‘The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee.’ In other words, don’t keep to yourself. Don’t be afraid to tell me what it is. If it’s bad news, that’s okay.

“ ‘Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.’

“In other words, this is going to be bad news. The dream is to your enemies. That is, it’s to their advantage. It’s for their good. They’re going to like it and you’re not going to like it.

“Verse 20: [20] The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

“The tree then is who? Now wasn’t that hard to get? See. You know, folks, the Bible is that way. If you’ll keep reading, the Bible will tell you what it means. And when you don’t understand something,  you know what you ought to do? Just keep reading!

“There’s always a verse to explain a verse you don’t understand. And if you’ll make that the basis of your philosophy and Bible study, you’ll begin to understand God’s Word.

“Now a tree in the Bible is used to represent a man (Psalm 1). It’s used to represent nations. Ezekiel 31:3 is almost a parallel passage to Daniel 4 because it’s the same type of a tree. You see how the Assyrian is likened unto a tree? The leader of a nation.

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“Trees are oftentime used in the Bible to describe nations and in Daniel 4, this tree represents Nebuchadnezzar and it’s a foreshadowing, folks, of God’s dealings. This is how God’s going to deal with the Gentile nations.

“You see Nebuchadnezzar the head of gold in Daniel 2—you watch how God’s going to deal with him now and you’re going to see how the course of the Gentiles is going to go. So Nebuchadnezzar is the tree. Now notice the madness that follows . . .”

The olive tree, the fig tree and the vine tree are all in the Garden of Eden. The olive tree is the Tree of Life, the vine tree is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the fig tree is the source of Operation Fig Leaf (Adam and Eve).

“Those trees have special meaning. They carry a thought system with them all through Scripture. They become representatives of the nation Israel, because God’s purpose with man becomes centered in the nation Israel.

“The great events and stories that carry throughout the Old Testament--all these great and historical things God put in the Bible because those things carry a social narrative that represents the doctrine--well, these trees are that way.

“Gideon is a great example of what goes on with Israel. There are some fantastic things in Judges 6-8 about Gideon and his 300 men. They go out and defeat the Midianites and so forth, but then to see what happens to his family and how they end up back in complete total apostasy.

“Judge 9:8 says, ‘The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.’

“In the Scripture, trees are often used to represent nations. The trees are going to look for a leader so they go to the olive tree and say, ‘Reign over us,’ but the olive tree said, ‘Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?’

“The tree’s saying, ‘I mean, shall I leave what I’ve got and give to you? I don’t think so.’

“The passage goes on, [10] And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
[11] But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
[12] Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
[13] And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

“It’s as though the nations come to Israel and there’s these three different facets of the nation. The appeal to Israel to is, ‘Come and take who God has made you and bless us with it, reign over us, let us enjoy who God has made you,’ and yet Israel at each stage, when the nations do this, saying, ‘We need you!’ responds, ‘Ain’t no way! They’re MY blessings! And I’m not going to share them with YOU!’

“And the result is verse 14, ‘Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
[15] And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

“Isaiah 28 calls it ‘a refuge of lies.’ Imagine trusting in a shadow. There’s no substance there. The bramble tree is the thorny bush, barren of any fruit. Then it says, ‘and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

“In other words, it’s ‘turn or burn!’ I’ll either rule you or ruin you. Now that’s the apostasy that results when the nation Israel doesn’t function in the capacity God’s given them. Those three trees represent the three roles that the nation Israel is designed to play in the earth.”

“All the other nations are separated. For example, when Solomon builds the temple, the door into the holy place, into the presence of God in there--you know what they made it out of? Olive wood. Because that olive tree to Israel represents access. It represents the special set apart access; no other nation has it.

“Here’s this position of spiritual privilege and they fail with it. The bramble tree represents Israel in idolatry; Israel under the curse. It represents Israel under the reign of the Antichrist.

"What you’re seeing is a picture prophetically of the future; historically of the satanic policy of evil of seeking to corrupt them at every point. What Satan’s policy wanted to do is to take Israel and destroy her in every area that God had established the nation for. They were to be His prophets, His priests and His kings and Satan’s going to destroy them in every capacity.”

Power to endure defined

(new article this evening)

In one of the great verses about how to handle adversity, Paul writes in II Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

What exactly was Paul dealing with? Two verses earlier he reveals, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure."

Paul says in the next verse, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me."

Alex Kurz explains, “This is what every good Christian does, right? He’s thinking, ‘You know, God’s God, right? He’s sovereign and I’m going to appeal to Him and ask Him to get rid of it.’

“And the Lord’s response is, ‘My grace is sufficient.’ So now what does Paul say? ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’

“Paul’s the one who wrote Romans 5, by the way. Isn’t it a comfort to know that the one who was God’s instrument in writing Romans 5 wasn’t always consistent in the application of doctrine? Why is that? We don’t worship Paul, do we? He’s made out of the same material as you and I.

“He says, ‘I’m going to see the worth, the eternal profit in my infirmities,’ and you know what happens when we begin to view trouble in light of what God says about it? ‘That the power of Christ may rest upon me.’

“Paul doesn’t say, ‘Hey, you know what, adversity builds character.’ Isn’t that what the world says? It’s, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ Or, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’

“Is that what Paul just said when he said, ‘I’d rather glory so that the power of Christ may rest upon me’? Now, that’s the difference between the worldly approach to adversities and problems in life with this idea that it’s going to build character—kind of like the Frank Sinatra form of Christianity: ‘I did it my way! I climbed the mountaintop! I started from the slimy bottom and I excelled.’

“God says we need to learn about how tribulation is going to work the power of Christ. It’s going to work in the realm of our inner man the comfort of God the Holy Spirit. The life of our Savior and the glory that God intends to give us.

“You want to talk about power?! Hey listen, I’m not going to talk and brag about climbing some mountain! I’m going to boast and brag about the available assets and capacities that are found in a person.

“Then look at what he says in verse 10: ‘Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’

“When he says, ‘I take pleasure,’ that means he says, ‘I see the value.’ And you know what, he’s going to prefer those events and circumstances that were deemed detrimental; he’s going to prefer that over comfort and happiness because he wants to experience the power of Christ.

“I can’t emphasize this enough, for my own edification. We’ve got to know this; we have to learn, we have to reorient our thinking.

“And when Romans 5:3 tells us, ‘And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience,’ we must examine trouble always in light of truth and then determine what’s real, what’s valuable, what’s worthy.

“Understand we are armed with some spiritual weaponry that allows us to except the reality of tribulation and then ultimately properly respond to it.

“And what is it that God says is sufficient? You know what the means? Sufficient means ‘completely adequate.’

I Corinthians 15:10 says, ‘But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.’

“Some people envision God as though some invisible hand is always sort of lifting them up. You’ve seen that photo of the ‘Footprints in the Sand’ where Jesus carries you when times are tough.

“Romans 5:2 says, ‘By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.’ God says you’re already standing; you are in that position! What we need to understand is how to access it, but it’s already there!

“God isn’t going to go, ‘Charlie, boy, you’re in trouble. ZAP! I’m going to give you a little more grace.’ And then say to Serge, ‘You know what, you’ve got too much already so I’m now going to withdraw some of that grace.’

“You see some of the crazy religious thinking? We all possess the same amount of grace as Believers. And God’s attitude is, ‘That’s enough.’ Can you imagine God who says, ‘That’s enough.’

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“What does Paul ask in II Corinthians 2:16: ‘To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?’

“Paul actually details the intense death, and he’s talking about service. He asks, ‘Who can handle this? Who can endure? Who can put up with this?’

“Where is the sufficiency? Chapter 4:11 says, ‘For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.’

“What things is Paul talking about? Listen, the price he is paying is in order for the Corinthians to be adults. So he says in verse15, ‘For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.’ You Corinthians, who by the way, should have been grateful and appreciative and should have welcomed what Paul was doing for THEM.

“Paul said, ‘All I’m going through are for your sakes.’ Isn’t that what love is, by the way? Did Jesus Christ die on that Cross for His own personal gain? He died for your urgent need. You see what love does?

“The abundant grace, the grace that Paul was motivated by, the grace that energized (not supernaturally but through the available resources he already possessed) Paul called it abundant. When something’s abundant it just flows. It exceeds.

“But wait a minute, in chapter 12 the Lord said it’s sufficient. So you have grace that’s sufficient; it’s enough, but it’s a grace that abounds. Paul is talking about the available resources that are manifested in his life that now abounds in the sense that it now WORKS! It’s ENJOYED! It’s EXPERIENCED!

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“What exactly is this available grace? II Timothy 2:1 says, ‘Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.’ Be strong in the grace. Well, if it isn’t some supernatural ‘ZAP!’ then how is it that I can be strong in it?! How is it that it’s always all-sufficient? How is it that I can experience the abundant grace?

“When Paul writes about grace being sufficient, it has everything to do with what we already have. Don’t we already have a complete standing in Jesus Christ? Don’t we have a perfect identity in Him? Aren’t we blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places? Aren’t we already eternally accepted, beloved and forgiven?

“You understand what the grace of God is all about? No. 1 we know that we’re His eternally. We know who we are. We know what God is doing and how He’s working. We know where we’re going. We know God’s ultimate purpose. We know how to think. We have His completed Word. We have each other. What more does God have to give you?!

“Do you understand, ‘My grace is sufficient’? We have to THINK differently. When God says, ‘I don’t need to do anything more,’ you’ve already got it! We need to access it!’

“We have to examine the details of life in light of the sound doctrine, the reality of the truth God is communicating to us. Listen, let’s focus on that! And it WILL not only sustain you, it will drive you to do things that you never thought you were capable of doing. Hence, we are more than conquerors through Him.

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“Romans 5:3: ‘And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.’ Patience is the power to endure or the capacity for enduring without complaint, without rage, without discontent. Patience simply is the ability to cope. The ability to endure. The ability to bear under.

“Patience stresses this inner fortitude, this calmness, this composure under suffering or provocation. But the patience isn’t this humanistic view that says ‘Adversity’s going to build your character.’

“Romans 15:4 says, ‘For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’

“We’re patient in tribulation. That word comfort is ‘com’ with ‘fortification.’ When God is talking about this enduring fortitude in the tribulation (this inner steel so we’re not bending or buckling; we’re not overcome) it’s the result of this comfort that the Scriptures provide.

“The world doesn’t turn to the Scriptures and if they do it’s by ‘Emergency Use Only.’ The Word of God instills into us this comfort and fortitude that enables us to be patient.

“Romans 15:13 says, ‘Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.’ We learn something about the ministry of God the Holy Ghost. He provides specific doctrine to address the specific dilemma that you’re facing and it’s the truth that’s going to effectually work in you that believe.

“II Corinthians 1:3 says, ‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.’

“When Paul talks about all his tribulation, visit these websites (www.persecution.com, www.persecution.org, www.csi-usa.org) and learn about how Christians are literally being tortured in other countries, having their children sold into slavery. We all go through problems, okay, but let’s put it in perspective.

“Odds are your problems won’t compare to what the church was facing 2,000 years ago under this wicked tyranny of the Roman Empire governed by a guy who’s absolutely insane. Subscribe to ‘Voice of the Martyrs’ and, man, there’s some brutal stuff going on.”

White light

During Super Bowl performance by Bad Bunny: "As he performed, the couple was married and Benito served as their witness and signed their certificate.

"It also gave Benito time for a fashion change — rocking a white suit like a classic salsero — for 'Baile Inolvidabl'e' and 'NuevaYol,' with a block party set where he took a shot with Toñita, owner of one of the last Puerto Rican social clubs in New York City, Brooklyn’s Caribbean Social Club."

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From Wicca Magazine: "White is the purest color. It harbors all of the colors in one without any color overpowering the other. The color white is highly flexible when it comes to being used in spells as it can be substituted for any color should the needed color not be available. Of course, the color white is at its strongest when being used for its unique magickal properties. As a practicing Witch, you have most likely had your share of using the color white in several spells. And while you may have a handle on why the color white is used where it is, it never hurts to learn more about how color can influence your magick."

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Revelation 6: [9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

[10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
[11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Obviously if white robes are given to the souls of the people who’ve been killed, there’s things you can learn about the state of the dead, reasons Richard Jordan. No. 1, you learn that when a person’s body dies their soul doesn’t.

Here’s some people whose bodies have been physically killed but their souls are alive and are conversing and praying to God and white robes are given to their souls. So, the idea that when you die your soul ceases to exist won’t get it.

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You know you better be careful when you come to that Bible. The heart attitude with which you approach that Book determines what you get out of it. It’s been that way in every age.

You come to that Book and you want to prove your church is right and you’re right and everybody else is wrong, or you come to it with what you want and you want to prove your mind and intellect and that you’re superior to everything, you can prove it.

There are people who are going to stand at the Great White Throne Judgment and be bound hand and foot and cast out into the lake of fire quoting Scripture back to God, and if you don’t believe that you haven’t been around many people of a religious nature.

In Revelation 6 you come to this man on a white horse and the idea that God wouldn’t send him is just the opposite of what God said He’s going to do. He’s going to send the Antichrist.

That is, men don’t want Him, He’s going to allow the Antichrist free reign; He’s going to quit restraining him and He’s going to allow him to do what he wants to do.

God’s going to take the hedge away in this tribulation period, in this 70^th Week, and what you’re going to find is the devil was right about a whole lot of humanity. What you’re going to have is a paring away, a dividing, a purging out  and an identifying of who’s who.

How come Christ is on the white horse in Revelation 19 and it’s not Christ on the white horse in chapter six? Well, compare the two.

Revelation 6:2: [2] And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Revelation 19: [11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
[12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
[13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
[14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Is there a difference between a crown and many crowns? So it’s not a match. You go to verse 15: [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

What kind of weapon did the guy back in Revelation 6:2 have? You see a sword back in chapter 6? No, he’s got a bow. You know the difference between fighting with a bow and with a sword? They are two different pieces of armor. One’s a piece of artillery and one’s a piece of hand-to-hand combat.

In Revelation19:14, it says the armies which were in heaven followed Him. You go back to Revelation 6 down to verses 7 and 8 and you see what followed this guy? Death and hell. The armies of heaven aren’t following this guy in Revelation 6. Just because they both are sitting on white horses doesn’t mean they are the same.

You say, “Well, why would the guy be sitting on a white horse?” Because the guy over there in Revelation 19 is sitting on one.

Folks, you know, the greatest imitator the universe has ever seen of the Lord Jesus Christ is who? The devil. Why didn’t you know the devil’s going to try to trick you into thinking he’s God anyway?

Isn’t that what he said in Isaiah 14:14? He said, “I got all this wise plan and the goal is that I might be like the most High God.”

I mean, he’s such a good imitator that if he stood up on this platform tonight, and Jesus Christ stood there, you’d pick the wrong one.

Based on everything you know from your own wisdom and your own training and your instincts and all, if you didn’t go strictly, literally by the Book and nothing but the Book, you’d pick the wrong one. And if you went by the wrong book, you’d pick the wrong one too.

Opening up his mouth

 When we see the issue of the mouth being open, yeah, it’s great to converse, isn’t it? But in a spiritual sense, it’s communicating something very specific.

Psalm 78: [1] Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
[2] I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
[3] Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

Now, we know who the “my people” is in the Book of Psalms. The nation of Israel. Can you appreciate the exclamation of passion here. “O” is not a word; it’s a sound. It’s a sound that typifies the heartfelt attitude, says Alex Kurz.

When we find the expression, “I am opening my mouth,” specifically it’s communicating a system of doctrine.

We’re all familiar with the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5: [1] And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
[2] And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

Matthew 13:35: [35] That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

The Lord Jesus is opening up His mouth in parables; He’s teaching them some truths that are not available regarding His rejection and His impending exile as a rejected Messiah.

The point is He borrows Psalm 78 and He applies it to His work of ministry as Israel’s Messiah. He’s doing exactly what we just read in Matthew 5.

He opened His mouth and He’s teaching; He’s instructing His people. That’s what Paul’s communicating there to the Corinthians: “My mouth is open; I’m trying to communicate something.”

Look at what Paul says in Ephesians 4:29: [29] Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

That was Paul’s desire. “When I open my mouth, ye Corinthians, I have a deep well of doctrine and I want to communicate the system of doctrine to you for YOUR edification.”

Ephesians 6: [19] And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
[20] For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Paul, he’s ready; he’s prepared to communicate the advanced doctrine. The meat doctrine, the grace doctrine. He wants to continue to see this spiritual development there at Corinth.

II Corinthians 6: [11] O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
[12] Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
[13] Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.

Think about that—to have that enlarged heart. Devotionally, it represents this swelling, abounding, joyful generosity. Paul, without question, had this inflated view of generosity toward his children, but there’s a doctrinal point to be made.

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Notice in I Kings 4 is a wonderful illustration of having an enlarged heart and it isn’t just, “Hey, I hope your heart’s big enough to love truly.”

In this passage is Solomon. Short of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was the wisest man in human history.

I Kings 4: [29] And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

The largeness of heart is not a reference to Solomon having the greatest capacity to love, or the greatest capacity to demonstrate compassion.

The largeness of heart has to do with this swelling capacity of wisdom; this swelling capacity of understanding.

There’s this boundless capacity that King Solomon possessed, both humanly speaking and divinely speaking. He had this vast comprehensive awareness of what God was doing; of what God was preparing, not only for him, but the nation of Israel.

Verse 30: [30] And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
[31] For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.

The largeness of heart is that heart that is inflated with the wisdom of God and the heart is now going to be the mechanism that’s going to properly apply the understanding and knowledge.

In other words, God FILLED the heart of Solomon with wisdom and understanding. When Paul says, “Our heart is enlarged,” Paul possessed SO MUCH knowledge and wisdom and understanding that was given to him directly from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s saying to the Corinthians, “I want to deposit it all; I want to place into YOUR heart.” He wanted the heart of the Corinthians to be FILLED with the deep understanding and knowledge of all that God’s doing.

And what’s the problem? With the Corinthians, there’s no room, there’s no room. And with Paul, again, there’s a rebuke. He’s saying, “Open it up. Let me in. Not just let me in personally, devotionally. Let me in as a father who wants to share this deep wealth of understanding.” 

Prophets and teachers all down the line

In Genesis, men such as Enos, Canaan, Mahalaleel lived 900-plus years and knew each other! You go all the way to Noah before you find somebody who didn't know Adam.

"The Flood was in 1656 and the way you get that is you add up the dates of the lives of people from Adam to Noah," explains Richard Jordan. "They add up to 1056 and Noah was 600 years old at the time of the Flood. Now, that's taking the genealogies in Genesis seriously. Scholars like to say there are gaps in it but in these genealogies it's real clear there are not any 'skips' or 'missing' people.

"If you take the genealogies seriously that's how you get the date for Adam of about 4000 B.C. In fact, you can actually get right down to the real specific date of 4004 B.C. There's actually not a lot of leeway and give in it.

"It's fascinating to see when and how these guys lived and how their lives overlapped. Sometimes you don't realize there's such an awareness these people had. You know, if Adam was still alive in the earth while you were living, would you maybe like to have visited him and asked, 'What Happened?!'

"Would Adam look at his wife and answer, 'It's the woman. She ate us out of house and home.' No, by then he would have owned up to what he did because they were obviously Believers. Chapter 4:25 shows they obviously understood what the promise of God was and were going on it.

*****

"There are two books of generations in the Bible and it's important to compare them. Matthew 1 gives you the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. He's the last Adam. So, in Genesis you have the book of the generations of Adam in the day God created man. The book in Matthew is in connection with the redemption of man, because in between the creation of man and Jesus something tragic happened and that was the Fall of Man.

"The most accurate way of determining what numbers are associated with is just by taking the Book of Genesis. Study each chapter and you'll find the association with the number of that chapter. In Chapter 5 the first thing you see is death so the No. 5 in the Bible is associated with death and it's that way all through the Bible.

"Most people will tell you the No. 5 is associated with grace, but, you see, there's also grace in Chapter 5 of Genesis. Numbers generally don't have only one meaning; there's at least a couple of meanings associated with them.

"Verse 29: [29] And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

*****

"In the Bible, oftentimes names are given because they have meanings. The name Noah means 'rest'; it means 'to be comforted.' It's the idea of getting relief and consolation and you see what it's about in that one verse.

"They're looking to Noah to be the source of relief from the curse on Creation. Remember, God made the promise in Genesis 3 and it was a gift of grace. They didn't deserve it. God just determined, 'You've obviously failed; I'll do it for you,' and He gave them His word.

"Noah's daddy names his son by that name because he's going to be the one who conveys God's promise to the world.

"Chapter 4:25-26 says, [25] And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
[26] And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

"The name Seth means 'to appoint.' His momma took the idea of appoint and made a name out of it and gave the name to the boy because he was the replacement that God appointed to be the carrier of the seed line.

"The name Methuselah, when you say it, means 'his death shall bring,' and that's sort of a metaphorical meaning. If you trace the Hebrew words back, it means 'the man of the arrow.' That's a metaphor. If you shoot an arrow and it hits the target, what happens? The issue is when it hits, 'Boom!'

"That's the idea of Methuselah; when he comes to his end, big things are going to happen. They're going to blow up and that's exactly what happens. He died and the Flood came.

"Genesis 5:21 says, [21] And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
[22] And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
[24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
"Nobody else says that 'after he begat.' Enoch has Methuselah and that changed his life, because it was after the boy was born that his daddy began to walk with the Lord. So his birth changed some things just like the promise of his death changed some things.

"Now, Enoch is an interesting guy. You know the verse Amos 3:7 that says God would do nothing that He wouldn't show to His prophets?

*****

"Sometime you think about these dudes back there, that they just didn't have any knowledge or revelation. Because it isn't written down at the time doesn't mean God wasn't communicating with them. There's the law of subsequent narrative in the Bible. That is, sometime later in the history of the Scripture you'll read something about what happened back over there that they didn't tell you about back over there.

"The greatest example I can think of is in II Timothy 3 where Paul talks about how Jannes and Jambres 'withstood Moses to the face.' That's those two birds back there in Exodus that threw the snakes down, but you don't read their names until you get to II Timothy. Now, the Jews all knew who they were; it's in their history, but it just wasn't in Scripture 'til you get over there.

"Jude 14-15 says, [14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
[15] To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

"Noah was a preacher of righteousness so he preached. Enoch is a prophet and look what he prophesied! You get the idea there's some ungodly dudes out there? Enoch is prophesying about that coming judgment, and he does that after he has a kid that he names, 'When he dies, BOOM!, the target's going to hit the wall.'

"So the birth of Methuselah demonstrated that God's going to provide long-suffering. Genesis 5 has more to it than just death. There's some grace in it, some patience.

*****

Matthew 23: 34-36 is one of these passages that when you compare accounts, it's fascinating what you learn. It reads, [34] Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
[35] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
[36] Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
"That is a parallel passage to Luke 11: [49] Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
[50] That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
[51] From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

"Who said that? Jesus Christ. Who does Luke say Jesus Christ is? 'The wisdom of God.' Both passages are talking about the same person. In your Bible, the wisdom of God is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the wisdom of God.

"He says, 'From Abel to Zacharias I'm going to require the blood of all the prophets.' That means Jesus Christ is saying Abel was a prophet. Just like He says in Matthew 23:35.

"Cain killed Abel and Jesus said it was the Pharisees who killed him. Cain was a Pharisee and Abel was a prophet. You see, it wasn't just two brothers fighting; there's a spiritual battle with conflicting religious systems going on back there.

"My point is they had people giving and getting revelation from God, giving God's truth out, all over back there, and when Enoch prophesies that's nothing strange and unusual for that time.

"Enoch, by the way, is the guy who disappeared. He walked with God and he was not. God literally delivered him from the wrath to come and, by the way, his name means 'a teacher.' Enoch is the teacher of judgment's coming. So I'm just trying to show you that in the midst of the death, God works his grace."

Kushner, Cush, 6th generation

“The one thing I’ve put a priority on since leaving the White House is getting some exercise and I think there’s a good probability that my generation is hopefully, with the advances in science, either the first generation to live forever or the last generation that’s going to die and so we need to keep ourselves in pretty good shape.”—Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump and architect of the newly announced "Board of Peace" initiative for Gaza

From a KJV-only YouTuber:

Is it a coincidence that the sixth generation (6G) from Adam was Jared, the exact time frame of the rebellion in Genesis 6 that corrupted the genome of man, creating Nephilim giants, men of renowned? And the Bible tells us that they were still on the earth after that.

Is it also a coincidence that Jared Kushner’s name is Cush? I mean, c’mon, it’s literally his name and that “ner” as in KushNER indicates a connection to a characteristic or profession, like the characteristics of Cush. That’s really what it means, like a specific role.

(From Bible Hub: Jared's lifespan of 962 years is one of the longest recorded in the Bible, reflecting the extraordinary longevity attributed to the antediluvian patriarchs. . . Jared's legacy is further cemented through his son Enoch, who is one of the most enigmatic and revered figures in the Bible. Enoch's close relationship with God and his subsequent translation to heaven without experiencing death are seen as a testament to the faith and righteousness that characterized Jared's lineage.)

So Kushner could be defined as “one with the characteristics and or occupation of Cush, the son of Ham, the brother of Canaan, the father of Nimrod the mighty hunter.”

This is after the Flood. Ham begat Cush and what happened to Ham and his father’s nakedness in Genesis 9? There was a curse placed on Canaan, as in Canaanites. But Cush was Ham’s firstborn and Cush was the father of Nimrod.

Nimrod the mighty hunter as in “men of renowned,” mighty men, the builder of the Tower of Babel. Babylon, the same thing we see occurring today.

Isn’t it odd that Kushner marries into the Trump family and remember to keep in mind that genealogies, good genes and bloodlines are very important to these people . . .

They believe it gives them a literal right to be kings and princes and rulers and inherit the earth. Another biblical inversion. They converted to Judaism but they’re all taking part in Kabbalah and its religious practices and rituals.

Trump’s only child with his current wife Melania, who is a professing Roman Catholic, is a 6’9” tall son named Barron, who seems to have had a book written in his likeness in 1889 about his magical, mystical, marvelous underground journey (called “Baron Trump’s Marvelous Underground Journey”) and it’s the same writer, Ingersoll Lockwood, who wrote another book called “The Last President.” Nothing to see here, right?

It’s just the wiles of the devil. That’s what all of this is and it’s there to basically program all those who decline to see the truth of Jesus Christ.

Got Nimbus?

Last fall a new COVID-19 variant, known as NB.1.8.1 or the “Nimbus variant,” was discovered in China and is making the rounds this winter in the U.S. as part of "Double COVID." The one stand out symptom is you experience a sharp, “stabbing sore throat," especially when swallowing.

Of course, the nimbus is the ever-popular halo used to depict the head of the Roman Catholic Madonna, Jesus Christ, various dead saints, etc.

Here's a piece I once did on this subject and will have a new article tonight for sure:

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the nimbus, or radiant circle of light, was “avoided in Early Christian art” because it symbolized paganism’s Sun-divinity, but then “became customary in the 6^th century for the Virgin Mary and other saints.”

As Scottish theologian Alexander Hyslop so masterfully argues in his monumental book exposing Catholicism, “The Two Babylons,” first published in 1853, “Let any one compare the nimbus around the head of Circe (Pompeii’s “daughter of the Sun”), with that around the head of the Popish Virgin, and he will see how exactly they correspond. Now, could anyone possibly believe that all this coincidence could be accidental.

“ . . . When it is evident that the goddess enshrined in the Papal Church for the supreme worship of its votaries, is that very Babylonian queen who set up Nimrod, or Ninus ‘the Son,’ as the rival of Christ, and who in her own person was the incarnation of every kind of licentiousness, how dark a character does that stamp on the Roman idolatry.

“. . . What will it avail to mitigate the heinous character of that idolatry, to say that the child she holds forth to adoration is called by the name of Jesus? When she was worshipped with her child in Babylon of old, that child was called by a name as peculiar to Christ, as distinctive of His glorious character, as the name of Jesus. He was called ‘Zoro-ashta,’ ‘the seed of the woman.’

“If these things be true (and gainsay them who can), who will venture now to plead for Papal Rome, or to call her a Christian Church? Is there one, who fears God, and who reads these lines, who would not admit that Paganism alone could ever have inspired such a doctrine as that avowed by the Melchites at the Nicene Council, that the Holy Trinity consisted of ‘the Father, the Virgin Mary, and the Messiah their Son’?

“Is there one who would not shrink with horror from such a thought? What, then, would the reader say of a Church that teaches its children to adore such a Trinity as that contained in the following lines?—

“Heart of Jesus I adore thee; Heart of Mary, I implore thee; Heart of Joseph, pure and just; 'IN THESE THREE HEARTS I PUT MY TRUST.’

“If this is not Paganism, what is there that can be called by such a name?”

*****

The Bible passage Roman Catholicism has loved to twist for its pagan-goddess initiative probably more than any other is Luke 1: 42-48:

“And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
[43] And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
[44] For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
[45] And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
[46] And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
[47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
[48] For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

As Jordan explains, “When it reads, ‘from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,’ she’s not authorizing, you know, the Catholic Confession: ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou among women; blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.’

“That’s not the idea where everybody’s going to call ME blessed. She’s not identifying just herself, but she’s seeing embodied in herself what’s going on here in God’s plan and purpose for the nation Israel.

“You’re probably familiar with the (corresponding) passage in Malachi 3 because of verse 10, or maybe verse 8, where (the prophet) talks about being robbed ‘in tithes and offerings,’ and being ‘cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.’

“Now, in the next verse, is God’s corrective to Israel about her failure: ‘Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
[11] And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.’

“All of that’s talking about the Fifth Course of Judgment Israel’s under, where the land isn’t going to bring forth its fruit, and they’re going to be cast out among the nations, and the devourers are going to come and take of them. And He says, ‘If you’ll obey me, if you’ll honor me—if you’ll be faithful, believing remnant—I will restore you.’

“When Malachi 3:12 says, ‘And all nations shall call you blessed,’ that’s exactly what Mary’s talking about over here. She’s quoting Malachi, applying the passage about when God’s going to redeem Israel and set them in their kingdom.

“She’s applying that to her, not because she thinks she’s the issue, and that she ought to be held up personally, but she understands that she is representing all of what her nation is designed to be; she is who Israel is called and chosen to be. And she has an understanding of what’s going on in the birth of Christ as the Messiah.”

*****

Mary’s statement in Luke 1 that “he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden,” refers back to verses 26-38 where head angel Gabriel comes to Mary and first tells her she’s going to be the mother of the Messiah.

The passage reads, “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
[27] To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
[28] And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
[29] And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
[30] And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
[31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.”

Jordan explains, “When he says, ‘Blessed art thou among women,’ Mary understands from what Gabriel communicates to her that she’s going to be the mother of the Messiah. She got that.

"When she says she’s the ‘handmaiden of the Lord,’ she says, in other words, ‘I understand who I am.’

“Look at Psalm 116:16 and notice this term: ‘O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.’

“You’ll discover that the context of these psalms right in here, over and over, will be exactly the context of the Messiah and Him being the Deliverer and Redeemer in Israel.

“The writer here, and speaking as the Messiah, identifies Himself as ‘the son of thine handmaid.’ That term ‘handmaiden’ was someone who was going to be the mother of the Deliverer in Israel, and so when Mary picks up these terms, she’s not just saying, ‘Well, I’m your servant,” but she understands something about who she is. She understands that the ‘seed of the woman’ became the seed of Abraham, became the seed of David, and now there’s going to be the ‘seed of the woman’ through Mary.

“In other words, she’s the mother of the seed line, and she’s got that. She understands that she’s fulfilling prophecy, and when she says, ‘For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden,’ she’s recognizing that the nation Israel is under that Fifth Course and is in a lowly estate. They are the ‘tail of the nations, not the head,’ because of their failure and their unbelief, and yet now the Redeemer of Israel is here.

“Notice that salvation for Israel was not just holiness and righteousness before Him, but it was also delivery from their enemies to be established in their kingdom. It was the whole panoply of what God promised Israel and Mary understands, ‘I’m gonna be that vehicle—the one who is the INDIVIDUAL who does ultimately what God chose the NATION to be, and that is to be the one who brings the Messiah and the Redeemer into the world!’

“She’s got a handle on who she is and she’s thrilled about the privilege and doesn’t exalt herself, but magnifies the Lord and rejoices in ‘God my Savior.’ By the way, she knew she needed a Savior. There’s none of this ‘Immaculate Conception of Mary without a sin nature,’ and all that kind of stuff that that pagan religion tries to impute to her.”