“How to be”—from Jude and from Colossians

There are study points on both the  bible study book report  form and on the  River of Life Leadership and Word Ministry School form the ask the student to address the question “How do I  think , feel, and act as a Christian?”  In the Home school form it says:

“ Practical living insights (e.g. how to be, think, feel, and do) for me to live by. “

In the ROLWMS form it says, “ Instructions from God as to how to think, feel, do, and be that I must observe in my life”.:

Many way that grace means we are free of the laws of God. But, as we will see in Jude and Colossians (and every other book in the New Testament), there are many many “rules” (laws) for Christians to observe. 

We are now looking at Jude and at Colossians just to name a few.

A deeper revelation would adjust the wording from “these are rules for us to follow” to “if we die to self and live in Christ (in our new nature in Him), this is what we will think, feel , and do. If remain in communion with Him and follow His leading, this is what our lives will look like.”

It is not a matter of “trying hard” to obey a set of rules; it is a matter of simply following His lead.  When we do that from the heart, we will be obedient to His ways and we will please Him in all we do and say.  And think and feel.

For example, if I follow Robert everywhere he chooses to go and if he is following Christ, I would never have to worry about being in a “bad” place. If I really love him and want to be in communication with him, I have to stick with Robert. Because of my love and communication with Robert, I will stay in only good places. It is the same with the Lord. When I choose to walk closely with Him and listen carefully to and obey His Spirit, I will fulfill every law He desires me to walk in. 

What will I be like when I do this?  We will look at both what I will be like if I follow the Lord and what people are like when they walk in the flesh, i.e., follow the world, the flesh, and the devil.
We will do this by looking at  some of the practical living lessons in these two books.

JUDE  3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Faith here = pistis

NT:4102 pistis (pis'-tis); from NT:3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly, constancy in such profession; by extension, the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:   KJV - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

How will I act if I do this? Some examples:

I will be a diligent student of the Word so I can understand Christian beliefs and so I can explain them to others.

I hear someone say something false about God or the Word. I teach them what the Word really says.

I am with people who want to quit believing and trusting God, I passionately lay before them the 2 paths to choose from and the results from choosing each one.

If I myself get discouraged and I fight to stay in the Spirit, in the Word, in music that edifies.I fight for STAY on the right path with God and I fight for others to do the same.

The whole book of Jude is a passionate entry to people to stay on track with God and warning them what will happen to them if they don’t. We should follow Jude’s example in how he appeals to people to stay in the ways of the Lord.

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do we react to this?  We are watchmen. Don’t let anyone “creep in” with false doctrine!  LISTEN to what they are saying!!! Confront. Challenge.  If someone gives you a tape or a book containing teaching that perverts doctrine, tell them what you saw and verses to go along with it. Alert leadership.  Be vigilant.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in

 the way of Cain, and

ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and

perished in the gainsaying of Core.

AVOIDING THENEGATIVE EXAMPLES OF THE 3 MEN IN  VERSE 11: Cain, Balaam, and Korah

The story from Genesis::  Gen 4:1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

Some  practical lessons from Cain:

When someone else gets favor from God for doing the right thing, don’t be jealous and pouty, find out what you can do to get favor from the Lord.  Stop doing what God dislikes.

Cain hated Abel and the world hates us because the wicked hate the righteous. Whoever speaks evil of our good is most likely of the world!    1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

 We should not need for everyone to like us. The fact is that people who are wicked will hate us when we are acting righteously.  Don’t back down from holiness just because it is not popular!

BALAAM

From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers: “The New Testament mentions Balaam in three passages. Peter speaks of false teachers who "have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam" (2 Peter 2:15). Jude speaks of backsliders who "have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit" (Jude 11). Balaam's error was greed or covetousness; he was well paid to bring a curse upon the people of Israel.

Before leaving Balak, Balaam apparently told the Moabite leader that Israel could be defeated if its people were seduced to worship Baal, "to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality" (Rev 2:14). Indeed, this was exactly what happened: "The people [of Israel] began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel" (Num 25:1-3).

In condemning "the way of Balaam," the New Testament condemns the greed of all who are well paid to tempt God's people to compromise their moral standards.”

KORAH

From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers: “The Levite who, along with Dathan, Abiram, and On of the tribe of Reuben, led a revolt against the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Num 16:1-49). Korah was the son of Izhar and a first cousin of Moses and Aaron (Ex 6:21). He was equal in rank with Aaron within the tribe of Levi.

Korah apparently was jealous that Aaron held the position of high priest. The Reubenites were the descendants of Jacob's eldest son. They thought the responsibility for leading Israel should rest with their tribe rather than the Levites. The four ringleaders gathered 250 leaders of the congregation, publicly charging Moses and Aaron with abusing their power. They claimed that all members of the congregation should have equal access to the Lord.

Moses placed the dispute in the hands of the Lord, directing Korah and his company to bring containers of incense as an offering to the Lord. Korah complied with this and went with his congregation to the door of the tabernacle where the Lord appeared, threatening to "consume them in a moment" (Num 16:21). Moses and Aaron interceded, saving the nation of Israel from destruction. The decision of leadership was again placed before the Lord as Moses instructed the congregation to "depart from the tents of these wicked men" (Num 16:26). The decision in favor of Moses was dramatized as "the earth opened its mouth" and swallowed all the men of Korah (Num 16:32).”

The Story:

Num 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?

14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.

20 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.

29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.

30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.

31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.

33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

36 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.

38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.KJV

Practical lesson? Be supportive of God’s legitimate leadership. Get away from around people who are jealous of the positions of others.  Don’t “gainsay”.

Meditate on that word, “gainsay”:

gainsaying of   Core.=NT:485 antilogia (an-tee-log-ee'-ah); from a derivative of NT:483; dispute, disobedience:KJV - contradiction, gainsaying, strife.

NT:483 antilego (an-til'-eg-o); from NT:473 and NT:3004; to dispute, refuse: KJV - answer again, contradict, deny, gainsay (-er), speak against.

NT:3004 lego (leg'-o); a primary verb; properly, to "lay" forth, i.e. (figuratively) relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas NT:2036 and NT:5346 generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while NT:4483 is properly, to break silence merely, and NT:2980 means an extended or random harangue]); by implication, to mean:

NT:473 anti (an-tee'); a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):

Gainsay in dictionary online= dispute, contradict

Origin:
1560–70; < L contrādictus (ptp. of contrādīcere to gainsay), equiv. to contrā- contra-¹ + dic- (var. s. of dīcere to speak) + -tus ptp. suffix

Synonyms:1, 2. gainsay, impugn, controvert, dispute. See deny.

Antonyms:1. support.

belie negate, contravene, controvert, oppose

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16 These are murmurers,

Murmurers = NT:1113 goggustes (gong-goos-tace'); from NT:1111; a grumbler:

Complainers=NT:3202 mempsimoiros (mem-psim'-oy-ros); from a presumed derivative of NT:3201 and moira (fate; akin to the base of NT:3313); blaming fate, i.e. querulous (discontented):KJV - complainer

walking after their own lusts;

and their mouth speaketh great swelling words,

great swelling=:NT:5246 huperogkos (hoop-er'-ong-kos); from NT:5228 and NT:3591; bulging over, i.e. (figuratively) insolent:

Synonyms:1. brazen; contemptuous. See impertinent.

Impertinent synonyms:

Synonyms of inpertinent: . fresh, bold, insulting, officious, saucy, pert, brazen. Impertinent, impudent, insolent refer to bold, rude, and arrogant behavior. Impertinent, from its primary meaning of not pertinent and hence inappropriate or out of place, has come to imply often an unseemly intrusion into what does not concern one, or a presumptuous rudeness toward one entitled to deference or respect: an impertinent interruption, question, manner toward a teacher. Impudent suggests a bold and shameless impertinence: an impudent speech, young rascal. Insolent suggests insulting or arrogantly contemptuous behavior: unbearably insolent toward those in authority. Antonyms:1. polite.

Polite=Synonyms:1. well-bred, gracious. See civil. 2. urbane, polished, poised, courtly, cultivated.

Antonyms:1, 2. rude.

Synonyms of rude1. uncivil, unmannerly, curt, brusque, impertinent, impudent, saucy, pert, fresh. 1, 3. See boorish. 2. unrefined, uncultured, uncivilized, uncouth, coarse, vulgar, rough.

Wikipedia:Rudeness (also called impudence or effrontery) is the disrespect and failure to behave within the context of a society or a group of people's social laws or etiquette.These laws have already unspokenly been established as the essential boundaries of normally accepted behaviour. To be unable or unwilling to align one's behaviour with these laws known to the general population of what is socially acceptable is to be rude.

Similar terms include: impoliteness, making a faux pas, insensitivity, offensiveness, obscenity, profanity, violating taboos, and deviancy. In some cases, criminal behavior can also be an act of rudeness

All of this actually can be weighed by Matt 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.KJV

having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

Advantage=NT:5622 opheleia (o-fel'-i-ah); from a derivative of the base of NT:5624; usefulness, i.e. benefit:

KJV - advantage, profit.

:5624 ophelimos (o-fel'-ee-mos); from a form of NT:3786; helpful or serviceable, i.e. advantageous:KJV - profit (-able).

Practical lesson: Never admire someone --get in their face and “make over” them – with the  motivation to get something from them, to exploit their advantages and benefits.

Note: Bible word definitions from: (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

DO NOT MOCK OTHER PEOPLE.

Mockers here=NT:1702 empaizo (emp-aheed'-zo); from NT:1722 and NT:3815; to jeer at, i.e. deride:KJV - mock.

NT:1703 empaiktes (emp-aheek-tace'); from NT:1702; a derider, i.e. (by implication) a false teacher:KJV - mocker, scoffer.

Jeer: Synonyms:1. sneer; jest. See scoff ¹ . 2, 3. deride, ridicule, flout, fleer.Scoff:

Synonyms:1. gibe. Scoff, jeer, sneer imply behaving with scornful disapproval toward someone or about something. To scoff is to express insolent doubt or derision, openly and emphatically: to scoff at a new invention. To jeer suggests expressing disapproval and scorn more loudly, coarsely, and unintelligently than in scoffing: The crowd jeered when the batter struck out. To sneer is to show by facial expression or tone of voice ill-natured contempt or disparagement: He sneered unpleasantly in referring to his opponent's misfortunes. Antonyms:3. praise.

Origin: 1520–30; < L dērīdēre to mock, equiv. to dē- de- + rīdēre to laugh

Synonyms:taunt, flout, gibe, banter, rally. See ridicule.

Origin:
1665–75; < L rīdiculum a joke, equiv. to rīd(ēre) to laugh + -i- -i- + -culum -cule ² ridicule cont.:

Synonyms:   1. mockery, raillery, sarcasm, satire, irony. 2. banter, chaff, rally, twit, burlesque, satirize, lampoon. Ridicule, deride, mock, taunt imply making game of a person, usually in an unkind, jeering way. To ridicule is to make fun of, either sportively and good-humoredly, or unkindly with the intention of humiliating: to ridicule a pretentious person. To deride is to assail one with scornful laughter: to deride a statement of belief. To mock is sometimes playfully, sometimes insultingly, to imitate and caricature the appearance or actions of another: She mocked the seriousness of his expression. To taunt is to call attention to something annoying or humiliating, usually maliciously and exultingly and often in the presence of others: to taunt a candidate about his defeat in an election.

Antonyms:praise.Dictionary.com Unabridged

scoff  (v.)c.1380, earlier as a noun, "contemptuous ridicule" (c.1300), from a Scand. source, cf. O.N. skaup, skop "mockery," M.Dan. skof "jest, mockery;" perhaps from P.Gmc. *skub-, *skuf- (cf. O.E. scop "poet," O.H.G. scoph "fiction, sport, jest, derision;" see scold), from PIE *skeub- "to shove."

20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

SAVE SOME OF THESE FLESHLY FOLKS! .

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

SOME EXAMPLES OF PRACTICAL LESSONS FROM COLOSSIANS:

We must contantly make sure our affections are on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

How do I do that?

If Robert told me that he felt my affection was drifting from him and starting to be set upon other things, what would I do to change that?

--I would make it a point to spend a lot of time talking with him.

--I would listen carefully to what he thinks and feels and try to live accordingly so to be supportive of his thoughts and feelings.

-- I would find out his life goals and  visions  and do what I can to bring them into reality.

-- I would be verbally and physically intentionally affectionate to him.

-- I would do acts of service to please him.

-- I would give him things to bless him.

-- I would listen carefully to what he cares about and tend to those things.

-- I would love those he loves.

--I would put him and his needs in a place of top priority. When making schedule choices, his needs would be first on the list.

-- When I wonder if something I am planning is in harmony with him, I ask him about it and submit to his decisions.

Practical lessons on what not to do:

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;

fornication,   Fornication:  =NT:4202 porneia (por-ni'-ah); from NT:4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry:

NT:4203 porneuo (porn-yoo'-o); from NT:4204; to act the harlot, i.e. (literally) indulge unlawful lust (of either sex), or (figuratively) practise idolatry:

uncleanness, =NT:167 akatharsia (ak-ath-ar-see'-ah); from NT:169; impurity (the quality), physically or morally:   NT:168 akathartes (ak-ath-ar'-tace); from NT:169; impurity (the state), morally:KJV - filthiness.   NT:169 akathartos (ak-ath'-ar-tos); from NT:1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of NT:2508 (meaning cleansed); impure (ceremonially, morally [lewd] or specially, [demonic]):

1.   Dictionary online:   Impure:  Not pure or clean; contaminated.

2. Not purified by religious rite; unclean.
3. Immoral or sinful: impure thoughts.
4. Mixed with another, usually inferior substance; adulterated.

Synonyms for impure:
5. coarse, vulgar, improper, licentious.

inordinate affection, NT:3806 pathos (path'-os); from the alternate of NT:3958; properly, suffering ("pathos"), i.e. (subjectively) a passion (especially concupiscence):KJV - (inordinate) affection, lust.

NT:NT:3958 pascho (pas'-kho); including the forms (patho (path'-o) and pentho (pen'-tho)), used only in certain tenses for it; apparently a primary verb; to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful):KJV - feel, passion, suffer, vex.

evil concupiscence,

evil here= NT:2556 kakos (kak-os'); apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically, such; whereas NT:4190 properly refers to effects), i.e. (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious:KJV - bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked.

Concupiscence=NT:1939 epithumia (ep-ee-thoo-mee'-ah); from NT:1937; a longing (especially for what is forbidden):KJV - concupiscence, desire, lust (after).

NT:1937 epithumeo (ep-ee-thoo-meh'-o); from NT:1909 and NT:2372; to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise): KJV - covet, desire, would fain, lust (after).

and covetousness, which is idolatry:

covetousness= NT:4123 pleonektes (pleh-on-ek'-tace); from NT:4119 and NT:2192; holding (desiring) more, i.e. eager for gain (avaricious, hence a defrauder):KJV - covetous.

Idolatry=NT:1495 eidololatreia (i-do-lol-at-ri'-ah); from NT:1497 and NT:2999; image-worship (literally or figuratively

6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

8 But now ye also put off all these;

 anger,

NT:3709 orge (or-gay'); from NT:3713; properly, desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind), i.e. (by analogy,) violent passion (ire, or [justifiable] abhorrence); by implication punishment:KJV - anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.

wrath,

NT:2372 thumos (thoo-mos'); from NT:2380; passion (as if breathing hard):

KJV - fierceness, indignation, wrath. Compare NT:5590.

malice,

NT:2549 kakia (kak-ee'-ah); from NT:2556; badness, i.e. (subjectively) depravity, or (actively) malignity, or (passively) trouble:KJV - evil, malice (-iousness), naughtiness, wickedness.

blasphemy,

:988 blasphemia (blas-fay-me'-ah); from NT:989; vilification (especially against God):

KJV - blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.

NT:989 blasphemos (blas'-fay-mos); from a derivative of NT:984 and NT:5345; scurrilious, i.e. calumnious (against men), or (special

1400–50; late ME < LL vīlificāre. See vile, -fy

Synonyms:1. depreciate, disparage, calumniate, malign, abuse, asperse, blacken.Antonyms:
1. commend.

Origin: 1250–1300; ME vil < OF < L vīlis of little worth, base, cheap

Synonyms:1. See mean ² . 3. repellent. 4. vicious, evil, iniquitous. 5. vulgar, obscene. 9, 10. contemptible. 10. trivial, trifling.

Antonyms:1. good. 4. elevated.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

filthy communication out of your mouth.

Filthy communication is one word, # 148= NT:148 aischrologia (ahee-skhrol-og-ee'-ah); from NT:150 and NT:3056; vile conversation:KJV - filthy communication.

NT:149 aischron (ahee-skhron'); neuter of NT:150; a shameful thing, i.e. indecorum:

KJV - shame.

NT:150 aischros (ahee-skhros'); from the same as NT:153; shameful, i.e. base (specially, venal):

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

18 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

Colossians 4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord: 8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;9 With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here. 10 Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.15 Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.17 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul.

JUDE 11 sermon  1 30 10

. Jude 1:1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:2 Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

WE HAVE THOSE AMONG US WHO WILL POLLUTE THE FAITH IF WE ARE NOT ERNESTLY CONTENDING!

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

IF WE DON’T STAY ON THE RIGHT TRACK, WE COULD LOSE FAVOR WITH AND BE REJECTED BY GOD!

5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

WOE=NT:3759 ouai (oo-ah'-ee); a primary exclamation of grief; "woe":

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

–interjection

Origin: bef. 900; ME wo (interj. and n.), OE wā (interj.) (cf. wellaway ); c. D wee, G Weh, ON vei, L vae

Synonyms:1. anguish, tribulation, trial, wretchedness, melancholy. See sorrow. Antonyms:1. joy.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

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.

16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

 great swelling=:NT:5246 huperogkos (hoop-er'-ong-kos); from NT:5228 and NT:3591; bulging over, i.e. (figuratively) insolent:

Synonyms:1. brazen; contemptuous. See impertinent.

Impertinent synonyms:

Synonyms of inpertinent: . fresh, bold, insulting, officious, saucy, pert, brazen. Impertinent, impudent, insolent refer to bold, rude, and arrogant behavior. Impertinent, from its primary meaning of not pertinent and hence inappropriate or out of place, has come to imply often an unseemly intrusion into what does not concern one, or a presumptuous rudeness toward one entitled to deference or respect: an impertinent interruption, question, manner toward a teacher. Impudent suggests a bold and shameless impertinence: an impudent speech, young rascal. Insolent suggests insulting or arrogantly contemptuous behavior: unbearably insolent toward those in authority. Antonyms:
1. polite.

Polite=Synonyms:
1. well-bred, gracious. See civil. 2. urbane, polished, poised, courtly, cultivated.

Antonyms:
1, 2. rude.

Rude: 

Synonyms of rude1. uncivil, unmannerly, curt, brusque, impertinent, impudent, saucy, pert, fresh. 1, 3. See boorish. 2. unrefined, uncultured, uncivilized, uncouth, coarse, vulgar, rough. 6. See raw. 8. rustic, artless. 9. stormy, fierce, tumultuous, turbulent.

Wikipedia:

Rudeness (also called impudence or effrontery) is the disrespect and failure to behave within the context of a society or a group of people's social laws or etiquette.These laws have already unspokenly been established as the essential boundaries of normally accepted behaviour. To be unable or unwilling to align one's behaviour with these laws known to the general population of what is socially acceptable is to be rude.

Similar terms include: impoliteness, making a faux pas, insensitivity, offensiveness, obscenity, profanity, violating taboos, and deviancy. In some cases, criminal behavior can also be an act of rudeness

All of this actually can be weighed by Matt 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.KJV

Advantage:  5622 opheleia (o-fel'-i-ah); from a derivative of the base of NT:5624; usefulness, i.e. benefit:KJV - advantage, profit.

:5624 ophelimos (o-fel'-ee-mos); from a form of NT:3786; helpful or serviceable, i.e. advantageous:KJV - profit (-able).

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Mockers here=Matt 7:12

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

KJV

empaiktes

NT:1702 empaizo (emp-aheed'-zo); from NT:1722 and NT:3815; to jeer at, i.e. deride:

KJV - mock.

NT:1703 empaiktes (emp-aheek-tace'); from NT:1702; a derider, i.e. (by implication) a false teacher:KJV - mocker, scoffer.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Jeer: Synonyms:
1. sneer; jest. See scoff ¹ . 2, 3. deride, ridicule, flout, fleer.

Scoff:

Synonyms:
1. gibe. Scoff, jeer, sneer imply behaving with scornful disapproval toward someone or about something. To scoff is to express insolent doubt or derision, openly and emphatically: to scoff at a new invention. To jeer suggests expressing disapproval and scorn more loudly, coarsely, and unintelligently than in scoffing: The crowd jeered when the batter struck out. To sneer is to show by facial expression or tone of voice ill-natured contempt or disparagement: He sneered unpleasantly in referring to his opponent's misfortunes. Antonyms:3. praise.

Deride: verb (used with object), -rid⋅ed, -rid⋅ing.

Origin:
1520–30; < L dērīdēre to mock, equiv. to dē- de- + rīdēre to laugh

Synonyms:taunt, flout, gibe, banter, rally. See ridicule.

Origin:
1665–75; < L rīdiculum a joke, equiv. to rīd(ēre) to laugh + -i- -i- + -culum -cule ²

ridicule cont.:

Synonyms:   1. mockery, raillery, sarcasm, satire, irony. 2. banter, chaff, rally, twit, burlesque, satirize, lampoon. Ridicule, deride, mock, taunt imply making game of a person, usually in an unkind, jeering way. To ridicule is to make fun of, either sportively and good-humoredly, or unkindly with the intention of humiliating: to ridicule a pretentious person. To deride is to assail one with scornful laughter: to deride a statement of belief. To mock is sometimes playfully, sometimes insultingly, to imitate and caricature the appearance or actions of another: She mocked the seriousness of his expression. To taunt is to call attention to something annoying or humiliating, usually maliciously and exultingly and often in the presence of others: to taunt a candidate about his defeat in an election.

Antonyms:
praise.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

scoff  (v.)c.1380, earlier as a noun, "contemptuous ridicule" (c.1300), from a Scand. source, cf. O.N. skaup, skop "mockery," M.Dan. skof "jest, mockery;" perhaps from P.Gmc. *skub-, *skuf- (cf. O.E. scop "poet," O.H.G. scoph "fiction, sport, jest, derision;" see scold), from PIE *skeub- "to shove."

20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

STAY in THE LORD’S LOVE SO YOU WON’T REACT TO THESE FLESHLY PEOPLE IN A FLESHLY MANNER!

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

SOME OF THESE FLESHLY FOLKS COULD BE DELIVERED WHEN YOU HAVE COMPASSION .

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

OUR STRENGTH TO WALK IN HIS NATURE COMES FROM ABIDING IN HIM!! HE GIVES US THEVICTORY OVER FALLING INTO SIN!

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.KJV

AVOIDING THENEGATIVE EXAMPLES OF THE 3 MEN IN  VERSE 11: Cain, Balaam, and Korah

Jude 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. NIV

CAIN :[kane] (possessed) - 1. The eldest son of Adam and Eve and the brother of Abel (Gen 4:1-25). Cain was the first murderer. A farmer by occupation, Cain brought fruits of the ground as a sacrifice to God. His brother Abel, a shepherd, sacrificed a lamb from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's (Gen 4:7). The proof of Cain's wrong standing before God is seen in his impulse to kill his own brother Abel when his own offering was rejected (Gen 4:8)

The New Testament refers to Cain in three places. Abel's offering to God was "a more excellent sacrifice" than Cain's because Abel was "righteous." His heart was right with God, and Cain's was not (Heb 11:4). John calls Cain "the wicked one" and asks why he murdered his brother; the answer was, "Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). Jude warns his readers to beware of those who have "gone in the way of Cain" (Jude 11).

 (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Firstborn:  Gen 4:1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man." 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17 Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.

The next verse in the passage above might be connected to v 12, i.e., the world hates us because our deeds are righteous. Whoever speaks evil of our good is most likely of the world!    1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.KJV

BALAAM

[BAY lum] (lord of the people) - a magician or soothsayer (Josh 13:22) who was summoned by the Moabite king BALAK to curse the Israelites before they entered Canaan (Num 22:5-24:25; Deut 23:4-5).

Balaam lived in ARAM in the town of Pethor on the Euphrates River. A curious mixture of good and evil, Balaam wavered when he was asked by Balak to curse the Israelites. But he finally agreed to go when the Lord specifically instructed him to go to Balak (Num 22:20).

The exact meaning of the account of Balaam's "stubborn" donkey is not clear. After telling Balaam it was all right to go, God either tried to forbid him from going or wanted to impress upon him that he should speak only what he was told to say. When the angel of the Lord blocked their way, the donkey balked three times and was beaten by Balaam, who had not seen the angel. Finally, after the third beating, the donkey spoke, reproving Balaam.

When the angel told Balaam, "Your way is perverse before Me" (Num 22:32), Balaam offered to return home. The angel told him to go on, however, and reminded him to speak only the words which God gave him to speak.

Balaam and Balak met at the River Arnon and traveled to "the high places of Baal" (Num 22:41). From there they could see part of the Israelite encampment at Acacia Grove (Num 25:1). After sacrificing on seven altars, Balaam went off alone. When he heard the word of God, he returned to Balak and blessed the people whom Balak wanted him to curse.

The New Testament mentions Balaam in three passages. Peter speaks of false teachers who "have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam" (2 Peter 2:15). Jude speaks of backsliders who "have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit" (Jude 11). Balaam's error was greed or covetousness; he was well paid to bring a curse upon the people of Israel.

Before leaving Balak, Balaam apparently told the Moabite leader that Israel could be defeated if its people were seduced to worship Baal, "to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality" (Rev 2:14). Indeed, this was exactly what happened: "The people [of Israel] began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel" (Num 25:1-3).

In condemning "the way of Balaam," the New Testament condemns the greed of all who are well paid to tempt God's people to compromise their moral standards.

(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

KORAH

The Levite who, along with Dathan, Abiram, and On of the tribe of Reuben, led a revolt against the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Num 16:1-49). Korah was the son of Izhar and a first cousin of Moses and Aaron (Ex 6:21). He was equal in rank with Aaron within the tribe of Levi.

Korah apparently was jealous that Aaron held the position of high priest. The Reubenites were the descendants of Jacob's eldest son. They thought the responsibility for leading Israel should rest with their tribe rather than the Levites. The four ringleaders gathered 250 leaders of the congregation, publicly charging Moses and Aaron with abusing their power. They claimed that all members of the congregation should have equal access to the Lord.

Moses placed the dispute in the hands of the Lord, directing Korah and his company to bring containers of incense as an offering to the Lord. Korah complied with this and went with his congregation to the door of the tabernacle where the Lord appeared, threatening to "consume them in a moment" (Num 16:21). Moses and Aaron interceded, saving the nation of Israel from destruction. The decision of leadership was again placed before the Lord as Moses instructed the congregation to "depart from the tents of these wicked men" (Num 16:26). The decision in favor of Moses was dramatized as "the earth opened its mouth" and swallowed all the men of Korah (Num 16:32).

Apparently some of the descendants of Korah survived to become ministers of music in the tabernacle during the time of David (1 Chron 6:31-37).

(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Num 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:

2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:

3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?

4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.

6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company;

7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.

8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:

9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?

10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?

11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?

12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:

13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?

14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.

15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow:

17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.

18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.

19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.

20 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.

22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?

23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.

26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.

27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.

29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.

30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.

31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:

32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.

33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

36 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.

38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar:

40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.

41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.

42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.

43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.

44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.

47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.

49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.KJV

MOSES AND ELIJAH RELATED TO KORAH:

Ex 6:18 And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years.

19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations.20 And Amram {rb Kohath’s first son} took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.

21 And the sons of Izhar; {rb Kohath’s 3^rd son} Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

Jude 11 Woe  unto them! for  in the way  of   Cain, they have gone and  the  error of   Balaam for  reward, ran greedily after and  in the                   3759 846        3754 3588   3598 3588 2535  4198           2532 3588 4106  3588 903    9999 3408    1632               2532 3588  

gainsaying of   Core. perished     485        3588 2879  622    

 (Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright © 1994, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc.)

NT:485 antilogia (an-tee-log-ee'-ah); from a derivative of NT:483; dispute, disobedience:

KJV - contradiction, gainsaying, strife.

NT:483 antilego (an-til'-eg-o); from NT:473 and NT:3004; to dispute, refuse: KJV - answer again, contradict, deny, gainsay (-er), speak against.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:3004 lego (leg'-o); a primary verb; properly, to "lay" forth, i.e. (figuratively) relate (in words [usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas NT:2036 and NT:5346 generally refer to an individual expression or speech respectively; while NT:4483 is properly, to break silence merely, and NT:2980 means an extended or random harangue]); by implication, to mean:

KJV - ask, bid, boast, call, describe, give out, name, put forth, say (-ing, on), shew, speak, tell, utter.(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

NT:473 anti (an-tee'); a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):

KJV - for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Gainsay in dictionary online= dispute, contradict

Contradict:

–verb (used without object)

Origin:
1560–70; < L contrādictus (ptp. of contrādīcere to gainsay), equiv. to contrā- contra-¹ + dic- (var. s. of dīcere to speak) + -tus ptp. suffix

Synonyms:1, 2. gainsay, impugn, controvert, dispute. See deny.

Antonyms:1. support.

belie negate, contravene, controvert, oppose

View more related words »

–verb (used without object)

Origin:
1560–70; < L contrādictus (ptp. of contrādīcere to gainsay), equiv. to contrā- contra-¹ + dic- (var. s. of dīcere to speak) + -tus ptp. suffix

Related forms:

con⋅tra⋅dict⋅a⋅ble, adjective

con⋅tra⋅dict⋅er, con⋅tra⋅dic⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1, 2. gainsay, impugn, controvert, dispute. See deny.

Opposite words: SUPPORT

–verb (used without object)

Synonyms:1, 2. gainsay, impugn, controvert, dispute. See deny.

Antonyms:
1. support.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.

Lessons from Ezekiel and corresponding scriptures, 1 20 10 , Weds. Class:

Some commonalities in the Heavenly vision:

Ez 1:3 the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD was upon him.

4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north — an immense cloud with flashing lightning looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, 6 but each of them had and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, 5 and in the fire was what four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, 9 and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved.

10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.

Rev 4:14:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."  2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings.

Ez:1: 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, one touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. 15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

22 Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. 24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

25 Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.

Ex 24:9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.

Ez 1:27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

Re: Rainbows:  Rev 4: 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

Rev 10:1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.

NIV

Ez 1:28  continued:  This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

Physical reaction to  a supernatural encounter:

 Gen 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. 2 I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." 3 Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, NIV

Lev 9:2424 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. NIV

Dan 8: While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision." 17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end." NIV

Dan 10:15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." 18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."

Acts 9: 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 

Rev 1: 13 and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Ezekiel 2:1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

Now comes the message to Ezekiel:

3 He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them.

Prophets: Sent by God to warn; not received by the people:

2 Chron 24:19 Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

2 Kings 17: 13 The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: "Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your fathers to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets."

2 Chron 36:15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17 He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18 He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the LORD's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19 They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.

20 He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.

Jer 7: 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. 24 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25 From the time your forefathers left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26 But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their forefathers.'

27 "When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28 Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips. 29 Cut off your hair and throw it away; take up a lament on the barren heights, for the LORD has rejected and abandoned this generation that is under his wrath.

Jer 25:1 The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 2 So Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people of Judah and to all those living in Jerusalem: 3 For twenty-three years — from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day — the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

4 And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. 5 They said, "Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the LORD gave to you and your fathers for ever and ever. 6 Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not provoke me to anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you."

7 "But you did not listen to me," declares the LORD, "and you have provoked me with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves."

8 Therefore the LORD Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the LORD, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12 "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands."

Jer 26: 26:1 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the LORD: 2 "This is what the LORD says: Stand in the courtyard of the LORD's house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the LORD. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth.'"

7 The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the LORD. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, "You must die! 9 Why do you prophesy in the LORD's name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?" And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

Jer 44:1 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt — in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis — and in Upper Egypt: 2 "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3 because of the evil they have done. They provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew. 4 Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!' 5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.

Neh 9: 26 "But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27 So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies.

28 "But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

29 "You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30 For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. 31 But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

32 "Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes — the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong. 34 Our kings, our leaders, our priests and our fathers did not follow your law; they did not pay attention to your commands or the warnings you gave them. 35 Even while they were in their kingdom, enjoying your great goodness to them in the spacious and fertile land you gave them, they did not serve you or turn from their evil ways.

36 "But see, we are slaves today, slaves in the land you gave our forefathers so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces. 37 Because of our sins, its abundant harvest goes to the kings you have placed over us. They rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress.

Isa 30: 9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction. 10 They say to the seers,"See no more visions!"and to the prophets,"Give us no more visions of what is right!Tell us pleasant things,prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way,get off this path,and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!"

12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:

"Because you have rejected this message,relied on oppression and depended on deceit, 13 this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging,that collapses suddenly, in an instant. 14 It will break in pieces like pottery,shattered so mercilessly that among its pieces not a fragment will be found for taking coals from a hearth or scooping water out of a cistern."

15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:"In repentance and rest is your salvation,in quietness and trust is your strength,but you would have none of it.

Zech 1:2 "The LORD was very angry with your forefathers. 3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty. 4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the LORD

Acts 7: 52 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— 53 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Fear not when God tells you to speak words of truth to people even if they don’t want to hear it:

Ez. 2: 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house;

Being a Leader in your Local Church

First: What is the dictionary definition of a leader?

lead–verb (used with object)

–verb (used without object)

—Verb phrases

I am adding:

The one standing up front leading people into a group, interactive discussion

The one planning and  managing an event

Origin: bef. 900; ME leden, OE lǣdan (causative of līthan to go, travel); c. D leiden, Synonyms:1. accompany, precede. See guide. 3. persuade, convince. 10. excel, outstrip, surpass. 28. head, vanguard.

At ROL you don’t have to have a position to lead. Anyone here can lead in any way they feel led to lead. You can lead by getting excited about participation in any aspect of the work of the ministry.  E.g., you can lead  people to Christ , bring them to church,  and then take them out to eat afterwards to teach them some  more about the Lord.

*********************************************************8***

Things we look for  in our local church, River of Life, in seeing who is a leader and/or who has strong potential to come forth more as a leader.  Some of the things mentioned only come forth as people mature. This is not a comprehensive list – just some highlights.

 Right now what is being addressed is leadership  on all levels – from five fold ministry leaders who have some authority here all the way to those who lead by the influence of a Godly character , but have no “formal” “position”. 

1.    Faithfulness in sharing all your gifts and talents – both spiritual and natural: We look at the  ministry gifts and talents and maybe just plain “elbow grease” he faithfully shares  in the  local church .

2.   .  Faithfulness and generosity in sharing time, money , and energy.

3.    Being the first to be willing to do something right without finding out who else will also be taking the high road.

4.    Being on time.

       5. Easily entreated.  Willing also to entreat others. Exhort others . Hold up the standard of God’s Word all the time.

     6 Eager to help. Eager to show others how they can help. Some may not know  how to do something, i.e.,  where to get the equipment and/or supplies to do it and are happy to do something once they know how.  Those who teach them how and encourage them to keep helping are LEADERS – with or without a title for what they are doing.

     7.  Holiness

     8. Leaders recognize and submit to others who are in charge at a given time as well as being able to be in charge themselves.

     9.  Leaders are “in the know”:  Leaders in a local church know the people and know what is going on.

     10.  The ongoing enthusiasm of a leader is contagious

     11.  Leaders are  full of life

     12. Leaders get God’s heart and vision for His people and do whatever they can to help to fulfill the vision of the Lord.

     13.  Also important to consider is whether or not that person has   a consistent walk with the Lord and the fruit of the Spirit in his life.
     14.   Do what you sense the Lord wants you to do and what He has gifted you in:    At our church we have often said  that we will acknowledge what a person is called by the Lord to be  when we see him doing  things that those in that calling are typically apt to be doing.  If someone is acting like a deacon,  eventually (given the corresponding maturity and character traits) we will call him that. In the same way, when someone begins to act like a five fold minister, we want him to be trained to perfect that calling on his life.  We cannot "make" anyone a  deacon or a fivefold minister. Individuals must be called to that ministry. But we can surely recognize the calling and train them accordingly.

E.g., Deacon requirement: 1 Tim 3:12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. NIV

As I said, the above list is not full; however, the reader can make it a lifetime endeavor to discover in the Word what the Lord requires of leaders.
15.  A leader will keep his life pure and his relationship with others loving.

16.  A leader knows the voice of God vs. a soulish , fleshly voice from within himself. He is objective and ruthless with himself in responding to the Word of God rather than his own personal, soulish thinking.

17.   A leader can discuss a heavy topic without becoming emotionally distraught (e.g., badly hurt or very angry with all the corresponding outward expressions.  ). He is objective and circumspect when dealing with any conversation.

18.  A leader quickly forgives.

19.  A leader must be or actively, passionately endeavoring to be filled with

the Spirit:   A leader wants every possible tool he can get to be able to truly and boldly  lead.   That includes the Holy Spirit baptism.

18.  A leader dares to step out in faith to exercise the gifts of the Spirit in church.

19.  A leader dies to self and delights himself in the Lord :  The utter lack of self-consciousness and the freedom it takes to bask in His presence boldly is absolutely magnified when a person receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

20.  A leader in God’s house is not seeking to become rich and famous via his leadership and/or his gifts and talents.   God may give that to him; however, that is not his motive.  His motive is to seek first the kingdom of God…he wants God to rule in the hearts of all!

Here are some characteristics  people called into five fold ministry  MUST HAVE – and these things are the way ALL saints should be and do!:
 1.   Love of the Lord and  consistently  -- usually daily -- spending time with Him in Word, prayer, and worship.
2.   Love of sharing what the Lord is saying with others.  THIS is a MAJOR KEY for Word Ministers especially; however, we should all want to do this regularly!  Much of our all "seeing"  that someone  is called to Word Ministry   results from our experiencing their  regular and enthusiastic sharing in open pulpit! The sharing will be Biblically sound. Words and walk will harmonize. The person will love to share the Word whenever anyone will listen!
3.  Love of seeing others come to and  grow up into Christ.

Being a leader during times of praise and worship:

I dealt with praise and worship in Home school and think some of that material is relevant for all ages:

We all  can be praise leaders – both up front and from our seats.

     Whether we are the “up front” worship leader or at our seats participating, we need to be aware of the things on this test so we can be enthusiastic praise leaders who influence many to praise.

.    Because the fact is that we influence people strongly by our example of worship and praise involvement  both as leaders up front and as “leaders” at our seats. 

     Over the years I have  both watched congregations be either stirred to get more involved in worship because of the behavior of just one or more among them and  I have been disappointed to see some about to be involved and then quit when they realized their friends were not actively praising. E.g., I have seen young people raise their hands and then quickly lower them when they realized they were the only young person doing so.

     I have seen some courageous souls who freely praised  no matter who else was or was not praising the Lord. even if no one around was responding.   That is true leadership! Followers wait to see what others are going to do; leaders are in touch with what the Lord wants them to do and they just do it.

David is a great  example of a praise leader

2 Sam 6:14 And David danced before  the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart…………….20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! 21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. 22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death

The appearance of a leader:

The following section is being included because of the  universal “passage” youth all over the world enter into when they discover they are “other than” their parents , teachers, and leaders.  Before the transition into young adult hood, children typically dress  and look as their parents decide they should dress  and look. The children seldom question the parents’ choices for them .  But, as young people become aware of “styles” and choices, some begin to express themselves in ways that cause conflict.  Youth sometimes do not realize what message their dress is loudly conveying to adults. 

Those youth who wish to become leaders in the house of God may have to submit to Godly counsel concerning their dress. Leaders influence others. For a youth aspiring to leadership to be held back simply because they are distracting everyone with their clothing and chosen look would be very sad – what a waste of time! 

Right now we don’t have anyone expressing themselves in extremes; however, for the benefit of youth right now, I am going to discuss some things regarding appearance – some things that could hinder their ministry if they are unaware of the distraction certain choices create.  Even if that is now a  huge problem right now, to reestablish certain principles will help our youth to deal with a newcomer who may need to be taught about these things.

Leaders dress lovingly:  They do not wear anything which distracts others during services.

 We should  avoid  slogans  , advertising , and/or event t shirts that  we know could be offensive  or distracting to  some.

We at ROL don’t get into tatoo’s and  piercings in strange places on our body..   

We should  not dress to tease or  to seduce the opposite gender. 

We avoid tight, revealing clothing and inordinately low cut tops for women.

Women should judge skirt length to be appropriate  when it falls right about where the line is behind their knee.

Men should wear men’s clothing; women should wear feminine clothing.

Transparent clothing is inappropriate as are halter tops.  Avoid  shirts short enough to reveal midsections and pants that don’t cover the top of a derriere.

There is a dress code for platform participation at ROL:  No blue jeans.  And all of the above mentioned principles apply  as well.

Hair needs to be clean  and not styled in  outlandish way  (which means:” strikingly out of the ordinary : bizarre - an ∼ costumeb. bexceeding proper or reasonable limits or standards”) .‘

Whether we like it or not, how we look  will speak volumes to others.

 If we are attention seeking in a far out way, that speaks of a lack of death to self. If we are dressing the way a  sinful  subculture dresses, we are appearing as if we are in agreement with that people group.  If our appearance speaks of sensuality, that speaks of wanting someone else to see and admire us in fleshly ways. (Of cours, if someone is  extraordinarily gorgeous or handsome and they do their best to avoid the appearance of evil in their choices and yet someone else  looks at them wrongfully, that is not that good looking person’s fault).

We must  all walk in holiness and modesty  our  choices.)     

  E.g,  radical hairstyles and fashion can make a loud statement that distracts from what we are all about in  the house of God!

Leaders investigate on their own what different choices (hair , dress) imply to others. Leaders are “over” childish rebellion. Leaders don’t do something just on the edge and then get angry when someone  questions their choice.

Just to learn more, I did a bit of research just now on some rather radical looks—I copy/pasted some web info here:

Examples:   I am quoting web sources here:

Mohawk hairstyles will always have a place in society. From American Indians who used to wear them to the punk rockers of today, mohawk hairstyles have always caught attention. If your a punk rocker, not Rock and Roll long hair, but an I don't care, the wilder my hair looks the better, then you probably have either wanted or already tried mohawk hair.

Dreadlocks are associated most closely with the recent Rastafari movement, but people from many groups in history before them have worn dreadlocks, including the Hindu Shiva worshippers of India, historic European peoples,^[vague] and the Sufis of Pakistan.

Punk Hairstyles | Emo Hairstyles: Punk Hair Styles are not for everyone but are very trendy hair styles. Punk hair styles are usually for the younger crowd who are liberal and do not need the normal everyday hairstyles that most people have. When it comes to punk hairstyles, there is no normal look and usually the more wild the hairstyle is the better.

       When going punk, don't worry about how you look just worry about having fun and being free from society's judgements.  

One dictionary definition of punk:  Punk:. a style or movement characterized by the adoption of aggressively unconventional and often bizarre or shocking clothing, hairstyles, makeup, etc., and the defiance of social norms of behavior, usually associated with punk rock musicians and fans.

        Punk isn't your style? Then find out if goth hair is right for you.

 Goth hair style:  Study up on what you would then appear to be like: 
Goth:Styles of dress within the subculture range from deathrock, punk, androgynous, Victorian, some Renaissance and Medieval style attire, or combinations of the above, most often with black attire, makeup and hair.

. The gothic novel of the late eighteenth century, a genre founded by Horace Walpole with the 1764 publication of The Castle of Otranto, was accountable for the more modern connotations of the term gothic. He originally claimed that the book was a real medieval romance he had discovered and republished. Thus was born the gothic novel's association with fake documentation to increase its effect. Henceforth, the term was associated with a mood of horror, morbidity, darkness and the supernatural as well as camp and self-parody. The gothic novel established much of the iconography of later horror literature and cinema, such as graveyards, ruined castles or churches, ghosts, vampires, nightmares, cursed families, being buried alive and melodramatic plots.

Certain elements in the dark, atmospheric music and dress of the post punk scene were clearly gothic in this sense. The use of gothic as an adjective in describing this music and its followers led to the term goth.

Some of the early gothic rock and death rock artists adopted traditional horror movie images, and also drew on horror movie soundtracks for inspiration. Their audiences responded in kind by further adopting appropriate dress and props. Use of standard horror film props like swirling smoke, rubber bats, and cobwebs were used as gothic club décor from the beginning in The Batcave. Such references in their music and image were originally tongue-in-cheek, but as time went on, bands and members of the subculture took the connection more seriously. As a result, morbid, supernatural, and occult themes became a more noticeably serious element in the subculture.

A literary influence on the gothic scene was Anne Rice's re-imagining of the idea of the vampire. Rice's characters were depicted as struggling with eternity and loneliness, this with their ambivalent or tragic sexuality....

The Goth subculture has influenced different artists - not only musicians - but also painters and photographers. In particular their work is based on mystic, morbid and romantic motifs. In photography and painting the spectrum varies from erotic artwork to romantic images of vampires or ghosts.

Understanding Goth Haircuts:   It very well coud be described as a combination of the two, punk and elvira dark.** Gothic hairstyles are not much different from regular hairstyles except they are designed to send a message thats much different. Gothic hairstyles represent something not mainstream, not easily understood, dark and mysterious, and even spiritual.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

James 1:26  27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. NIV

James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. NIV

1 Cor 6:1919 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

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Leaders do not indulge in every fad in any area, e.g., clothing, movies, ways of talking,  the latest thinking on a given topic that is politically correct. Leaders form their own opinions , led by the Lord and do not care if some of their resulting choices seem out of step with our culture.

There is a large range of clothing to choose from well within the boundaries of having a handsome or beautiful appearance without a hint of seduction or worldliness!

Explore what makes you look YOUR very best – get creative and original with it!  Those two words , “creative” and “original” demand a leadership style, i.e., a person who could care less whether or not his or her peers think he or she is in style.

For those who think their leadership role may flow from a calling to be a five fold minister:

Here are some excerpts from my paper on the Five Fold Ministry  (the one a word ministry student candidate must read and respond to).

Ephesians 4:11:16, that passage that inspired our church to be established says:  11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: [14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; [15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: [16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
   The major ministry insight from this passage for us was that all ministry offices, i.e., the fivefold ministry -- apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers -- exist to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry.  The work of the ministry is to bring all saints into the unity of the faith, the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and for all to live in perfection in the fullness of Christ. For this to happen, truth must lovingly be spoken. All people in the Body of Christ His church must add their part in love to build up the church. 
The work of any local church is twofold.
1.  Bring people into Christ.
2.  Teach, train, and perfect the people into being filled with Christ and walking in Him.
     We find this twofold purpose in what is called The Great Commission.  This is a command given to us, His disciples, by the Lord Jesus Christ just before He left this earth.
Matthew 28:18    And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
    Getting people into Christ is often considered the special gift of the Evangelist.  The Evangelist should be perfecting the saints to do the work of the ministry regarding evangelism as well as actively evangelizing.
    The other fivefold ministers -- the apostle, prophet, pastor, and teacher -- are commonly more involved in the process of teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.   All these ministry workers should also be teaching all the saints how to be apostolic, prophetic, pastoral, and apt to teach.  Learning these things does not make the individual saint a fivefold ministry but it does teach him how to do the work of the ministry.  If the other four ministry offices do what they are supposed to do, they will perfect the saints in the area of their own gifting. All saints can be evangelistic, apostolic, prophetic, pastoral, and able to teach others.  An evangelistic person would be praying for open doors of witnessing and telling the lost about the Savior.  An apostolic person would be quick to be sent on a mission even if it meant bearing reproach. A prophetic person would have their spiritual ear to God and share what they hear with the congregation.  A pastoral person would disciple and care for others one and one and in small groups. A person with a desire to teach would be continually flowing forth with Gods Word and it's practical, daily applications.
     All of our work is to either fulfill God telling us to Go ye therefore and teach so they will be baptized (I.e., come into a saving relationship with the Lord) or to teach people to observe all that Jesus commanded. The latter directive involves ongoing discipling of Christians until they look and act like their Lord.

Note added 1 16 10:  LITERALLY ALL of our work should be done with this in mind. Even when we think of “helps”, it is to create a venue conducive to accomplishing the great commission. Hospitality and recreation promote relationships which – when established – give further opportunities to “speak the truth in love” so we can help one another grow up into Christ.  Everything—everything we do at River of Life – should be with a mind to reach the goal of bringing people into Christ and then  teaching them His ways. This is the mandate for all local churches!  This mandate must be understood and embraced by all  church leaders!

     Paul, the apostle, said his goal was to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Colossians 1:28     Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
    The fivefold minister must perfect the saints in the ministry of helping people grow up into Christ. 

    Because of what is commonly taught, so many Christians do not realize that the Lord's plan for His church is for her to be without spot or wrinkle, for her to be a perfect reflection of Him!

Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

    Too often people say, “We will never be perfect”; however, the Word clearly teaches that the Lord expects us to aim for perfection because that is His plan for us!
    Look at these verses and passages that speak of our being perfect, sinless, unblameable, spiritual, holy, blameless, and without spot or offence.
Matthew 5:48     Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Titus 2:14     Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1 John 3:6    Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. [7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. [8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. [9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. [10] In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. [11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
2 Cor. 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Romans 8:4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
2 Cor. 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ephes. 4:22That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
2 Peter 1:5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2 Peter 3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Philip. 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
1 Thes. 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
1 Thes. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Rev. 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
2 Cor. 11:2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Ephes. 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Col. 1:22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Col. 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Hebrews 13:20Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Ephes. 3:16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Col. 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
1 Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

  Note for this particular sermon added on 1 16 10:  The above passages are a good example too of the kind of things a leader will read in the Word, compare with what is Christian myth among us (“no one can be perfect”) , and choose to believe God rather than man! That leader will ignore man’s wrong interpretation of God’s (clear!) Word and proceed to embrace God’s way with no fear of man!

     This state of perfection can only be attained when we abide in Christ.  When we abide in Him we draw from His divine ability to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.  When Jesus was on earth, He fulfilled the law through the Holy Spirit in Him thus showing us we could do the same through His Spirit in us.
     This maturity comes through a process of hearing and applying the Word of God over months and years! 

1 Tim. 3:1    This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. [2] A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; [3] Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; [4] One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; [5] (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) [6] Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. [8] Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; [9] Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. [10] And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. [11] Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. [12] Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. [13] For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

     In training ministers, it can happen that there is a gap between the academic portion of the training and the maturing of the minister. No trainer can cause someone to walk in mature character.  Furthermore, a minister may seem to be mature and then back slide, I.e., lose good standing that has been previously attained in the Lord.
  Paul experienced this sorrow with a fellow laborer named Demas:
2 Tim. 4:10     For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica.
     To a certain extent the trainer is required to make sure the ministry trainee is already faithful so that time is not wasted in training someone:
2 Tim. 2:2    And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
     Much sorrow and discouragement has come to me because of seeing those I have trained either fall into immorality or walk right but with no more interest in teaching others what they have learned than those who never came to be trained in the first place! Rehearsing in my mind those who are still faithfully laboring gives me much joy and much enthusiasm to start all over again in training someone new.
      I have come to the conclusion (at this point in my growth) that my offering to tutor and train someone into fivefold ministry is a precious gift from me to that person. I am not obligated to train anyone whom I deem to be not ready or not showing fruits of those God has called to become a five-fold minister.
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Christmas sermon for Sabbath 12 26 09

REVIEW: From the Christmas story in Luke, the first 2 chapters, this year I have emphasized the correlation of the Old Testament prophetic words and what is found in these two chapters.

I especially emphasized the following:

1.  The birth of Jesus connected with the promises made to Abraham and to his seed:

Mary’s words:   Luke 1:  54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

Zacharias’ words:  Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.KJV

To know what God raise up in Christ to remember his holy covenant, we must know what He promised  to Abraham:

God to Abraham:  Gen 12: 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;I will make your name great,and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

--He will become a great nation

--God will bless him

-- The name of Abraham will be great

--Abraham will be a blessing

--God will bless those who bless Abraham; He will curse those who curse Abraham

--All peoples on earth will be blessed through Abraham

What does it mean to be blessed and to be a blessing?

Dictionary.com:: Note that “blessing” is both a noun and a verb…so you can BE it , do it, and have it given to you.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME blessinge, -unge, OE bletsung, bledsung. See bless, -ing ¹

Synonyms:
2. advantage, boon, gain, profit, bounty.

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bless–verb (used with object), blessed or blest, bless⋅ing.

Synonyms:1. exalt, hallow, glorify, magnify, beatify.

approval, approving, boon, grace, thanksgiving

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.KJV

n  Abraham will be blessed of God

-          Abraham’s seed will be multiplied like the stars and the sand

-          Abraham will “possess the gate of his enemies,i.e., overcome them

-          All nations will be blessed through his seed

-          More on “possessing the gate of his enemies””

-          Inheriting “the land”:

-           Gen 15:He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." 8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates —  19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

-          Gen 26:44 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws." 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

-          Gen 35:11 And God said to him, "I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."

-          Ps 105:8 He remembers his covenant forever,the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant he made with Abraham,the oath he swore to Isaac.

-          10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,to Israel as an everlasting covenant: 11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit." NIV

-          Ps 37:27 Turn from evil and do good;then you will dwell in the land forever. 28 For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.They will be protected forever,but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off; 29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

o   Isa 60:10 "Foreigners will rebuild your walls,and their kings will serve you.Though in anger I struck you,in favor I will show you compassion. 11 Your gates will always stand open,they will never be shut, day or night,so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations — their kings led in triumphal procession. 12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;it will be utterly ruined. 13 "The glory of Lebanon will come to you,the pine, the fir and the cypress together,to adorn the place of my sanctuary;and I will glorify the place of my feet. 14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD,Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 "Although you have been forsaken and hated,with no one traveling through,I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. 16 You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts.Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,and silver in place of iron.Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,and iron in place of stones.I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler. 18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,nor ruin or destruction within your borders,but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. 19 The sun will no more be your light by day,nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,for the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set again,and your moon will wane no more;the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your days of sorrow will end. 21 Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever.They are the shoot I have planted,the work of my hands,for the display of my splendor. 22 The least of you will become a thousand,the smallest a mighty nation.I am the LORD;in its time I will do this swiftly."

-          Ezek 36:22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.

-          24 "'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel! 33 "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, "This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited." 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.' 37 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, 38 as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

-          Gen 15: 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates —  19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

-          God promises Abraham the land

Gen 18: 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

--Abraham will be a great and powerful nations blessing all other nations

Those of us IN CHRIST are heirs of the promises to Abraham:  The same promises are given to us through Christ, Abraham’s seed:  Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Jesus Christ being the fulfillment of the eternal kingdom coming forth from the throne of David:

2.  Jesus inheriting the throne of David:

Luke 1: 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." NIV

enesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. NIV

Num 24:12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD — and I must say only what the LORD says'? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come." 15 Then he uttered his oracle:"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, 16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,who has knowledge from the Most High,who sees a vision from the Almighty,who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: 17 "I see him, but not now;I behold him, but not near.A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.He will crush the foreheads of Moab,the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.   18 Edom will be conquered;Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,but Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city."

Ps 45: 6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

Ps 89:3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,I have sworn to David my servant, 4'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'"…… 35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness —and I will not lie to David —  36 that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;

Jer 33:19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20 "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant — and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me — can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'" NIV

Dan 2:44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. NIV

Mic 5: He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  5 And he will be their peace.

-          Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things ; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. KJV

-          1 Sam 2:6 "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

-          Matt 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' NIV

-          Matt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'   45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

-          Rom 8: 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. NIV

-          Rev 2: 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Dan 7: 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever — yes, for ever and ever.' ……………….. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints , the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'

3.  (New on 12 26 09)Jesus Christ came to be the one to fulfill all the Old Covenant promises, i.e., to fulfill the blessings spoken of to Abraham; HOWEVER, the blessings go to those who receive him, not to those who reject Him!

Luke 2:  25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.3 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

Isa 28: 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Matt 21: 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."  45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Isa 8: 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,he is the one you are to fear,he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary;but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble;they will fall and be broken,they will be snared and captured.

Rom 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."   7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"   8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Christmas sermon for weds 12 16 09

The passage we are using as a base for our study:  Luke 1:5 through 2:39. Luke 1: 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.  Angel to Zacharias:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

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START HERE: LUKE 1:26 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.

Re: Mary:

Isa 7: 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 

Matt 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. NIV

Luke 1 continued:      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.32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Jesus to rule on the throne of David:

Matt 1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Ps 132:11 The LORD swore an oath to David,a sure oath that he will not revoke:"One of your own descendants I will place on your throne — 

Isa 9: 6 For to us a child is born,to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom,establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. NIV

Isa 16: 5 In love a throne will be established;in faithfulness a man will sit on it — one from the house of David — one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness. NIV

Jer 23:5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD,"when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.This is the name by which he will be called:The LORD Our Righteousness.

Jer 33:15 "'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.This is the name by which it will be called:The LORD Our Righteousness.'

Ezek 34:22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

Ezek 37:24 "'My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.'

Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. NIV

Num 24:12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD — and I must say only what the LORD says'? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come." 15 Then he uttered his oracle:"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, 16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,who has knowledge from the Most High,who sees a vision from the Almighty,who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: 17 "I see him, but not now;I behold him, but not near.A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.He will crush the foreheads of Moab,the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.   18 Edom will be conquered;Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,but Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city."

Ps 45: 6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.

Heb 1:8 But about the Son he says, "Your throne , O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated  wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy." 

Ps 89:3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,I have sworn to David my servant,

4'I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.'"

Ps 89: 35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness —and I will not lie to David —  36 that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;

Jer 33:19 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 20 "This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant — and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me — can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'" NIV

Dan 2:44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands — a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. NIV

Mic 5: He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.  5 And he will be their peace.

Luke 1 continued:  34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:42 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.49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

God to Abraham:  Gen 12: 1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;I will make your name great,and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

Gen 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.KJV

Gen 18: 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

Promises repeated to Isaac:  Gen 26:…3. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, NIV

The same promises are given to us through Christ, Abraham’s seed:  Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

BACK TO LUKE 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.8 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Prophecy regarding John the Baptist:

  Mal 4:5  "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." NIV

Isa 40:3 A voice of one calling:"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD ;make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.   NIV

Matt 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'"   NIV

Matt 11:7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'   11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear. NIV

80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

Mic 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah,

out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times." NIV

Matt 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Luke 2:     5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

21 And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;23(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.3 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

Isa 28: 16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Matt 21: 42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

43 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."  45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Isa 8: 13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,he is the one you are to fear,he is the one you are to dread, 14 and he will be a sanctuary;but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many of them will stumble;they will fall and be broken,they will be snared and captured.

Rom 9:30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." 33 As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."   7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"   8 and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Luke 2 continued:35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Starts now: 12 11 eve:   Hanukkah:  John 10:22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." NIV 

Matthew Henry pointed out that This feast, as Esther’s (Purim) ,w as not a “have to”. Lev 23 lists the “have to’s”. This is a “want to”.

The story appears in 1 Maccabees:

1 Maccabees (Apocrypha), chapter 1:  1: And it happened, after that Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece,  { from Wikipedia:  Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), popularly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος, Mégas Aléxandros), was a Greek^i[›] king (basileus) of Macedon who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander received a classical Greek education under the tutorship of famed philosopher Aristotle, succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne in 336 BC after the King was assassinated, and died thirteen years later at the age of 32. Although both Alexander's reign and empire were short-lived, the cultural impact of his conquests lasted for centuries. Alexander is one of the most famous figures of antiquity, and is remembered for his tactical ability, his conquests, and for spreading Greek civilization into the East.}

1 mac 1 cont:  2: And made many wars, and won many strong holds, and slew the kings of the earth, 3: And went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was quiet before him; whereupon he was exalted and his heart was lifted up. 4: And he gathered a mighty strong host and ruled over countries, and nations, and kings, who became tributaries unto him. 5: And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die. 6: Wherefore he called his servants, such as were honourable, and had been brought up with him from his youth, and parted his kingdom among them, while he was yet alive. 7: So Alexander reigned twelves years, and then died. 8: And his servants bare rule every one in his place. 9: And after his death they all put crowns upon themselves; so did their sons after them many years: and evils were multiplied in the earth. 10: And there came out of them a wicked root Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks. 11: In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow. 12: So this device pleased them well. 13: Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen: 14: Whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of the heathen: 15: And made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief.

RB: Re forsaking the covenant rb: Dan 11: 27 And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.KJV

Matt 24:9 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come Matt 15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Mac continues:  1 Mac 1: 16: Now when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt that he might have the dominion of two realms. 17: Wherefore he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navy, 18: And made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt: but Ptolemee was afraid of him, and fled; and many were wounded to death. 19: Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt and he took the spoils thereof. 20: And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude, 21: And entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, 22: And the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials. and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crown, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off. 23: He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also he took the hidden treasures which he found. 24: And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly. 25: Therefore there was a great mourning in Israel, in every place where they were; 26: So that the princes and elders mourned, the virgins and young men were made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed. 27: Every bridegroom took up lamentation, and she that sat in the marriage chamber was in heaviness, 28: The land also was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Jacob was covered with confusion. 29: And after two years fully expired the king sent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda, who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude, 30: And spake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Israel. 31: And when he had taken th spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every side. 32: But the women and children took they captive, and possessed the cattle. 33: Then builded they the city of David with a great and strong wall, and with mighty towers, and made it a strong hold for them. 34: And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men, and fortified themselves therein. 35: They stored it also with armour and victuals, and when they had gathered together the spoils of Jerusalem, they laid them up there, and so they became a sore snare:36: For it was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Israel.37: Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it: 38: Insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem fled because of them: whereupon the city was made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were born in her; and her own children left her. 39: Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach her honour into contempt.
40: As had been her glory, so was her dishonour increased, and her excellency was turned into mourning.

Rb note: The king demands conformity: (e.g., sign that said we are in an “international holiday” right now—all = same…no one singled out, e.g., “Christmas”)
41: Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, 42: And every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king. 43: Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath. 44: For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda that they should follow the strange laws of the land, 45: And forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days: 46: And pollute the sanctuary and holy people: 47: Set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine's flesh, and unclean beasts: 48: That they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation: 49: To the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances. 50: And whosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, he said, he should die. 51: In the selfsame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to sacrifice, city by city. 52: Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit every one that forsook the law; and so they committed evils in the land; 53: And drove the Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for succour. 54: Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side; 55: And burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets.

They Burned the law:
56: And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire. 57: And whosoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any committed to the law, the king's commandment was, that they should put him to death. 58: Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities. 59: Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God. 60: At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised. 61: And they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them that had circumcised them. 62: Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing. 63: Wherefore the rather to die, that they might not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant: so then they died. 64: And there was very great wrath upon Israel.
1 Maccabees  2: 1: In those days arose Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt in Modin. 2: And he had five sons, Joannan, called Caddis: 3: Simon; called Thassi: 4: Judas, who was called Maccabeus: 5: Eleazar, called Avaran: and Jonathan, whose surname was Apphus. 6: And when he {Mattathias} saw the blasphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerusalem, 7: He said, Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see this misery of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the sanctuary into the hand of strangers? 8: Her temple is become as a man without glory. 9: Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. 10: What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom and gotten of her spoils? 11: All her ornaments are taken away; of a free woman she is become a bondslave. 12: And, behold, our sanctuary, even our beauty and our glory, is laid waste, and the Gentiles have profaned it. 13: To what end therefore shall we live any longer? 14: Then Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned very sore. 15: In the mean while the king's officers, such as compelled the people to revolt, came into the city Modin, to make them sacrifice. 16: And when many of Israel came unto them, Mattathias also and his sons came together. 17: Then answered the king's officers, and said to Mattathias on this wise,  {rb flatteries}Thou art a ruler, and an honourable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and brethren: 18: Now therefore come thou first, and fulfil the king's commandment, like as all the heathen have done, yea, and the men of Juda also, and such as remain at Jerusalem: so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king's friends, and thou and thy children shall be honoured with silver and gold, and many rewards. 19: Then Mattathias answered and spake with a loud voice, Though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments: 20: Yet will I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. 21: God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances. 22: We will not hearken to the king's words, to go from our religion, either on the right hand, or the left. 23: Now when he had left speaking these words, there came one of the Jews in the sight of all to sacrifice on the altar which was at Modin, according to the king's commandment.24: Which thing when Mattathias saw, he was inflamed with zeal, and his reins trembled, neither could he forbear to shew his anger according to judgment: wherefore he ran, and slew him upon the altar. 25: Also the king's commissioner, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down.
26: Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God like as Phinees did unto Zambri the son of Salom.

Re”  “zealous for the law”: Acts 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the lawKJV

1 Mac 2 cont:  27: And Mattathias cried throughout the city with a loud voice, saying, Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me. 28: So he and his sons fled into the mountains, and left all that ever they had in the city. 29: Then many that sought after justice and judgment went down into the wilderness, to dwell there: 30: Both they, and their children, and their wives; and their cattle; because afflictions increased sore upon them. 31: Now when it was told the king's servants, and the host that was at Jerusalem, in the city of David, that certain men, who had broken the king's commandment, were gone down into the secret places in the wilderness, 32: They pursued after them a great number, and having overtaken them, they camped against them, and made war against them on the sabbath day. 33: And they said unto them, Let that which ye have done hitherto suffice; come forth, and do according to the commandment of the king, and ye shall live.
34: But they said, We will not come forth, neither will we do the king's commandment, to profane the sabbath day. 35: So then they gave them the battle with all speed. 36: Howbeit they answered them not, neither cast they a stone at them, nor stopped the places where they lay hid; 37: But said, Let us die all in our innocency: heaven and earth will testify for us, that ye put us to death wrongfully. 38: So they rose up against them in battle on the sabbath, and they slew them, with their wives and children and their cattle, to the number of a thousand people. 39: Now when Mattathias and his friends understood hereof, they mourned for them right sore. 40: And one of them said to another, If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not for our lives and laws against the heathen, they will now quickly root us out of the earth. 41: At that time therefore they decreed, saying, Whosoever shall come to make battle with us on the sabbath day, we will fight against him; neither will we die all, as our brethren that were murdered in the secret places. 42: Then came there unto him a company of Assideans who were mighty men of Israel, even all such as were voluntarily devoted unto the law. 43: Also all they that fled for persecution joined themselves unto them, and were a stay unto them. 44: So they joined their forces, and smote sinful men in their anger, and wicked men in their wrath: but the rest fled to the heathen for succour. 45: Then Mattathias and his friends went round about, and pulled down the altars: 46: And what children soever they found within the coast of Israel uncircumcised, those they circumcised valiantly. 47: They pursued also after the proud men, and the work prospered in their hand. 48: So they recovered the law out of the hand of the Gentiles, and out of the hand of kings, neither suffered they the sinner to triumph. 49: Now when the time drew near that Mattathias should die, he said unto his sons, Now hath pride and rebuke gotten strength, and the time of destruction, and the wrath of indignation: 50: Now therefore, my sons, be ye zealous for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of your fathers. 51: Call to remembrance what acts our fathers did in their time; so shall ye receive great honour and an everlasting name. 52: Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness? 53: Joseph in the time of his distress kept the commandment and was made lord of Egypt. 54: Phinees our father in being zealous and fervent obtained the covenant of an everlasting priesthood. 55: Jesus for fulfilling the word was made a judge in Israel. 56: Caleb for bearing witness before the congregation received the heritage of the land. 57: David for being merciful possessed the throne of an everlasting kingdom. 58: Elias for being zealous and fervent for the law was taken up into heaven. 59: Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, by believing were saved out of the flame. 60: Daniel for his innocency was delivered from the mouth of lions. 61: And thus consider ye throughout all ages, that none that put their trust in him shall be overcome. 62: Fear not then the words of a sinful man: for his glory shall be dung and worms. 63: To day he shall be lifted up and to morrow he shall not be found, because he is returned into his dust, and his thought is come to nothing. 64: Wherefore, ye my sons, be valiant and shew yourselves men in the behalf of the law; for by it shall ye obtain glory. 65: And behold, I know that your brother Simon is a man of counsel, give ear unto him alway: he shall be a father unto you. 66: As for Judas Maccabeus, he hath been mighty and strong, even from his youth up: let him be your captain, and fight the battle of the people. 67: Take also unto you all those that observe the law, and avenge ye the wrong of your people. 68: Recompense fully the heathen, and take heed to the commandments of the law. 69: So he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers. 70: And he died in the hundred forty and sixth year, and his sons buried him in the sepulchres of his fathers at Modin, and all Israel made great lamentation for him. 1 Maccabees  3 1: Then his son Judas, called Maccabeus, rose up in his stead. 2: And all his brethren helped him, and so did all they that held with his father, and they fought with cheerfulness the battle of Israel. 3: So he gat his people great honour, and put on a breastplate as a giant, and girt his warlike harness about him, and he made battles, protecting the host with his sword. 4: In his acts he was like a lion, and like a lion's whelp roaring for his prey. 5: For He pursued the wicked, and sought them out, and burnt up those that vexed his people. 6: Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand. 7: He grieved also many kings, and made Jacob glad with his acts, and his memorial is blessed for ever. 8: Moreover he went through the cities of Juda, destroying the ungodly out of them, and turning away wrath from Israel: 9: So that he was renowned unto the utmost part of the earth, and he received unto him such as were ready to perish. 10: Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.11: Which thing when Judas perceived, he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him: many also fell down slain, but the rest fled. 12: Wherefore Judas took their spoils, and Apollonius' sword also, and therewith he fought all his life long. 13: Now when Seron, a prince of the army of Syria, heard say that Judas had gathered unto him a multitude and company of the faithful to go out with him to war; 14: He said, I will get me a name and honour in the kingdom; for I will go fight with Judas and them that are with him, who despise the king's commandment. 15: So he made him ready to go up, and there went with him a mighty host of the ungodly to help him, and to be avenged of the children of Israel. 16: And when he came near to the going up of Bethhoron, Judas went forth to meet him with a small company: 17: Who, when they saw the host coming to meet them, said unto Judas, How shall we be able, being so few, to fight against so great a multitude and so strong, seeing we are ready to faint with fasting all this day? 18: Unto whom Judas answered, It is no hard matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few; and with the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great multitude, or a small company: 19: For the victory of battle standeth not in the multitude of an host; but strength cometh from heaven. 20: They come against us in much pride and iniquity to destroy us, and our wives and children, and to spoil us: 21: But we fight for our lives and our laws. 22: Wherefore the Lord himself will overthrow them before our face: and as for you, be ye not afraid of them. 23: Now as soon as he had left off speaking, he leapt suddenly upon them, and so Seron and his host was overthrown before him. 24: And they pursued them from the going down of Bethhoron unto the plain, where were slain about eight hundred men of them; and the residue fled into the land of the Philistines. 25: Then began the fear of Judas and his brethren, and an exceeding great dread, to fall upon the nations round about them: 26: Insomuch as his fame came unto the king, and all nations talked of the battles of Judas. 27: Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army. 28: He opened also his treasure, and gave his soldiers pay for a year, commanding them to be ready whensoever he should need them. 29: Nevertheless, when he saw that the money of his treasures failed and that the tributes in the country were small, because of the dissension and plague, which he had brought upon the land in taking away the laws which had been of old time; 30: He feared that he should not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him.31: Wherefore, being greatly perplexed in his mind, he determined to go into Persia, there to take the tributes of the countries, and to gather much money. 32: So he left Lysias, a nobleman, and one of the blood royal, to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt: 33: And to bring up his son Antiochus, until he came again. 34: Moreover he delivered unto him the half of his forces, and the elephants, and gave him charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Juda and Jerusalem: 35: To wit, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place; 36: And that he should place strangers in all their quarters, and divide their land by lot. 37: So the king took the half of the forces that remained, and departed from Antioch, his royal city, the hundred forty and seventh year; and having passed the river Euphrates, he went through the high countries. 38: Then Lysias chose Ptolemee the son of Dorymenes, Nicanor, and Gorgias, mighty men of the king's friends: 39: And with them he sent forty thousand footmen, and seven thousand horsemen, to go into the land of Juda, and to destroy it, as the king commanded. 40: So they went forth with all their power, and came and pitched by Emmaus in the plain country. 41: And the merchants of the country, hearing the fame of them, took silver and gold very much, with servants, and came into the camp to buy the children of Israel for slaves: a power also of Syria and of the land of the Philistines joined themselves unto them. 42: Now when Judas and his brethren saw that miseries were multiplied, and that the forces did encamp themselves in their borders: for they knew how the king had given commandment to destroy the people, and utterly abolish them; 43: They said one to another, Let us restore the decayed fortune of our people, and let us fight for our people and the sanctuary. 44: Then was the congregation gathered together, that they might be ready for battle, and that they might pray, and ask mercy and compassion. 45: Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceased. 46: Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel. 47: Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes, 48: And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images. 49: They brought also the priests' garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days. 50: Then cried they with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, What shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away? 51: For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low. 52: And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest. 53: How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help? 54: Then sounded they with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice. 55: And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens. 56: But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law. 57: So the camp removed, and pitched upon the south side of Emmaus. 58: And Judas said, arm yourselves, and be valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations, that are assembled together against us to destroy us and our sanctuary: 59: For it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary. 60: Nevertheless, as the will of God is in heaven, so let him do. 1 Maccabees  4: 1: Then took Gorgias five thousand footmen, and a thousand of the best horsemen, and removed out of the camp by night; 2: To the end he might rush in upon the camp of the Jews, and smite them suddenly. And the men of the fortress were his guides. 3: Now when Judas heard thereof he himself removed, and the valiant men with him, that he might smite the king's army which was at Emmaus, 4: While as yet the forces were dispersed from the camp. 5: In the mean season came Gorgias by night into the camp of Judas: and when he found no man there, he sought them in the mountains: for said he, These fellows flee from us 6: But as soon as it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three thousand men, who nevertheless had neither armour nor swords to their minds. 7: And they saw the camp of the heathen, that it was strong and well harnessed, and compassed round about with horsemen; and these were expert of war. 8: Then said Judas to the men that were with him, Fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault. 9: Remember how our fathers were delivered in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army. 10: Now therefore let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the Lord will have mercy upon us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this host before our face this day: 11: That so all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel. 12: Then the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them. 13: Wherefore they went out of the camp to battle; but they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets. 14: So they joined battle, and the heathen being discomfited fled into the plain. 15: Howbeit all the hindmost of them were slain with the sword: for they pursued them unto Gazera, and unto the plains of Idumea, and Azotus, and Jamnia, so that there were slain of them upon a three thousand men. 16: This done, Judas returned again with his host from pursuing them, 17: And said to the people, Be not greedy of the spoil inasmuch as there is a battle before us, 18: And Gorgias and his host are here by us in the mountain: but stand ye now against our enemies, and overcome them, and after this ye may boldly take the spoils. 19: As Judas was yet speaking these words, there appeared a part of them looking out of the mountain: 20: Who when they perceived that the Jews had put their host to flight and were burning the tents; for the smoke that was seen declared what was done: 21: When therefore they perceived these things, they were sore afraid, and seeing also the host of Judas in the plain ready to fight, 22: They fled every one into the land of strangers. 23: Then Judas returned to spoil the tents, where they got much gold, and silver, and blue silk, and purple of the sea, and great riches. 24: After this they went home, and sung a song of thanksgiving, and praised the Lord in heaven: because it is good, because his mercy endureth forever. 25: Thus Israel had a great deliverance that day. 26: Now all the strangers that had escaped came and told Lysias what had happened: 27: Who, when he heard thereof, was confounded and discouraged, because neither such things as he would were done unto Israel, nor such things as the king commanded him were come to pass. 28: The next year therefore following Lysias gathered together threescore thousand choice men of foot, and five thousand horsemen, that he might subdue them. 29: So they came into Idumea, and pitched their tents at Bethsura, and Judas met them with ten thousand men. 30: And when he saw that mighty army, he prayed and said, Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armourbearer; 31: Shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen: 32: Make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to fall away, and let them quake at their destruction: 33: Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving. 34: So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain. 35: Now when Lysias saw his army put to flight, and the manliness of Judas' soldiers, and how they were ready either to live or die valiantly, he went into Antiochia, and gathered together a company of strangers, and having made his army greater than it was, he purposed to come again into Judea. 36: Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary. 37: Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion. 38: And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests' chambers pulled down; 39: They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads, 40: And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven. 41: Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary. 42: So he chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law: 43: Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones into an unclean place. 44: And when as they consulted what to do with the altar of burnt offerings, which was profaned; 45: They thought it best to pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the heathen had defiled it: wherefore they pulled it down,
46: And laid up the stones in the mountain of the temple in a convenient place, until there should come a prophet to shew what should be done with them. 47: Then they took whole stones according to the law, and built a new altar according to the former;
48: And made up the sanctuary, and the things that were within the temple, and hallowed the courts. 49: They made also new holy vessels, and into the temple they brought the candlestick, and the altar of burnt offerings, and of incense, and the table. 50: And upon the altar they burned incense, and the lamps that were upon the candlestick they lighted, that they might give light in the temple.
51: Furthermore they set the loaves upon the table, and spread out the veils, and finished all the works which they had begun to make.
52: Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning, 53: And offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made. 54: Look, at what time and what day the heathen had profaned it, even in that was it dedicated with songs, and citherns, and harps, and cymbals. 55: Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and praising the God of heaven, who had given them good success. 56: And so they kept the dedication of the altar eight days and offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice of deliverance and praise. 57: They decked also the forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields; and the gates and the chambers they renewed, and hanged doors upon them.58: Thus was there very great gladness among the people, for that the reproach of the heathen was put away.

As Christians, we often live in tension with the world around us. Belonging to a kingdom ``not of this world’’ (John 18:36), we are sent into the world (Matt. 28:19-20; John 17:18) but are to remain unpolluted by it (James 1:27). We are obedient citizens of earthly governments (I Peter 2:13-17), yet at times we must choose to ``obey God rather than men’’ (Acts 5:29; 4:19).

Because of such tensions, difficult questions arise. Is it better to stay largely separate from the surrounding culture, or can we somehow take advantage of that culture to further the work of the gospel? Should Christians ever go to war? If so, under what circumstances?

While grappling with questions like these, we can draw insight, strength and encouragement from the stories of God’s people through the ages who have dealt with similar issues. In the current installment of our series on the Apocrypha we will consider one such story. It comes to us from the second century B.C., a time when faithful followers of God and his Torah faced severe persecution, and the future of the Jews as a distinct people seemingly hung in the balance. This story is recorded in the book of First Maccabees.

:First Maccabees covers a period of a little over forty years in Jewish history, beginning with the accession of King Antiochus IV to the Seleucid throne in 175 B.C. The book is a ``dynastic history'' that concentrates on the exploits of one priestly family-Mattathias; his sons Judas Maccabeus, Jonathan, Simon, John, and Eleazar; and Simon's son John Hyrcanus. Mattathias's sons, known collectively as the Maccabees, rescued the Jerusalem temple from pagan hands and eventually gained political independence for the Jews. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty1, which provided political and spiritual leadership for Israel for about a century.

First Maccabees was written by a supporter of the Hasmoneans. The book's ending implies that it was completed sometime after the end of John Hyrcanus's reign in 104 B.C. On the other hand, since it speaks of the Romans in favorable-even idealistic-terms (see I Macc. 8:1-16), it was certainly written before 63 B.C., when a Roman takeover of Jerusalem ended Hasmonean rule.

The author of First Maccabees probably lived in the Holy Land, since he was very familiar with the geography of the region and had access to official documents that would have been archived in Jerusalem. Although there are no surviving Hebrew manuscripts of the book, scholars agree that it was originally written in Hebrew and subsequently translated into Greek. 2 According to Dr. David A. deSilva [1, p. 247], ``Translating the book back into Hebrew offers relatively few challenges and has been used to clear up difficulties in the Greek text, a fact that weighs heavily in favor of a Hebrew original standing behind the Septuagint tradition.''

The book is our most important historical source for the period of Jewish history that it describes. Josephus3 considered it to be reliable; he paraphrased I Macc. 1:11-13:42 in books twelve and thirteen of his Antiquities of the Jews. With its extensive use of official documents and precise dates, I Maccabees purports to be an accurate account of the Maccabean revolt. At the same time, it has an unmistakable point of view. Written in the style of I and 2 Kings (see I Macc. 9:22; 16:23-24), it portrays the Maccabees as God's chosen instruments (5:62) and worthy successors of earlier kings and priests of Israel. As we discuss the narrative in more detail, we will note some of the connections the book makes between the Maccabees and these earlier heroes.

  First Maccabees begins with the rise to power of Alexander the Great, who conquered the empire of the Medes and Persians (including the land of Israel) and set up his own Graeco-Macedonian empire in its place (1:1-4; cf. Dan. 8:5-7, 20-21). Shortly before Alexander died in 323 B.C., he divided his vast territories among four of his ``most honored officers'' (1:6; Dan. 8:8, 22). One of those officers, Ptolemy, controlled Palestine. Ptolemy and his successors in Egypt ruled over the Jews until 198 B.C. After that, Israel came under the authority of the Syrian Seleucids, whose empire was headquartered at Antioch.

Hellenization during this time:  Although Alexander's rule was shortlived (twelve years, according to I Macc. 1:7), policies that he set in motion had a profound effect on the world for centuries to come. A pupil of Aristotle and lover of Greek ways, Alexander hoped to use Greek language, learning, and culture to unite the empire. To this end, he founded Greek cities (poleis) throughout his territories. Dr. Oskar Skarsaune [5, p. 31] gives the following description of a typical polis:

``A polis contained some obligatory institutions: a public town center and marketplace (the square agora); a hall for the city council (the bouleuterion); baths; temples to the Greek (later Roman) gods; a theater; a gymnasium (a combined higher school and sports training ground); preferably a library and a sports stadium; and if a big city, also a hippodrome.''

By means of the poleis, Greek culture was introduced to surrounding areas and mingled with the native cultures of those regions, creating a cultural synthesis called Hellenism. Correspondingly, the spread of Greek language and customs was known as ``Hellenization'' (see 2 Macc. 4:13).

In their interactions with Greek culture, the various native cultures did not enjoy a ``level playing field.'' Although the Greeks had some admiration for the more ancient cultures of their empire ([5, pp. 29-30]), they were still the ones in charge. Skarsaune comments,

``Greek culture was the culture of the conquerors, the rulers, the armies and the new business elite. Greek was the language of government and administration, business and commerce. And Greek literature was taken as the supreme model for all kinds of literary production. In other words, Greek culture was the culture of the new era, and anyone who would belong to the new elite had to adopt it'' [5, p. 28].

The attractions of the dominant Greek culture thus created great pressure to Hellenize. As a result, a number of ancient cultures were swallowed up by Hellenism and essentially disappeared from history.

For the Jews, Hellenism offered both opportunities and temptations. On the one hand, Jewish thought ultimately was greatly enriched by certain Greek concepts. A prime example is the Greek idea that ``the hidden law governing the entire universe is divine reason, logos, and the moral task of humanity is to live a life of conformity to this divine reason, which is the law of ethics as well as the law of nature'' [5, p. 35]. Jewish thinkers, beginning with the author of Sirach in the early second century B.C., identified the underlying universal law as God's Torah (see especially Sirach 24). In this way, a Hellenistic concept led to the exaltation of the God of Israel and the promotion of his inspired word.

On the other hand, Hellenism created temptations for Jews to compromise the aspects of Torah-e.g., the Sabbath, circumcision, and dietary laws-that set them apart as a unique and distinct people. By remaining separate from the Gentiles, some reasoned, Jews were missing out on the wealth and prestige afforded by Hellenism.

By the time Antiochus IV, a greedy and power-hungry man, took over the Seleucid throne in 175 B.C. (I Macc. 1:10), there was apparently considerable controversy in Judea over Hellenism (vv. 11-15). One of those who favored Hellenization was Yeshua (a.k..a. Jason), the brother of Onias the high priest. Jason bribed the new king in order to seize control of the high priesthood from Onias.

The book of 2 Maccabees tells us that Jason set aside the authority of Torah and took steps to turn Jerusalem into a Greek polis (2 Macc. 4:9-17). I Maccabees 1:11-15 does not mention Jason's name explicitly, but he was certainly among the ``renegades'' referred to in those verses. Jason probably rationalized his corrupt actions by claiming that his Hellenization program was in the best interests of the people. Instead, his takeover of the high priesthood set in motion a sequence of events that led to one of the greatest crises in the history of Israel.

Jason was not in power for long. Ironically, his subordinate Menelaus double-crossed him in much the same way that he had ousted Onias. When Jason sent Menelaus to Antiochus on official business in 172 B.C., Menelaus managed to grab the high priesthood for himself by offering a bribe higher than Jason's (2 Macc. 4:23-24).

Menelaus, another Hellenizer, seems to have been mainly concerned with staying in office and lining his own pockets. His acts of treachery included arranging for Onias to be murdered and plundering gold vessels from the temple (2 Macc. 4:25-34).

In 169 B.C., when a false rumor arose that Antiochus had been killed in battle in Egypt, Jason tried unsuccessfully to regain control of Jerusalem (2 Macc. 5:5-10). Antiochus then hurried to Jerusalem to put down the uprising. At Menelaus's invitation, the king raided the temple (I Macc. 1:20-28; 2 Macc. 5:11-16) before returning to Antioch.

Two years later, Antiochus sent his general Apollonius to Jerusalem with a large force to consolidate Seleucid control over Judea. Apollonius killed large numbers of Menelaus's opponents in a cruel attack that took place on the Sabbath day (I Macc. 1:29-32; 2 Macc. 5:24-26). He then expanded or rebuilt Akra, a fortress citadel located near the temple, where he

stationed a garrison of Syrians and Hellenized Jews (I Macc. 1: 33-40).

These were only the beginning of Antiochus's repressive measures against the Jews. Apparently viewing any type of Jewish religious practice as a threat to his authority, he proceeded to outlaw temple sacrifices, circumcision, Sabbath and festival observance, and reading of the scriptures (I Macc. 1:41-61; 2 Macc.6:1-11). Worst of all, he established idolatrous pagan worship at the temple (2 Macc. 6:1-5). As I Macc. 1:54 puts it, the king's men ``erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering.'' This phrase identifies Antiochus's blasphemous sacrifices as the ``abomination of desolation'' prophesied in Daniel 11:31.

{Me : still to happen:   Mark 13:14 "When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong — let the reader understand — then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

2 Thess 2:3-43 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.KJV}

No one knows exactly why Antiochus IV persecuted the Jews so harshly. Certainly his judgment was impaired by greed and arrogance, an arrogance reflected in the name he gave himself-``Epiphanes,'' which means ``the manifest [one].'' (In other words, he claimed to be a god in human form.) Among the Jews he came to be known as Epimanes (``the madman''), a more fitting designation [4, p.465].

A number of faithful Jews willingly became martyrs by refusing to submit to the king's demands that they abandon the commandments of God (1 Macc. 1:62-63; 2 Macc. 6-7). Others decided to fight back. The opposition began to form at Modein, a village about seventeen miles northwest of Jerusalem, where Mattathias the priest and his five sons had taken refuge (I Macc. 2:1-14). When representatives of the king arrived in Modein, they offered Mattathias status and wealth if he would lead the village in adopting the state-sponsored religious observances (vv. 15-18). Mattathias declined, saying, ``I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors'' (v. 20). His declaration was reminiscent of the words of Joshua recorded in Joshua 24:15 (``but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord'').

The priest backed up his speech with decisive action. When another man openly stepped forward to offer the sacrifice prescribed by the king, Mattathias quickly killed both the traitor and the king's officer and tore down the altar (2:23-26). The author compares the zeal of Mattathias to that of one of Israel's greatest priests, Phinehas the grandson of Aaron (Num. 25:1-15). Like Phinehas, he had taken forceful steps to stop the spread of idolatry among God's people.

Mattathias then called upon the inhabitants of Modein to join him in standing up for God and the covenant (2:27). His words are like the rallying cry that Moses gave in stopping Israel's worship of the golden calf (Exod. 32:26). Leaving their possessions behind, Mattathias and his family ``fled to the hills'' (2:28). Others soon joined them (vv. 42-43), much as a small army had formed around David when King Saul threatened his life (I Sam. 22:2).

In the wilderness, the guerilla army immediately faced some difficult choices. After a thousand Jews were slaughtered on the Sabbath by the king's forces (2:29-38), Mattathias and his men determined that they would fight on the Sabbath, if necessary, rather than passively accept martyrdom (vv. 39-41). They took the offensive, tearing down pagan altars, circumcizing the uncircumcized, and even killing countrymen who collaborated with the enemy (vv. 44-48).

Mattathias expended all of his strength in organizing and leading the Jewish opposition to Antiochus. It soon became clear to the elderly priest that he did not have much longer to live. Before his death, he urged his sons to carry on the cause, reminding them of the examples of great heroes of Israel like Joseph, Phinehas, Joshua and Caleb, Elijah, and Daniel and his three friends (vv. 51-60). He placed Judas in charge of the army and instructed his sons to heed the wise counsel of their brother Simeon (vv. 65-66). His death came in 166 B.C. (v. 70).

As we have seen, the author of I Maccabees makes several connections between Mattathias and luminaries like Moses, David, and Phinehas. In part, these connections are intended to lend support to the proactive stance taken by Mattathias and his men. Just as Phinehas and other Levites in the days of Moses were forced to take the lives of some Israelites in order to combat idolatry (Exod. 32:25-29; Num. 25), so Mattathias-from the perspective of I Maccabees-was justified in attacking the enemies of Torah. Comparisons between Mattathias and earlier heroes of Israel also begin to lay the groundwork for the view that the Maccabees and their descendants were amply qualified to be both kings and priests. Further backing for this view is added as our story proceeds.

Judas proved to be a valiant and successful commander of the Jewish resistance forces, living up to the expectations of his father. His exploits are celebrated in a poem, recorded in I Macc. 3:3-9, that links him to the patriarch Judah (v. 4; cf. Gen. 49:9) and also to Phinehas (v.8; cf. Num. 25:11).

Syrian generals soon found out that Judas was a formidable opponent. When Apollonius brought his forces against Judas's men, he lost the battle and his life. Judas came away from the battle with the sword of Apollonius (I Macc. 3:10-12), a detail that reminds us of David's victory over Goliath and subsequent use of Goliath's sword .

Judas followed up his initial victory by routing Syrian forces under Seron at Beth-horon, about twelve miles northwest of Jerusalem (3:13-26). The Jewish forces were badly outnumbered, but Judas inspired those under him with an unwavering faith. In a speech that recalls the words of Jonathan in I Sam 14:6, Judas reminded his comrades that ``strength comes from Heaven'' and that in God's sight, ``there is no difference between saving by many or by few'' (vv. 18-19).

Reports of the Jewish rebellion aroused the ire of Antiochus IV, whose efforts to expand his army were hampered by a depleted treasury. Antiochus headed to Persia to raise funds, leaving Lysias in charge of his affairs (3:27-37). Lysias then sent commanders Ptolemy, Nicanor, and Gorgias with forty thousand infantry and seven thousand cavalry to bring Judea into submission (vv. 35-36, 38-39).

Again facing an overwhelming disadvantage in numbers, Judas and his brothers refused to panic. Instead they led the Jews in fasting and prayer, beseeching the Creator of the Universe to intervene on behalf of his people and his holy temple (3:42-53). Judas then organized the Jewish forces into ``thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens,'' following the example of Moses (vv. 55; cf. Exod. 18). He was also careful to abide by the guidelines of Deut. 20:5-8 (v. 56). In the parlance of Gilbert and Sullivan, Judas Maccabeus was ``the very model of a Torah-observant general.''

Judas's faith and courage were soon rewarded. When Gorgias attempted a surprise night attack on the Jewish camp, the Judean forces cleverly evaded the enemy and launched a bold and successful counterstrike against the Seleucid camp (4:1-25). Judas encouraged his men by reminding them of God's deliverance of their ancestors from Pharaoh's army at the banks of the Red Sea (vv. 9-11). The following year, Lysias brought sixty five thousand troops against Judas, whose forces numbered only ten thousand. Gaining strength through prayer (vv. 30-33), Judas led his smaller army to another decisive victory and forced Lysias to depart and regroup (vv. 34-35).

Wikipedia:   Hellenization:   The conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC spread Greek culture and colonization over non-Greek lands, including the Levant, and gave rise to the Hellenistic age, which sought to create a common or universal culture (see also Melting pot) in the Alexandrian empire based on that of 5th and 4th century BC Athens (see also Age of Pericles), along with a fusion of Near Eastern cultures.^[1] The period is characterized by a new wave of Greek colonization which established Greek cities and Kingdoms in Asia and Africa^[2], the most famous being Alexandria. New cities were established composed of colonists who came from different parts of the Greek world, and not from a specific "mother city" (literally metropolis, see also metropolis) as before.^[2]

This synthesised Hellenistic culture had a profound impact on the customs and practices of Jews, both in Judea and in the Diaspora. The inroads into Judaism gave rise to Hellenistic Judaism in the Jewish diaspora which sought to establish a Hebraic-Jewish religious tradition within the culture and language of Hellenism.

Nevertheless, the cultural issues remained unresolved. The main issue separating the Hellenistic and orthodox Jews was the application of biblical laws in a Hellenistic (melting pot) culture.^[3]

Today we are going to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  I will share too how this prayer correlates with The Christmas story. (I may not get time to share it all due to the special open pulpits and time of communion which is why I emailed the sermon to you. Perhaps there will be another service in which I can share more…)

Isa 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,7 And give him no rest , till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

 The Christmas Story INLCUDES the fact that Jesus will sit on David’s throne in a never ending kingdom.  When this happens, Jerusalem will be at peace forever.

 The prophetic word to Mary :   Luke 1: 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Zechariah emphasized that same truth, i.e., the coming  “horn of salvation …in the house of …David”:   Luke 1:67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),   71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Luke 1: 69 & 70 refers to  the what the prophets of old said. One such prophet was Zechariah:    Zech 2:10 "Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you," declares the LORD. 11 "Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."

Zeph 3:14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

18 "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you.   19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. 20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,"       says the LORD.

Zech 14: 9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. 10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. {I.e., finally the “peace of Jerusalem “ will be a reality!RB}

Isaiah also prophesied about the day of the Lord bringing salvation to His people:  Isa 40:9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,go up on a high mountain.You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout,lift it up, do not be afraid;say to the towns of Judah,"Here is your God!" 10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,and his arm rules for him.See, his reward is with him,and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;he gently leads those that have young.

Isa 62:11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Jesus is the one who returns with “rewards”:

Rev 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.  ….16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." 

17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

Isa 25:6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine — the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples,the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever.The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears

from all faces;he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. 9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God;we trusted in him, and he saved us.This is the LORD, we trusted in him;let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."

Jesus Christ brings salvation when He comes again to those who are waiting for Him:. Heb 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Isa 35:3 Strengthen the feeble hands,steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts,"Be strong, do not fear;your God will come,he will come with vengeance;with divine retribution he will come to save you." …………10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.They will enter Zion with singing;everlasting joy will crown their heads.Gladness and joy will overtake them,and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

We are to WANT Him to come!

Rev 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus .

We are not to be among the enemies of Israel today  -- God will punish those people!  When Jesus returns Israel’s enemies and  those who divided the land of Israel will be punished:  Joel 3:1  'In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.

Jer 12:14 This is what the LORD says: "As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country. 16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives' — even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal — then they will be established among my people. 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it," declares the LORD.

The peace of Jerusalem  -- for which we are to continually pray – will be put in place when the Lord returns!

Jesus is the seed of Abraham to whom the land, the throne, and the people will be given!

Jesus will save Israel from all her enemies . He will bring peace to Jerusalem; He will enable us to “serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days”.That prophetic  message is a major part of the “Christmas story”.

Luke 1:67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),   71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

We can clearly see that Israel has enemies today!  Pray that we stand AGAINST all of Israel’s enemies today and pray that we don’t agree with the world community on dividing her land:

The following news notes were taken from a “Bridges for Peace” email . I wrote the prayer requests:

News:  Defiant Iran Plans 10 More Nuke Facilities   :  Iran responded to international condemnation of their nuclear program with defiance on Sunday [November 29], announcing plans to build 10 new nuclear enrichment facilities, according to the New York Times. The newspaper, citing Iranian state television, said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cabinet voted to start building five new enrichment facilities and find locations for five more.

Pray that the world community rises up in condemnation of the Iranian nuclear advancement as well as the blatantly hateful and destructive speeches that their president makes against Israel and the USA.  Pray that God Himself miraculously destroys all of the Iranian plans to destroy us and Israel as well as shutting the mouth of those making  hate speeches.  Pray that just elections take place there and that the people who want peace will prevail in that country!

    News:   EU Draft Document Calls for Division of Jerusalem :  For the first time, official European Union policy calling for East Jerusalem to be the capital of a Palestinian state could be endorsed early next week, according to a draft document obtained by the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. The document could still undergo changes, although European diplomats told Ha’aretz the division of Jerusalem was expected to remain in the policy statement. …Israel is critiqued in the draft for discrimination of Palestinians in Jerusalem….

Pray that the Israelis stand firm in their refusal to divide Jerusalem and that Bible believing officials from all over the world stand up in agreement with them! Pray that we not be the people, the USA, in our generation to betray the Jews in Israel by demanding they divide Jerusalem.

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Enemies of Israel and of the Jewish people:  When I read in Luke 1 "69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),   71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. " , I think of the Romans who occupied Jerusalem at the time that was written or other nations that had come against Israel over time; however, if we read the history of anti semitism over the centuries we see a supernatural hatred of the Jews repeating itself !!  Hitler, of course, comes to mind;however, long before Hitler there were horrific crimes against the Jews as a people!  But what about today?  If you did a huge internet search for present day Hitler followers, radical Muslim Jew haters, and other key words implying persecution of the Jews, you would discover that there still remains a supernatural hatred against the Jews!

The following things I found tonight on the internet are some examples. The Fla incident that follows actually occurred while we were recently in Florida!

November 16, 2009

TORONTO (JTA) — A series of anti-Semitic attacks has rocked the Calgary Jewish community.

Over the weekend, anti-Jewish slogans were spray-painted on several Jewish facilities and a Holocaust monument in the western Canadian city. A Jewish family also was targeted.

Hate messages were painted on the Calgary Jewish Centre, the Holocaust war memorial and at least one synagogue, all in the city’s southwest region. The graffiti also were found on fences, bus stops and mailboxes down the street.

The messages included swastikas and epithets such as “Kill Jews” and “6 million more.”

“This is a hate crime,” Adam Singer, community relations chair for the Calgary Jewish Centre, told a local radio station. “And the timing is quite disturbing, coming at the time of a very somber memorial within our community. Kristallnacht was almost 71 years ago exactly.”

Investigators are reviewing video surveillance tapes and believe they are looking for at least two suspects. A local television station reported that the incidents are being treated as hate crimes.

Singer said he was “horrified” by the attacks.