Satan's Heavenly Name: Lucifer 

     Yesterday, Genesis chapter 3 introduced dishonest Satan, a key angel expelled from heaven along with many others. The Lord allowed him to test Adam and Eve, and he and they angered God, a lasting effect on our world. 

     The lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob led to the Jewish race. While kings and other leaders did their thing, Jewish prophets received God's teaching for future benefit. They revealed positives and negatives, and the future. One special revelation in Ezekiel chapter 28 tells us where the Devil came from. 

V 

     "The word of the Lord (in part) to Lucifer: You were a model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God (the serpent in Monday's blog). You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. So, I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God...in the future: All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end (not yet) and will be no more." 

     So that's the chief cause of world trouble. God hasn't thrown him into hell, yet. In fact, God uses Satan. He will imprison Satan during the millennium. At the end, He will allow him out to rally unbelievers. Then! Hell for all fallen angels and the remaining human unbelievers.

 Tomorrow: Any more Jewish commentary on satanic activity?

      

 Before There Were Kings, Prophets and Rabbis 

     There was a special man, Abram, in Genesis chapter 12, later known as Abraham. Does that mean Genesis chapters 1-11 don't matter? 

     Chapter 1 & 2: God made the heavens and the earth, the Garden of Eden, and the first man, Adam. The only rule, Adam was not to eat from "the tree of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Then God created the first woman, Eve.   

     Chapter 3: Oh oh! The fall of man. What? Already? God permits a serpent to speak. The snake chooses Eve: "Did God surely say...?" She knew what God warned her husband, and answered the serpent. He lied: "You will not surely die...for God knows that your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  

     Still in chapter 3 of our 2,039-page Bible. Eve saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye. And it was desirable for gaining wisdom. She gave some fruit to Adam, and the eyes of both of them were opened. The Lord scolded the serpent (Satan) and Adam and Eve. Another eight verses reveal how an angry God dealt with his first humans.

     In chapter 6, the world had become so wicked God flooded the earth, with only Noah and his family surviving. Still no Abraham. 

     Is this the last we read of Satan?  

Come back tomorrow.

  

     

                                        Jesus Said:

When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. - Matthew 6:6 

Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all. Whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. - Mark 9:35, 37 

Then he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit his very self. - Luke 9:23-26 

I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. - John 5:19 

God's Covenant with Abraham 

     Is it still in effect? 

     Yesterday we blogged about the October 17, 2023 massacre and what Israelites are doing to recover...and excel. In ancient times there was the Passover, Old Testament law, fear of the Lord, God's covenant with Israelites...with David...Jerusalem, prophets, the glory of God...and more. 

     We know that Israelites lost their nation to Rome in 70 A.D. We know there were still faithful millions of Jews, scattered, when Hitler decided to call them "evil" in the 1930s and World War II. There were 9,689 million Jews in 22 European nations. Worse than Germany, 3 million were killed in Poland, and 1 million in the Soviet Union. In the 22 nations, death fell on 5,594 million, or 57.74 percent of Jews. 

     That horrible tragedy - and little reaction among Europeans and the United States - who suffered the war - convinced some Jewish men to take over the holy land, which they did in 1948. They had to fight for it. 

     Everything was wonderful. No. They had to fight Egyptians. Still in the 20th century, Iran was overtaken by Muslim radicals. They couldn't just rule Iran. They consistently call Israel "little Satan," and the United States, "great Satan." 

     There is anti-Israel sentiment in the world today, even in America. On Sunday, Views will continue with quotes by Jesus. On Monday we'll look for Satan. 

           Jimmy 

Remembering Oct. 7, 2023 

     "October 7 is with us all the time," says a member of Israel's management team in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz, where 90 percent of residents have made a quiet return. The agricultural community was founded in 1951. 

     "Not everyone is willing to risk living so close to Hamas-ruled territory. Since the early 2000s, Nahal Oz suffered relentless mortar fire and rocket attacks from Gaza. When bomb warnings would sound, residents had seconds to reach shelter. They saw Hamas members training on the other side, heard them digging tunnels under their homes, and watched incendiary balloons devastate their crops. 

 Excuse me. The government did nothing?

     "The October 7 surprise attack left more than 1,200 people dead and others carried away. The Trump administration's Board of Peace gives hope of some security. The board will oversee Gaza reconstruction and civil administration, yet to go beyond rhetoric. 

     "The challenge for a new generation is believing that Gaza can look different from its past. Israel's early leaders expected the borders would grow safer over time, and they believed relations with their neighbors would normalize. But the notion that Jewish people are secure in their ancient homeland was shattered. 

     "Israel's government wants to show security is possible. It began plans to rebuild two weeks after the incident. Since then, it has renovated buildings and rebuilt infrastructure. The region now has 3,000 more residents than before and plans to double the population by 2033.

     "Gilad Yavetz, a renewable energy businessman, believes Nahal Oz could become a showcase for agricultural technology. His 23-year-old son, Yiftach, led the force that confronted the terrorists on Oct. 7, preventing a larger massacre. Yiftach died during the battle. His father feels a duty to strengthen the community his son died to protect. 'My son helped save 400 people. I want to follow his path.'"

 WORLD magazine

Are You a New Creature?                     - a message from our pastor -

     "There is our linage, our DNA, our education, our good deeds, our failures, our age, our appearance.

     "But, if we are children of Jesus Christ, we are new creatures. We are no longer primarily the above identities. We are not even primarily the product of our parents. 

     "In Christ, we are products of the Heavenly Father. 

     "The late Smith Wigglesworth, plumber turned preacher, said: "I am a thousand times bigger on the inside than I am on the outside." Why so? Because the Spirit of God dwells within us. 

     "Many or most of us don't talk to ourselves like that. We look in the mirror and rehearse the same old lines. 

     "If we have made the confession to God (seriously) He has placed his Spirit in us. We are worth more than we imagine. We are a thousand times larger on the inside than we are on the outside." 

  Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. - 1 John 4:4. 

  #

Proverbs

     How to better understand ourselves and others, our weaknesses and strengths. 

     Most of the book of Proverbs was written by King David's son and successor, Solomon. In chapter 1:2-7 Solomon promotes wisdom and understanding in behavior, righteousness, justice and equity. Simple people can be prudent; youth can gain knowledge and discretion, and the wise might become wiser. Following are words in chapters 1and 2:

            Wisdom                                        Foolish

             insight                                       rush into sin   

          discipline                                         wayward

           discretion                                  love simple ways  

          discerning                                          plunder

      fear of the Lord                                 ill gotten gain 

         knowledge                                         mockery 

            listen                                             schemes 

          insight                                            complacent     

        blameless                                          dark ways  

          faithful                                              devious  

      fair and just                                         seductive

          love                                                 unfaithful

     straight paths                                    paths to the dead