The It Is Written Blog by Phoebe

Posted By Phoebe on August 29, 2010

Many people think that just by virtue of being human we are all God’s children. Is there justification for this idea in the bible? I can see why people might have this idea if they have read no further than Genesis. Genesis 1:16 states, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

If you went no further than this you would get an idea that every human is a child of God. The man and the woman had perfect union with God in the beginning and they fellowshipped with Him in the Garden of Eden.  But, then something happened; the woman was deceived by Satan. This story is in Genesis, chapter 3. She ate fruit from the tree which God had commanded them not to eat and this was the beginning of different fatherhood for the human race.

Afterwards, Adam and Eve had Cain, then Abel and when their third son, Seth, was born, you see that instead of Seth being in God’s image, he is in Adam’s image. This is recorded in Genesis 5:3, “And Adam live one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

Fast forward to the New Testament. Listen to these words spoken by Jesus in John 8:37-47

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.”  Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father–God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

Mind you, when Jesus spoke these words he was speaking to religious Jews, Pharisees, Jews who were experts in the Old Testament law and scriptures. What Jesus said to them was highly offensive and hard for them to hear. A few verses prior Jesus had spoken these words to them, John 8:21-24, “Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, “Where I go you cannot come?” And He said to them, “You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Again, read in John 10:24-30, “Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

So, rather than being children of God, we are now children of men and more disturbingly, children of the devil. Religious people, even, are not necessarily children of God.  The following passages call us children of men.

Psalm 53:2-3 “God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.”

Psalm 89:47 “Remember how short my time is; for what futility have You created all the children of men?”

This next passage says that the wicked are estranged from the womb.

Psalm 58:3  ”The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.”

Earlier in this same psalm we read the following.

Psalm 58:1-2  ”Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men? No, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.”

This verse from Ephesians really sums the whole problem up.

Ephesians 2:1-3  ”And you…, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

So, are we born children of God? No, we are not. But, before you lose hope and quit reading, God has made a way for us to become children of God!

Read the following passages.

Psalm 50:5  ”Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

Psalm 103:11-13  ”For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him, for He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”

The following passage from the book of John talks about John the Baptist, that he bore witness of Jesus (the Light) and why He came. It says He (Jesus) came that those who receive Him might become children of God.

John 1:6-13 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

And, here in this John, chapter one, passage is the truth of the whole matter. Being born physically, by flesh and blood, does not make one a child of God. Rather, believing in Jesus’ name makes one born of God, and thus a child of God. It is a concept of being born spiritually.

John 3:3-8  ”Jesus answered and said to him “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3:16-19  ”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

1 John 4:13-15  ”By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

So, my friends, are we all children of God? No, only those who believe in Jesus, the Son, can be rightly called children of God. This gift is free for the asking and you too, can be a child of God if you so choose. All any of us have to do is believe on the name of Jesus, believe that He is the Son of God. Then, and only then, can we rightly be called the sons or children of God.

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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Posted By Phoebe on July 13, 2010

Well, what do you think? From wikipedia I got this definition of capitalism:

Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned; supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments are determined mainly by private decisions in the free market, rather than through a planned economy; and profit is distributed to owners who invest in businesses. Capitalism also refers to the process of capital accumulation.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism

Let’s look at some scriptures:

Matthew 20:1-15, NKJV: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.” So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.” So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, “Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.” And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came they supposed that they would receive more and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, “These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.” But he answered one of them and said, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. “Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good? So, the last will be first, and the first last, “For many are called, but few chosen.”

Now, without taking into account the spiritual meaning of this passage, let’s look at just the parts which indicate a form of economic system.  There was a landowner. This landowner was not regulated apparently by any government to pay an equitable wage based on number of hours. The passage stated this landowner had the right to pay whatever he wished since the money and the land were his to distribute as he wished.

Now, let’s look at another parable in the bible, Matthew 25:14-30, NKJV

“For the kindom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled acounts with them.

“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, “Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.” His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” He also who had received two talents came and said, “Lord, you delivered to me two talents, look, I have gained two more talents besides them.” His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.”

“But his lord answered and said to him, “you wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my comining I would have recieved back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

“For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Again, we will ignore the spiritual aspect of this parable and only examine the economic system. A man had servants. We don’t know if they were paid or not. We only know that the servants were given money to invest for the man while he was away traveling. The man who journeyed obviously expected a return on his investment. The first two were wise and each doubled the money which was entrusted to them to manage. The last did nothing with the money except to bury it in the ground to return to the man upon his return. The first two servants knew how to invest and double the investment.  Apparently there was an economic system which allowed free enterprise and investment as the servants saw fit. The first two servants took advantage of this system and turned a profit for their master. The third servant, who had this free market enterprise system available to him, chose not to use it. Rather he buried the money, not even depositing it in a bank where it could earn interest.  The first two servants were rewarded by being made rulers over other things, presumably other business ventures for the master. This very much matches the definition of capitalism given in Wikipedia.

Now, let’s look at some verses from the Proverbs. The Proverbs are a Hebrew form of poetry in which dual statements are juxtaposed to compare and contrast opposites or to reiterate something made in the first statement.

Proverbs 10:4 NKJV, “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Proverbs 12:24 NKJV, “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.”

Proverbs 13:4 NKJV, “The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”

Proverbs 16:26 NKJV, “The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.”

Proverbs 22:29, NKJV, “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.”

Proverbs 28:19, NKJV, “He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough.”

Look at the woman described in Proverbs 31:13-31, NKJV

“She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.”

This woman was empowered to profit in business. You see her making clothing and selling it. You see her considering a field and buying it. You see her tending to the needs of her household. This was not a welfare mother. She worked hard with her hands. She stayed up late at night and got up early again in the morning working to provide for her household. You don’t get the idea from this magnificent example of womanhood any sense of entitlement or self pity. She wasn’t looking for a government handout. She took charge of her household and ran it wisely.

Look at the other verses in Proverbs.  Notice that each man is responsible for his own outcomes. If he works, he is rewarded.  If he is lazy he ends up in poverty. Proverbs 28:19 addresses the party boy or girl or the person who spends their day in “fun” pursuits:  ”…he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough.”

We will look at one last example from scripture, this one taken from the New Testament, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, NKJV: “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.  For even when we were with you, we commanded you this; “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”

Notice that if a man did not work, he was not to be given food by the others who did work. He was to go hungry. Notice Proverbs 16:26 above, a hungry man’s mouth drives him to work.

Now, let’s look at socialism. The following is from Wikipedia.

“Economically, socialism denotes an economic system of either state ownership and/or worker ownership and administration of the means of production, and management over the allocation of producer goods and the means of production. Public or worker ownership can refer to nationalisation, municipalisation, the establishment of cooperative enterprises or in some cases direct-worker ownership. The fundamental feature of a socialist economy is that publicly owned, state or worker-run institutions produce goods and services in at least the commanding heights of the economy.

“An economic goal of socialism is to more effectively satisfy demand by producing utility directly without being burdened by private property relations in the means of production and the need to generate profit, which socialists generally view as being remnants of a defunct mode of production and an impediment to contemporary productive capabilities.

“Various differing definitions of what constitutes a socialist economy exist, from those that define it as an entirely post-market and moneyless economy, to those that simply define it as publicly-owned and cooperative enterprises in a mixed-market or free-market economy.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

You see here that no one is rewarded for individual effort. There is no private ownership of lands or monies. This system assumes that all people are equally talented, or at least that they will be educated in such a way as to feed this system.

I see numerous problems with this economic model which ignores completely the human condition, namely the human’s need to be motivated to labor for his own personal reward. Look again at Proverbs 16:26, “The person who labors, labors for himself, for his hungry mouth drives him on.” This is why the socialist model really doesn’t work in any country where it’s ever been tried.  Men labor for the collective and it doesn’t matter if they are lazy or work hard because all the money goes into one pot and everyone collects somewhat the same thing no matter if they work hard or hardly work at all.

Any of us who are in the workplace, know how resentful we are of those who come in late, and who don’t pick up their share of the work. At least in the capitalist system, these slackers are likely to at some time be called into account for their actions. Hard work, for the most part, is rewarded in the capitalist model. Because it is rewarded and because we have the means to go into business for ourselves if we don’t like how we are compensated when working for someone else, we are motivated to work harder because we get the profits (or if we are not so good, we might get the losses, it is a risk after all).  But, you get the picture. Socialism fails because it steals from those who do work and gives to those who don’t.

Human nature is, by definition in the bible, depraved. See my previous articles entitled “Tyranny, the Role of Depravity and the US Constitution, Parts 1, 2, and 3.” The human soul will not be motivated to work when he or she is not rewarded with the fruits of their own labor and if they are not made to be hungry if they do not work. This is also why the welfare system in the US is ineffective. It seems generous and compassionate, but it actually does society a disservice by enabling those who will not work to steal from those who do.

And lastly, the concept of  stealing ushers in an ethical component.  Are both systems equally guilty? The bible states it is wrong to steal (Exodus 20:15). We are being told through major news media how evil capitalism is because corporations “steal” from the workers.  Socialism is touted as superior by some sources because it is more “fair and more compassionate.” Really? Is this what the bible teaches?  In fact, it is not what the bible teaches. You see from the first parable above, Matthew 20:1-15, that the workers contracted with the landowner for an amount of money. It was not unfair for him to contract with the other workers who worked less time for the same amount of money because the money was the landowner’s to do with as he wished. He did not steal from these workers because they were paid according to the contract to which they had agreed. I have worked for a Fortune 500 company.  I agreed to work for them for an amount of money. They paid me this amount. The company profited and they divvied out their profits in a manner in which they saw fit.  Is this stealing? No, it is not. They paid me what they said they would pay me. Nothing was promised me by way of the profits made by the company.

Now, consider the case of Enron. Did the Enron management steal from their employees? Yes, they most certainly did. They stole their employees’ retirement accounts. Are there unethical people who steal people’s money? Yes, there are, however, this is not going to be remedied by a socialist system because unethical people are within that system as well. There are unethical people everywhere, in every system. A “system” will not weed them out.

Does socialism steal? Yes, it does, and that was explained above in the discussion on socialism. It steals from people who work and gives it to people who do not work. It steals labor, profits, and honor. It steals labor by rewarding those who do not labor. It steals profits because profits are distributed equally among those who do and do not work. Lastly it steals honor, because a person is not rewarded according to the excellency of his or her own work.

Can an argument by made for capitalism in the bible?  Yes, I believe it can.

“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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Posted By Phoebe on June 19, 2010

For many who harbor ill feelings towards Jewish people for being those responsible for Christ’s crucifixion, please consider the following.

Isaiah 53:4 NKJV  Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, SMITTEN BY GOD (emphasis mine), and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:10 NKJV Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, He has put Him to grief. When You made His soul an offering for sin…”

Isaiah 53:12 NKJV  ”…because He poured out His soul unto death…”

Three times in this one chapter we read that God Himself was responsible for the death and sacrifice of the offering for sin. And, that’s the way God had planned it from the beginning.  What?

In the Old Testament Levitical sacrificial system, when people sinned, they would slaughter an animal and bring it to the priest, who would take the animal’s blood and sprinkle it on the altar to atone for those sins.  Leviticus, chapter four, lays out the instructions for the sacrifice of the sin offering. Verses 2-4 of this chapter read as follows: “Speak to the children of Israel saying: “If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done, and does any of them, if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord.”"

When you examine that passage and the verses beyond, think about Christ’s death; consider the crucifixion account. Luke 23:13 states that the chief priests, the rulers, and the people brought Jesus to Pilate. They demanded that Jesus be crucified (Luke 23:21). They brought the sacrifice (Jesus) to the high priest first (Caiaphas, Matthew 26:57). They, along with Caiaphas, sent him to Pontius Pilate and demanded His crucifixion.

Pilate saw no crime deserving of death in Jesus. Indeed, Jesus was the man without blemish, the sinless Son of God. In John the Baptist’s words, He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  The picture, given to us in the Old Testament, of an unblemished sacrifice being given to atone for the sins of man, was now coming to fulfillment in Jesus. His Hebrew name, Yeshua, means “God Saves.” When Pilate objected to killing Jesus due to not finding in Him a crime deserving of the punishment of death, the people answered and said, “His blood be upon us and on our children.” So, Pilate delivered Jesus to them to be crucified (John 19:16).

The crucifixion and sacrifice of Jesus satisfied several pictures of atonement in the Old Testament. His crucifixion was a sin offering. The book of Hebrews teaches that when the crucifixion occurred, when the sacrifice was made, He (Jesus) took His own blood and in the manner of the High Priest, which office He served on our behalf (see Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5:6, 7:21), sprinkled it in the Most Holy Place in heaven to atone for our sins. Hebrews 9:11-12 NKJV says, “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:24 NKJV, “For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters into the Most Holy Place every year with the blood of another– He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

So, I ask you, did the Jews kill Jesus? You might think that I just argued that they did. Nay. They simply carried out the plan which had been set in motion in eternity past. God, with His Son, covenanted together for the nations of the world. Consider Psalm 2:7-8, “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.”"

God gave us the picture of His ultimate plan in Jesus through the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Jesus came and did what the Old Testament foreshadowed. He offered Himself a sacrifice for the inheritance that had been given to Him by the Father. Did the Jews kill Jesus? Nay. Jesus offered Himself willingly. He didn’t have to come to earth. He could have disavowed His inheritance. His inheritance had disavowed Him when they sinned and were disobedient. No, Jesus chose to come to earth. He chose to buy us back with His blood. We had fallen slaves to sin, doomed, with no hope of redemption. Did the Jews kill Jesus? Nay. We all killed Jesus. His blood is on all of our hands, just as the people proclaimed. We are all guilty of sin, needful of a sacrifice. Of necessity, an offering has to be made for sin. As guilty people, we are helpless to save ourselves. We are blemished. Goats and bulls never made atonment for sin. They were only a picture of what was to come. Christ came. Christ offered Himself. God was pleased to put Him to death (SMITTEN BY GOD), so that the nations might trust in Him and be saved, thereby granting to His Son the inheritance He so richly deserves.

Hebrews 12:1-4 NKJV, “God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Did you learn anything here?  There is a DVD on my website that may interest you: Who Really Killed Jesus? It is a debate between Rabbi Schmuley Boteach and Michael Brown. Get your bible and study it for yourself. If you don’t have a bible, you can order one from my website, http://www.itiswrittenphoebe.com. Buy a study bible, one that has notes and commentary. Learn the truth. Love it. Live it.

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Posted By Phoebe on June 6, 2010

Significance Of Passover

Passover… The first feast of the year!  Such tradtion in the Jewish culture!  Such blessing for Christians!  For the Jews, a celebration of deliverance from slavery in Egypt and fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that they will live in their land.  For Christians and Messianic Jews, the deliverance of the believer from a life in bondage to sin, the promise of eternal life! The holiday has tremendous significance for Jews and Believers in Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah, our SACRIFICE LAMB!  He has delivered us from sin and gives us eternal life!  Christians can rejoice and celebrate this holiday and we invite you to do so!  Use the information on this site to help you in that endeavor.  It will be a worthwhile experience and provide memories for years to come! 

Leviticus 23:5-6  On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover.  And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 

Complete instructions for celebrating Passover are found in Exodus 12.  Here is a sampling.  Exodus 12:5-10 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire–its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. 

Exodus 12:21-24 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.” 

Celebrate Passover!  The meal is called a Passover Seder (SAYduhr).  Seder means “service”.  You will need a Passover Haggadah (hagGAHduh).  Haggadah means “narration”.  The Haggadah is a book that is read as part of the service.  There are several offered on this website.  Intersperse music throughout as part of your celebration.  You can use Christian or Messianic music.  Passover recipes and food ideas as well as other passover resources can be found by clicking here on  Celebrate Passover.  Let your children participate by asking the four questions and searching for the afikomen.  Discover the flavors and meanings of the elements of the passover meal: the lamb, the bitter herbs, matzah, karpas, charoset.  Enjoy the celebration and let us know how your night went!  My family typically invites guests over on Good Friday and we celebrate passover on that night.  This generally (but not always!) falls during the week of Unleavened Bread.

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Posted By Phoebe on June 4, 2010

I am an unabashed supporter of Israel and believe that God’s blessing rests on them still.

Once again, Israel faces hypocrisy and a biased rush to judgment. I’m afraid this isn’t the first time. Last year, Israel acted to stop Hamas from firing thousands of rockets into Israel’s towns and cities. Hamas was firing on our civilians while hiding behind civilians. And Israel went to unprecedented lengths to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties. Yet it was Israel, and not Hamas, that was accused by the UN of war crimes.

Now regrettably, the same thing appears to be happening now. But here are the facts. Hamas is smuggling thousands of Iranian rockets, missiles and other weaponry – smuggling it into Gaza in order to fire on Israel’s cities. These missiles can reach Ashdod and Beer Sheva – these are major Israeli cities. And I regret to say that some of them can reach now Tel Aviv, and very soon, the outskirts of Jerusalem. From the information we have, the planned shipments include weapons that can reach farther, even farther and deeper into Israel.

Under international law, and under common sense and common decency, Israel has every right to interdict this weaponry and to inspect the ships that might be transporting them. This is not a theoretical challenge or a theoretical threat. We have already interdicted vessels bound for Hezbollah, and for Hamas from Iran, containing hundreds of tons of weapons. In one ship, the Francop, we found hundreds of tons of war materiel and weapons destined for Hezbollah. In another celebrated case, the Karine A, dozens of tons of weapons were destined for Hamas by Iran via a shipment to Gaza.

Israel simply cannot permit the free flow of weapons and war materials to Hamas from the sea. I will go further than that. Israel cannot permit Iran to establish a Mediterranean port a few dozen kilometers from Tel Aviv and from Jerusalem. And I would go beyond that too. I say to the responsible leaders of all the nations: The international community cannot afford an Iranian port in the Mediterranean.

Fifteen years ago I cautioned about an Iranian development that has come to pass – people now recognize that danger. Today I warn of this impending willingness to enable Iran to establish a naval port right next to Israel, right next to Europe. The same countries that are criticizing us today should know that they will be targeted tomorrow.

For this and for many other reasons, we have a right to inspect cargo heading into Gaza. And here’s our policy. It’s very simple: Humanitarian and other goods can go in and weapons and war materiel cannot. And we do let civilian goods into Gaza. There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Each week, an average of ten thousand tons of goods enter Gaza. There’s no shortage of food. There’s no shortage of medicine. There’s no shortage of other goods. On this occasion too, we made several offers – offers to deliver the goods on board the flotilla to Gaza after a security inspection. Egypt made similar offers. And these offers were rejected time and again. So our naval personnel had no choice but to board these vessels.

Now, on five of the vessels, our seamen were not met by any serious violence and as a result, there were noserious injuries aboard those ships. But on the largest ship, something very different happened. Our naval personnel, just as they landed on the ship – you can see this in the videos – the first soldier – they were met with a vicious mob. They were stabbed, they were clubbed, they were fired upon. I talked to some of these soldiers. One was shot in the stomach, one was shot in the knee. They were going to be killed and they had to act in self-defense.

It is very clear to us that the attackers had prepared their violent action in advance. They were members of an extremist group that has supported international terrorist organizations and today support the terrorist organization called Hamas. They brought with them in advance knives, steel rods, other weapons. They chanted battle cries against the Jews. You can hear this on the tapes that have been released. This was not a love boat. This was a hate boat. These weren’t pacifists. These weren’t peace activists. These were violent supporters of terrorism.

I think that the evidence that the lives of the Israeli seamen were in danger is crystal clear. If you’re a fair-minded observer and you look at those videos, you know this simple truth. But I regret to say that for many in the international community, no evidence is needed. Israel is guilty until proven guilty. Once again, Israel is told that it has a right to defend itself but is condemned every time it exercises that right. Now you know that a right that you cannot exercise is meaningless. And you know that the way we exercise it – under these conditions of duress, under the rocketing of our cities, under the impending killing of our soldiers – you know that we exercise it in a way that is commensurate with any international standard. I have spoken to leading leaders of the world, and I say the same thing today to the international community: What would you do? How would you stop thousands of rockets that are destined to attack your cities, your civilians, your children? How would your soldiers behave under similar circumstances? I think in your hearts, you all know the truth.

Israel regrets the loss of life. But we will never apologize for defending ourselves. Israel has every right to prevent deadly weapons from entering into hostile territory. And Israeli soldiers have every right to defend their lives and their country. This may sound like an impossible plea, or an impossible request, or an impossible demand, but I make it anyway: Israel should not be held to a double standard. The Jewish state has a right to defend itself just like any other state.

Thank you.

http://tool.donation-net.net/Images/Email/1097/Statement_by_PM_Netanyahu.pdf

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Posted By Phoebe on June 3, 2010

Psalm 14:1-3 NKJV The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one.

Psalm 10:4 NKJV The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.

The biblical basis for belief in the depravity of man is throughout the scriptures.  We see it demonstrated all the way from Genesis throughout the Old Testament and into the New.  Eve, then Adam, sinned in the garden. Man was so wicked prior to the flood that God was sorry He had made them. The Egyptians were cruel taskmasters to the Hebrews. The Hebrews were guilty of continual backsliding, starting with the golden calf, proceeding through the Judges, then the Kings. They constantly refused to listen to their prophets, and killed many of them,  leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. The evil nature of man finds its climax in the book of Revelation with the rising of the antichrist.

Outside of scripture we see plenty of evidence for the depravity of man.  The names of some of the most evil men: Antiochus Epiphanes, Herod the Great, Nero, Hitler, Stalin. Every day in the newspaper and on the evening news we hear of murders, shootings, robberies, rapes.

Our founding fathers sought to create a society that could govern itself in such a way as to mitigate the influences of man’s depravity. Each branch of government would be accountable to the other branches of governments as well as to the citizens they serve. To believe that the nature of men has somehow changed since the founding of this country is false and disingenuous. The nature of men has always been and will continue to be depraved. We continue to need the checks and balances written into our constitution by our founding fathers. The only reason then, for anyone to cast aspersion on our constitution, is that rewriting the constitution is the only means to gaining more power over the citizenry.  This is what our constitution was designed to prevent. This restraint, dictated by our constitution, chafes at the hearts of men who crave power and control. We need to be very careful of anyone casting aspersion on our constitution and suggesting that it is out of date. We need to be critical of those who are critical of our founding fathers. Likewise, we need to be wary of people who go outside of the constitution to make political appointments, e.g., czars, and we need to be critical of executive orders.

This is what we are experiencing in our government today. The three branches of government are not holding each other accountable. Decisions are being made for political purposes only, without regard to the true right or wrong of the decision. There is a movement to socialize many aspects of our society somehow for the “greater good.”

All philosophical arguments should be filtered through the lens of scripture. Is it right? Is it just? Our system of laws is largely influenced by the ten commandments. Many would be surprised to learn that the face of Moses overlooks the justices in the courtroom in the Supreme Court building of the United States.  Jesus stated that all of the laws and commandments could be summed up in two, quotes from the books of  Deuteronomy (6:5) and Leviticus (19:18): “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is , He said was the greatest commandment and the second was like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (See Matthew 22:37-40.)

When we fail to scrutinize decisions made by our political leaders and when we choose to be blind to half-truths told by our media, we fall prey to our own depravity and will lose the freedoms we hold dear and which so many of our countrymen have died to defend.

Wake up America! Don’t be blinded by our politicians or our President. Be on guard. Consider your own depravity and the role it plays in your own laziness and inattention to the brevity of the situation our country faces. Put it aside. Fight the good fight.  Run the race.

Look at the verses in 2 Timothy 3:1-9: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.”

Before the November elections be ready to vote. And, vote as educated people. Don’t vote on your feelings. Your feelings can be fickle. Take some time to read the constitution. It can be found on the internet. Vote for men and women who respect the constitution and understand why it must be defended. Don’t vote on men and women who charm us with nice speeches. Research your candidates. Find out what they really believe. What they really believe may not be spoken in their speeches.  Speeches are meant primarily to persuade and to obtain votes. They may not have anything to do with what a candidate actually believes. What a candidate is about and what they believe is abundantly available through the internet. Pay attention. Don’t be deceived. While we as a citizenry still have the power to effect elections, we owe it to ourselves and to our posterity to do exactly that!

For more information on the subject of depravity, get a good study bible. Read Genesis, the gospels, the book of Romans.

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Posted By Phoebe on May 28, 2010

Matthew 19:16-17, NKJV:  Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

As you can see from the verse above, Jesus, Himself, said that no one was good but One, that One being God Himself.  I include this verse because it is informative as to how Jesus defined being “good.” He considered no one good except God.  From the Romans passage mentioned in the first article, we learn that the bible says that there is none righteous, no, not one.

Today, we have officials in government and in our society at large who believe that society has evolved since the 18th century, and that since society has evolved, the constitution must also evolve to keep up. The implication is that society has evolved for the better. Well, contrary to that belief, society has most certainly not evolved for the better and most likely in every way that you could measure (crime statistics for one) has most likely devolved. The error in thinking rests in the fact that human nature today is no less flawed than in 1620, than in 1517, 1492, 300 or Zero A.D., or when the first humans sinned.

We fail to remember or perhaps do not know that the bible teaches we are hopelessly, helplessly depraved and inclined to sin. Without an act of the Holy Spirit in our hearts we will carry this nature with us to the grave and beyond. Our founding fathers saw this truth in the behavior of men and sought to hold it in check by making men accountable to each other. They had lived through kings with hearts as depraved as any of their subjects. They understood that this sinful inclination rests in the hearts of all men, whether royal or peasant by birth.

Our forefathers knew the value of a heart shaped by adversity and sought to make it possible for any noble soul, no matter the position of their birth (whether gentry or common), to succeed and rise to the top.

Hard work and adversity shapes men’s souls. Our forefathers knew this and they gave us by example and by provision a society built on these virtues. Because of this our nation has produced men and women of valor and courage and with a strong work ethic. Our forebears bequeathed to us a society where hard work would be rewarded. Men and women would be able to enjoy the fruits of their own labors. Our founders saw this as just and beneficial to society as a whole. There surely was a place for charity but it would be charity of a sort that taught men to work, not the sort that would enable and entrap in a cycle of never-ending poverty.  It would be a society where men would be equal, endowed by their Creator to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Men will never be helped until they are enjoined in the struggle. As they work and start to reap the rewards of their own efforts, they will be motivated and inspired to continue. We must not rob men of their reward. We must not steal the pride and honor which comes with hard work. We must do all we can to encourage a man’s effort, otherwise, we will be left with a society where men, not motivated by their work, will stop working and fall prey to their own depravity, a depravity from which comes the ills in society: drunkenness, laziness, addictions, and other immoral behavior.

We are wrong to try to change or revise what our founding fathers did. They purposefully made it difficult to change our laws and constitution. They knew that men, unchecked and unaccountable, would become corrupt and tyrannical. They had experienced this firsthand. We may tire of the constant political bickering, but the discourse is necessary and informative to the citizens at large. I thank God that our forefathers gave us a system of government where there is opportunity to turn it around before the entire ship sinks.

I hope that in this discussion you begin to see the great flaw in socialism and welfare, the great flaw in excessive taxation, the great flaw in an expansive government that seeks to tell citizens that they know better how to take care of us than we know how to take care of ourselves.

Come back to this discussion in a few days when I will publish part three. Enjoy the Memorial Day holiday and take some time to remember our veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice that we might remain a free people on the earth.

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