January 1st 2021: A New Opportunity to Read Through Your Bible

 1-1-21 (Friday):

Day 1:   Philippians, chs. 1-4, yes, the whole 'book'. I decided to start here after listening to a sermon by the late Ronald Dart on Youtube, titled, "The Bread of Affliction'. He quoted Phil 3:4-11 so I thought I'd read the entire book and quote most of the vs read in the sermon by Ron Dart which he delivered in early 1991.

Phil. 3:7-11 (ESV):

7.   But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8.   Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

9.   and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith

10. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

11. that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Powerful words!

Something to note: Compare the following scriptures: 1 Cor. 11:1 & Phil. 3:17 & 4:9.

Together, let us read and study ALL of God's Word, the Holy BIBLE, throughout  2021. 

Yes, every day! Let us see if we can read the entire OT once and the NT twice.

TODAY IS THE ANNUAL DAY OF ATONEMENT

 "Day of WHAT?", I hear you ask. It's known as Yom Kippur by the Jews and it's a day all Bible believers should observe. It's listed with six other annual Sabbaths (or, high days) in Lev. 23. The LORD of the Old Testament (Yahweh, 

the One Who became the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, when He was born of a virgin, Miriam about 4BC in Bethlehem of Judea. Known as the Word (Jn 1:1-3,14), He was the Divine God-being Who Created the universe (Gen. 1).)

is the One Who declared to Moses that the 'appointed Feasts' listed in Lev. 23 were His festivals or  holy convocations (commanded assemblies), not (just) the festival of the Jews'! They are NOT 'Jewish holy days', as most seem to believe! That is a Satanic LIE! It is vitally important to know that they are holy days that belong to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are for all mankind, not just for the Jews! But, realistically, only those who have been called and had their minds opened by God can come to a true knowledge of the Christian Scriptures! All humans should observe God's commanded festivals at this period in human history but it is not possible due to some fine details in God's plan of salvation! The seven annual holy days / festivals plus Passover were in God's mind when He created the moon of Day 4 of Creation Week (Gen. 1:14-19). The Hebrew word for seasons in v 14 is mow'ed, which can also be translated festivals, or 'appointed times'. Eg. the 1st Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the spring (March or April) and the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles every autumn (September or October) falls on a full moon. The Feast of Trumpets falls on a new moon every autumn. The other annual Sabbaths (Pentecost and the Day of Atonement) can fall on or near a new or full moon from year to year but that's just a coincidence as their dates are derived by counting from another High Day Sabbath. 

Now back to the Day of Atonement, which informed people of God are observing today, September 28th, 2020. According to the Sacred calendar, it is the 10th day of Tishri, the 7th month. Beginning at sundown yesterday, it was required of God that all His people who have been enlightened, deprive themselves of all food and fluids until sundown this evening, a period of roughly 24 hours. The name of the day can be read 'At-one-ment' with God. The Eternal, our Creator, Saviour and High Priest wants His people to be at one with Him in every way. Eg. Jesus commanded His disciples, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Becoming perfect, for just about everyone, is a journey, not a destination. Because we live in a fallen world, we will always be imperfect compared to God as long as we are in the flesh. But we must strive to become perfect and uproot sin out of our lives every day by seeking God's help diligently, or we never succeed. 

The Day of Atonement is mentioned indirectly in Acts 27:9 showing it was still known to (and observed by) 1st century believers. It is a vitally important holy day in God's plan of the salvation for the entire human race. It is a sad truth that the vast majority of professing Christians are missing out on a very important and exciting truth, namely that God is very close to each one of His children. He wants us all to be like Him so we can enjoy eternal joy and happiness with Him forever, after this temporary life is over. 

***More to be added soon***

Does Anyone Have an Immortal Soul?

 It is commonly believed by nearly all religions that every individual has, or is, an immortal soul that will forever exist in some state or location beyond the physical body's death. This is a universal but false belief that billions of people of most religions take for granted. 

The purpose of this study is to come to the TRUTH of the matter and find out the REALITY of the subject of the soul. I offer no apology for basing my beliefs on the teachings concerning the soul found in the Christian Bible. The 66 books of the Bible are God's revelation to mankind and it offers the final word on any subject concerning spiritual matters. When properly understood, the Bible is more reliable than the greatest discoveries and writings of the best human minds on any subject (that it touches) under the sun. 

Rather than re-invent the wheel, so to speak, I will put a link for MANY well-researched articles explaining what the Bible really teaches about the soul. Here it is:

https://www.ucg.org/bcse/search/immortal%20soul

 

Here's another link to dozens more articles on the same subject:

https://rcg.org/search.html?q=immortal+soul

 

Some key Scriptures to keep in mind:

Genesis 2:7 - man became a living soul, not an immortal soul; 

Ezekiel 18:4, 20 - this tells us that the soul of man can die; it is not immortal;

 Malachi 6:1 - this is a strong revelation that the wicked will be destroyed, body and soul;

Matthew 10:28 - God 'is able to destroy both soul and body in hell' - the soul is not immortal;

1 Cor 2:11 - every individual has a spirit within from God. Without this spirit, the body dies! This spirit been confused with the soul.

Some Notes on Biblical Prophecy

"I consider it a sin to talk about prophecy without including hope." So said Ron Dart in a sermon he gave on 10-10-98, titled 'Why Prophecy?'
No prophecy is unchangeable and while some negative and fearful prophecies in the Bible seem destined to occur as written, such is not always the case.
Consider the dire message God gave Jonah to deliver to the people of Nineveh?  God commanded His prophet Jonah to cry out to the people of Nineveh, "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
Let's consider what happened. Did Jonah obey God and warn the people of Nineveh that God would destroy this great city-state in 40 days if it did not repent? Yes. Was this a true prophecy? Yes. Did it come to pass? No. Why not? Simply because the people of Nineveh heeded the warning and repented. From the least to the greatest.
As a result, God changed His mind and allowed the people to live. He 'repented' of His decision to destroy the vast city and everyone in it.
See an example of where God again changed His mind and did not destroy another people He came close to wiping out because of their idolatry (Ex. 32:14).
Did God know what the outcome would be? Hardly. If the future had already been set, then the people of Nineveh would have had no choice and God would have known how they would have reacted to Jonah's warning in advance. The whole exercise would have been pointless
Notice Jonah's incredible reaction to God's mercy in not carrying through His intention to destroy Nineveh. He was 'exceedingly displeased, and it kindled anger in him (Jonah 4:1). Wow. Listen to his reasoning. 'And he prayed to the Lord and said, "Please, O Lord, was this not my saying when I was still in my land? Therefore on account of this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and One who repents of the evil" (v.2). Jonah tried to avoid carrying out his assignment not so much because he was fearful of the response from the people of Nineveh but because he knew there was a good chance that God would not destroy its' inhabitants. Nineveh was a very warlike city-state that had done great damage to Israel and so, Jonah wanted the city totally destroyed. It was a totally understandable desire (but not a godly one) and when it did not happen, he said to God, "And now, O Lord, I beseech You, take my life from me, for better is my death than my life" (v. 3). That is the reason why Jonah is called 'the reluctant prophet'.
A good insight on the message of Jonah's mission is explained in this article. 

Six Ethics of Life

I read this list of advice by Tony Robbins on Pinterest just now:

Before you pray - Believe

Before you speak - Listen

Before you spend - Earn

Before you write - Think

Before you quit - Try

Before you die - Live


Some very good advice and tips to live by!



Also, think on these things:

Things Money Can't Buy:

  1. Manners

  2. Morals

  3. Respect

  4. Character

  5. Common Sense

  6. Trust

  7. Patience

  8. Class

  9. Integrity

10. Love

More tips and nuggets of wisdom from 'The Cork Advertiser' magazine

I picked up a copy of the latest issue of The Cork Advertiser magazine, a fine free monthly glossy publication for the people of Mallow and large parts of Cork county.
There's always a big supply at the Customer Desk at Douglas Court Shopping Centre, where I usually pick up my copy as soon as it's available.
The following tips and nuggets of wisdom are from the issue dated 28th February 2020.

Page No.

 2     Life without a goal is futile

 3     Take this day as a gift from God

 4     Today I will drive out all fear from my life

 5     The only limits in your life are the buts you use today

 6     A lack of vision today costs credibility tomorrow

 7     Today get out of your comfort zone

 8     What is not started today is never finished tomorrow

 9     Don't let yesterday use up too much of today

10    Live a day at a time

11    What children need today are parents - not buddies

12    Worry empties today of its strength

13    To succeed today, you have to set priorities

14    Let today be a fresh start

15    If you fell down yesterday, stand up today

16    Plan your work today, then work your plan

17    Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today

18    Today I will do someone a good turn

19    I will try to live through this day only

20    Today I will do someone a good turn, and not get found out

21    Life is too short to wake up today with regrets

22    Live for what today has to offer

23    Be the reason someone smiles today

24    Today's society has become so fake that the truth bothers some

25    Each day I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings

26    One day at a time is enough

27    Just for today, let go of anger

28    Today I will have a quiet hour to myself

29    Today I will enjoy what is beautiful

30    Today I will save myself from hurry and indecision

31    The beginning is always today

32    Expect something good to happen today

33    Today is yours to shape

34    Harness the power of today

35   Today is the first day of the rest of your life

36   It's our attitude about today that matters

37    Let's bring that 'someday' today

38    Today I decided to let go

39    Hello to today, I'm so glad you're here
        (Say "Hello" to today, "I'm so glad you're here")

40    Today is non-refundable

41    Start today creating a vision for yourself

42    The destiny of future generations depends on our actions today

43    Each day is a gift. Don't take it for granted

44    Today is sacred - for it will never come again

45    Tomorrow isn't better than today - yet

46    What you do today defines tomorrow

47    Every tomorrow is an outcome of what I do today

48    Do something positive today and make a difference

49    Carpe diem, today and every day
        (Seize the day [Latin])

50    Love all, trust few, do wrong to none

51    Today is a new canvas. Paint it well








A Special Bonus

Also, from the same magazine, is a list of

10 Things Money Can't Buy:

 1.   Manners

 2.   Morals

 3.   Respect

 4.   Character

 5.   Common sense

 6.   Trust

 7.   Patience

 8.   Class

 9.    Integrity

10.   Love

How to Avoid King Saul's Spiritual Mistakes

I just heard a helpful worthwhile sermon by a preacher, Ron Dart, 1930-2016, about the mistakes/sins of ancient Israel's first king, a man named Saul. [Click (here) to watch: The Forgiveness of Kings.]

(Sadly, the quality of the sound is poor much of the time. Also, it has helpful subtitles.)

Near the end of this sermon, Ron Dart gives 7 tips to avoid being like Saul. They are worth knowing.

1)   Don't blame others. When things go wrong, look within yourself and ask where (and why) YOU made your mistake/sin

2)   Do not minimize your mistakes/sins. Let them be as bad as they can be in your own eyes. Own up to being wrong. Be totally honest with yourself.

3)   Don't justify yourself. As long as you're trying to justify yourself, how can God justify you? And how can the blood of Christ justify you of your sins. Confess you did what you did because you wanted to do it. Don't try to 'get off the hook' by claiming 'the devil made (me) do it'.

4)   Accept responsibility for what has happened. Accept the blame. (Again, don't blame others'.) Pick it up. Wear it. Deal with it.

5)   Admit you were wrong. Confess your sins to God. Be totally honest with Him. Admit your sins to yourself too.

6)   Apologize to those you have wronged or hurt. (When you do wrong to others, be humble and say, "I was wrong. I'm very sorry." Those little words, sincerely said, will get you out of more trouble than you can possibly imagine.) You can only really be considered to be sorry and repentant when you're accepted responsibility and apologizing does that.

7)   Repent. That means you turn your conduct around and you start living your life differently.


All these tips go together. All 7 must be put into practice. None of them are easy but any other course of action than the repentant course leads to a kind of insanity which is what eventually happened to King Saul.

"If you lie to others, that makes you a sinner; if you lie to yourself, that makes you insane."

Finally, remember, with God's help, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

More Tips and Advice from the New Issue of The Cork Advertiser

Today, I picked up the latest issue of FREE 60-page glossy magazine, The Cork Advertiser.
At the foot of almost every page is a piece of advice to help the reader have as successful and happy a life as possible.  I plan to put as many tips as possible (and relevant) into practice in my life. I hope they are helpful to you too.

Page:

 2   Be different; be daring; be first
 3   Take time to recharge your batteries
 4   Never ever accept mediocrity
 5   Don't wait for opportunities, seize them
 6   Be open to change
 7   To thine own self be true
 8   When (the) decision is made, the debate is over
 9   Live one day at a time
10   Emotions are choices
11   Smile and walk tall
12   A wise man changes his mind sometimes, a fool never
13   Respect others
14   No-one is exempt from disappointment
15   Follow your intuition
16   Call on God, but row away from the rocks
17   The hardest victory is over oneself
18   Success doesn't come to you, you go to it
19   Seize the moment
20   The price of success is hard work
21   Never talk defeat
22   No half measures
23   Life is not a dress rehearsal
24   Enjoy what you can, endure what you must
25   Don't let fear stop you
26   Simplicity is complex
27   Never put people on pedestals, we all have clay feet
28   Man talks, but God directs
29   True friends are better than gold
30   Penny wise pound foolish
31   Adventure is the champagne of life
32   Always do your best
33   The best time to worry is tomorrow
34   Talk slowly, think quickly
35   Take the initiative
36   Live according to nature
37   Only fools rejoice at promises
38   Out of debt, out of danger
39   Research, plan, do
40   Every sunrise is a second chance
41   The less you talk, the more you are listened to
42   Pride is the author of all sin
43   Standing still means going backwards
44   Cheap is dear
45   Don't think, just do
46   Wise words don't come cheap
47   Become a person of value
48   Soft words win hard debates
49   Poverty is the mother of crime
50   Growing old is a privilege denied to many
51   Work hard at work worth doing
52   Adversity makes a man wise, not rich
53   As you sow so shall you reap
54   Desire conquers fear
55   Deliberate often, decide once
56   Learn to love silence
57   Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you
58   Still waters run deep
59   The slow horse reaches the mill

Feast of Trumpets - September 30, 2019

Today, Monday, Sept 30th is the Feast of Trumpets, an annual Holy Day to the LORD (Yahweh), the God of the Bible. It is an annual Sabbath, a 'high day', a commanded assembly and a day of rest from regular work, school, shopping, entertainment and other secular activities. It began at sunset last night. (As an aside, very day of the entire [Sacred calendar] year, according to Gen 1 and Lev 23:32, starts at sunset the previous day, not at midnight!)
The Feast of Trumpets is the 4th of God's 7 annual Sabbaths. (Yes, it's the middle one.) It falls on the first of Tishri, the seventh month of the Sacred calendar. Very little is said about its' significance in Lev 23:24-25 where it's first mentioned. Elsewhere in Scripture, more revelation about the meaning of this Sabbath is recorded for God's people to glean, examine and understand. We learn that trumpets are associated with war (ex. Num 10:9). In I Cor 15:52, we learn the dead in Christ will rise at the 'last trump', a yet future time when this present evil age of man will come to an end and the glorious 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ will begin throughout all the Earth. Much could be, and indeed already has been written about this major meaningful biblical Feast day. I suggest all those interested in knowing more read the following articles and Bible Study Guides. NB. Be sure to look up the Bible references to get maximum understanding of the messages.

https://www.cogwriter.com/trumpet-plan.htm

http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-plan/feast-of-trumpets-war-and-rescue.htm

https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/gods-holy-day-plan-the-promise-of-hope-for-all-mankind/the-feast-of-trumpets-a-turning-point-in-history

Poem recited by hot Cameron Diaz in 'In Her Shoes' (2005)

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)

I am never without it 

anywhere I go you go, my dear;

and whatever is done by only me 

is your doing, my darling

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)

I want no world, for beautiful, you are my world, my true

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows 

here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; 

which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/49493/i-carry-your-heart-with-mei-carry-it-in

Cam's character Maggie recited this poem at her long-suffering sister, Rose's wedding in a film called 'In Her Shoes'.  

This movie brings back some rare memories for me. I first saw it when I went to a cinema in Wellington in November 2005. I spent about 25 days in New Zealand that month. I took extra time off work to accompany my mother who wanted to visit family about an hours drive from Auckland. I stayed in a hostel in Auckland for five days during the first full week we were there. The second week was 'a bit' quieter. The third week, I traveled to Wellington where I stayed in a hostel near the train station. It was a cool time even though I was a solo tourist. On the plus side, I had complete freedom to go where and when I wanted, at a moment's notice. I explored the city centre every day and discovered a great Irish pub in Cuba street and other surprise places of interest including the awesome free museum Te Papa, and 'the Beehive' where I took a very interesting guided tour. My main regret was not taking time out to sail on the Inter-islander ferry to South Island. I bet the scenery is awesome on a good day. I hope to go back to Wellington again some day and I will not leave NZ's capital city until after I've traveled to South Island by ferry and taken lots of photos. 

By the time I got back to my then-digs in Aylesbury, UK, I'd flown on 10 planes from the start of my holiday. Five flights from UK to NZ (via Ireland, Singapore/Hong Kong and Australia) each way. I loved all the flying. I miss flying a lot these days. I have hardly flown since Nov 2005. Don't ask "why not" as I don't have a good answer.

I do have plans to fly to Spain next April however to embark on a new mega-ship for my first ever cruise 'vacation'. Hopefully there'll be very few youngsters and teenagers on my ship as schools will be in session.
Even more hopefully, MSC won't 'pull the plug' and cancel my dream cruise vacation due to the wretched coronavirus, Covid-19, that is turning up in many countries and causing people to cancel their holidays to avoid contracting it and even dying from it. I hope a cure is developed for it soon.

Tips and advice from the new Cork Advertiser magazine

I picked up a copy of (The) 'Cork Advertiser' last week in Douglas, Cork; date of issue: 30 August.
It's a free 52-page glossy magazine that comes out every month.
At the foot of every inside page is a tip, a proverb or a piece of advice for the reader to consider and try out.  I hope you find some of them work for you. Here goes:

Page  2:  Best way to escape from your problems is to solve them
Page  3:  Inside every problem is an opportunity
Page  4:  Intolerance is one of the greatest problems in the world
Page  5:  Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines
Page  6:  Running away from your problems is a race you'll never win
Page  7:  Happiness is the ability to deal with your problems
Page  8:  Problems can always be solved by a person not frightened by them
Page  9:  Whatever the problem, be part of the solution
Page 10:  It is what it is, learn from it, and grow from it
Page 11:  Keep your mind clear, and your heart at peace
Page 12:  Overthinking can ruin your life
Page 13:  Don't let little struggles break you, let them make you
Page 14:  We waste time waiting for the ideal moment to appear, it never does
Page 15:  Have faith that life will work out
Page 16:  Know your worth, never settle for less
Page 17:  No one is too busy, it's all about priorities
Page 18:  In the culture that seeks instant results, we must be strong, patient and steadfast
Page 19:  No matter what our problem, God is the solution
Page 20:  Keep silent and speak only when you must
Page 21:  Any person capable of angering you, becomes your master
Page 22:  It is how you react to a situation that matters
Page 23:  You should act without the approval of others
Page 24:  Do not give people free lodgings in your head
Page 25:  Keep company with people who uplift you
Page 26:  Good things come to those who wait
Page 27:  The best way out is always through
Page 28:  Never let your past decisions determine your future
Page 29:  Our character is defined in hard times
Page 30:  Make a difference
Page 31:  Our lives matter, God created everything for a purpose
Page 32:  Retirement gives you time literally to recreate yourself
Page 33:  Retirement is a new beginning
Page 34:  Believe that your greatest contribution is always ahead of you
Page 35:  Age is only a number
Page 36:  The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention
Page 37:  Be kind and compassionate
Page 38:  We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give
Page 39:  Inspire with your actions, not with your words
Page 40:  Count your blessings, not your troubles
Page 41:  Can all your worries add a single moment to you life?
Page 42:  Don't count your years, have your years count
Page 43:  The most important things in life aren't things
Page 44:  Antidote to depression is gratitude
Page 45:  He can who believes he can
Page 46:  One thing I can't recycle is wasted time
Page 47:  Live a life that is well balanced
Page 48:  It's never too late to have the best day of your life
Page 49:  Don't put off the important things in life till tomorrow
Page 50:  Without a struggle what is your success anyway?
Page 51:  Spend less time on what is urgent, and more time on what is important

The names of the wives on board Noah's Ark

I had a thought recently about finding out the names of Noah's wife and his three sons' wives as they are not mentioned in the Bible. I went to visit my friend 'Prof Google' to see if he could satisfy my curiosity. I went to the Wikipedia link where the four women's names were given. The source of the information was the Book of Jubliees.

It gave the name of Noahs' wife as Naamah;

Shem's wife's name was: Sedeqetelebab;

Ham's wife's name was: Na'eltama'uk

Japheth's wife's name was: 'Adataneses

There are several alternative names for the four women who survived the historical world-covering deluge as you will see if read the entire article. It's possible they might all be incorrect but don't get too 'hung up' on not being 100% sure of their correct names.

Another woman who is somewhat famous and who is not named in the Bible is Lot's wife. In Luke 17:32, Jesus said "Remember Lot's wife". He was warning His disciples against allowing the cares of the world to control their actions and decisions. Because she wanted to go back to 'the world' (in this case, Sodom, God turned her into a pillar of salt (Gen. 19 esp. v.26; the Hebrew infers she didn't want to turn her back completely on the evil city of Sodom and so God punished her as an example to others.) Again, I referred to Wikipedia for my information.
According to some Jewish traditions,

Lot's wife's name was either: Ado or Edith or some other name no-one today knows about.

Cold Comfort

I just finished watching a recorded sermon by the late Ron Dart of Texas. His sermon was titled, 'Cold Comfort'. It was sobering and revealing in several ways.

I will share some of the notes I wrote as I listened to his message. They are not exhaustive, by any means. If you want to get the full import of the message, I advise you to listen and watch the entire sermon here.   [My own added thoughts are within square brackets.]

By the time we reach a certain age, we should, especially if we claim to be Christians and if we are alert to our life's experiences, know that God is not interested in our comfort and helping us live a life of ease and endless happiness.

Consider the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3. We are expected to be overcomers (see 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). Overcomers of what? Our natural sinful nature, the devil and the world. That takes much effort. Our eternal security will not be beyond doubt until our names have been written in the Book of Life at our life's end. While eternal life, (which is 'the gift of God', Rom 6.23b) is a free gift, it is something we must fight to obtain and retain. Also, note what Jesus said in
[Remember we are saved by grace, not by works. Grace is a great Bible word. Think of it as: God's Riches At Christ's Expense.]

We were born to win this great prize, namely salvation/eternal life. We were born to be (spiritual) winners, not whiners. Develop the attitude that the Christian life is a serious competition that we must win, at all costs. [Don't believe 'getting saved' is as easy as 'falling off a log'. It isn't! Many preachers are guilty of claiming "Once you've said the 'sinner's prayer' and received salvation, there is no way you can be unsaved. The truth is, as long as you're a physical being, the devil will try to get you to backtrack and regret the lifelong process of repenting and overcoming sin and worldly pleasures.]

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not a book for comforting us (at least in the short term). However, the Bible does have a lot to comfort us if we think in the long term and are saved and we exit this mortal life in a state of grace. The Bible is not about helping us feel better; it's about helping us become better. [It could be said, a life lived without reading the Bible a lot is a life wasted. Note Jesus' words in John 6:63b (A Faithful Version), 'The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life'.]

So, accept that God is not interested in enabling us to go through life with no problems, pain or suffering. He usually doesn't have to do anything as life is tough for nearly all people anyway. However, if it is His will for an individuals life, He may intervene and cause a persons' life to be blessed (for a season, possibly), as He decides.

God wants us to change, toughen up and mature spiritually to become perfect and righteous, just like Him. That is the reason why we were born. May He help us to succeed.

Is This the Only 'Day' of Salvation for Everyone?

Most Christians believe that if you die without having made Jesus Christ your personal Saviour, you will not, and indeed cannot, be saved. They claim that 'Now is the ONLY Day of salvation'. Interestingly, they get this idea from 2 Cor 6:2 which is a MIStranslation of Isaiah 49:8 where Isaiah wrote, "...in A day of salvation, I helped thee...." (quoting Yahweh, KJV). The Bible does NOT teach that this is THE Day of salvation for all humanity. Down through the centuries and even millennia, the religion of the God of the Bible has never been the main religion of humanity. Even today, the vast majority of people do not believe the Bible is the reliable authoritative Word of God. That includes most of the two billion plus professing Christians around the world who are Christian in name only. Let's face it, IF this is the only day of salvation, God is on the losing side!
We read in 1 Titus 2:3, 4 that it is God's (Jesus') desire that all men (people) be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  That requires a converted mind and a love of the Scriptures. That rules out the vast majority of professing Christians. So, what's gone wrong and what are we to make of this worrying situation? Is there, as one denomination teaches, a 'great controversy' or fight going on between God and Satan?  Is God really weaker than Satan who desires that everyone be lost? This is a complex dilemma that most people cannot make sense of. That is because very few people share Jesus' desire that all men (people) come to the knowledge of the truth. That requires time and effort. That seems too high a price for even most professing Christians. Instead of asking those questions above, they should be ready always to give an answer (1 Pet 3:15) to unbelievers to help them understand the real 'behind-the-scenes' situation that cannot be seen by human eyes.
A famous worship hymn is titled 'Trust and Obey'. If a person wants to come to the knowledge of the truth, he or she must learn to trust and obey God. Then, as you grow (spiritually) in the Lord, your understanding of the truths of God's Word will increase and He will enable you to see hidden nuggets of truth that the vast majority of humanity cannot see. They are hidden from all but a small select 'few' who are selected by Him to be members of His body of believers who make up the Church (which come s from a Greek word that means, a calling out or, called out ones). Jesus taught those who followed him that 'No one can come to Me unless God (the Father) call him (or her) (John 6.44 and v. 65). No-one can just decide for themselves to become a Christian. Each individual must be called and drawn by God the Father. No-one chooses God; He chooses us, individually. Great mystery!
When God draws a person toward Him, He will open that persons mind to realize that the Sabbaths of Leviticus 23 are to be observed by His people today.That includes the 7th-day Sabbath (Saturday) and Passover and the six annual festivals that He gave to His people in the wilderness under Moses' leadership. They were never 'done away' and 'nailed to the cross' as so many professing Christians believe. When the person who is being called by God grows in wisdom and understanding, He (or she) will believe that they must start observing those holy days. The last of the annual seven Sabbaths is the one that's relevant to this topic. This day is 'tacked onto' the Feast of Tabernacles, a 7-day post harvest festival that's held in September/October every year. It is a separate festival with a distinct meaning even though it's called the 'eighth day' (of the Feast) (Lev. 23:36). This day represents a time after the long-awaited Millennium when all those who were never called in this life will have their first opportunity to be saved. God has a wonderful plan of salvation that is only fully understood when you observe the annual Sabbaths. God will help you understand various hard-to-understand passages and verses when you 'trust and obey' Him enough to do as He says and keep His festivals. Never forget these are 'the feasts of the Lord' (Lev 23:2). They are still valid for God's people today in 2019! It is vitally important to realize we are NOT talking about a second chance of salvation! The vast majority who have ever lived, as well as all those who were not born alive, never had a fair chance to accept Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary's cross as full payment for their sins! Vast numbers of people never even heard the name of Jesus through no fault of their own. And yet we read in Acts 4:10-12 that there is no other name under heaven by which we can (must) be saved.  After the Millennium, the soon-coming one thousand year reign of Jesus over the entire Earth, there will be a vast resurrection of upwards of 50 BILLION people who died uncalled by God to receive salvation. This will be their first opportunity to receive the full knowledge of the truth. Satan and his demons will be banished and there will be no false religions to confuse and divide people then. There will be one pure language and everyone will be steered toward living according to the Ten Commandments. All those who died before and as a result of the Flood of Noah's time will come up in this 'Great White Throne Judgment' also known as the second resurrection. As well as the many billions of people who lived and died during the 3,500 years since the Flood. (During the Millennium, a massive worldwide project to increase fertile land will take place so there will be enough room for everyone who will be brought back to physical life in a little over a thousand years from now.) That will be the day of salvation for the vast majority of humanity, not our time on Earth now!

***I will be adding more material to and 'polishing up' this post during the coming days so check back soon***

Yahweh is an AWESOME God

I was watching a worship video on Youtube and decided to do a short message about it here. Messianic worship leader Paul Wilbur sang a song called 'Nobody Like You' about God's unlimited greatness and how He created the vast heavens as proof of that power and ability.

Holy is the Lord of Glory.  He revealed His Name to His servant Moses as "I AM". Another name for the Almighty is 'Eternal'. God (Yahweh) is eternal. He is the One Who became Jesus Christ about 4000 years after creation week (Gen 1). It was the pre-incarnate Jesus who spoke the entire universe into existence. It was He who said, "Let Us make man in Our image" (Gen 1:26).

He is past finding out but He has given us enough evidence in His Word and nature that He is worthy of recognition and devotion to the exclusion of all other 'deities'. All other 'gods' and religious philosophies are of no value.

The God Who reveals Himself in the pages of the Christian Bible is infinite in power, glory and love.
He is an infinite spirit being (Jn 4:24) and therefore immortal and greater than everything, since He created everything (Col 1:15-17) by His spoken word. God spoke the cosmos into existence about 6000 years ago, according to the Bible and science, when properly understood by real scientists with honest hearts and minds and a fearless integrity to follow where the Truth leads!

Since He brought the cosmos into existence, He is greater than the cosmos! Even if the cosmos is a trillion light years in diameter, that is nothing to God since He is infinite and outside of time and space. He is spirit and we are less than specks of dust compared to Him. And yet He offers us a blessed opportunity to have a close loving relationship with Him. When we respond to the evidence of His reality and choose to believe, He draws near to us because faith endears us to Him! He loves when His highest creation comes to see himself as helpless and in desperate need of a Saviour! Only then will He come into our hearts and lives and we start becoming the person we were born to be!
How foolish to disbelieve in your Creator and the Master of your eternal destiny (Ps 14:1; 53:1)!
Do not waste any more time but seek Him while He may be found (Isa 55:6; Zeph. 5:3 etc.).

***This is a post still in construction 

and therefore unfinished. More to be added soon*** 

Day of Atonement 2018 - September 18th at sunset for 24 hours

The fifth of Yahweh's (Jesus') annual holy days, the Day of Atonement is almost upon us. Read the brief amount written about it in Lev. 23. It's to be observed at the beginning of the 10th day of the seventh month, Tishri, from sunset until sunset (on the following evening). It is a day of fasting from all food and liquids for most who observe this day. This day, like the other annual holy days God gave to His people, Israel, many centuries ago is for His people today also! It's mentioned in Acts 27:9 where it's referred to as 'the fast'. It would not have been mentioned so casually by Luke if Christians were no longer observing it. I believe all true 1st century followers of Jesus' were  observing this important annual Sabbath and so should His disciples in 2018! This day is packed with important meaning and symbolism that the vast majority of professing Christians are ignorant of.

You can read about the meaning of this day

here (1),

here (2),

here (3),

here (4)

and here (5).

The Feast of Trumpets

Today, Monday, September 10, is the Feast of Trumpets. In the Hebrew calendar, it is the 1st day of the 7th month of Tishri. So, Tishri 1 = Sept 10 2018.
This is one of the seven annual holy days God gave to His people, the children of Israel* in the wilderness, following their miraculous escape from Egypt.
[* The nation of Israel was the only people group God was working through and dealing with at that time in history. In Lev. 23, we read The Feast of Trumpets and the other annual Sabbaths were given to the Israelites to be observed throughout their generations. Since Israelites still exist today, they are still required to observe the annual holy days of:  (Passover), Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. The meaning of these days can be found throughout the entire Bible! Very few understand what these days picture in full. One reason is God is not allowing most people to understand His Word and His wonderful plan of salvation at this time in human history! It can and should be an exciting life-long study for those who are being called by God now!
So, the skeptic says, "Aha. So God gave these days to the Israelites!  Christians do not have to keep them - not now, not ever, since God gave them to Israelites only and no other people group."
Not so fast! In Galatians 3:26-28, Paul wrote: 'for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27. For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ. 28. There is neither Jew nor Greek [gentile]....for you are all one in Christ Jesus.' Note well, spiritually speaking, there is no distinction between Jew and non-Jew when it comes to how we live and obedience to God.
It's a myth to believe gentile Christians are under no obligation to observe the holy days God gave to the Israelites in the wilderness under Moses' leadership. To prove this, note what Paul the apostle to the gentiles wrote in 1 Cor 5:7,  'For Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed. 8. Let us therefore celebrate the festival (Unleavened Bread).....' Corinth was a city in modern Turkey. Almost certainly, most of the church would have been gentile believers. Paul was commanding them to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread right after the Passover, as we read in Lev. 23:4-8.
Many have tried to find excuses for not observing God's holy days. A popular one is: Jesus fulfilled the holy days in His life, death and resurrection. They part-wrongly believe: When Jesus died and rose up  to Heaven, all the Old Covenant was fulfilled and therefore everything the Jews were commanded to do was 'nailed to the cross'. That is only partly right!
True, we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices to God in payment for our sins. Jesus did indeed fulfill that requirement through His death on Calvary.
Also, physical circumcision is no longer  necessary as we are required to be spiritually circumcised as Paul made clear in Romans 2:29, 'But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter......' In vs.25-28, Paul explains that the one who is uncircumcised who keeps God's law will condemn the one is circumcised but who does not obey the law. To the circumcised one who breaks the law is counted by God as one who is uncircumcised. In v. 28, Paul states, 'For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. All disciples of Jesus are spiritual Jews who are obliged to keep the law of God.
Late in the first century, John, the apostle 'whom Jesus loved' (see John 13:23; 20:2; 21:7 & 20. John wrote of himself in the 3rd person), wrote, 'Sin is the transgression of the law' (1 Jn 3:4). It's nonsense to argue that Christians are free from obeying the Ten Commandments. Read Jesus' words of warning in Matt. 5:17-20.
People like to read and think of John 3:16 but they would do well to meditate Peter's words of warning in 2 Peter 3:15, 16!  It's amazing how many deceivers muddy the waters and misinterpret Paul's teachings about God's law. Many who should know better teach (wrongly) with great certainty that Paul taught that Christians are no longer under the law (eg. Gal. 5:18), meaning they are not required to keep it. They claim incorrectly, that keeping the law is no longer an issue for anyone who is 'led by the Spirit' and who has accepted Jesus in their hearts as their personal Saviour but they are false teachers. They ignore Paul's teaching in Romans 6:23: 'For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord'. A major motive for teaching that God's law is no longer binding on Christians is their desire to reject and ignore the 7th day Sabbath that the 4th commandment teaches us about. Paul showed how all Jesus' disciples should accept and agree that we are spiritual Jews and should be true Sabbath-keepers, as well as people who want to observe the biblical holy days that the pre-incarnate Jesus gave to His people from Mount Sinai. Yes, for those who are unaware, Jesus was the God of the Old Testament, not God the Father. For proof, read here.
That's why Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments (John 14:15).
How sad! Untold millions of professing 'Christians' who are not Christians at all according to the Bible are going through life assuming they're right with God but they're not, simply because they have believed lies about God's law 'being nailed to the cross' which is a huge misunderstanding Bible 'experts' have repeated often enough to mislead M-a-n-y biblically uneducated professing Christians. They have been very careless at handling God's Word. They have failed to understand the Bible was not written with 21st century 'Westerners' in mind! To get the correct meaning from the Bible, it is absolutely necessary to read it from the writers point of view! What was the original writer trying to get across? What did he believe? Who was he writing to? You have to get inside the mind of the writer and, if possible, the individual or group he was writing to. The many Bible 'experts' and preachers misunderstand Paul's writings as a result of ignoring this vitally important principle! Re-read 2 Peter 3:15, 16.
Ultimately, the main reason why we are given years to live here on Earth after trusting in the blood of Jesus to save us is to give us time to become very familiar and knowledgeable of God's Word, the Holy Bible. We are wasting our time if we approach the Bible with our own pre-conceived ideas and beliefs in our heads. We should ask God to enable us to abandon our own ideas when proven to be false and honestly embrace what the Bible actually teaches.
We are to read out of the Bible what is in it (exegesis), NOT read into the Bible what we want it to say (eisegesis)! That is a vital principle of Bible study!
So, as we read and study the Bible, may God guide us to understanding more of His priceless Truth, eg. the need to keep His annual Sabbaths such as the Feast of Trumpets which I am observing today, for our spiritual good and the blessing that comes from obeying God.
My prayer is that by next year many more people here in Ireland and around the world will be observing all God's holy days listed in Lev. 23. They are, again:  Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.
We should seek the hidden gems of Truth concerning God's holy days and other precious doctrines that are scattered throughout the Bible, every day of our lives. It's so true, that the more one studies the Bible with a pure heart and motive, the more hidden Truth and understanding one discovers. Nothing else should be more important to us as individual Christians. God bless.

My Christian / Biblical beliefs

Where I am in my Christian 'walk' at present:


I find myself without a church congregation where I can feel 'at home' doctrinally due to my deeply held beliefs that are almost unique to me. I have attended churches that I disagreed with because as a single man, I felt it was not healthy for me to be isolated from others who at least claimed to be Christians who believed the Bible. It was, at times, hard to continue attending such churches where they believed incorrect doctrines (as far as I was concerned). Some of the hymns and worship songs they sung contained words and ideas I disagreed with. I did not feel 'at home' in those places but I kept my peace. I frequently kept Hebrews 10:25 in mind. The only alternative was to study the Scriptures alone every 'Lord's Day' and not meet with people who were only partly like-minded to me. Not ideal but neither was hearing incorrect teachings taken for granted during sermons, songs, even announcements every week. There was a 'tipping point' some weeks ago when the public car park church members and attendees used was closed by the local authority and I felt that was the logical time for me to discontinue attending the church I had been going to for several years.

So, what do I believe that makes it so hard for me to find a congregation of Christians where I can feel 'at home'? This is a short list of some of the distinctive beliefs I have.

 1.  The Ten Commandments are still in force today. All God's people must believe and promote that fact. Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 15:15; 10). Jesus left us in no doubt that those who practice 'lawlessness' would not be saved (Matthew 7:21-23+). How many deceived preachers will be cursed on the 'last day' because they taught that the Law was nailed to the cross? Many! The only thing that was nailed to the cross of Christ was the 'handwriting of requirements' (NKJV), or the 'IOU' we all owed God for our sins. Jesus took all those sins upon Himself (Col 2:13, 14).

 2.  The true 'Lord's Day' is the seventh day, or the Sabbath; what we call sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Biblically, every day begins and ends at sunset. The 4th commandment requires us to rest from our everyday activities (eg work, school/college, shopping, entertainment and other non-religious activities) and focus on our Creator and Saviour every 7th day. Christians should attend a worship service and perform spiritual duties every 7th day, if at all possible. (Christians are free to attend worship meetings, Bible studies, prayer meetings etc any day/evening of the week but such events are optional whereas keeping the entire 7th day holy unto God every week is a duty we are required to obey if we do not wish to sin. Remember this: perfect obedience of all of the Ten Commandments will not save anyone as we are saved by grace. Salvation is a priceless free gift; you cannot earn it, or it would no longer be a gift. Jesus shed blood is what saves people, not anything we do! Think of grace as: God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

 3. What is sin? 1 Jn 3:4 tells us sin is disobedience of (or 'transgression' of, KJV) God's moral law, the Ten Commandments. So, if you know it is right to observe the 7th-day Sabbath and you do not do so by, for example, attending a sports event instead of going to a worship service, that is a sin, James 4:17.  Sin has been a curse to the human race from the beginning. It caused a total separation between humanity and God in the Garden of Eden. Sin is mentioned in Genesis 4:7. I believe God explained all about sin to our first parents. He must have since we read in Romans 5:19, For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. The pre-incarnate Jesus would not have been fair if He had not explained the consequences of disobeying His laws to Adam and Eve. I take that as a given.
In Ps. 119:172, we read, 'all your commandments are righteousness'. According to 2 Peter 2:5, we read that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, so long before the (2nd) giving of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20 and Deut. 5), sin was a tragic reality among the human race.
The topic of sin is a big one and it takes much Bible study to understand fully how important it is but it is a subject every Christian should take the time to study.

 4. God inspired His servant Paul to write Romans. In 6:23, we learn that the 'wages of sin is death' but in contrast, 'the gift of God is eternal life'. What is 'death', in this instance? It cannot be 'eternal life' is some place (eg. hell) or a state of separation from God since 'eternal life' is the reward of the saved. I think it is clear from the Scriptures that the wages of sin is loss of spiritual life or a state of non-existence. Malachi 4:3. Bear in mind only God has immortality, 1 Titus 6:15, 16. Also, note that immortality is something that Christians must 'seek', Rom. 2:7. Why would anyone need to 'seek' something s/he already possessed? Paul also spoke of 'putting on' immortality at some future time, 1 Cor 15:53.  At this stage, I ask, What is the reward of the saved? Is it Heaven? NO! I will write a lot more about this universally misunderstood concept shortly but the biblical answer to this question is, The reward of the saved, in the short term is ruling over the Earth under King Jesus after He returns in power and glory and rules the entire world from Jerusalem. God speed that day! The time when the 'dead in Christ' receive their glorious reward will be at the time of the first resurrection at the 2nd Coming of Jesus, along with a vast army of angels who will all fight the armies of the world. They will number about 200,000,000 horsemen (Rev. 9:16).
A rewarding Bible study awaits those who put in the time to explore all that the Bible teaches about immortality. Truly, at present, only God is immortal, as we read already. No-one is immortal until s/he receives the gift of the Holy Spirit upon repentance and water baptism (Acts 2:38) and 'endures t o the end' (Matthew 10:22 & 24:13) and is fully 'born again' (John 3:3) and changed from mortal (ie. flesh and blood) to immortal (ie. spirit substance) at the time of the first resurrection (Rev. 20:6). Again, this is a vast topic and requires a lot of Bible study. It will not be time wasted! It needs to be said, those who are accounted worthy to be saved (Luke 21:36; 2 Thess. 1:5) will become in a sense members of the God family (Rev. 3:9). NB. Note what Jesus Himself said to the saints of the Philadelphia church, "indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" Only God is worthy of worship. The saved saints of the church of Philadelphia would also be worthy of worship so they would be 'God beings' to a limited degree. Also, note what John wrote in 1 Jn 3:2, 'Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. This is a little-known Bible Truth that has been hidden from many believers for many centuries. 

 5. What is the nature of God? Is God one Being or two, or three? Is the Godhead made up of 3 Divine Beings in One, 3-in-1, a Trinity or two Beings? My belief is the latter. I believe John 1-3, 14 shows the Father ('God') and the Son ('the Word) make up the Godhead. So, where does the Holy Spirit fit in? I understand the Holy Spirit to be the mind, power and presence of the God. It is everything God is but it is not a Person or Being as God is! Let me be very clear, I believe Jesus is the Creator, the eternal God Who spoke the universe into existence. He had fellowship with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He was the God of the Old Testament, not God the Father! He was never identified as the archangel Michael! He created Michael and has always been infinitely superior to him. 

Is God a Trinity?


 6. The weekly Sabbath is a requirement for all God's people today in the 21st century. So too are the annual Sabbaths* God gave to His people, the children of Israel, under Moses' leadership in the wilderness.
Lev. 23 lists the annual Sabbaths His people were to continue to observe throughout their generations, or as long as their descendants existed on Earth. They still do exist, of course. The Jews make up only a small amount of the ancient 12 tribes of Israel and they are the only visible people-group that observe the annual Sabbaths today. Nevertheless, they make up only a minority of all real Israelites alive today scattered throughout the world.
The vast majority of Christians believe the holy days of God (not the Jews!) were fulfilled by Jesus' life and death and resurrection and therefore need not be observed by His people today or during the entire 'Church age'. Such is faulty reasoning, however. The annual Sabbaths 'the LORD' gave to the children of Israel were to be kept 'throughout their generations'. Since they still exist, God's holy days should be observed and as we learn in Gal 3:28, 'There is neither Jew nor Greek [gentile]....;for you are all one in Christ Jesus' so the days God gave the Jews (Israelites) to keep, all God's people are duty bound to keep - even in the 21st century. (I have yet to be convinced otherwise.)
The first of these days is the Passover, which is observed at the beginning (just after sunset) of the 14th day of the first month of the Hebrew (sacred) calendar during spring (March/April) in the northern hemisphere every year. It is not a holy day so it is called a festival but not a Sabbath. It is, of course, a required occasion for all Jews who take their religion even part-seriously. 
The following day is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is a seven-day festival. the first day and the last day are annual Sabbaths, also referred to as 'high Sabbaths. 
The third annual Sabbath, the Day of Pentecost, also called, the Feast of Weeks. Pentecost means 50 and the method of calculating the day on which this Sabbath occurs is by counting 50 starting on the day after the weekly Sabbath during the festival of Unleavened Bread. Since Day 1 of the count is always on a Sunday, Pentecost always falls on a Sunday.  
The fourth annual Sabbath falls during the 'Fall' (September.October, in the northern hemisphere) every year. This Sabbath is called the Feast of Trumpets [Mon. Sept 10, 2018] and it occurs on the first day of the seventh month of Tishri. (This day is celebrated as New Years Day by Jews since their main calendar starts of this date. This can cause confusion to those who are new to understanding the Hebrew calendar and the annual Sabbaths of the Lord.) 
The fifth annual Sabbath is called the Day of Atonement [Wed. Sept 19, 2018] and it falls on the 10th day of Tishri. It, like all the other Sabbaths, weekly and annual, starts at sunset the previous day. It is a fast day when no food or liquid can be consumed unless a person has a medical condition and their health would be put at risk if they obeyed the letter of the Law. This is a very solemn day of reflection and re-commitment to the Lord. 
The sixth annual Sabbath is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles [Mon. Sept 24, 2018]. It falls on the 15th day of Tishri, the seventh month. This is a joyous seven-day festival that God's people look forward to all year.  It pictures the wonderful peaceful happy world under Christ's rulership during the Millennium. Day seven of this festival occurs on the 21st Tishri. 
It is followed by the seventh and final annual Sabbath, called the Last Great Day [Mon. Oct 1, 2018]. This day, like all the annual Sabbaths, are packed with meaning for all Christians who love the Truth eg are all those who never heard the name of Jesus Christ lost? Are loved ones who never came to saving faith in Christ lost forever? The meaning of this day is all about answering such difficult questions. The Bible has answers and they are wonderful and give us reason to be full of hope. Incidentally, this is NOT the only day of salvation! This belief is based on a mistranslation. Compare Isa. 49:8, which reads, 'in a day of salvation' with 2 Cor. 6:2, where it reads, 'in the day of salvation'. This life is not the only day of salvation for most of mankind. I'm not talking about a 'second chance'. The fact is, the vast majority has never had any chance to accept Jesus as their personal Saviour. They lacked the spiritual software in their minds to understand what was at stake. Simply put, they were not called and therefore could not be saved during their first physical lives. Another way of putting it is, they were not predestined to be called during their (first) lives. Only God the Father can call a person to seek and desire salvation (John 6:44, 65). It is only by observing the annual Sabbaths that God enables believers to understand more about His wonderful plan of salvation for all of Adam's race! (Remember the saying, 'The proof of the pudding is in the eating.' God blesses those who are obedient to Him with more understanding of hidden spiritual knowledge and wisdom! It's His perocative who He reveals His Truth to and when!) What the Bible says about this Sabbath answers and makes clear all the many questions and 'loose ends' people have about their 'unsaved' loved ones and humanity in general. Another thing to bear in mind is, we should work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philipeans 2:12), not be preoccupied with anyone elses' salvation!
Apart from Pentecost, most of these annual Sabbaths can fall on the weekly Sabbath. Such days are called 'double Sabbaths'

Some resources for you to read, should you wish, while I update my blog:


God's Holy Days - Or Pagan Holidays?

Holidays Or Holy Days

Holy Day Calendar

Friday, 6th April, is a Biblical Holy Day!

The vast majority of Christians will go about their normal daily activities today, totally unaware it is an annual 'high day' Sabbath. Dismissed as an Old Testament 'holy day', 99% of professing Christians will neglect their biblical responsibilities and not give a thought about God's opinion on this matter. To give it its' biblical name, this holy day is 'the 7th, or last, day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:4-8). Read all 5 verses in this passage! It falls on the 22nd of the first month (Nisan/Abib) according to the Sacred God gave to His people. Notice, this and the other six holy days listed in Lev. 23 are called 'the feasts of the Lord' (v. 4), not the Jews' feasts or 'the Feasts of Israel'.
NB. God commanded His people to attend a worship meeting on this day and to avoid any 'servile' work during this holy day 'throughout your generations' (v. 21). True disciples of Jesus participated in the Passover  ceremony on the night of Thursday, 29th March after sunset. According to the Sacred Hebrew calendar, this was the beginning of the 14th Nisan/Abib, the first month and it was the anniversary of Jesus 'last supper'and His betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane. This 7-day festival began at sunset on Friday, 30th March, the beginning of the 15th Nisan/Abib. This was a Saturday. This annual high day fell on the weekly Sabbath, making it a double Sabbath.
Today, 6th April, is the last of the seven days of the feast of Unleavened Bread during which all true disciples of Jesus are expected to avoid any food with raising agents in it eg. yeast. This is the feast Paul was referring to when he wrote to the mainly gentile church in Corinth (1 Cor. 5:8), 'Therefore, let us keep the feast'. Remember, this was written after the resurrection of Jesus so first century Christians, even gentile believers, were commanded to keep this meaningful festival, the feast of Unleavened Bread. In the Bible, leaven is compared to sin (1 Cor. 5:8; Matt. 16:6, 11; Lk. 12:1) and this festival is meant to remind us of the importance of avoiding/excluding sin from our lives every day. We are commanded to exclude sin from our lives 24/7/365.
Seven is God's number that represents completion eg seven days make up a complete week. This festival is forever meaningful and should not be neglected by anyone who regards him- or herself a true believer in Jesus! Each day begins at sunset and so from sunset, Thursday, 5th April until Friday sunset, 6th April, this day is holy unto the Lord, Jesus Christ. He desires all His followers to attend a sacred assembly with like-minded believers wherever possible. As with the children of Israel in the wilderness, under Moses' leadership, on this day each year, 22nd Nisan/Abib, all God's people today, in the 21st century, are commanded to rest from work and focus on the spiritual aspects of life.
The incorrect interpretation of Col 2:16, 17 does not show the holy days listed in Lev. 23 are no longer to be observed by God's people today. I will elaborate more about this point in a future blog entry. Much in the Bible is misunderstood by the vast majority of professing believers today.

My Position On Easter

This year 'Easter Sunday' fell on 1st April.  However, I, for one, did not be treat it as a special day, even though I am a Bible-believing Christian! Why not? The Bible is silent about keeping any day to remember or celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! (Human reason almost demands that followers of Jesus celebrate the resurrection anyway but we are not at liberty to worship Him as we see fit. God has told us in His Word how He wants us to worship Him! The choice we have is to worship Him as He has commanded or re-write the Bible as we see fit.) Those who introduced 'Easter' to the Church calendar and the other 'special' days of 'Holy Week' added their own ideas to the Bible. They disobeyed Scripture! (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:19 etc.) That is a BIG mistake to make! This is no minor matter! This subject deserves your full attention!

The Bible tells us after Jesus was dead in the tomb for three days and three nights (ie. a period of 72 hours!), (Matt. 12:40), He rose to (eternal) L-I-F-E, not just the temporary physio-chemical existence we call life! There is a BIG difference! After He rose from the dead, Jesus' body changed into spirit. His earthly body disappeared and, as before His birth to the virgin Mary, He had a body composed of spirit, since He was again fully God and 'God is a spirit' (Jn. 4:24).  We read He appeared to His disciples by just materializing in their midst in a shut room (Jn. 20:19-26)! Following His resurrection, He was a spirit being capable of becoming flesh and bone at will or if He desired, vanishing at will (Lk. 24:31).

Note, the majority who call themselves Christians think the resurrection itself was the sign that Jesus was the Messiah who was prophesied by the the Old Testament prophets - not so! Jesus Himself said, "An evil and an adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah..." (Matt 16:4; 12:39-40). What did Jesus mean by these words?

Jonah was the OT prophet who tried to run away from his mission of preaching a warning message to the fierce vast city of Nineveh. In the book named after him, Jonah ran away in the opposite direction because he 'knew that (You) are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love...' (Jonah 4:2). Jonah had a 'gut feeling' the people of Nineveh would indeed heed his warning message and repent and avoid the total destruction God had planned for this entire vast city. He was right but 'it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry' (4:1). In fact, Jonah was one of the only OT prophets who succeeded in his mission from God. Why he didn't want to succeed is a very interesting study in human nature. Check out the eye-opening article about Jonah by clicking on his name at the beginning of this paragraph. I'm sure you will find it very interesting and enlightening.

Back to the 'sign of Jonah' Jesus mentioned in Matt. 16:4  and 12:40. Jonah got on a ship sailing away from Nineveh so God punished him by causing him to be thrown overboard by the other people on the ship at his suggestion. God caused a huge sea creature to swallow Jonah and for 'three days and three nights' Jonah was in the belly of this creature until he was vomited up near? Nineveh (Jonah 2:1; 10-3:3).  Obviously, Jesus regarded Jonah as a real historical person who was actually in a giant sea creatures' belly for 'three days and three nights'. The sign of Jonah was the length of time he was in 'the belly of the fish'! Jesus said, "Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish" His only sign proving He was the Messiah was that He would spend a similar amount of time in the 'heart of the earth' (ie. the grave) thereby fulfilling the 'sign of Jonah'. It is important to realise the fact of the resurrection itself is not proof of Jesus Messiahship, according to Jesus Himself! If Jesus did not spend three days and three nights in the grave, He must be rejected as the Messiah! It's that serious! Remember, the length of time He would be in the grave would be His only sign! notwithstanding all the other miracles He performed during His public ministry. Jesus did fulfill His sign by rising from the dead as He said (He would) (Matt 28:6; 1 Cor. 15:3-4)!  Jesus provided the proof He promised to convince all open-minded seekers of Truth that He was, and is, the Messiah, the Holy One of Israel (eg. Isa. 12:6), very God (the Son/Word) (Jn. 1:1-3,14). So, if Jesus was not crucified on a Friday and did not rise from the dead on a Sunday, what days did He die and rise on? If we accept He was dead in the tomb for a full 72 hours, virtually to the second! which is my belief, we must check the Gospels to see if we can determine when He was laid in the grave following His six hours on Calvary's Cross, ie. from 9am until 3pm (Cp Matt. 27; Mk. 15:25, 33-37; Lk. 23, esp vs 44-46; Jn 19) on Passover Day, 14th Nisan. We read in John 19:31, the day on which Jesus was crucified 'was the day of preparation' for the Sabbath and 'that Sabbath was a high day'. This is very important information indeed! NB. Every year, according to the Sacred calendar, the Passover is followed by an annual 'high day' Sabbath (Lev. 23:5-7). The day following the crucifixion was the first of the seven annual Sabbaths, not just the weekly Sabbath, although sometimes annual 'high day' Sabbaths do fall on the weekly Sabbath. (Such days are called 'double Sabbaths' and are not too uncommon.) So, was the high day Sabbath that followed Jesus' crucifixion a weekly Sabbath or a weekday Sabbath? The vital clue that will help us answer that question can be found in Luke 23:54-56. We read in v. 54, 'It was the day of preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning' when Jesus body was laid in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid' (v 53). So, Jesus' body was placed in the tomb as the preparation day of the high day Sabbath was drawing to its end as the sun was setting. (Throughout the Bible, a day ends and the next day begins at sunset.) Jesus was buried on the Passover Day and the following day, every year, in the spring, is an annual Sabbath called the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Cp. Lev. 23:4-7; 1 Cor 5:7b-8). In verse 8, Paul was clearly commanding the gentile Christian disciples to 'keep the Feast (of Unleavened Bread). ('Therefore, let us keep the Feast', 1 Cor. 5:8, KJV).  Arguing otherwise is to do grave injustice to the inspired text, in my opinion. A careful study of the New Testament verifies all God's annual Sabbaths were observed by the first century disciples that made up the 'Church of God'!  (The annual holy-days listed in Lev. 23 are called 'Feasts of the Lord', not 'Feasts of the Jews' or any other such thing! Consider Gal. 3:28-29.)

From Luke 23, we learn Jesus' body was laid in the tomb at the close of the Passover as the sun set. The high day Sabbath began at sunset as soon as Jesus body was placed in the tomb. This was a mid-week Sabbath, not the weekly 'Lord's Day'! We can see this from vs. 55-56. After Jesus' body was placed in the tomb, 'The women who had come with Him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how His body was laid (v. 55). 'Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments' (to put on Messiah's body after that high day Sabbath. Of necessity, they must have had to wait until after that Sabbath to buy and prepare the spices and ointments. This may have taken them several hours. Then, 'On the (weekly) Sabbath they rested according to the commandment (v. 56). This of course was the weekly Sabbath, sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, which all Jews kept as it was the 4th of the Ten Commandments God gave to His people, the children of Israel, under Moses in the wilderness, following their miraculous release from Egypt (Ex. 1-19; 20:8-11; Deut. 5:12-15).

So, we see that Jesus was crucified on the Passover; His body was placed in the new tomb at the close of the Passover as the high day Sabbath following it began at sunset. The day after the annual holy day, the women who were Jesus' faithful companions went out and bought spices and ointments and prepared them to put on Jesus' body to preserve it from decay for as long as possible. The following day was the weekly Sabbath, ie. sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. All righteous Jews' rested on this day also. This shows there were two Sabbaths during the week of Jesus' crucifixion! The following day, 'toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb' (Matt 28:1). By the time they arrived, it was already empty. Verse 5, 'But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. Verse 6, He is not here, for He has risen, as He said".....' So, Jesus was risen before sunrise on Sunday morning ('toward the dawn', v. 1) or 'on the first day of the week, at early dawn..., Lk. 24:1) or 'on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb' (Jn. 20:1). Jesus had been resurrected before sunrise on Sunday morning. So, now we can see that Jesus did indeed spend 72 hours in His tomb. The Passover must have been on Wednesday. Jesus' body laid in the tomb from sunset at the end of that day. His body was in the tomb Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday night and daylight hours Thursday, Friday and Saturday so He did indeed spend three days and three nights in the hearth of the earth, just as He said He would. He fulfilled the only sign He gave that He was the Messiah of all those who would believe in Him (Jn. 3:16). He died on a Wednesday and rose from the dead 72 hours later very late Saturday as the sun set. So, the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition is unbiblical and a lie!  Those who believe it do not follow the Truth.

That resurrection of Jesus Christ indeed is wonderful news but isn't it strange the Bible does not tell us to keep this day special every year? Instead, Jesus, God in the flesh (Jn. 1:1-14; 20:28), commanded His disciples to remember His death every year on the anniversary of His last Passover  supper (Matt. 26:17-19; Mk. 14:14) and His betrayal soon afterwards in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:19b). Jesus, as Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament inspired Solomon to write, 'A good name is better than than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth (Eccl. 7:1). That's why He inspired King David, a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22) to write, 'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints' (Ps. 116:15). This is just one example of how our ways are not God's ways (Isa. 55:9). God is not very interested in the day of our birth; He is much more concerned with the day of our death whereas we are preoccupied with our birthdays and try not to think of the day on which we will die. This brings to mind the saying, It's not where you begin but where you end that counts.

In conclusion, I only observe days the Scriptures commands us to keep. God does not command us to observe nearly all the days religious people keep. God does not require or want His people to observe  'Ash Wednesday', 'Lent', 'Palm Sunday', 'Good Friday', 'Easter Sunday' and others besides. They are not commanded to be observed in the Bible. Therefore, we are adding to Scripture if we decide to keep them without God's instructions. Rest assured, He did not forget to command us to keep any of them! There is enough we are commanded to observe in God's Word; we don't need to add more so-called 'holy days' that God hasn't commanded us to keep! Our duty is to observe the days (and laws) He has commanded us to keep. That is why, every spring, I observe the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, treating the 1st and 7th days as holy annual high-day Sabbaths.

Much of what you have just read above may be very new to you. Hopefully, you will want to do more reading and research on this important subject. I enclose some useful links that will help you see where the vast majority of Christians have gone astray from the Bible.


was Jesus executed on good friday or a wednesday?

read this about easter

resurrection connection

true origin of easter

resurrection not on sunday