Jesus is the God of Israel, according to the scriptures.
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Matthew 1:17 gives the geneology of Jesus from David through his step-father Joseph (for want of a better term. He was actually conceived by the Holy Spirit of God) this was from the royal line of Solomon, David's oldest son.
Luke 3:23-38 gives his geneology through his mother Mary as a descendant from the legal line of Nathan, David's other son. Had the throne still existed in Jerusalem when Jesus was born, he would have been king. He is proven to be a direct descendant of David in the scriptures. Now in Matthew 22:42 Jesus asked the Pharisees, what they thought of Christ, "Whose son is he? They answered him, "the son of David. He then asked them, "How then does David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."
How would a modern Jewish unbeliever answer that question? The answer would take them to the same place the Pharisees found themselves...they would have no answer, because they would have to admit that he is the LORD, God in the flesh who came down to earth to offer salvation to any and all who would believe on him.
Deut. 6:4 says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD..."
Isaiah 9:6 says "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Who answers to those titles? God only! Those titles will be given to Jesus when He rules and reigns on the earth after the tribulation and all of his enemies have been put under his feet!
God has fulfilled his promise that he gave to Abraham in Genesis 22:8 when he spoke through Abraham to Isaac,
"My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering..."
He has, indeed, provided HIMSELF as the lamb slain before the foundation of the world to save his people from their sins. Just as the angel told Joseph when he confronted him about Mary's pregnancy in Matthew 1:20-21: "...saying, "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
It goes on to say in verses 23 and 24 that all these things were done that the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 might be fulfilled: "Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel..."
In Romans 11:25 Paul says "...Blindness, in part, has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins."
In Revelation 3:18 The LORD our God says, "I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that you may see!."
For a fuller explanation of these truths, Check out "God's Final Secret" by Pastor Stephen Benton available on Amazon.com:
https://smile.amazon.com/Gods-Final-Secret-Stephen-Benton/dp/1976338476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509436006&sr=8-1&keywords=God%27s+Final+Secret
Friday, January 31, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
WE KNOW WHAT DANIEL DID IN THE LIONS'S DEN.....but what will YOU do? "AND YOU?" by Pastor Stephen Benton
And You?
I don't know about you but the message Wednesday night hit with the power of a runaway train. If anyone was under the impression that the study of the era of the Antichrist would be weeks of ho-hum sessions studying about someone who would not even be revealed until after the rapture, you've got another 'think' coming. To make matters worse, for the same misled crowd, hearing God say that He has said all he is going to say on the subject of the rapture gave additional cause for a laid-back, mark-time attitude. Well, for those for whom those shoes fit, wake up!
Even though God may have already given us the bulk of the information necessary for the rapture, you can be sure that God has not risen up early in this latest installment of truth because He has nothing better to do. The information coming now is vital for just making the rapture even though the subject of the subject matter will not be revealed until after our main event.
My personal concern above and beyond being proven to be acceptable to the Lord that I might attain the resurrection and or the change is will I be able to endure that ten day stretch prior to the rapture. It reminds me of the paradox on aging: Nobody wants to get old but the only way to avoid getting old is to die young. In this context, I don't want to face the difficulties of the ten day stretch but the only way to avoid that road is to die prior to that time. That's not even an option though, for those of you like me who volunteered to be here for the duration. Those words, "alive and remain until the coming of the Lord" are beginning to loom large and the only way that truth will become a reality is by a thorough preparation of the current subject.
But back to the title question: And You? The class Wednesday jerked me out of the nice stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. These men made their decisions based on their faith in God and on their conviction in God's word. They were in situations where the very words, edicts, and commands of the King himself, in whose courts their daily activities were performed, put their lives at stake. The reality that hit me, again, was that God expects us to make the same decisions. God informed us about his attitude and ego and of the fact that He intends that His name be glorified on the face of the earth. And how can that be accomplished except by our actions, actions that will put the spotlight on God himself? If you haven't gathered anything else during the course of the messages for the past several years it should be understood by now that every situation of deliverance in the scriptures takes the delivered into a life and death scenario. I erased the message of the Peter Mentality to clear space for this message without going through a formatting exercise but at this point of this message, that message would fit right in. When one dies for a cause in this world, it is said that they have paid the ultimate price. The ultimate price to me is giving one's life for a cause and then ending up in hell. That's an unimaginable price. Death, to us, cannot really be looked upon as paying a price because after crossing over we come into an inheritance that never fades. But even with that truth in mind, it doesn't put death into a fairy tale setting. Should we be called upon to pay such a price, expect that payment to be on behalf of one another. Then and only then can the words of Jesus really be fulfilled when he said "by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples."
Come to think of it, I can't find a scriptural reference where that truth was fulfilled. And You, what story will be written about you? Knowing the ways of God, it most likely will not come down to a fiery furnace or a lion's den or anything nearly as spectacular, it will probably actually come down to one of us laying down our life for someone in our midst whom we know. Only the power of the Holy Ghost and the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts can make such an idea a reality. And you, are you ready?
My personal concern above and beyond being proven to be acceptable to the Lord that I might attain the resurrection and or the change is will I be able to endure that ten day stretch prior to the rapture. It reminds me of the paradox on aging: Nobody wants to get old but the only way to avoid getting old is to die young. In this context, I don't want to face the difficulties of the ten day stretch but the only way to avoid that road is to die prior to that time. That's not even an option though, for those of you like me who volunteered to be here for the duration. Those words, "alive and remain until the coming of the Lord" are beginning to loom large and the only way that truth will become a reality is by a thorough preparation of the current subject.
But back to the title question: And You? The class Wednesday jerked me out of the nice stories of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego. These men made their decisions based on their faith in God and on their conviction in God's word. They were in situations where the very words, edicts, and commands of the King himself, in whose courts their daily activities were performed, put their lives at stake. The reality that hit me, again, was that God expects us to make the same decisions. God informed us about his attitude and ego and of the fact that He intends that His name be glorified on the face of the earth. And how can that be accomplished except by our actions, actions that will put the spotlight on God himself? If you haven't gathered anything else during the course of the messages for the past several years it should be understood by now that every situation of deliverance in the scriptures takes the delivered into a life and death scenario. I erased the message of the Peter Mentality to clear space for this message without going through a formatting exercise but at this point of this message, that message would fit right in. When one dies for a cause in this world, it is said that they have paid the ultimate price. The ultimate price to me is giving one's life for a cause and then ending up in hell. That's an unimaginable price. Death, to us, cannot really be looked upon as paying a price because after crossing over we come into an inheritance that never fades. But even with that truth in mind, it doesn't put death into a fairy tale setting. Should we be called upon to pay such a price, expect that payment to be on behalf of one another. Then and only then can the words of Jesus really be fulfilled when he said "by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples."
Come to think of it, I can't find a scriptural reference where that truth was fulfilled. And You, what story will be written about you? Knowing the ways of God, it most likely will not come down to a fiery furnace or a lion's den or anything nearly as spectacular, it will probably actually come down to one of us laying down our life for someone in our midst whom we know. Only the power of the Holy Ghost and the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts can make such an idea a reality. And you, are you ready?
To hear more truth from this prophet, check out his book, "God's Final Secret" available on Amazon.com:
https://smile.amazon.com/Gods-Final-Secret-Stephen-Benton/dp/1976338476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509436006&sr=8-1&keywords=God%27s+Final+Secret
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