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Plato's Cave

Tones of Truth or Peeling Back the Shadow Onion?





Jay, comment please?

Freedom Day

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death And broke their bands apart. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Psalm 107:13 -15

House of Rest

Thus says the LORD, "Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?

ENTER

New life of spring is in full bloom

Reminding us that the new heart of a believer is to be in harmony with the heart of God by engaging His words of eternal life.

MELODY OF THEE (click here for song)

Opening verse explained:

• Water in scripture represents the word of God.

• It takes a miracle for us to walk upon the waters of God's word...and so He has provided one.

• As born again believers, with God's Spirit indwelling us, we can only stay bouyed up on God's word as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
  

• When we take our eyes off Jesus, we sink into sin...just ask Peter....or me...or any of us.

Did He or Didn't He abolish the Law?

In Matthew 5:17  Jesus says "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."

In Ephesians 2:14-15,  Paul writes "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,...

Is there a contradiction here?  If not, why not? 

He is Risen!

He is Risen

The Ark, Baptism and the Communion Cup

Thoughts as we approach Easter

"and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
1 Peter 2:24

in other words:
Christ submitted to the waters of God's judgment so we might be washed by his blood

In the story of Noah's Ark, we see the ark as a type of Christ, Noah's family as a type of believers and the flood waters as a type of God's curse because of sin. These truths are also seen in believer's baptism and the communion cup of the Lord's supper, as expressed in the following poem below where the first two lines relate to baptism---the last two lines, to the communion cup.

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Dead we are as one with the Ark
Immersed in the cursed flood
But safe we dwell inside the Ark
Under the peace of His blood

His mercy endureth forever

O give thanks unto the LORD for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever...

To him that made great lights:


The sun to rule by day



The moon and stars to rule by night


for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 136

blessed are the merciful

Matthew 5:7

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

How do you interpret this verse in light of understanding the Gospel?

I feel like it's backwards and should say, "Because God has shown us mercy in Christ, blessed are we when we're merciful to one another"...

We're discussing this in our small group, what do you think?

Jaws 2

Several emails on this..No right or wrong answers...But since chum is basically stinkin', rottin' maggot-filled fish guts, this is the "arrangement" that I came up with:

Brody and the Bucket of Chum

For from within, out of the heart [bucket] of men [Chief Brody], proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:[chum] Mark 7:21-22

The Ocean Water

But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. Is. 57:20 [it is where the wicked dwell]

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter...Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy? James 3:10-17

Water in the Bible represents words...words that get "cobbled together" as knowledge and ways in which a man's heart walks..what comes out of the heart of man reflects their chosen walkway--a walkway of devils or a walkway from above.

Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart. Jer. 4:18

Jaws
The salt ocean water is dark and produces death. The million different heart walkways offered by the world are all of death (ever see what a flood of salt water does to a lawn) and darkness and all ultimately authored by Satan [Jaws]

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Prov. 14:12

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor 4:3-4

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

Satan swims and prowls those dark waters seeking to devour.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Pet. 5:8

Quint and the Boat
Satan uses a million false prophets [Quint] who "market" to man a million different courses to take [the boat] across the ocean of death.



Satan is now devouring his false prophets, but both Satan and his unwitting servants will be devoured in the Judgment by the word of God.

by Pat Marvenko Smith at revelationillustration.com

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Is. 1:18-2

I said there are no right or wrong answers, only instructive answers.

The instruction
Jesus died to save and cleanse our chum buckets to become his manna-from-heaven buckets..Therefore with our born again buckets:

Let's be the salt of the earth...and not be chummin' the waters!

Jaws

A favorite seen from Jaws. Can it be used as an illustration for our spiritual instruction?


Fill in the blanks

Chief Brody = _____?

Chum = _____?

Bucket = _____?

Shark = _____?

Water = _____?

Quint (the old shark hunter) = _____?

Boat = _____?

Obviously no right or wrong answers, just instructive answers.

Ps 2 - Breaking Bands and Casting Cords

vs.1-2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying],

The sinners and wicked in Psalm 1, who are standing and counseling in the ways of the world, are here counseling against God and Jesus Christ, the Anointed.

In the perverted and inverted world of man's wisdom, white is black and black is white, good is evil and evil is good. And as they walk in this wisdom, they seek to eliminate the "negative" (that is God's word of righteousness) while spewing the "good news" of evil.

Are the "people" pushing their leaders to anti-God decisions (like Pontius Pilot) or are the leaders leading their people down that path, or both? Either way, it's just noise in the "vain" and evil system that will pass away.

Vs.3 "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."

We see in other OT passages where the Hebrew word 'mowcer', that is here translated "bands", refers to the irons that were placed around the slave's neck leading them along a path according to the will of the master:

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, [and] sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Is. 52:2

and "cords" were used to restrain hands and arms":

Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and said unto him, The Philistines [be] upon thee, Samson. And [there were] liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a thread. Jdg. 16:12

To the unconverted, God's word seems like the bands and cords of a slave because it tells a man where his feet should and shouldn't walk and who and how their hands should serve.

vs 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.

God here turns the table on those who were mocking His word in Psalm 1:1.God is now the One doing the mocking. Why? Because God's words of freedom and life are being ridiculed by fallen man as bondage, while their bands and cords of spiritual darkness and sin are hailed as freedom.

Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, [and] he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Oh that [men] would praise the LORD [for] his goodness, and [for] his wonderful works to the children of men! Ps. 117:13-15

Fallen man is born in spiritual death and darkness---held by bands in the way of sin and forced by cords to serve the world and Satan. God offers forgiveness and freedom in Christ---freedom to walk in God's way of righteousness, and power and authority to serve our risen King. But to the wicked, bondage is freedom and freedom is bondage.

vs 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,

God's mocking turns to words of judgment---but judgment mixed with mercy, and a call to repentance, as we see in the remainder of this Psalm.

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(the following four verses is a dialogue between God the Father and His Son)
[God says]: vs. 6 "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."

In scripture, mountains often symbolize the centers of kingdom power. The world's mountains mostly consist of unholy rulers that counsel and mock upon unholy mountains. But God has appointed his Son to be a vastly superior King of a vastly superior kingdom---New Jerusalem.

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." John 18:36

We see the place where God's King rules is mount Zion, a place of grace. The time is growing short but the door is still open for all sinners to repent and enter into God's holy kingdom.

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of {the} righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than {the blood} of Abel. Heb. 12:22-24

[Christ says]: vs 7 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.

Jesus was sent into the world to accomplish God's work of salvation by accomplishing two works:

1) to proclaim the words of His Father (the "decree"):

Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say {correctly} that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37

2) To become the Lamb of God, the only begotten of the Father, that would take away the sins of the world.

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND {sacrifices} FOR SIN YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. "THEN I SAID, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.' "Heb 10:4-7

[God says]: vs. 8-9 "Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the {very} ends of the earth as Your possession. 'You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.' "

In verse six, we see Christ being appointed by God to be King over a spiritual kingdom, New Jerusalem. Christ's reign as King of Kings over the earth is to be part of an inheritance that will initially involve words of judgment (the symbolic meaning of a "rod of iron"), resulting in the destruction of "earthenware"---i.e. flesh.

Pat Marvenko Smith RevelationIllustrated.com

In the foregoing dialogue we see the Son, as King of heaven and earth, being subject to the Father's plans and purposes.

• God appoints His Son as the King of God's "mountain".
• God begets His Son and gives Him a "decree" for the world to hear
• God offers His Son the earth and authorizes Him as Ruler and Judge

And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN." This {expression,} "Yet once more," denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Heb. 12:26-27 [shaking the earth may well be when the winnowing of the chaff occurs (Psalm 1:5) where only the righteous in Christ remain as part of God's Kingdom.]

vs 10-12 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him.

This Psalm ends with God's merciful but urgent warning to his enemies who think themselves wise, but they are fools.

Kings are surrounded by servants all day long. But wise kings will become servants...servants of the Lord.

We see the phrase 'fear and trembling' several times in the New Testament where each time it carries the meaning of 'undivided attention'. A sinner can only kiss the Son when he has turned away from the world's ways that are perishing. Kissing the Son must mean to personally receive by faith the words of the Son of God---words that issue forth from the heart of God into the heart of whosoever will.

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned {them} on earth, much less {will} we {escape} who turn away from Him who {warns} from heaven...Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;for our God is a consuming fire. Heb. 12:25, 28

Language

Hi Steve, having some issues with Blooger automatically putting message in Dutch when it is sent.  Hope this works as I did NOT view the last post...

Jesus and the temple Pt 2

Just a follow up on my last post when I asked the questions, Who were the thieves and what were they stealing? On Sunday I asked the folks in sunday school and others as well the same questions and these were some of the responses.

The first thoughts that came to my and others mind was that those who were doing the selling of doves and the money changers were the thieves .The money changers would take the pilgrims foreign coinage and exchange it for that which would pay the tribute money to the temple at a poor rate for the pilgrims and make a substantial profit as would the seller of doves. Many unscrupulous fellows would engage in these practises and it could be said that they were stealing from the people and also stealing from God.

Another thought was that the priests were takeing that which was a holy place, the temple courtyard, and debasing it into a common thing. A market place. Thereby stealing the reverence that such a place should have in the hearts and minds of the people.

I'm inclined to think that Jesus had in mind that the priests and the Pharisees were the thieves. Especially from their reaction to what he said. They created a system that was so burdensome and a load so heavy for the common Jew that he could never find rest in it A system that pointed to them as the best example of how to please God. A system of works. In essence they were stealing the opportunity for them to trust God by faith. They were stealing the faith of Abraham and turning it into a works religion. That's what came to my mind as I pondered this question .

Toby

Mountain Meanings

Four of my top ten favorite mountain or hill verses:

For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest...But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, Heb.18,22

In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. Psalm 95:4

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:23

What's your thinking on Mountains?

(everybody re-bookmark this blog site because I changed the url address)

Jesus and the temple

I've been teaching sunday school on the gospel of Mark and we're in chp.11. Jesus has been to the temple the day before and surveyed the situation and enters the temple again and begins to toss out the moneychangers and those who sold things to the pilgrims comeing to offer sacrifices for the feast. He says" My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. " My question for you all is, Who are the thieves and what were/are they stealing?
I've got some thoughts but would love to hear from you guys.

Thanks Toby

Gethsemene

by Pat Marvenko Smith

Lovely Lamb of God

Trembling in the garden

Beads of blood are rolling

From his hands clutching at His brow

Anguished are His silent sighs

The closest of his friends

Slumber near the garden

Could they not awaken

And keep watch with Him for an hour?

In the night alone he prays

In the night alone

In the night alone

In the night alone

He prays

The dread of this dark hour

His heart had tasted daily

But now a demon whispers

"Like a bird you can fly away

To the mountain fly away"

Then His troubled soul

Cries from Calvary's shadow

"Father if it's able then I ask

This cup to pass from me

But not my will, but thine be done"

Not my will but thine

Not my will but thine

Not my will but thine

Be done

© 2008 by Stephen Popovich

Ps 1 - The Tree and Water

vs 1. How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

We see in the first verse of the first Psalm, ambassadors of the spiritual land of death and darkness. From their place of darkness and foolishness, they offer words to guide others even as they scoff at words of light and life. Nothing has changed since this Psalm was written.

We do not need to look far in any direction around us---the media, academia, the Government, our relatives and acquaintances---before we hear the chorus: "We want nothing to do with your God because we do not like his words. We have other, more sin-friendly, words to live by"

vs 2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

God's word is often referred to as His law because it is the road our hearts are to travel---We enter this Salvation Road by obeying the gospel. Then we obey the street signs of love on the journey down the road. And we must mind the guardrails!

A great significance of verse two following verse one is that God's people must first say "no" to the world's ways before they say "yes" to God's way. It's called confession and repentance.

vs. 3 He will be like a tree {firmly} planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Water is always a picture of the word. Trees represent mankind. Christ was sent into the fallen world to become the everlasting tree----the Word Made Flesh--- in whom the word of God freely flowed and bore fruit. The moment a believer is saved, he becomes a living branch in Christ the Vine.

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither {can} you unless you abide in Me. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and {so} prove to be My disciples." John 15:4-8

The life and light of God's word lasts forever, all else is of the world and withers away with the world.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and {also} its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:16-17

vs. 4-5 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Bread comes from wheat, so it should be no surprise that wheat is yet another symbol of God's word. When Jesus comes to judge the world, those that are in Him will have been born of His word---the seed remaining in them while producing fruit. Those in whom the word is not rooted because of unbelief, will be carried off like chaff to hell.

"And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come {as} Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment {as to} what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." John 12:45-48

And those who are standing and walking in righteousness,---the true branches of the Vine,---will be as the trees planted by the river of God that flows from His heavenly throne through a street of gold.

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(c) 1992 by Pat Marvenko Smith Revelation Illustrated