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The day when Christ was born
God allotted to mankind times and seasons,
And for that he had good reasons.
Because Adam and Eve’s sin had forth death,
Which had to be overcome by a man from Nazareth.
God’s own son who is true God and true man,
Was to be born of Mary as part of his great plan.
The Prince of heaven and every star,
Was sought by the Wise men from afar.
God gave the world his only begotten Son,
That over sin and death victory be won.
The day was set for him on earth to manifest,
So that those who yearn for redemption find their rest.
God caused this day to be just right,
And born was the Saviour – heaven’s delight.
He grew up to fulfill his purpose and the Law,
Never could in him be found any sinful flaw.
God made this day greater than the day of Adam’s creation,
To make available to Abraham’s descendants and Gentiles his salvation.
So remember this day never for worldly festivities,
Instead worship Christ and do good activities.
Fragrance of resurrection
Rising up on the third day,
Doing things God’s way.
A sacrifice painful to endure,
Sinless Lamb of God all pure.
A fragrant offering and sacrifice,
God’s mercy through Jesus does suffice.
No decay in his death nor grave was found,
He fulfilled the Law of Moses all around.
Christ became a worthy offering in love,
Unto the Lord God above.
Jesus died for us crucified,
At the Father’s right hand now glorified.
Death couldn’t hold him up forever,
Because he is holy and sinned never.
God raised him from the dead O behold,
His prophets the resurrection foretold.
The fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus is good,
For he overcame sin and death by the cross of wood.
This aroma spreads everywhere in triumphant procession,
Led by Jesus Christ who gives us redemption.
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Verses for reflection:
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:12-14)
Head and not the tail
You shall be the head and not the tail,
You were not baptized to fail.
The blessings of the covenant old,
obtained by Christ for us we’re told.
Have true faith and let it show,
By God, be above and not below.
Do not fear when the Enemy assails,
The Church against Hell’s gates prevails.
Resist the Devil and let him flee,
Revel not in falsehood and vain glee.
Obey Jesus the Savior in full measure,
For he’s better than any earthly treasure.
God grant that you don’t have to borrow,
Let there be hope for every tomorrow.
Every blessing promised to Abraham pure,
By faith we receive in Christ Jesus to endure.
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That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:14)
My thoughts when writing the above poem:
As per Deuteronomy 28 there are blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. No one has a lived a pure and perfect and sinless life as Jesus Christ has done. Depending on following the Law, we also get subject to its curses if we break it. This is where faith in Jesus comes in. For it gives you not only the courage to be really above all temptation and evil of the world, it also let’s you inherit the blessings he obtained for you which were promised to Abraham by God. No wonder it said in the Scriptures “The righteous shall live by faith”.
The rebuilding of the next Jewish Temple
The Bible mentions about the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. This would be the third temple then. The rebuilding of the Temple is one of the signs of the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ. In fact the Anti Christ will enter the Temple and as an act of blasphemous portray himself as God. At the present moment the Temple of Jerusalem is in ruins. The Jews of today are very eager to rebuild it again so that the old manner of worship and sacrifice to the Living God (whom Christians know as Jesus’ Father and God) is restored to its former glorious state. It’s a known fact that the Jews hold their traditions with great respect and will go to any lengths to defend it. They believe that their Messiah will come to the Temple of Jerusalem and reveal himself as sent from God. Due to this they are desperate to complete the task of rebuilding it. With the way Israel has been advancing on the financial, technical and most importantly in the field of warfare the construction will surely happen. This is the will of God and no man, no nation nor the Devil can stop it. Isaiah 46:9-10 says that; Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
Do not believe anyone who says that the Temple won’t be rebuilt. Because the Bible itself teaches about it. For the rebuilding itself doesn’t mean the immediate end of the word. It’s just one of the signs of the end of the age and not an end in itself.
I’m totally aware that the Jews still lack certain things to rebuild the Temple. For instance they need a good number of Levitical priests, special oils, a steady supply of certain types of animals, many temple articles and most importantly the land and a time of peace to build the temple. However, all I can say is what is impossible to man is possible with God. So the hand of God is at work to stir up the hearts of the Jews so that they finally get their act together and finish the temple work.
Now someone might say that we don’t need a Third Temple, as Jesus has fulfilled the Law of Moses for us, so having a temple for the sake of sacrificing animals would not be needed for Christians. I agree with you that animal sacrifices are no longer needed and also say that Jesus indeed fulfilled the law and we can’t add anything to this. It’s just that the temple must be rebuilt as this is ordained by God towards the end times.
Lets us remember Acts 17:24 which says that “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands” and also a believer in Christ is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). So it is necessary for us Christians to continue to worship God in spirit and truth instead of trying to go any Jewish Temple unless Jesus himself is present physically over there, which I assure you won’t be the case this time. There is nothing in the Holy Scriptures which says that the glory of God will manifest in the next Jewish Temple. The original Jewish Temple had the presence of the Lord. So we must rather seek the presence of God by the Holy Spirit instead of depending on monuments made by human hands.
A solemn warning to all Christians from me; “Please avoid going to the next Jewish Temple as the Anti Christ and his forces will manifest over there and will surely work evil over there. You must not be on the receiving end of this evil. Going at that time to that place won’t give you any extra grace of God. You can’t earn the favor of God by doing this!”
Let me make it real to you, it’s not Christians but the Jews who will rebuild the Jewish Temple. Because they are still following the Law of Moses as they do not accept Jesus nor his finished work on the cross which gives true salvation. The Jews are NOT building this temple for Jesus to sit there as their Messiah. They need are doing it just to restore their original glory and worship of God. In context of the Gospel we know having a temple without Jesus as the only Lord in it will not result in a happy ending. We need to realize that Jews are a people who yearn for the Messiah to reveal himself but they are still unsaved as they continue to avoid the Gospel and its teachings on Jesus. So all Christians must pray for their safety and also for their eyes being opened to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God.
Here are a few Bible verses related to rebuilding of the Jewish Temple:
“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (Daniel 9:24-27)
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) (Matthew 24:15)
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:1-5 NKJV)
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.(Revelation 11:1-2)
Now there are various teachings about the Anti Christ who will manifest in the Jewish Temple. Some say he will be a Jew, some say he will be an Arab, while others maintain he would be of the Nordic race. I say that it doesn’t matter which race or religion he is from. Because ultimately his aim will be to get all races and religions to worship him and honor the Devil who gives him power. When the Jews take him to the Temple of God they won’t actually think of him as a bad man until he will show himself as God and end up revealing his true sinful and evil nature. The Jews will then be outraged and refuse to worship him. But the Anti Christ will try get as many Jews killed as a result of their hate for his blasphemous nature. Remember this is one of the signs of the end of the world and God has revealed it to us in advance. So do no despair but rejoice for victory belongs to Jesus!
Here are a few video teachings about the rebuilding of the next Temple of Jerusalem:
Related articles
Take the machinery out of the church
The farther away from God you get, the more rules and regulations you’ll come up with in an effort to maintain what you once had. And what was once living will soon become mechanical and artificial. (Take the machinery out of the church.)
Beware of the yoke of men. Man’s yoke looks good, but it will only slow you down in the climb, and will make you less fruitful. The Lord’s yoke is light, it lifts you up, but man’s will weigh you down.
Zealous Christians can sometimes fall into the deception that they can earn God’s Love, and that His love is based on their performance. (I personally fell to this deception.) Be sure to love God for who He Is, not for what He can give you. The Love of God is not so cheap that it can be earned by the work of your hand or the sweat of your brow.
The above quotes are by Robert Brownell (of divinerevelations.info) and exhort us to follow God freely in spirit. Sometimes people act legalistic while they may not be aware of their behavior. However, these people are aware of how others follow God freely and so don’t have an excuse. God wants his people to love him with all of their heart, mind and strength. Acting like a machine won’t help you at all. Machines don’t have have a heart nor a mind.
You need to receive the Lord Jesus who gives true grace and truth. So hold Jesus close to your heart. Love Jesus not out of compulsion but out of free will. God knows the thoughts of your heart, so don’t do good works to get a certificate of right conduct from a preacher. Maybe you need that certificate for church formalities etc. However, be true to the will of God. The will of God is not something clouded by intellectual smoke. God’s will is that you believe in the Lord Jesus and live a holy life unto God.
Do works of charity not for fame but for the glory of God. Good works don’t get you salvation as you can never earn your way into heaven. Salvation is given freely by Jesus Christ to those believe in him and the Gospel of Christ. Salvation is not a ‘one-time-prayer-and-forget-about-it’, it’s about continuing in your relation with Jesus. For salvation outside of Jesus Christ does not exist, so keep within Jesus always.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17)
So that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:21)
Disciples of hope 