This is a contradiction of our faith yet anti-Semitism is growing in America? It should never ever be led by the church! Yet Ben Shapiro an Orthodox Jew who is a conservative speaker in major universities across America got his invitation cancelled at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix Arizona! This university prides themselves as the largest Christian University in the world! Bigger is not necessarily better! We here in America cannot repeat the mistakes of the church in Europe by persecuting the Jews! The Apostle Paul said we are to take the Gospel to the Jew first and then the gentiles! Jesus was a Jew and all his disciples! Salvation has come through the Jew! We are forever indebted to them! We as Christian’s cannot retract from the cultural war in America! We cannot hide behind our church organizational walls or institutions from the fray! The greatest resistance to Jesus came from the religious community when he walked this earth! Many Jews will come to Christ during the 7 year tribulation period in future history! The church will be raptured at this time! It is a sad testimony if God has to get the church out of the earth or out of the way to reach the Jews! Let no Christian ever be part of the persecution of a Jew! We apologize to Ben Shapiro and the Jewish community for this thoughtless act of anti-Semitism! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: apostle
Vanity Fair! Revelation 2:13
Jesus said Antipas is my faithful martyr! Antipas was the Bishop of the church at Pergamos during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian. The Apostle John ordained Antipas as Bishop of the church at Pergamos. Antipas was burned inside an idol which was a bull shaped copper structure. His crime was casting out demons worshipped by the local population! Some of the hero’s of the Faith are listed in Hebrews Chapter eleven! Stephen was a faithful martyr listed in the Book of Acts! Antipas was most likely a Greek who converted to Christianity. Antipas is the shortened name of Antipater. Remember that was the name of one of Alexander the Great successful Generals. (397-319 B.C.). Remember Herod the Great was known by this name! Jesus will avenge the blood of the Saints! Why did Jesus call Pergamum Satan’s Seat? Even Ephesus with all of its advantages with the Great Temple and bustling port, could not match the importance of the once royal seat of the Attalids! Situated on a scenic acropolis Pergamum was embellished with the largest number of Greek and Roman Temples in the whole of Asia Minor! Examples are Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Demetia, Dionysis and Aphrodite. On another site was housed the largest Aesclepium of the Empire. Its library of two hundred thousand volumes rivaled the renowned library in Alexandria! The eminent Doctor Galen was among her favorite sons! Roman Emperors came to seek healing at the famous Aesclelpium! Aesclepium was honored as the god of healing in the classical world. When the cult of “Dominus et Deus”, was initiated at Pergamum, the great Basilica was erected, adding to the rostrum of numerous idol Temples! The visitor today Bergama (Turkish name of the present day city), will see the immense structure at the edge of the bustling center. Basilica became the monument of vice and cruelty! Every citizen was forced to burn a few grains of incense here and worship the Emperor of Deus. Then they would proceed to their preferred practice a common syncetistic act which never lacked its double-faced devotees! For anyone who refused to submit to this profane practice death was imminent! Where as the Temple of Zeus was referred by the early Christians as the “Seat of Satan”, the appellation was later transferred to this center where some Christians felt compelled to pay obeisance! Source: Thomas Cosmades Comment: Remember God’s church was established in the midst of all this evil! The venerable Polycarp followed Antipas in martyrdom! Christ and his Cross was raised up over “Satan’s Seat”, to defeat Satan the eternal enemy of man! This battle rages on today between the One True God and the millions of the gods of men! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Who Are They? Revelation 2:6
Who are the Nicolaitians? The word in the Greek means the conqueror of the people! Specifically in the Church of God! They are only referred to twice in the Book of Revelation. Both the church at Ephesus and the Church at Pergamos had the same problem! (Verse 2:15). The Nicolaitians were Bishops and prelates of the church gaining a triumphal victory over the laity! This is the very sin that brought forth the Reformation! It is mostly responsible for all our denominational and non-denominational churches around the world! The Nicolaitians compelled and forced church members to submit to the arbitrary dominion of men who have become the ones which the eternal hates! The Apostle Peter warned us that those who are leaders among God’s people must not dominate the faith of others but rather exhort them to do right! (1 Peter 5:1-3). The Nicolaitians are people in the church who have established a hierarchy of power and dominion under a government of ecclesiastical rulers! Comment: Yes! God hates these folks! Correction is very different from condemnation! We take the word disciple from the word discipline. Jesus used the techniques of correction and commendation very effectively! We as parents either tend to over correct and under commend or over commend and under correct! Everything I do cannot be right and everything I do cannot be wrong! That is why I need a Savior! My experience in ministry over the past 45 years has shown me people do not like to submit to authority! This is the nature of Satan! Most people will submit to authority if commended and corrected in love! However some will never! Hell is reserved for these folks! Why will some never submit? Because they want to replace God! This explains why the world is a war! War on God! Jesus asked the churches at Ephesus and Pergamos to repent! Sunday our Pastor Oscar Cope made an important point to us in his sermon! He said that the beginning of repentance is the end of judgment! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
End of Church Age! Psalm 137:6
O’ Jerusalem if I should not remember thee; let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy! Comment: Where was the first church on earth? Jerusalem! The Apostle Peter was the Pastor of the Jerusalem Church! Where will be the last church? Jerusalem with the return of Christ at his second coming and the end of the church age! The church age was established by Jesus to maintain his body of believer’s in the earth until his return. To ignore Jerusalem is to deny your faith! Your faith began there and will consummate there with Christ’s return! Jesus is not returning to America or Utah or China, Russia, UK, or any other nation except Israel! Do you now understand why much of the world wants to destroy her! If you really have the courage to fight for your faith you fight for Jerusalem! The Crusader’s acted on their faith! They did not live in a theology based theory! This is why President Donald Trump moved our U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem! As Gentile Christian’s let us never forget Jerusalem for if we do we are living contrary to our Holy Scriptures! The time clock of prophecy is set in Jerusalem to go off one day soon! We do not look for the next new ministry on the horizon! We do not look for the next denomination that claims they have more revelation than the last one! We look to Christ and his return to Jerusalem Israel! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Biblical Socialism! 2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if anyone would not work, neither should he eat! Apostle Paul. Comment: This would solve our National debt problem that threatens our survival as a nation! The only thing that keeps us from the financial collapse is capitalism! However socialism is gaining ground! The left goes after business with more taxes and more regulations! They bite the hand that feeds them! If they have their way then the collapse is imminent! No nation in the history of the earth has survived socialism! It is the anti-Biblical model alive and well in the Democratic party! To vote for a Democrat is ignorant of both the Bible and history! The left wants to stay in power by borrowing money we do not have to keep promises we cannot afford! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Sunday Worship! Revelation 1:10
Greek Translation: “I, John was in the spirit when the breath of God blew on me! It was on the Lord’s day! It was Sunday the day and time of life that belongs to Christ! It is his day therefore I submit to my King and Ruler this day! This day is owned by my God!” Comment: Man’s day is in opposition to the Sabbath! Fifty years ago when I was a teenager about 90 percent of all businesses were closed on Sunday! What about today in America? I hear about more and more Christians telling me they have to work on Sunday? If the businesses stay open on Sunday then the employee’s will have to work on Sunday! Where was John in the 1st century when he received this revelation? He was in the Lord’s House on Sunday! Do not expect to hear from God if you forsake the Sabbath! It is like trying to catch a fish by casting your line on a sand dune in the desert! If you want to meet God you need to be where he hangs out! Now John’s church building could have been his prison! Peter and the Apostles spent time in prison but still honored the Sabbath! Turn your prison into a House of worship! If you do not want to be where God is then you may need to repent! If you resist Christ’s church here on earth you are also resisting him in Heaven! The separation from Christ begins here on earth and continues resisting Heaven! In American culture work has become the agent of resistance to Christ and Sunday worship! Most people move away from Christ gradually taking many little steps! If you want to take a big step forward back to Christ be in church on Sunday! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Mystery Solved! Revelation 1:20
Comment: The word mystery translated from the Greek means a sacred spiritual mystery! Something that is hidden but to be revealed later. This is why a believer in Christ lives by faith! We do not see everything about our faith immediately but God reveals himself to us in steps as we progress in following him! The word angels used here simply means a messenger! Someone with a message! It could be Gabriel however this word angel in the Greek can also mean a Bishop, Pastor or a designated elder! The word churches means a congregation of believers following Christ. I believe the angels were the seven Pastor’s of the seven churches in Asia Minor (Turkey). This letter was for them! Some believe the Roman guards would have read John’s letters so he coded them so only the churches would understand what he was saying! When the Roman guards read these letters they probably thought John was crazy! I am sure the world today looks at us the same way! The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men! The reason the Romans released John from prison is probably because they thought he was not a threat to Caesar but just plain crazy! Remember the whole Book of Revelation is the unveiling or uncovering the mystery of Jesus Christ! Look for Jesus Christ as you read and study this Book! To those who have not received the Revelation of Jesus Christ this Book would look foolish yet to those who have received him it is the power of God! The stars and the candlesticks ultimately all point to Christ! There was a star over Bethlehem and Jesus is the light of the world! Let him light your path so you do not stumble in the darkness! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Why Suffer? Revelation 1:9
Greek Translation: I John, who also am among you a brother of the same womb (Born Again) and companion in tribulation. In tribulation of being broken, squeezed, crushed with the pressure of a burden upon my spirit in a confined space (Prison). And in the Kingdom of God under all circumstances with endurance towards people. I was in the isle of Patmos, for the Word of God and for the testimony being a witness, certifying and declaring Jesus Christ. Comment: Suffering by the world brings death! Suffering by God has brought men Salvation! John suffered for a testimony of Jesus Christ! Suffering in Christ brings purpose in your life! To live is Christ and to die is gain! We have an interesting story about India. We spent two of our three years there on a remote mountain village named Yercaud in South India. They had an old English church up there that had the graveyard surrounding the church! I explained in a previous post why the British did this. Since I had to walk through the cemetery to get to the front door of the church I noticed some of the grave markers. There were two grave markers of a missionary couple from England that spent their whole life preaching the Gospel in India! But I noticed next to their graves was a little grave marker of a four year old girl. This was their daughter who died of malaria while ministering to the people of India! I wrote there names down and then inquired of the elders of the village if anyone knew about them? An old man in the village told me the story his grandfather told him many years ago. This couple had a powerful ministry bringing hundreds of Hindus and Muslims to Christ! They had been appointed to a three year mission work to India. However after their daughter died there they spent the rest of their lives ministering in India! They decided their daughter’s death would not be in vain! Her sacrifice was not to be wasted! Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me!” As we take the bread and the cup let us remember he did not let the cup pass from him! A sacrifice was provided to you for your Salvation! Remember him when you are suffering for he has never forgotten you! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Read! Hear! Speak! Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he possessing the character of God expressed as a believer in Christ who is well spoken of and is fully satisfied regardless of the circumstances. God’s Kingdom is in your heart. These blessings come when you read and hear the word of this prophecy. The prophecy of telling God’s word where His grace and empowerment are to be exercised in the church. You are to keep those things which are written therein: For the time or season of opportunity is given for these events to take place. Comment: The word Blessed used here could not be better expressed than in the life of the Apostle John! Regardless of circumstances! A lot of 21st Century preaching today says you are blessed only if your circumstances of money, wealth and health reflect it! John was boiled in a pot of oil! When that did not kill him the Roman Emperor had John exiled to a slave labor camp on the remote Greek island of Patmos working in a stone quarry! The 21st Century Christian would have trouble understanding his blessings? Lord if you just help me win the lottery I will serve you! The word Blessed has nothing to do with your external circumstances but everything to do with your internal condition! Your soul. It is all about Christ living and dwelling in you! His presence comes through reading his word and hearing his word and then speaking His word to others! Evangelism! The word time used in this scripture passage is not the word chronology and does not mean a succession of time! The Greek word for time, used here, Strongs #2540, means a season of opportunity for events to take place. You might call it grace! Your season and my season of opportunity will only come by once in your life! Use your opportunity today and the rest of your life to read, hear and speak His Word! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Salvation through the Jew! Genesis 49:10
Hebrew Translation: “The septre or staff with authority to punish, fight and rule shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver engraving and writing ordaining Kingship to Judah from between his feet, until Shiloh the Messiah come; and unto him shall the gathering of the whole human race be.” Comment: Today we as believer’s in Christ sit before his Throne in Heaven submitting to his authority! One day at the Judgment Seat of Christ he will be seated but you and I will stand before him so judged to everlasting life and some to everlasting punishment! So why did God give us the Law? Simply to show us we all need the Savior! The truth is we are and will submit to someone! It may be God or it may be Satan! I was blind but now I see! I served Satan for years then one day just like the Apostle Paul a great light shone over me and the scales were removed from my eyes! I can see clearly now! You cannot discern you destiny unless Christ intervenes and shows you your error! I will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ! However for me his judgment for my sin was taken by the judge and paid for on the Cross at Calvary! You do not want to take your own judgment! You will end up in Hell. The choice is still ours to make! This life is short but eternity is forever! Where we spend it is the most important decision you will ever make! Like the thief on the Cross there may still be time for you! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com