Hebrew Translation: “Thus says the King with Divine authority giving statutory laws to frame moral character. This is the King of Israel. I am the Redeemer a deliverer paying a ransom for your sin. I am the Lord of hosts directing my army of troops in Heaven who are in military service to me. I am first in place, time and rank. I am last concluding everything. Beside me there is no God.” Comment: Remember the words of Jesus in Revelation 22:13? I am the Alpha and the Omega! The first and the last! Why is he first? He is the cause of creation! Jesus was before all things! Very opposite to Darwin and evolution where he believed there was no God so with him everything began with man! When Jesus said he is the end it does not mean his extinction! Jesus meant his goal is reached redeeming men from death, Hell and the grave! Jesus is last for the conclusion of everything! He concludes with grace and judgment! You cannot have one without the other! You either let Jesus take your judgment on the Cross or you take your own judgment condemned to Hell. Remember Matthew 20:16? Jesus said the last shall be first and the first shall be last! Lazarus the beggar was last in this world and the rich man was first! Then after the judgment Lazarus was first and the rich man was last! Jesus being first in time, order and rank will pass out rewards and punishments! If you have ever been in the military service you know the highest ranking military officer determines the rank of the rest of the unit! He will promote who he will. He will demote who he will. One day every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ is Lord! You will do this from either Heaven or Hell. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: lazarus
Burning Bush! Exodus 3:2
This is not a California wildfire! The bush the Angel appeared out of was burning yet not consumed? Some theologians believe this Angel was Christ! We have some other examples of this in our Bible! Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? The angry King threw them into the fiery furnace! They were in the fire but not consumed along with the 4th man believed to be Christ! It was the same Angel in the burning bush! Did you know the souls in Hell are not consumed by the fire! However they feel the flames forever! Remember the rich man and Lazarus? The rich man begged Lazarus who was a beggar while on earth to bring some drops of water to cool his tongue! To warn his family still living on earth of his plight! Interestingly when God is in the fire with you there is no burning on your body! I am not a cremation fan because fire represents judgment! In the Old Testament the sacrifices were no good unless the animal was completely consumed! God never allowed human sacrifices because man a sinner could never atone for his own sin! Only God sacrificing himself for us would be enough! Remember Jesus after he was crucified descended to the heart of the earth and preached to the captives! The fire did not touch them! One day soon at the judgment seat of Christ both the living and the dead will stand before Christ! Those who rejected Christ are taken into the Lake of Fire! Where the worm dieth not and the fire is never quenched! Would it not be better to be with Christ in the fire and protected than apart from him and burned forever? Only a fool would reject Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
I Am That I Am! Exodus 3:14
The Hebrew word for this English phrase is “Hayah”. Strongs # 1961. This Hebrew word is also related to another Hebrew word “Havah”. Strongs #1933. What is interesting is that these words are not nouns but verbs! So they represent an action or initiation of something! The first word describes God as “to exist.” He always was and always will be! He does not fade off into history like men! The second Hebrew word used means to “breathe.” Do not confuse this word with the two Hebrew words used in Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 6:17. In Genesis 2:7, Strongs #5387, the word breath means a Divine inspiration with intellect. The word breath used in Genesis 6:17, Strongs 7307, means a violent exhaustion of air and spirit. Like giving up the ghost! At Creation God the I Am That I Am, initiated his breath into man with Divine inspiration and intellect! At Noah’s flood in Genesis 2:7, the word breath means a violent exhaustion of air and spirit by death! At birth we receive God’s breath! At death we exhaust God’s breath! At Creation our life is established by his breath! We are established with his breath! We did not evolve! So our breath is not our own! So you have to be careful what you say! Some people have bad breath! Do we praise God or curse him with bad breath? Do we exalt God or ourselves? Every good or evil action is initiated with the breath of our words! Again our breath is not our own! Who is the owner of your breath? When Jesus raises us from the dead again one day we will have breath again! Both believers and unbelievers! Remember the story Jesus told of Lazarus and the rich man? It is found in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus the beggar was taken to Heaven and the rich man to Hell. There was a great gulf between the two abodes! The rich man begged Abraham to warn his brothers still on earth to the Hell that awaits them unless they repent! Abraham told the rich man in Hell that his brothers had Moses and the Prophets! Abraham told the rich man that if they will not believe them then they will not believe one though raised from the dead! So God was really telling Moses to tell Pharaoh that I am the breath that all men have! I am the God that breathes breath into men! I am the Creator of all living things! Pharaoh you have not evolved by your own works! Pharaoh since you are using my breath that I gave you do not abuse me in unbelief towards me! Jesus said we must be born again! I second breath or wind! Before being born again I cursed God with my breath! No I praise him with the same breath! Pharaoh rejected the God that gave him breath and he and his army was drowned in the Red Sea! In the time of Noah the world except for 8 souls were drowned in the flood! Remember Lucifer who became Satan the Praise Leader of Heaven? Remember the fallen Angel? He used the breath of God to Glorify God then he used the same breath to oppose God! He rebelled against God in Heaven and was cast down to earth with 1/3 of the angels! Now they use the breath of God to oppose his Kingdom here on earth! Satan has many followers over the generations that have lived since the Garden of Eden! Is your breath used to raise doubts about God or affirm him? After the resurrection of the dead we will have breath again! Some to everlasting life and some to judgment! The Praise of the Saints will be beautiful but the screams of Hell deafening! Remember this! What you did with God’s breath while here on earth will determine your outcome in eternity! You are not your own you have been bought with a price!If I were God I would be reluctant to give mortal men my breath! Very risky! Will they praise me or curse me? With the breath of God Jesus said on the Cross,” Father forgive them for they know not what they do”! Crucify Him! One day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Why not start now while you have breath! Worship the I Am That I Am! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Is Jesus Just a Gardener to You? John 20:15
Just as with Mary at one time in my life Jesus was just a gardener to me! As long as you do not look for Jesus you will never see Him! Mary Magdalene was the first disciple to recognize Jesus after His resurrection from the dead! Death seems to close the door on our personalities but really it does not! Remember the rich man and Lazarus? One life carried on in Heaven and the other life in Hell. Jesus carried on after his death the same way He was before death! Jesus disciples wrote Jesus off after the Crucifixion! Peter and John had preconceived idea’s about Jesus before they entered the tomb! They looked around the empty tomb and saw the grave clothes then fled and went into hiding from the Romans and the Jews! What they saw confirmed what they believed! This whole thing is a hoax! Mary hung around the tomb weeping because there was no body there to anoint for burying? Mary had experienced Jesus power for He cast 7 demons out of her! Yet she let death close the door on her faith and thought the man speaking to her in the tomb was a gardener! Then the voice and light of Jesus opened her eyes! Rabboni! Rabbi! Master! Jesus is always present even if you do not see Him! Just as a blind man can feel the rays of the sun so you can feel Jesus love! The stars shine brightest in the darkness of the night! After Jesus delivered me from death I could only see Him and experience His love! My allegiance and devotion turned to Him! Rabbi! Master! Power over death! Jesus was no longer a gardener to me! The Resurrection took on a whole new meaning! It was no longer just a religious story I heard once a year at church! Do you want the reality of Jesus or just a once a year story? You do not want to wake up on the wrong side of death as the rich man did! Either a Heaven or a Hell? The reality of Christ will one day come to all the living and the dead! Just so it is not too late for you! Chance and choice only come once to every individual. Wise men and women still seek Him! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Sequel to Judas Iscariot
Remember in the previous blog posting I asked you some questions about Judas Iscariot? One of those questions was why did Jesus not cast the devil out of Judas Iscariot? Jesus cast seven devil’s out of Mary Magdalene! Well, you say the plot to betray Jesus would have been spoiled! It says in the Gospel of Luke that Satan entered Judas! The Prince of devil’s entered Judas! The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Darkness have an order of rank! The problem for Jesus is that He will not cast Satan out of Satan! You will still have Satan left! It would also preclude eternal judgment for Satan! Jesus made a way for God to enter us and dwell in us! The Holy Spirit secures us until Christ returns for us! Remember the lunatic that had a legion of devil’s? Jesus cast them out into the pigs! No doubt if any of us had a legion of devil’s in us we would also be a lunatic! However this nut was not beyond redemption yet Judas was? My Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil. Not money but the love of it! From the drug dealer to the Ponzi scheme on Wall Street! Judas was in love with money! He loved money to the point of betraying God! Welcome to the ministry! This opened the door for Satan the Chief of all demons to enter Judas! Even thought he repented it did no good! The cries of Hell are not so much about the heat and fire but there is no possibility of redemption from it! We should be reminded of the rich man and Lazarus! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Lazarus Sleepeth! John 11:11 Greek Translation
The Greek word “Koimao” used here for sleep means deceased or dead! Jesus goes on in a later verse to emphasize that Lazarus is dead! There is another Greek word used for sleep in the New Testament which is “Katheudo.” This word means to lie down and rest but was not used in this passage of scripture. What may be of interest to you is this same Greek word used for sleep which means deceased or dead is the same word used in Acts 12:6. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers in chains! Verse 7; The Angel of the Lord came upon him and light shone in the prison and smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying arise up! His chains fell off! Herod had Peter beaten badly! By definition of the word used Peter could have been deceased lying between the two soldiers! Peter may have been raised from the dead! The angel was probably Jesus Himself! The events recorded in our Bible are important to our Faith so I make an effort to go back to the original languages to see greater detail! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Made Whole! Luke 8:48-50
Jairus the Temple ruler had one daughter 12 years old who was very sick! Jairus had sent for Jesus but He got delayed when a crowd of sick people thronged Him! A woman in the crowd touched the hem of His garment and got healed! Jesus commended her for her faith! Jairus sent another message to Jesus telling Him not to come for his daughter is dead! You might call this a cold case! Jesus presented two conditions for restoration! Fear not and believe and you will be made whole! So what does the words made whole mean? Elementary Watson! The Greek root word used here is “Sozo.” It is the same word used for our English word “Salvation.” This word means a spiritual and eternal rescue granted immediately by God for those who believe in Christ! It is the current experience of God’s power to those who believe in Christ! It is God’s power to deliver us from sin and death! What death are we talking about here? It is the second death or eternal judgment made by Christ Himself! Remember Jairus daughter and Lazarus were raised from the dead but they died a physical death again! Lightening can strike twice! I was delivered from my death bed in 1973 and have served Christ for the past 44 years but I will experience another physical death! Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:5? Remember the congregation member living with his father’s wife? Verse 5: “To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Remember Physical death is Satan’s work not God’s work! Death is the result of sin! If Salvation was a rescue of our physical bodies here on earth then we would never die again while here on earth! At the resurrection we will receive glorified bodies that will never get sick or die! Remember at the Judgment seat of Christ some Christians will lose their rewards but not their Salvation! When some Christians get to Heaven will they be on probation? Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us! Jesus went back to Heaven to pray for us, send the Holy Spirit and prepare a place for us! He will come again! You cannot go there unless you have Salvation with a new body and a redeemed soul! He can provide that to you because of Calvary! The Easter message is about this hope we have in Him and His promises to those who accept Him as Savior! Our hope is in Him! Our past is in Him! Our present is in Him! Our future is in Him! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Good Grief! Ecclesiastes 7: 2-4
We need healing conversations this morning! Solomon says grief brings joy! American culture tries to pass by death! We want to avoid conversations about it! Solomon says in verse four that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. John 11: 32-35. Jesus knows how to grieve! In fact we see in this scripture that Jesus gets blamed for Lazarus death! Where have you buried him? Jesus wept! Why did Jesus stop and weep when He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead? We cannot skip over the sad places in our life! Jesus was fully man and fully God and is illustrated so plainly in these events! We cannot celebrate the miracles without paying attention to the process! Psalm 137. Two third’s of the Psalm’s are complaints and lamentations. The Jews were taken captive and taken to Babylon! The Babylonians took the best of the population back to Babylon and left the sick and elderly in Israel. Many of the grandchildren never saw their grandparents again! As the Jews sat by the rivers of Babylon they remembered Zion and wept! How do we grieve properly? First we must admit a new reality! Something is new about my life! Everything has changed about my life! It may be from a loss of a spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, job loss, sickness, financial loss, home or something else. I lost my dad in 2005. I miss dad but now a new reality. Second take time to weep. They wept in Babylon! Jesus wept! Slow down and grieve! Grieve properly! It is decompressing! Third remember the past! I have many good memories of my father! My father developed a barbeque sauce! He always wanted to get a patent on it. What my mother did not tell us for years is that she added some ingredients to the sauce so we could eat it! Tell the stories that make you smile at a funeral! See God’s imprint on our lives! Tell the stories that heal us and carry us on! What happens when we grieve properly? Our pain is confronted! We cannot ignore pain! In fact there is more pain for avoiding pain! Drug addiction is caused by trying to avoid pain! Invite the Holy Spirit into our pain! Jesus invited His Father into the pain in the Garden of Gethsemane! When we grieve properly we become available again! Your story matters! Millions of American’s have lost loved ones in battles of war in American history! Their stories matter! God is not finished with you yet! Your story is not over! Your final chapter is not the last one! God needs you available again! God will heal your heart! Even Jesus own disciples thought it was all over for them as Jesus went to the Cross! They scattered and went back to their old jobs! They could not look forward? God needs you available again! God knows what it is to grieve! Life was never the same when I lost my father! Storms are not forever! As we prepare for Communion let us remember the grieving of our Lord He has gone through for us on the Cross! Because He lives this morning we can live! He suffered so that we could have victory! He conquered death for us! Joy comes in the morning! He has Risen! Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.