Revelation 3:1-6 Comment: Sardis was the richest city in the area of Asia Minor! A major trade route, gold found in it’s river and the Sardis precious stones mined in the region! A beautiful climate with no threats to the residents and protected by the Roman Empire! The Sardis gem is a blood red colored stone. Remember the High Priest breastplate contained 12 stones each representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The Sardis stone represented the tribe of Benjamin the youngest son of Jacob. It is one of the stones in one of the twelve gates in the walls around the temple in Heaven. The city had an interesting history! Conquered by the Greeks, Persians and the Romans and was leveled by a great earthquake! The affluence of the city brought an attitude among the Christian’s there that they did not really need God! We can make it own our own! Jesus told them they had defiled their garments! Jesus told them they must overcome or their names would be blotted out of the Book of Life! Jesus said if they overcome their condition he would confess their names to the Father! The red Sardis stone should have reminded them of Christ’s blood! The blood moon we saw in the sky last night should have reminded us of his blood! The red color in the rainbow in the sky reminds us of his blood! The Apostle John in Chapter 4 had a vision of Heaven and he saw a rainbow around the Throne of God! Christ’s blood should remind us of two things! Salvation and judgment! It is two sides of the same coin! Salvation or redemption means nothing without judgment! You will have judgment only with out Salvation but you cannot have salvation without judgment! Christ took our judgment upon himself at the Cross! The rejection of Salvation is serious because if you reject the Savior then you take your own judgment and separation from God forever! That is why the only unpardonable sin is to reject Jesus Christ! If you reject Christ as many did at the Church at Sardis then he Christ becomes your judge! Christ’s blood is the blood of God himself made as the only sacrifice for sin! It is costly! I as a mortal might give my life for a friend or my nation but for the whole world? They do not deserve it! Neither do I! By Grace you are saved not of yourselves! Most of the members in the Sardis church fell in love with the world! They were like the fly in the spider’s net! They looked like a Christian but they were dead and hollow inside! The life of Christ had been sucked out of them by the cares of this life! None of us want the form of Godliness but to deny his power! The church was deceived into believing the world could offer them more than Christ! I could lay down my life for Christ yet it would redeem no one! His blood is more precious than silver and more costly than gold! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: unpardonable
Are You Acceptable? Isaiah 61:2
Hebrew Translation: “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. The year of delight, favor, love, grace, kindness, as the pleasure of a King blessing his subjects! The year the High Priest’s sacrifices were accepted with the blood sacrifices and death accepted for our sin. The debt is now paid and the petitions or prayer requests are now heard and acted upon. And the day of vengeance when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and God’s rage, revenge and jealousy was poured out upon the sacrificial offering and accepted. Now after this the people can be comforted with compassion as the sacrifice for their sin has been accepted and they can take a deep breath and sigh of relief for their trespasses have been atoned for.” Comment: Today when we accept the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our sin this offering of God for God on behalf of God is presented before the Father and our sin is forgiven. But what of the fate of those who reject the sacrifice of God’s only Son Jesus Christ for their sin? I would rather be a fallen angel in Hell than an unbeliever in the earth! Why? Because then they themselves become the sacrifice in judgment condemned to an eternity with their leader Satan! The one and only unpardonable sin is the rejection of Jesus Christ as their Savior! While you still have breath you can still chose Jesus Christ! But one day the opportunity in the chapter of your life will end! You are only acceptable to God through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross for your sin! Nothing else qualifies you for Heaven! No works or no efforts of your past, present or future will suffice! The Apostle Paul with all his great scholarly abilities said I only know Christ and Him crucified and nothing else! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Wrath or Salvation? I Thessalonians 5:9-11
Thessalonica was the Crown Jewel of the Apostle Paul’s mission work! His preaching there achieved a numerous and socially prominent following! Paul and his companions in the summer of 50 A.D. had to leave the city! Paul’s sudden departure left the newly found church exposed to great persecution! Paul sent Timothy from Corinth to check on the congregation at Thessalonica. Timothy informed Paul at his return to him that the congregation was steadfast and had a zeal to spread the Gospel! However the church did have some internal problems with sexual relations and some theological issues. Some in the congregation thought that those believer’s that had preceded them in death would have a disadvantage over the living when the Lord returned! So the Letter to the Thessalonians was born out of the need for Paul to settle these issues with the Church there. Paul has made it clear in his letter that God has not appointed us to wrath! The word wrath used here means a punishment with revenge from men! Revenge is a punishment from men that satisfies them but also brings grief to the punisher! The wrath of men is the opposite to the Salvation of God! God took out his revenge on men for their sin by punishing his only Son Jesus Christ on the Cross! Wrath and judgment came upon Jesus Christ for our sin! This is why rejecting Jesus Christ is so serious an offense to God! In fact it is the only unpardonable sin! Judgment or Salvation? Heaven or Hell? The choice you make about Jesus Christ will cast your eternity forever! Jesus is not an option unless you want the consequences being separated from God forever! Jesus is Judge of the living and the dead! He will be your Judge or Savior! The choice is yours to make! Keep in mind in Hell there are no more choices! In Heaven as the Angel’s who are created beings like us still have a choice! Lucifer made his choice to reject God but do you want to follow him to Hell? Jesus took our place on the Cross and took our Judgment upon himself! If Jesus does not take your Judgment you will take your own Judgment! Paul went on to clarify that whether we wake or sleep we live together with him! The word live from the Greek means that God through his Son Jesus Christ causes us to live righteous and Holy physically, spiritually and eternally in him! Paul goes on to say we need to comfort one another! We as the Church need to come to one another’s aid! To comfort one another together as the Body of Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Blasphemy! John 5:22
Jesus words: “For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” Comment: The word judgment means to divide or separate based upon the law to either condemn or aquit. Redemptive judgment is not based on breaking the law for we have all sinned but on God’s acceptance and forgiveness through his only Son Jesus Christ! God has committed all judgment to his only Son because his son paid the price for our sin on the Cross! In Chapter 5 of John we see the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because he broke the Sabbath healing a man on the Sabbath! Also Jesus told the religious leaders that all judgment was rendered unto him by his Father! The Jewish leaders were inflamed because they saw Jesus elevated to the position of God! We have previously discussed the one unpardonable sin which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! Jesus is part of the Trinity! Jesus is the only part of the Trinity that can save you! Blasphemy is rejecting Jesus Christ as your Savior! If you reject the only one that can save you judgment to Hell follows! Jesus is judge of the living and the dead! Jesus did not die for himself! He was without sin! God died for you! Salvation is so important to God that Jesus commanded us to go out into the whole world and preach the Gospel! The good news! If Evangelism was top priority for Jesus what should it be for us? Believer’s highest calling and top priority should be Evangelism above everything else! If in the end of our lives here on earth our future is dependent on what we did with Jesus Christ and our Heaven or Hell depends on Jesus judgment of us then what is more important than reaching people for Christ! I have done some gambling early in my life but why do people gamble with their eternity? This life on earth is very short but eternity is forever! Your decision about Christ will affect you in the here and now and in eternity! Only a fool would say no the Christ! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Just One Unpardonable Sin! Mark 3:29
On previous posts we have discussed this important topic! We have discussed what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Remember these are the words of Jesus speaking in Mark 3:29! Jesus can forgive every sin except one! Would it not be wise to know what this sin is? The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity! To offend one person of the Trinity is to offend all for they are one! Jesus is the only one who can forgive sin because He is God! God’s sacrifice for our sin! When it comes to the virgin birth of Jesus by Mary who came over her to conceive Jesus in the flesh? The Holy Spirit! To reject Jesus Christ is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit! Jesus will be your Savior or your Judge! Which is it for you depends on your choice about Christ! It depends on your choice! Morality is a choice! The outcome of your eternity depends on what you do with Jesus Christ while here on earth! Choose this day who you will serve! God or Satan? Heaven or Hell? As for me and my house we will serve the Lord! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Hour of Temptation! Revelation 3:10
Greek Translation: “Because thou has kept the spoken word of my cheerful endurance, I will also keep thee from the hour, time and season of one’s virtues which shall come to pass upon all the world specifically the Roman Empire, to try them that dwell on the whole earth.” Comment: The Greek word for our English word “world”, used here refers to the Roman Empire. From the Roman Empire the temptation is spread into the whole earth. So what temptation is Jesus keeping you from that is spread to the whole earth from the Roman Empire? The temptation to deny Christ! The world at this time in history was the Roman Empire! They had conquered most of the known world! Jesus and all the disciples except John and many of the early church Father’s were martyred by the Roman Empire! The Apostle John at the time of the writing of this Book of Revelation was exiled on the Isle of Patmos working as a slave in a stone quarry because of Caesar’s sentencing of John! Christian persecution of the Church began in 64 A.D. with Nero and the great fire of Rome. The persecution of the Church ceased in 313 A.D. with the Edict of Milan with Emperor Constatine. It has been estimated that there were at least 100 thousand martyrs during this period. Remember in previous postings we talked about the unpardonable sin? What was blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Remember to mock one part of the Trinity is to mock all. The unpardonable sin was to deny Jesus! God can forgive every sin except denying Jesus because He is the only one who can forgive sin! Remember the 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by ISIS last year? In their hour of temptation they did not deny Jesus! Rome became Christian under Emperor Constatine and became the Holy Roman Empire! Jesus knew what the believers were going to face under Roman Rule for 200 years! He was preparing them for the hour of temptation! So how did the preparation come about for the hour of temptation for the whole earth? When Roman Empire became Christian all the roads they had built throughout their entire Empire were used to take the Gospel to all the known world! I will give you a historical quote on the Roman Empire from Wikipedia: “By means of European Colonialism following the Renaissance, and the descendant states, Greco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian culture was exported on a world wide scale, playing a crucial role in the development of the modern world.” Now where are we at 21 Centuries later today? The pressure upon Christian culture today is to deny Christ! The popular culture, Hollywood, liberal media, atheistic teachings such as evolution, abortion promoters, white supremacy haters, anti-colonialism, gays, lesbian, and transgender promoters all apply pressure against us to deny Christ! Even in the church the denial of Christ exists! Many believers do not tithe their income! Many make a 7 day work week and skip Sunday services! Worship of money over God! The list goes on but we can either deny Christ one small step at a time but when push comes to shove and you have to make a choice between your life or Christ God’s grace will not be their to confess His name! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Only One Unpardonable Sin! Matthew 12:31-32
Words of Jesus! Greek Translation Verse 31; “Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin or missing the true scope and purpose of finding God and ruining one’s human reputation by evil speaking shall be forgiven unto men, but the ruining of God’s reputation shall not be forgiven unto men.” Verse 32; “And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” Comment: If you call me a liar and it is not true God can forgive you! If you call God a liar these is no pardon for you! Remember the first example of this in the Book of Genesis! When Satan was tricking eve to take of the forbidden fruit he told Eve God was a liar because God has surely not said you cannot eat this fruit! You will not surely die! Why is sin against God unpardonable? Because He is the only one who can pardon sin! But not against Himself! What would be some examples of calling God a liar today? Not believing the Word of God or the Bible as God has given to us! Mocking Christ and rejecting Him! Trusting anything more than God! Cursing God to attack His character! Attacking His people or believers! Spreading lies about His servants! Trying to destroy Jesus reputation by spreading lies about Him! Doing just the opposite of what God has established as righteous in His Word! Dismiss God’s Word as having no application in the 21st Century! Believing ideologies that oppose Holy Scriptures! The list is much bigger than these but since the Garden of Eden the assault continues on God, His Kingdom and His people! There is one line you can never step over! The Apostle Paul was a defender of Judaism but was ignorant of Christ in the 1st Century! When He saw Jesus for who He really was he repented and became the greatest human promoter of Jesus Christ in history! If you think you have stepped over the line repent turn to the Cross and never look back! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Angel in Disguise!
The Devil was an angel, and that have become apostate, he induced as many angels as possible to fall away with himself, and these at the present time are called his angels! Origin (185-254 A.D.) Comment: The Bible says 1/3 of the angels were cast out of Heaven! The Bible also makes it clear they cannot be redeemed! This has to be an unpardonable sin! So how serious is it when an ideology, religion or institution whether government or private leads people away from Christ? If you get a following to lead people away from Christ whether secular, political or any other how serious is it? To lead a child away from Christ? Very serious and you will have an eternity in Hell tormented to think about your decision! Your followers will also hate you as they also torment you for their plight! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
What are Sodomites? 1 Kings 15:12
King Asa was one of the few good Kings of Israel. Out of 40 Kings Israel had 7 good Kings! Does that sound like American President’s? King Asa politically removed the sodomites out of land and removed all the idol’s his father had made. So what is a Sodomite? What is an idol? Let us go back to the Hebrew root word. A sodomite is a male Temple prostitute! These were homosexual prostitutes. Like we have in America today! Now this is where it gets interesting! The Hebrew root word for sodomites comes from another Hebrew word. This word means to set apart for Holy service such as the first born male child was set apart and consecrated to the Lord! But the Sodomite males were consecrated to sin and Satan! This is why i believe homosexual behavior is blasphemy against God! What is an idol? When you go back to the Hebrew root word it means a rolling stone! Sounds like a rock band? I witnessed the rolling stones while living in India for 3 years! They put the idol’s on wooden carts with wheels tied to an ox and paraded through the streets! Idol’s are abstract images of who someone would believe God would look like! Man making God! I thought God made man? So King Asa removed the gays and idol worshipers out of the land of Israel. American Pastor’s with very few exceptions do not preach what the Bible says about gays and lesbians? If you added up all the scriptures that the Bible says about gays and lesbians you would think God was homophobic? I had heard some Pastor’s say all sin is the same? Really! What about the unpardonable sin? Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit! If all sin is equal the why not give all felons the same prison sentence? Some Pastor’s say the Old Testament no longer applies? Really! Jesus said that if you love me keep my commandments! Where are these commandments found? The Old Testament! Jesus was constantly quoting Old testament scriptures! Jesus said He came to fulfill the law! Many say the Old Testament points to the New Testament but the New Testament also points back to the Old testament! Why do we have an Old Testament? Shall we rip it out of our Bibles? Why do we not hear any preaching on the unpardonable sin? Should be a hot topic! There is only one book i will ever promote! That is the Holy Bible! Books come and go but this Book will open your eyes to look through the lens of God’s eye and see truth! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com