The Treasure of the Kandake

The old flag of Ethiopia

Acts 8:26-36
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”  Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:


“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

One Mans Walk

Philip learned to listen to the Holy Spirit when He spoke.  The Holy Spirit told Philip to "go", and Philip was in the right place at the right time to change the future of a nation. 

"Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza"
"Go to that chariot and stay near it"

Tradition has it that the old monarchy of Ethiopia had its roots in the union of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

A look at the old Ethiopian flag, reveals the lion of Judah (as you would expect from King Solomon's influence) but interestingly holding the cross of Christ.  Philip's obedience that day to the Holy Spirit's simple request, changed Ethiopia forever.  The true treasure entrusted to the Ethiopian eunuch, was Christ. 

 

When we say "yes" to God's Spirit, we change the world. 

  

~ Chris

Look to the sanctuary

The Lord is our sanctuary
Isaiah 8:13-15 (Old Testament)
Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Our paths are found in Him
Psalm 77:13 (Old Testament)
Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:

When He dwells in His people, nothing can withstand them
Psalm 114 (Old Testament)
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

An everlasting peace to His people, in the midst of them.
Ezekiel 37:25-27 (Old Testament)
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God of His own hand will provide the sanctuary
Hebrews 8:1-3 (New Testament)
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Genesis 22:8 (Old Testament)
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:

Jesus in our hearts, a sanctuary within as the days grow short.
Daniel 8:13-15 (Old Testament)
Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.

Ezekiel 11:15-17 (Old Testament)
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.
Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

This Generation

The American age, a generation reborn of old ?(It has been 40 years (August 1971) since the "Nixon Shock" occurred, which established a fiat currency system)

Psalm 95:10
Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
There are those who suffered the weight of this system.  The poor.  They are vexed in soul by it (2 Peter 2:8).  He will rise for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy.

Psalm 12
Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

They (Israel) were blessed by Him and yet they rejected Him.  America, God has given you much, as He promised the sons of Israel, and men have committed much to you.  Would you steal from the poor ?  Are you not the most generous people in the world, or are you generous only with other peoples wealth ?  Follow Him and be great, or follow the lusts of the world and perish. 
Luke 12:47-49
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
Luke 17:20-25
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Luke 12:56
Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Teaching babes a form of knowledge and truth devoid of wisdom.  Stealing from the world through fiat currency distributed worldwide ... only to default when the bill is due ?  Stand on your principals America, even if it means poverty.  Remember, Jesus did not have a roof to call His own. 
Romans 2:20-21
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

America, come to the light of His love, it's the only way home.
Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

John 3:16-21
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

LEARNED WAYS
This American generation does err in their heart.  While the days of the Son of man are still here, come home to Him.  Pull yourself out of the trap of "entitlement", which only plunges your children into slavery.  Wrest yourself away from the grip of the desolation of dept.  Those who throw you further in dept, put your very children under the whip of the task-master.

Lawlessness

Proverbs 28:4
They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them.

2 Thessalonians 2:3

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8

And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

2 Peter 2:7-9

...and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

Jeremiah 12:1-3
Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee:

In a day where seemingly wickedness and lawlessness prosper, we ask the age old question, why does God allow it ("yet let me talk with thee of thy judgements").  Remember that your walk with Him is personal, ("But thou, O LORD, knowest me").  He knows how to rescue us from the trials.  Rest in this knowledge and trust Him in all the things we do and do not understand.  Let us walk uprightly, obeying the laws of God and man. If we don't, we will surely find ourselves embracing and praising the wicked rather than contending with them.
~Chris 

The Morning Star rises

Look for the morning

Job 7:4 (Old Testament)
When I lie down, I say, ‘When shall I arise, And the night be ended?’ For I have had my fill of tossing till dawn.

Psalm 119:146-148 (Old Testament)
I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.

It is the break of dawn, awake, God is our refuge, put on the Armor of light.
Romans 13:11-12 (New Testament)
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Psalm 46:1-7 (Old Testament)
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Jesus is our bright and morning star
Matthew 4:16-17 (New Testament)
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

2 Peter 1:19 (New Testament)
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN
Beloved, put your trust in Him.  He is our Rock and Strong tower (Psalm 61:3) and even the wind and waves obey Him.  (Job 38:11 When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!  Mark 41:4 “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”).  Lord we step toward You with our prayers for the Japanese people.  Heal their soul and spirit of the damages from earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown.  Comfort them with the knowledge that though "waters roar ", "the mountains shake", and "the earth melted", you have always loved them.  Let the dawn of the true Bright and Morning Star forever rise in their hearts.
~Chris

   A perched eagle with long pinions watches over Japan
The floating torii (lit. bird perch) at Itsukushima Shrine

Japan, His desire is to cover you with His wings.

Deuteronomy 32:7-11 (Old Testament)

Remember the days of old;
consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,
when he divided all mankind,
he set up boundaries for the peoples
according to the number of the sons of Israel.
For the LORD’s portion is his people,
Jacob his allotted inheritance.
In a desert land he found him,
in a barren and howling waste.
He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye,
like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and hovers over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.
The LORD alone led him;
no foreign god was with him.

Japan, be of good courage
Isaiah 41:5-6 (Old Testament)
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage.

Japan, consider your part in this riddle.
Ezekiel 17:1-10 (Old Testament)
The Eagles and the Vine
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“ A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.
He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.
Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.
And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
“ But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.
It was planted in good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.”’
“Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“ Will it thrive?
Will he not pull up its roots,
Cut off its fruit,
And leave it to wither?
All of its spring leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.
Behold, it is planted,
Will it thrive?
Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.”’”

Japan, You have been planted by the Eagle with long pinions. He planted you as seeds. You reach toward Him with branches but not root.
Likewise, the other great eagle, carried it's vine to another land by many waters.
That vine once stretched both branches and root toward Him.
The Emperor (Mikado) is the heavenly sovereign of Shinto.
The British monarch is the supreme governor of the Church of England.
These are the twigs that became vines that were carried by the two eagles.
One vine became the land of the rising sun, the other the empire where the sun never set.
Will the plantings thrive or will they wither ? Will they both consider again their Bright and Morning Star?

Be not offended, but with duration receive with joy, that you may revive again and bear fruit to Him.
Matthew 13:4-6 (New Testament)
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Matthew 13:20-21 (New Testament)
But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
You have been planted in a fertile field.  Won't you bear fruit ?
Matthew 13:23 (New Testament)
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Japan, come to the Lord Jesus He is your Bright and Morning Star.
Isaiah 24:14-15 (Old Testament)
They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
from the west they acclaim the LORD’s majesty.
Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD;
exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel,
in the islands of the sea.
Consider, the first island east "toward the sunrising" from the Jordan river... is Japan
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Notes from NOVA series, on the lost tribes of Israel.
The first known king of Japan, who was named Osee, ruled around 730 BC. This king has been identified with the last king of Israel, Hoshea, who died around the same time, at the time of the Assyrian exile of the ten tribes from Israel. 'Mikado' (the Japanese) recalls the Hebrew word for 'his majesty the king,' 'Malchuto'.

Daber: in Hebrew, to speak.
Daberu: Japanese for chatting.

Goi: a non-Hebrew or foreigner.
Gai'Jeen: prefix for a foreigner, a non-Japanese.

Kor: cold in Hebrew.
Koru: to freeze in Japanese.

Knesset: Parliament in Hebrew.
Kensei: Constitutional government in Japanese.

There are thousands of words and names of places with no real etymological meaning in Japanese. And they all correspond with Hebrew words. The holy Japanese shinto temple strongly recalls the ancient holy Isrealite temple, which housed a holy of holies section and several gates (see below). Several artifacts in Japan have been traced to Assyrian and Jewish sources, among them, a well in Koryugi with the words "well of Israel" inscribed on its side.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/israel/losttribes3.html

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The two and an half tribes of Japan.  The Old Testament Bible reveals, that the Jewish people are Israeli (of Jacob) but not all Israeli people are Jewish (who are generally of Judah, Benjamin, Levi and only a remnant of the others).
Joshua 14:2-4 (Old Testament)
By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.
For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan:

Numbers 34:14-16 (Old Testament)
For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance:
The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.

The holy Japanese shinto temple is patterned after the alter of the Lord (as spoke of in Joshua 22) as a witness to us of who the Japanese people truely are.  Listen to how the tribe of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh explain to Israel why they built another alter to the Lord.  The pattern of the alter is the witness of who they are.
Joshua 22: 25-28 (Old Testament)
And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.
Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.

In the Israeli temple, there were two pillars used as a gate (1 Kings 7:21). And in the Aramaic language which the ancient Israelites used, the word for gate was "taraa." This word might have changed slightly and become the Japanese "torii". Some "torii"s, especially of old shrines, are painted red. Is this a picture of the two door posts and the lintel on which the blood of the lamb was put the night before the exodus from Egypt ?

Located near the entrance of a Japanese shrine, there is "temizuya" which is a place for worshipers to wash their hands and mouth. This is the same custom as found in Jewish synagogues, using the laver (we get the word lavatory from this). The ancient tabernacle and temple of Israel also had a laver for washing and sanctification near the entrances well.Notice what is missing from the pattern of the Shinto shrine. The sacrificial alter is missing, as you would expect reading Joshua again, read what the new alter was not to be used for... "not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice".

The pattern of the alter was to be a witness of who they (Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh) are to future generations.  We are the future generations, and as planned thousands of years ago, the pattern of the Shinto temple is telling us the story.

Among the Samurai sect, there is a tradition that their ancient ancestors came to Japan from western Asia around 660 BC.The name 'Samurai' recalls 'Samaria'. And to which tribe do the Japanese belong? There are those who claim that the Mikado, the Japanese emperor, is a descendant of the Hebrew tribe of Gad.

Hosea 14:1 (Old Testament)
O israel, return unto the LORD thy God;
Hosea 14:3 (Old Testament)
Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.
Hosea 14:5-7 (Old Testament)
I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

The other half tribe of Manasseh settled in the United States.  Who's emblem and seal is an eagle carrying a twig.  One of the fruit of the vine of Great Britian.
http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/manasseh3.html



The blessing given to Manasseh.  Consider that Japan became the second largest economy on the planet, America became the largest.  Ephraim, his brother became a company of nations (The British empire), and was once also the largest economy.

Deuteronomy 33:16-18 (Old Testament)
And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren.
His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

Jeremiah 31:10 (Old Testament)
Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

When Jesus writes

What did Jesus write with His finger ?
John 8:3-6
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”. This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

Jesus always follows the initiative of His father.
John 12:49
"For I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me commandment, what to say and what to speak...

John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

What did the father write with his finger ?
Exodus 31:18
And when He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.

Daniel 5:4-5
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

Daniel 5:27
TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

~ MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN ~
~ It is not recorded what Jesus wrote on the ground that day when the Scribes and Pharisees brought the adulteress woman before Him. However, what the Father wrote with His fingers is recorded. Maybe, Jesus wrote what He saw His Father's fingers write before Him. TEKEL was writted by God on the wall (Dan 5: 27) concerning Belshazzar. That one small word, would have frozen the shouts of the Scribes and Pharisees on their very lips. After writing, Jesus rose and said,"He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her".  He stooped and wrote again, while the accusers faded away. Did Jesus the second time, again following His fathers lead, write what was written on the two tablets by His Fathers finger ?  (Exodus 20:14) "Thou shall not commit adultery." (John 8: 10 - 11) And straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they ? Did no one condemn you ? And she said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, (John 8: 10 - 11) "Neither do I condemn you; go your way; from now on sin no more.".  Our God shows perfect Love, Compassion, and Mercy and yet is perfectly Just and Righteous also. Something impossible, but you see, with God all things are posible.
~ Chris

The Ark of the Covenant

John 20:11-14 (New Testament)
But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”  She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”  Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there..

Exodus 25:18-20 (Old Testament)
And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

God meets us at the mercy seat.
Exodus 25:22 (Old Testament)
And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

What was inside of the Ark ?
Hebrews 9:3-5 (New Testament)
and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Fallen man is east of the tree of life, precisely where God waits for us to come to Him.
Leviticus 16:14 (Old Testament)
He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side.

Genesis 3:24 (Old Testament)
So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Ark is a copy of a heavenly thing.
Hebrews 8:5 (New Testament)
...who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

Revelation 11:19 (New Testament)
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

Touch me not.
John 20:16-17 (New Testament)
Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Exodus 29:37 (Old Testament)
Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy.  Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

1 Chronicles 13:10 (Old Testament)
Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

Jesus the tree of Life.
Genesis 2:17 (Old Testament)
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

John 6:54 (New Testament)
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

HEAVEN'S MERCY SEAT

Mary looked and saw. She saw two angels, one at the head, one at the feet where the body of Jesus had laid. The stone between them, stained with His blood. This is the Mercy seat, where God meets us, through the death and resurrection of His son. Through the wilderness of their history, Israel carried a depiction of what Mary was to witness centuries later. "The Ark of the Covenant", was a copy and shadow of a heavenly thing. It was a reflection forward through time to the resurrection of Jesus.  God's Judgement seat became His Mercy seat with the New Covenant forever. Let our eyes be opened to the sacrifice of our redeemer Jesus Christ, and may we meet Him there, at the Mercy seat, to bring Him praise and thanksgiving.

~Chris
The word "ark" in Hebrew means "coffin".

The Ark contained:

Manna - Jesus, the Bread of Life.  His body broken for us.

The tablets of the covenant - Jesus fulfilled the law.  He will write the law on our hearts (Heb 8:10).

Aaron’s rod that budded - The resurrection of Jesus.  Resurrection to a new life everlasting, the tree of life.

There is no longer a need for the ancient Ark.  Jesus has fulfilled all that it stood for.
Jeremiah 3:15-17 (Old Testament)
And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
“Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the LORD, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
“At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.

Hebrews 9:22-24 (New Testament)
And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these...

~Thank you for the insight John MacArthur~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL0nDrEYDnk

Peace or Pieces

Genesis 33:4-6

And he lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, and said, "Who are these with you ?"  So he said, "the children whom God has graciously given your servant."

Psalm 127:3
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Isaiah 11:6
“ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.


Isaiah 54:13
All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children.

Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Jeremiah 32:38-39
They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.

2 Corinthains 12:13-15
And I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.  And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls;

Luke 7:31-33
And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:
                 ‘We played the flute for you,
            And you did not dance;
                  We mourned to you,
            And you did not weep.’

THE PRICE OF UNITY ?
This post is dedicated to the memory of Christina-Taylor Green born on Americas darkest day, a glimmer of light, on a day that once united America (9/11/2001).  She lost her life 9 years later during an attack on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.  Even in darkness, the path of truth is there, if we have the courage to follow it.  Our children are a blessing, they are precious, and they are a reflection of heaven itself.  They are our heritage and not the other way around.  Beloved, the path He gives us is of  "one heart, and one way", for the good of our children.  Have the love to "spend" and "be spent" for their souls, and remember, "the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children."  Work for the peace of our children, let them be "taught by the Lord".  May these steps of sorrow lead to our lasting unity, civility toward one another, and  wisdom.
~Chris

Baruch 3:12-14
Thou hast forsaken the fountain of wisdom; for if thou hadst walked in the way of God, thou hadst surely dwelt in peace for ever. Learn where is wisdom, where is strength, were is understanding; that thou mayst know also where is length of days and life, where is light of the eyes and peace.