02/04/14

Babylon and the temple

Daniel 1:1 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and besieged it.


The incident of King Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon taking the Israelites as bondage and destroying the temple, and what happens to him at the end is all a shadow of the Babylon the Great, the false church that is currently with us and misleading Christians. But this shadow is not so simple to understand, it is like the book of Revelation a jigsaw puzzle that is jumbled up.

Many people think when Daniel read of the seventy years of desolations of Jerusalem it was concerning the Israelite people, but that is wrong. If one verifies through history King Nebuchadnezzar captured Judah in 605BC the very year he became king of Babylon and Israel was free from the rule of Babylonians way after 516BC. The prophecy of 70years was not to do with the people of Israel but was with the temple which was destroyed in 586BC seven years after Ezekiel starts to prophecy (four years after he was taken captive). The temple was rebuilt exactly 70 years after it was destroyed (586 - 516).

Before Jesus during the time of Israel (Jews) the Church of God was not the people but in the shadow or understanding of design the temple and other objects of the sanctuary, but when Christ came the truth became flesh (people came to know the truth) and people (Christians - those who follow Christ) became the temple.

Today too the situation has not changed. The beast who runs the false church (Satan the beast who is also called the young lion / imitates a lion / comes as a righteous person), which is misleading Christians and keeping them under the bondages does not know who the Bride is. It thinks all those who come to Christ or call themselves Christians are the Bride.

We need to understand all who believe in Jesus Christ are part of His flock but all that are part of His flock are not His Bride. Understand in His flock are both goats and sheep and Jesus says on Judgment Day He will separate the goats from the sheep. The sheep will enter Heaven and the goats will be punished.

The Bride of Christ is not the whole flock of Jesus. The Bible says those who are not of the flock are already judged for all those who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ go to hell after their death, but those who believe go to sleep and rise when Christ comes. It is the flock that is judged, the sheep are separated from the goats. The sheep who are the Bride receive a crown (covering) of righteousness and go to Heaven to be part of the God the Son (marriage) and the goats are the ones who are punished with a punishment meant for the fallen angels.

One may ask what defines a goat from a sheep. If one looks broadly on the exterior, a sheep has no horns and is covered with wool, while a goat has its own horns (two) and is not covered with wool but with thick hair. In the Bible we see horns symbolize rulers and wool symbolizes grace. All goats (irrespective of which church they belong) have two horns that rule them, one is tradition and other their idols, they also do not believe in grace (works of faith, where God works through man) but in the works of righteousness (actually religious works / works of the law where man does the works). We also have a joke here in Mumbai to differentiate between a sheep and a goat, a sheep says "baa baa" (baba in Marathi means father) and goat says "maamaa" (ma in Hindi means mother), in other words the goats have more dedication to the mother (spiritual mother whom they call 'Mother Mary') than the Father (Father God / Lord Jesus Christ / Holy Spirit).

To scripturally understand the goats we need to understand the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Even though both believed in God yet there was difference between them. The Pharisees where those who were driven by traditions and the Sadducees even though were people who went only according to scriptures, yet rejected a large part of the scriptures. They did not consider many books of the Prophets as canon (certified scriptures from God) also did not understand what they considered canon. When we understand this we see the goats are spread more in the Catholic Churches, Coptic Churches, Orthodox Churches and other Catholic denomination Churches that believe more in the traditions of the 'fathers'. They are also in Believer Churches (Churches which claim to be Word rooted) where people take part scriptures (with half understanding) and ignore others.

When Jesus gave reasons for the goats he said are those who did not cloth His naked people or feed His hunger people or give water to His thirsty people or shelter His homeless people, He was not emphasising natural clothing, natural food, natural water, natural roof but more spiritual clothing and spiritual food and shelter. Note Jesus and Apostles did not ignore the poor and sick neither did they spend lots of time serving them. Christians who are mature in spirit do not look after the sick but heal them, nor do they tend to the poor (financially support them) but rebuke the spirit of poverty by the authority they have. In the Bible it is only those who were growing in Spirit (young) who did these works (this will give an idea of our state today).

Bible says in the book of Daniel in the fullness of time (seventy years symbolizes according to the Spirit of God) the temple to be rebuild. Today the fullness of time is come for the Church of God which was in deceit to be rebuilt. It is time more sheep fill the Churches and less of goats. It is time when the glory of God is seen among His people.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, in your Word You spoke of the times and set limits to evil. In the season You set the things You said come to pass. Before the season evil sees nothing is coming against it so thinks it will prosper for ever, and You laugh at it. Lord, the time is at hand when more sheep will be called Christians and less of goats. It is time when the manifestation of the power of your Word will be seen among your people. We thank You Lord for what You are about to do...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Daniel 9:2 - In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Matthew 25:31-41
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:
36 Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink?
38 When saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you?
39 Or when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came to you?
40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.
41 Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

John 5:26-32
26 For as the Father has life in himself; so has he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.
30 I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me.
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 There is another that bears witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesses of me is true.

Romans 14:10 - But why do you judge your brother? or why do you set at nothing your brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Acts 6:1-7
1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples to them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3 Why, brothers, look you out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)