Whatsapp Chat on John's Seven Miracles of Jesus and their Significance

This is an excerpt from a Whatsapp discussion where a member asked why is the miracle of New Wine regarded as the first miracle when Peter’s miraculous fishing experience seemed to have happened earlier. Enjoy!

Joh 2:1-11
(1)  And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
(2)  And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
(3)  And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
(4)  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
(5)  His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do [it].
(6)  And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
(7)  Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
(8)  And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare [it].
(9)  When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
(10)  And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: [but] thou hast kept the good wine until now.
(11)  This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

But Jesus caused Peter to catch much fishes that tore his nets, and there are thoughts this might have happened earlier because Peter started to follow Jesus after this, whereas in John, He was already a disciple.

Luk 5:1-8

(1)  And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
(2)  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing [their] nets.
(3)  And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
(4)  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
(5)  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
(6)  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
(7)  And they beckoned unto [their] partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
(8)  When Simon Peter saw [it], he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

Whatever is the case, it is understandable based on the purpose of John's Gospel clearly stated out...



Joh 20:30-31 KJV 30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.


Jesus did "many other" miracles

But John ended up telling us just 7 of them (some argue it's 8)
And with a reason

A Look at Genesis 1:1-3 Let there be Light

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Gen 1:2  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Gen 1:3  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Let's see this carefully

Gen 1:14  And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Gen 1:15  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
Gen 1:16  And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also.
Gen 1:17  And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Gen 1:18  And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good.
Gen 1:19  And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Light was created twice?
No!
Light wasn't created until vs14!

Same way water (the sea, oceans) wasn't created until v10, but it was mentioned in "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." v2

The Light in v2-3 is the Light of the gospel of Christ

The Beauty and Peculiarity of the Book of Hebrews (2)

Hebrews 3:6 KJV
(6)  But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.

Is this saying, I am not the House of Jesus anymore?
Is it saying it is until i finish my race before Jesus will start to live in me? That will in fact be ridiculous, because at the end of this life, we will see Him face to face, and not that that is when He will start to live in us.

So what 'end' is Heb3:6 saying?

The word 'end' there is the greek word 'telos'. It means
1. a set out point (a limit)
2. intended aim, purpose of a thing
3. a toll (just like toll  gates are sited at the END of a road)

The Beauty and Peculiarity of the Book of Hebrews (1)

The language of the book of Hebrews is strongly persuasive.

It is intended to persuade people who are not yet persuaded about the Messiahship of Jesus, and to REASSURE those who have done so that they have made the right choice.

It is therefore no surprise to see
"assurance" occurs twice.
So we have the word "let us" occuring at least 13 times.
Let us fear... 4:1
Let us...enter... 4:11
Let us hold fast.. 4:14
Let us... come BOLDLY... 4:16
Let us go... 6:1; 13:13

and lots more.

"let us" is a admonitive language.
Having given convincing reasons why the Messiahship of the man Jesus cannot be doubted, he admonishes "them" to go unto Him..

TO DISCERN WHO THIS BOOK IS WRITTEN TO IS THE BEGINNING OF UNDERSTANDING THIS BOOK

The Mystery of the Word “Abba Father”

Here's something about "Abba Father" we need to know.

 

It's twice mentioned by Paul.

 

(Romans 8:15 KJV)
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ABBA, FATHER.

 

And

 (Galatians 4:6 KJV)
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

 

Abba Father…

 

Now in the mouth of TWO witnesses, every word shall be established (John 8:17, Deut 17:6, Deut 19:15, 2Cor 13:1)

 

So God is saying, take note, this concept is TRUE: ONLY SONS have the capacity to cry "Abba Father".

 

In other words, you cannot cry "Abba Father" except you are a Son.

 I simply call it, "the language of sons" which non-sons cannot speak or learn to speak. No one ever learns it: it's the SPIRIT that you simply receive.

 

So if you can cry "Abba Father" and it will be accepted by the Father (because anyone can mention it), you must be a son. Correct?
Good.

 

Isn't it amazing that before the Epistles/Acts, (that is, before Jesus' death and resurrection), only one occurrence of "Abba Father" is seen in the Bible?

 

And Guess who said it?

Jesus

 

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said...
..ABBA, FATHER…

(Mark 14:35-36 KJV)

 

 

Only Jesus at this time was recorded to speak the language of sons. No other record.
It was "scarcely heard".

So is it ok to sing at this time, "Jesus na (is) the only Son of God o… eh o…"?

It is.

Jesus was the only one who could cry "Abba Father".

 

But in the post-Gospels, Paul says we (believers) ALL have now received the spirit of son and now we do cry "Abba Father"

 

We thus must be sons of God in the class of Jesus. We speak the language of sons just like Jesus speak. The Father listens and attends to us like He does to Jesus. We are sons with Jesus. We are God's family! We are nigh now! He's our Father now!

 

When next you pray, say "Abba Father..." And He'll answer "my son".
Oh what a glory! Will you cry now? Shout it loud! "Abba, Father"

 

What a honour we have today to call the God of the universe by a personal filial appellation, and we will be right! You can never be too thankful for the price Jesus paid. Will we ever comprehend to the fullest what we have in redemption?

 

All Power in heaven and earth

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18 KJV)

Here, some people think what Jesus is saying is that, "yes! Now we got it! Peter, I have forcefully collected that thing o. john, can you believe we now have it. It wasn't easy.". They think Jesus during his departure from the earth to hell, went there to fight to collect all the powers there. Had to battle with the witches, wizards, "babalawos", deputy Satan, Assistant Satan and then their big boss – Satan, and said "give me that power now!" and then went to the heavens and collected the powers there and came back to say "yes! All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth". Far from it!

"power" here isn't power to heal the sick: He already had that. It isn't power to turn water into wine. It isn't "dunamis" – ability to get things done. It is "exousia" - "authority". All authority in heaven and in earth is given unto me. All government in heaven and in earth is given unto me. It's a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6
"and the government shall be upon his shoulder"
It's a fulfillment of David's prophecy
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: RULE thou in the midst of thine enemies. (Psalms 110:2)

All government/rule in heaven and in earth is given unto me.

2. Whatever "power" referred to here, must be something He never possessed before. Supernatural powers, Jesus had before His death. We all know this.
What about authority? Do we want to say Jesus had no authority before his death?
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1 KJV)

So, he had.
So, why the saying "is given unto me"? you don't get given to you what you already have. Jesus should have said "I always have all power in heaven and earth", and not "is given unto me". "is given unto me" means, it's just been given. So what could Jesus be saying?

It's simple. Jesus had power and authority. Authority he had, was because He was the only holy one who is not under Satan's rule: not being under sin.
God gave man authority over everything He created (heavens and the earth) when He said "subdue" in Genesis.  But by sin, man gave out this power to Satan, and Satan became the ruler of all under sin. the wages of sin is death, so Satan got the power/authority of death (Heb 2:14)

That's why Satan could lay claim to all the "kingdoms of the world" when he was tempting Jesus (see Matthew 4:8-9).

But Jesus, by death, freeing man from the wages of sin, and giving him the "gift of God"- eternal life, made Satan lose this authority; and man again, got the possession of ALL POWER in heaven and on earth! Alleluia!

Some have thought Jesus was speaking here as God. Oh no! God cannot be saying "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth". God cannot be GIVEN power: God is POWER. God cannot be GIVEN authority: it takes authority to be God. Jesus was speaking for man in the light of what He has just done.

Conclusively, "all power belongs to God" – Correct. "All power belongs to Jesus" – correct, but you'll understand this verse more, if you put it this way: "all authority is now given back to man in Christ Jesus". Jesus is not a sole possessor of authority: the authority belongs to man! Jesus is not a monopoly of power today. It is not Jesus and his children. It is Jesus and his brothers in government.

The Validity of Romans 9:11-15

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
[Rom 9:11-15]

If the above scripture is anything to go by,...

1. God does not need you to do good or evil (neither having done good or evil), to pass His verdict of righteousness (or otherwise) on you. Think on this. #Unbeatable

2. The purpose of God according to election is always independent of works
"...not of works, but of him that calleth"

3. God does not in later times need works to justify a man. Once He has started to justify without works, so will He continue. If He started to be kind without works, He'll so continue. Because we see in the life of the Jacob He loved, that He remain loved unto the end even though Jacob's life was a questionable one. However, this tenacious love of God changed this man at last. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?...

4. "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness...", God is not after what you or other people will say, He's after how to work out His own counsel.

That is, controversially or uncontroversially, whom God has loved, He has loved! (the gifts and calling of God are without repentance)

5. " ...unrighteousness with God?" Do you call that unrighteousness? No! it's not unrighteousness.

It's sovereignty.

Or say, VETO POWER

Peradventure you become God tomorrow, you can try to change that.
"I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy..."

So, are you ready to be on the favoured side of God? or you want to serve as Esau, labouring in the heat of the day and yet missing the blessing?
God's favour is His righteousness with which he seals ALL THAT BELIEVE.

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

BBE But to him who without working has faith in him who gives righteousness to the evil-doer, his faith is put to his account as righteousness. (Rom 4:5)

Believe in Jesus and enjoy His FREE righteousness.

What happened in Daniel 3:24-end

Daniel 3:24-25
(24)  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
(25)  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.


He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Now I've heard a preacher say this is the first appearance of Jesus on the earth. In fact, we have a common eulogy that describes God as the "fourth in the furnace". That is because of the way he was described: "and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God". But it's not Jesus. Jesus has never showed up on the earth as a man until John 1:14.

What Nebuchadnezzar was actually seeing was a vision! A vision! And the meaning of the vision is simply that God is with these men! Simple!

God opened his eyes to see a vision, and it wasn't Jesus in the furnace, but an ANGEL. The word "son of god" is "bar elahin" which is sometimes translated "angel" (see Good News Bible). And in case, you don't agree with that, see verse 28.

[Then] Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed [be] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his ANGEL… (Daniel 3:28)

So Nebuchadnezzar confessed what he saw was an angel of God.

In fact, it appeared like only the king saw it, because he said, "Lo, I SEE", not "we see", or "can't you see?" Lo, I see four men… and he was the only one who described the how that fourth man look like. Now, you don't describe a picture to a person if the picture is right before the eyes of both of you and the other person isn't blind. It's only when people around me are not seeing what I'm seeing will I ever need to start to describe.

Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

It can also be seen this vision just like every other vision was very brief: it had disappeared when he called out for the three men.

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,… no mention of the fourth man anymore, just the three men were called. Evidently, the vision has disappeared.

Well if you ask me, can a person who is not saved have a vision? I'll refer you to Cornelius (Acts 10:3), to Paul on his way to Tarsus (Acts 9:3-6)

…Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire… no fourth man anymore.

And in verse 29, God was to be honoured in every nation, on the earth.

Blessed be the name of the Lord for the written word.

Learning from The Confidence of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego

Daniel 3:16-18
(16)  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter.
(17)  If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.
(18)  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Thank you for going through the story of the trio with me.

Trust that you are well familiar with the story from which we can draw lessons (Rom 15:4, 1Cor 10:11).

But this is where most people and even translations misinterpret this story.

They say, the trio said, "if you throw us into the fire, our God is able to deliver us". Correct up to this point. But they add "but if our God doesn't deliver us, we will…" Wrong!

Let's read the story again.

The king said,
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear… all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; [well]: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who [is] that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

The response:
"If it be [so]",… if it be so that what?

that "ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace" because the king added that "who [is] that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"

Is this clear at this juncture?

If it be so, [if that's the case], that we shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace [thinking no God is able to deliver out of your hands], our God is able to deliver…

But if not…

if not what? If it be not so… if it be not so;

the exact opposite of the previous statement:

if that's not the case, that you shall not cast us into the furnace,… be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up [because only a person who has not been burnt by fire can choose whether to bow or not to bow]

So, those men never said, "even if our God does not deliver us", rather, they were saying, "if you do what you promise to do because we did not bow, our God is able to deliver us, but if you do not throw us into the furnace, we will still not bow"
because if God never delivered them, they will already be in ashes, roasted. So they couldn't have been saying, we will not bow. They would have said, "and if our God does not deliver us, well, so be it that we die a good death, not denying our faith".

There was no doubt in their speech. They are Hebrews. It's not their first time of seeing miraculous interventions. Remember they've practically seen the miraculous knowing and interpretation of the king's dream before amongst several wonders Jehovah has demonstrated in their lives. They were used to things like that, and never counted it a risk to utter such a word before the great Nebuchadnezzar and amidst threat of seven-time-heated furnace. And so, the author of Hebrews will say they were men "who through FAITH (not fear, not doubt)… quenched the violence of fire (Hebrews 11:33-34)

The lesson we draw here is that our confidence in such times our faith is tested can be strengthened when we "get used to the miraculous".

Jesus has NEVER gave it a thought that "what if this miraculous things fail?" The day Jesus walked on water, it never came to His mind that "hey! this is water! Who do you think you are? This is too much and you may be going beyond your boundaries". He simply stepped on the water and walked. Elijah was so bold to challenge the prophets of Baal to a "the god that answers by fire be God" contest and even asked that more waters be poured on the sacrifice. Experiential confidence can be helpful for you in times of storm. Give your ears daily to hearing testimonies of how God is setting men free everyday; healing the sick through men; unstopping deaf ears; cleansing lepers through men that are not clergy. Take steps too. Pray over situations and try to observe how your prayer of faith change the situation. You can do it because Jesus says so. So go ahead! And when you're tried, it is that God may be magnified.
Blessed!

that the works of God might be made manifest

The Works of God
John 9:1-4
(1)  And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from [his] birth.
(2)  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
(3)  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
(4) I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
This seems to look like Jesus is saying
“God made him blind, so Jesus can have some miracles to perform on earth that people might believe him”
Or that
“This is not the kind of problem caused by sin, it is a SPECIAL kind of problem that God put there so He can be showing Himself, otherwise people won’t serve Him.”
But that’s far from the message!
Please notice what Jesus did not say. He didn’t say
“He was CREATED blind”, or “He was made blind”
So Jesus cannot be talking about God as the reason for that situation. But the fact Jesus admitted was that “he was blind, but… the works of God shall be manifest”. It therefore means that hitherto, the works of God has not been manifest in his life.

Jesus simply said, ‘Hey! what you people are about to see now is “the work of God”’,
“I must work the works of him that sent me”, and we saw what?
…a healing
Therefore, his blindness is not “the work of God” is the simple message: his healing is the work of God.
It is only one person Jesus told us does nothing but is come to steal, to kill, and to destroy – the thief (John 10:10) and God is not a thief.
Therefore, don’t make a false doctrine out of this: that God maketh sick and then healeth. Don’t say “God has made me sick so He can heal me again that I can know that He is powerful”.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: James 1:13
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
(1 John 1:5)
Peace to you.

The Validity of Hebrews 9:12

Heb 9:12 KJV Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

If the above verse is anything to go by, then the following conclusions are valid.

1. He entered in once...for us..

Meaning I don't have to worry anymore about the dilemma of "who shall ascend into God's hill?", "who is qualified?" Etc. Someone has done that for me. I already have a rep there. If my rep is there, then I'm there too.

2. He entered in ONCE...

If I must enter (and my entering is not by the blood of bulls and calves), one time entering is ALL that is needed. Lest it's not different from the way it is practiced under the law. That means if I need a forgiveness of sins to enter, then I need the forgiveness ONCE. If it's justification I need, then I need it just ONCE. If it's salvation I need then I need it just ONCE...
why?
Because only ONE TIME ENTERING IS needed (in the new covenant). Also, we all don't have to go everyone INDIVIDUALLY since one man Christ Jesus can do that for us and get whatever we must get from the holy place.

3. Having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Meaning, Jesus going there for us is not to "try" if He can get us eternal redemption and if He's unable to, maybe we find alternatives. No! But it says,
Having [already] obtained eternal redemption for us, He entered in once into the holy place.
So it's not a 50-50 chance. He already got it settled.
Therefore, ascension could not have preceded redemption, but redemption made ascension possible in as much as He ascended to sit.

4. Eternal redemption for us.
The kind of redemption Jesus got whichever people He got it for must be ETERNAL. If yours is conditional, maybe you're not one of them Jesus got for. Because there seem to be many "saviours" in this world. (Your saviour is anyone you entrust your eternal destiny into.)
It's only when it's conditional will you need to go into the holy place again and again each time you sin.

As for me, I'm glad to be among the "us" for whom Jesus got the eternal redemption. I have believed in Jesus! I'm born again and filled with the Holy Ghost! I have believed ONCE to enter ONCE. I have received forgiveness ONCE to enter ONCE. I'm glad I'm born again! What about you?

Who shall enter into God's Holy Hill?

Psalms 15 posed a serious question of concern:

Psalm 15:1-5 KJV
Lord , who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? [2] He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. [3] He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. [4] In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord . He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. [5] He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

It was buttressed by Psalms 24

Psalm 24:3-4 KJV
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord ? or who shall stand in his holy place? [4] He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

A pure heart... a pure heart... a pure heart... God is holy. God's hill is holy. A man that must ascend here must be holy in and out.

The outward holiness was still very likely as at the time that scripture was written. The Pharisees wash outside hands habitually (Matthew 7:5). They wash the outside of the cup..

*[[Mat 23:25]] KJV* Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
(Also Luke 11:39)

External qualities of good conduct, praying and fasting regularly, giving to the poor and having good deeds, they are so excellent so much that Jesus dedicated them a righteousness saying "THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES"

*[[Mat 5:20]] KJV* For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 18:11-12 KJV
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are , extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

However, the inside has always been a problem because THE HEART IS INACCESSIBLE by deeds.

Jeremiah confessed.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 KJV
The heart is deceitful above all things , and desperately wicked: who can know it? [none but] I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The inside is deceitful and tricky: you could be deceived to think you're clean if you count on your gullible eyes.

Such was the case of the "holy" Isaiah who used to think he's pure above others until Isaiah 6 when He that can try the heart to know it's true state made him see his wretchedness. Then he cried.,

Isaiah 6:5 KJV
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of UNCLEAN lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Psalm 14:1-3 KJV
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. [2] The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. [3] They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

So the question: who shall enter into God's hill is magnified. Who is qualified? Remember God, who alone knows the heart, has concluded all under sin: you may think you're OK to go in, but Isaiah tried it and he saw how true God's conclusion is. "Holy" Moses attempted the same. He asked to see God's glory but he saw God's "back" showing him God's not at peace with men including himself. So who shall enter into God's hill?

The answer?

Hebrews 9:8 KJV
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

The Holy Ghost was passing a message in all these scriptures that man cannot come... Yes, your sins have separated you from your God (Isaiah 59:1-2) but a man will soon come and make peace by His blood and will bring many sons unto glory, the glory Moses was begging to see.

So when you read those verses and similar ones, you'll be a good Bible student to interprete that was because the way into the holy hill was not yet manifest. But today,

Hebrews 9:11-12 KJV
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; [12] Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood HE ENTERED... Alleluia!

Did he entered just for himself? No!

he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption FOR US .

The verse is saying, we don't need a repetitive entering. In fact, we don't need to enter individually... so NO PERSONAL ASSESSMENT or personal examination must be passed.

Once He entered and that is just ENOUGH! Oh great joy He entered having secured eternal redemption for us! Today we have an eternal redemption if the above scripture is anything to go by. This is the glory of the new covenant. Alleluia!

EVIL SPIRIT FROM THE LORD?

*[[1Sa 19:9]] KJV* And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

It's clear today that that account is an imperfect revelation because we have seen Jesus, the brightness of God's glory and express image of His person and we found there is NO EVIL in Him.

The people of the old testament had certain limitations in their insight because man was yet spiritually dead. The devil was able to hide in their ignorance that when he does his work (to kill, steal and destroy), the people will still think God is the doer.

But because of the new creation, we have an unction from the holy One, and we know all things (1John 2:20). We can now boldly declare that evil is not the work of God! Sickness was never created by God! God does not use satanic tools: evil, sickness is satanic.

*[[1Jn 1:5]] KJV* This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

EasyEnglish Jesus Christ gave us a message and this is the message: God is good and *clean like light. There is nothing dark about him.

*[[Jas 1:13]] KJV* Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

But in the old, you'll see things like:
*[[Amo 3:6]] KJV* Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?

*[[Isa 45:7]] KJV* I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

No! God did not create evil. James says God tempts no one with evil. we see all that God created in Genesis: ALL were pronounced as good. Evil came later through another means.

More explanations on the origin of evil will come in subsequent posts. Share.
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How to know if your interpretation or understanding of the scriptures is correct

How do I know if the way I'm interpreting scriptures when I read it is right or wrong? Do we lazily rely on the theory of "each man is entitled to his own opinion"? No! There is no opinionism in Bible interpretation. But how then do we rate or evaluate interpretations since we have diverse views already? Some say "pray and let the Holy Spirit give you the meaning". Hmm.. But even with that, we still do not interprete the same way! Isn't the Spirit one anymore?
Truth is not relative at all: it is ABSOLUTE: ONE AND THE SAME!
But how do we mark people's answers right or wrong? Now the Bible again will answer you.

Come with me to Luke 24..

*[[Luk 24:45]] KJV* Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

So what you're about to hear now is Jesus' understanding of the scriptures. He opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures, how? what words did He call the words by which one "understand the scriptures"?

Note that He didn't say "a scripture", or a verse of the scriptures, but "the scriptures".

Now, what does the Bible mean by the scriptures? Genesis to Revelations? No.
Genesis to Malachi, the law and the prophets.

So if you pick any portion of these books, Jesus is about to tell us what He told those men and they afterwards were said to "understand the scriptures".

Luke 24:46 NIV
He told them, "THIS IS WHAT IS WRITTEN: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance and
forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem

What a simple summary! Jesus said "THIS is what is [actually] written..." I thought that would be a typographical error but it's not. This, not these... The scriptures are not about MANY things. It's just about ONE. The day you also stop considering the Scriptures as multifaceted or multidimensional is when your mind opens too and you begin to understand the Scriptures.
This I what all of the holy men who spake as moved by the Holy Ghost were saying: that it behoved Christ...
behove means "necessary"...
It was necessary for Christ to suffer...

Let's highlight what Jesus said the Scriptures were saying. The entire Scriptures can be summarised into four headlines:

1. behoved or it was necessary for Christ to suffer
2. to rise from the dead
3. repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in His name
4. this work must begin at Jerusalem

So when you read Joel 2:28,
*[[Joe 2:28]] KJV* And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

you ask why was that speaking to the Jews? Because it must begin at Jerusalem.

So when you read Jeremiah 31:33
Jer 31:33-34
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel;
After those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my law in their inward parts,
and write it in their hearts;
and will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord:for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:
for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more.
(KJV)

And you think this promise should be for all men, you'll know it's because it must begin at Jerusalem.

So when you read Exodus and ask why did the things happened to Israel as they happened? Why must people always bring the blood of animals often? Answer: it is necessary that Christ suffer these things. When you read the cries of Isaiah and the lamentations of Jeremiah, what do they mean? it is necessary that Christ suffer these things...
"who hath believed our report...", "I sought for a man to stand in the gap... I found none", "there is none righteous", "Job 14:1-2
1 Man that is born of a woman
is of few days, and full of trouble.
2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not."
Ecc 4:1
1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun:and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
"vanity upon vanity, all is vanity"
What all these mean is that it is necessary for Christ to suffer... man is helpless, defenceless, miserable. A Christ must arise.

what's Isaiah 59:1 saying?
Isa 59:1-2
1 Behold, the Lord 's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,
and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

It is saying it is necessary for Christ to suffer..

So the Scriptures keep telling us the necessity of the Christ to suffer. You keep hearing that word "must" emphasized in all of Jesus' words.

See how Peter puts it

[1Peter 1:10-11]] ...the prophets... who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST, and the glory that should follow.

Hmm.. See again what Jesus said:

*[[Luk 24:25]] KJV* Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe ALL that the prophets have spoken:

ALL THAT THE PROPHETS HAVE SPOKEN. Jesus wants to tell us ALL THAT THE PROPHETS HAVE SPOKEN

*[[Luk 24:26]] BBE* Was it not NECESSARY for the Christ to go through these things, and to come into his glory?
*[[Luk 24:26]] KJV* Ought not Christ to have SUFFERED these things, and to enter into his glory?

I thought the Messiah's coming is just a portion or SOME of the Scriptures, but Jesus said if you don't believe this (how it's necessary for Christ to suffer), you don't believe ALL (not some) that the prophets have spoken. It means this is ALL everyone was saying! According to Jesus, and even Peter, if you don't KNOW this, you don't know some of scriptures? You don't know ALL that the prophets have spoken. What a heavy blow on your theological professorial office! Sorry! You know nothing!

*[[Luk 24:27]] KJV* And beginning at Moses and ALL the prophets, he expounded unto them in ALL THE SCRIPTURES the things concerning himself.

He began at Moses (Genesis) and ALL the prophets... hmm. It was a long journey you know.

*[[Joh 5:39]] ISV* You examine the Scriptures carefully because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. Yet they testify about me (how Jesus will suffer these things).

This is how the word that became flesh told us the Scriptures are. This is how to know if you are carrying a true interpretation of the Scriptures or not. Can you summarise your interpretation to how it behoved Christ to suffer these things and be raised from the dead? Get it right here and keep getting it right. Miss it here and keep missing ALL THE SCRIPTURES. Because ALL scripture is a product of the inspiration of God by prophecy (2Peter 1:20-21, 2Timothy 3:16) and it is only the TESTIMONY of JESUS CHRIST ALONE that is the spirit (breath, inspiration) of prophecy (Rev 19:10).