July 27, 2012

The eternal God is your refuge


This message is about the refuge Christians have in God and is especially for all those who are in the risk of no longer having God's canopy over them.
Deuteronomy 33:26-28 (NKJV) 26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. 27 The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew.

Ruth 2:11-13 (NKJV) 11 And Boaz answered and said to her, “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” 13 Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants.”
2 Samuel 22:2-4 2 And he said:[a] “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.
Psalm 9:8-10 (NKJV) 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. 9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Isaiah 4:5-6(NKJV) 5 then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. 6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
Hebrews 6:17-19 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might[a] have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
Footnotes: Hebrews 6:18 M-Text omits might.
Jeremiah 16:18-20 (NKJV) 18 And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.”
19 O Lord, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things.” 20 Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?

Jeremiah 4:5-7 (NKJV) An Imminent Invasion 5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the trumpet in the land; Cry, ‘Gather together,’ And say, ‘Assemble yourselves, And let us go into the fortified cities.’ 6 Set up the standard toward Zion. Take refuge! Do not delay! For I will bring disaster from the north, And great destruction.” 7 The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, Without inhabitant.
Isaiah 26:19-21(NKJV) 19 Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body[a] they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. Take Refuge from the Coming Judgment 20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain.

Footnotes: Isaiah 26:19 Following Masoretic Text and Vulgate; Syriac and Targum read their dead bodies; Septuagint reads those in the tombs.
Proverbs 14:25-27 (NKJV) 25 A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies. 26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
 
God is a refuge for the oppressed, the poor, His anointed, His people, who trusts Him, those whose souls trust in the Lord, those who pour out their hearts before Him, who continually resort to Him, who have the fear of the Lord, the righteous.
Psalm 9:9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 14:6 You shame the counsel of the poor, But the LORD is his refuge.
Psalm 28:8 The LORD is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
Psalm 31:2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
Psalm 46:1 [ God the Refuge of His People and Conqueror of the Nations ] To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Psalm 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 48:3 God is in her palaces; He is known as her refuge.
Psalm 57:1 [ Prayer for Safety from Enemies ] To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.
Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble.
Psalm 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.
Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 71:3 Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.
Psalm 71:7 I have become as a wonder to many, But You are my strong refuge.
Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Psalm 91:9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
Psalm 94:1 [ God the Refuge of the Righteous ] O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs— O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
Psalm 94:22 But the LORD has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge.
Psalm 141:8 But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.
Psalm 142:5 I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.
Psalm 144:2 My loving kindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.
Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.
Proverbs 14:32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a refuge in his death.

July 25, 2012

May God always give you abundant harvests




KNOWING GOD: KNOW HIM THROUGH HIS PROMISES OF REAL BLESSINGS
GOD’S BLESSINGS TO HIS PEOPLE WHOM HE HAS RESCUED FROM THE ENEMY
Genesis 27:28
From the dew of heaven
and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine.
Genesis 27:27-29 (in Context) Genesis 27 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 7:13
He will love you and bless you, and he will give you many children. He will give fertility to your land and your animals. When you arrive in the land he swore to give your ancestors, you will have large harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and great herds of cattle, sheep, and goats.
Deuteronomy 7:12-14 (in Context) Deuteronomy 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 11:14
then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early
and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil.
Deuteronomy 11:13-15 (in Context) Deuteronomy 11 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

CONDITIONS FOR OFFERINGS TO THE LORD
Numbers 18:12
“I also give you the harvest gifts brought by the people
as offerings to the LORD—the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain.
Numbers 18:11-13 (in Context) Numbers 18 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 12:17
But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.
Deuteronomy 12:16-18 (in Context) Deuteronomy 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 14:23
Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 14:22-24 (in Context) Deuteronomy 14 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 18:4
You must also give to the priests the first share of the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and the wool at shearing time.
Deuteronomy 18:3-5 (in Context) Deuteronomy 18 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Deuteronomy 33:28
So Israel will live in safety, prosperous Jacob in security, in a land of
grain and new wine, while the heavens drop down dew.
Deuteronomy 33:27-29 (in Context) Deuteronomy 33 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

GOD’S PEOPLES MUST RESPOND TO GOD’S WORDS
2 Chronicles 31:5
When the people of Israel heard these requirements, they responded generously by bringing the first share of their
grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a large quantity—a tithe of all they produced.
2 Chronicles 31:4-6 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 31 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

THE LORD GAVE VERY GREAT RICHES AND HONOR TO A KING WHO DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN HIS SIGHT
2 Chronicles 32:28
He (king Hezekiah) also constructed many storehouses for his
grain, new wine, and olive oil; and he made many stalls for his cattle and pens for his flocks of sheep and goats.
WARNING ON DISOBEDIENCE TO THE WORDS OF GOD
Deuteronomy 28:51
Its armies will devour your livestock
and crops, and you will be destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine, olive oil, calves, or lambs, and you will starve to death.
Deuteronomy 28:50-52 (in Context) Deuteronomy 28 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

COUNTERFEIT OFFER OF “SIMILAR BLESSINGS” FROM THE ENEMY
2 Kings 18:32
Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one—a land of
grain and new wine, bread and vineyards, olive groves and honey. Choose life instead of death! “Don’t listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying, ‘The LORD will rescue us!’
2 Kings 18:31-33 (in Context) 2 Kings 18 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Isaiah 36:17
Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one—a land of
grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:16-18 (in Context) Isaiah 36 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations


2 Chronicles 32:27-29 (in Context) 2 Chronicles 32 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

RESTORATION OF GOD’S BLESSINGS CAME WITH OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORDS
Nehemiah 5:11
You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”
Nehemiah 5:10-12 (in Context) Nehemiah 5 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Nehemiah 10:37
We will store the produce in the storerooms of the Temple of our God. We will bring the best of our flour and other grain offerings, the best of our fruit, and the best of our new wine and olive oil. And we promise to bring to the Levites a tenth of everything our land produces, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our rural towns.
Nehemiah 10:36-38 (in Context) Nehemiah 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Nehemiah 10:39
The people and the Levites must bring these offerings of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the storerooms and place them in the sacred containers near the ministering priests, the gatekeepers, and the singers. “We promise together not to neglect the Temple of our God.”
Nehemiah 10:38-39 (in Context) Nehemiah 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

THE ENEMY STOLE IN  TO ROB YOUR BLESSINGS WHEN THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS BACK SLIDED!
Nehemiah 13:4-5
4 Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed as supervisor of the storerooms of the Temple of our God and who was also a relative of Tobiah, 5 
had converted a large storage room and placed it at Tobiah’s disposal. The room had previously been used for storing the grain offerings, the frankincense, various articles for the Temple, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil (which were prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers), as well as the offerings for the priests.
Nehemiah 13:4-6 (in Context) Nehemiah 13 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED TO RESTORE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Nehemiah 13:11-13
11 I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, “Why has the Temple of God been neglected?” Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties. 12 And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple storerooms. 13 I assigned supervisors for the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah, one of the Levites. And I appointed Hanan son of Zaccur and grandson of Mattaniah as their assistant. These men had an excellent reputation, and it was their job to make honest distributions to their fellow Levites.
GOD’S RESTORATION AND BLESSINGS BRING REAL JOY
Psalm 4:7
You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of
grain and new wine.
Psalm 4:6-8 (in Context) Psalm 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Isaiah 62:8
The LORD has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: “I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come
and take away your grain and new wine.
Isaiah 62:7-9 (in Context) Isaiah 62 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Jeremiah 31:12
They will come home
and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the LORD’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone.
Jeremiah 31:11-13 (in Context) Jeremiah 31 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

WARNING TO THOSE WHO TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND SOUGHT AFTER OTHERS WHO WERE NOT GOD
Hosea 2:8
She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has— the
grain, the new wine, the olive oil; I even gave her silver and gold. But she gave all my gifts to Baal.
Hosea 2:7-9 (in Context) Hosea 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Hosea 2:9
“But now I will take back the ripened
grain and new wine I generously provided each harvest season. I will take away the wool and linen clothing I gave her to cover her nakedness.
Hosea 2:8-10 (in Context) Hosea 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Hosea 7:14
They do not cry out to me with sincere hearts. Instead, they sit on their couches and wail. They cut themselves, begging foreign gods for grain and new wine, and they turn away from me.
Hosea 7:13-15 (in Context) Hosea 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

GOD HAS PROMISED A FUTURE THAT WILL BRING REAL BLESSINGS TO HIS PEOPLE- THOSE WHO SEEK HIM EARNESTLY HE WILL SURELY REWARD
Joel 2:19
The LORD will reply, “Look! I am sending you
grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations.
Joel 2:18-20 (in Context) Joel 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Joel 2:24
The threshing floors will again be piled high with
grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
Joel 2:23-25 (in Context) Joel 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

Zechariah 9:17
How wonderful
and beautiful they will be! The young men will thrive on abundant grain, and the young women will flourish on new wine.
Zechariah 9:16-17 (in Context) Zechariah 9 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

The Dangers of the Last Days

2 Timothy 3

New Living Translation (NLT)

The Dangers of the Last Days

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of[a] vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith. But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.

Paul’s Charge to Timothy

10 But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is. You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Footnotes:
  1. 2 Timothy 3:6 Greek and take captive.

July 24, 2012

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

Timothy 3

New King James Version (NKJV)

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

The Man of God and the Word of God

10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

July 19, 2012

Journey to see God: In the beginning


The watchman has been led to seek God as God is. Here is the beginning of a new journey. A journey to see God from the Book of Genesis.

(The watchman invites all to read with him. Some of his own notes are in brackets.)

Genesis 1:1-25 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) Parashah 1: B’resheet (In the beginning) 1:1–6:8

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
(God was in the beginning…)
2 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water.
(The Holy Spirit was in the beginning…)
Then God said,
(Jesus, the son of God was in the beginning…In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. John1:1)
Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.
(God created light first. When He came to the world as Jesus, He announced that He was the light of the world.He who does the truth comes to the light. he who practices evil hates the light. John 3:20-21. God uses light to differentiate who belongs to Him and who does not.)
God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water.” God made the dome and divided the water under the dome from the water above the dome; that is how it was, and God called the dome Sky. So there was evening, and there was morning, a second day. God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear,” and that is how it was. 10 God called the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the water he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.
( 2 Peter 3:5-6 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) 5-7 They are deliberately shutting their eyes to a fact that they know very well, that there were, by God’s command, heavens in the old days and an earth formed out of the water and surrounded by water. It was by water that the world of those days was deluged and destroyed, but the present heavens and earth are, also by God’s command, being kept and maintained for the fire of the day of judgment and the destruction of wicked men.)
1God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth”; and that is how it was. 12 The earth brought forth grass, plants each yielding its own kind of seed, and trees each producing its own kind of seed-bearing fruit; and God saw that it was good. 13 So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
(Note God’s priorities: 1. the plants and fruit trees were created first, after the light. 2. the requirement that the plants and trees bear seed bearing fruits. The key essence is “SEED-BEARING”. Psalm 126:5-6 (NKJV)Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves
with him.)
(Matthew 13:23 (PHILLIPS)18-23 “Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a man hears the message of the kingdom and does not grasp it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is like the seed sown by the road-side. The seed sown on the stony patches represents the man who hears the message and eagerly accepts it. But it has not taken root in him and does not last long—the moment trouble or persecution arises through the message he gives up his faith at once. The seed sown among the thorns represents the man who hears the message, and then the worries of this life and the illusions of wealth choke it to death and so it produces no ‘crop’ in his life. But the seed sown on good soil is the man who both hears and understands the message. His life shows a good crop, a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”)
(A: ii) 14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth”; and that is how it was. 16 God made the two great lights — the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night — and the stars. 17 God put them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
(God sets marking for day, night, signs, seasons, days and years. These are marks for human to count, and know where they are at any point of time. Moses said in Psalm 90:12 (CJB) “12 So teach us to count our days, so that we will become wise.” Moses knew it was more important to see how each individual measures before God. David too knew the measurement of one’s life before God counts at the end, Psalm 39:4 “LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.”
Jesus reminded that we should discern the crucial spiritual signs of the times instead of looking at physical signs. Matthew 16:3 “…Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times”.)
20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
(A: iii) 24 God said, “Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature — each kind of livestock, crawling animal and wild beast”; and that is how it was. 25 God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground; and God saw that it was good.
(God took the bother to make each kind and every kind of living creature. Looking at the vast variety of living things in the world, we cannot help but marvel at how creative and particular about details our God is. The same characteristic is revealed when God instructed Moses the exact pattern and details of everything about the tabernacle of God, and later David on the temple of God. To the prophet Ezekiel He revealed again the exact pattern and measurements of the heavenly Temple that was never built on earth.)
(God measures the earth, the church and each individual too. Habakkuk 3:6 “He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations.” Zechariah 2:2 “So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” How do we measure when aligned with God’s measuring rod? )

Finally for today’s Bible reading, let all who read this blog take heed of what Apostle Peter had urged all followers of Jesus, in 2 Peter 3:10-12 (NKJV)

The Day of the Lord

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

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