#Advent #endtimes

There is a great chasm formed between The Absolute Love of God and us in our rebellion, sin, perversion and failures. God is Absolute Love, pure, just, righteous and holy. To compromise, that absolute love itself, would be destroyed; only pain, destruction and death would remain.

Gal 5:19-24 "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
Are you being controlled by your appetites for popularity, personal honor, passing gratification that has become insatiable or the hoarding of wealth and the need for control? All of these things may be standing in the way of really knowing love, unfailing love, steadfast love; The Absolute Love.

Isa 30:18 "Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him."

You can only choose between the things you will be controlled by, either The Absolute Love or another substitute which is idolatry. That idolatry might be toward something or someone else or it may be to yourself. In any case all other masters, lords or gods lead to death.

2Co 5:14-21 "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

All Life is found in The Absolute Love, Yahweh, Yeshua Messiah, Isa Al Masih, Jesus of Nazareth. All life, all that is pleasing and pleasurable, all that you want or need is found in following Him.

Psa 103 "Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; or the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

#creation #science #truth

http://whomadegod.org/2011/12/god-science-and-evolution-part-4/

#Advent #endtimes

There is no greater love, no actual love apart from God. God is Love, He is The Absolute Love. Love flows through, around and within the Tri-unity that is God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit.

Isa 11:1-2 "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD."

Jesus of Nazareth, Yeshua Messiah, Isa Al Masih was born of the Holy Spirit.

Luk 1:30-35 "And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God."

 God The Father Loved Jesus The Son and the Spirit of God rested upon Jesus.

Luk 3:21-22 "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The Love that flows between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, overflows through God , The Absolute Love to us.

Joh 17:22-26 "The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Is this Love flowing within you and overflowing through you, only the Absolute Love can pour this into your heart, by the Spirit of God.

1Jn 4:7-13 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit."

#Advent #endtimes

Do you love to give and receive gifts? Gifts are a sign of love, caring and in a very special way by design they are meant to fulfill a need.
Receiving gifts is sometimes difficult, it involves acknowledging need. Some people want to stand on their own, proclaiming I have no needs. I am self sufficient.
In truth there is only one without need, who is self sufficient and all things flow from Him, and to Him and through Him. He is Absolute Love, Yahweh (I Am That I Am), Yeshua Messiah, Isa Al Masih, Jesus Christ.

Isa 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

The Absolute Love, gives and is given. He is the gift of life and the giver of life. All things belong to Him.

Col 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,"

Being all this He was given, by God the Father.

Joh 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

He was given, but for what? To do what? He was given to give Himself! He was given so we might be given the Spirit of God, to love God, to become children of God.

Joh 16:7 "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

Rom 5:3-6 'More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

Gal 1:3 "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,"

Eph 5:1-2 "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Col 1:13-14 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Tit 2:11-14 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works."

1Jn 3:1-3 "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."

Yes, He was given and He gives. All that we need has been given, but gifts need to be received. Have you taken the gifts, taken Him? Have you admitted, acknowledged your need, have you received and welcomed the Spirit of God into your life?

Jesus stood up in the Temple in Jerusalem as a young man and read from Isaiah.  

Isa 61:1-2 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor . . . "

Luk 4:21 "And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Jesus was given for freeing captives, healing brokeness and giving favor to those who acknowledge their need and receive the gift. But the passage in Isaiah was cut off in mid sentence. Isaiah goes on.

Isa 61:1-2 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;"

A second Advent will come, He will fulfill the justice and judgment upon those who would refuse the gift.  

#Advent #endtimes

Immanuel, God with us. How could this be? Would God be with us, would the veil into Holiness be withdrawn? Would the overflowing absolute love of God find a way for reconciliation?

Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Can you imagine the love of a man, finding out his fiance was pregnant? Unimaginal disbelief, anger, betrayal. Joseph lovingly did not want to pile shame upon her. He followed the Absolute Love, he wanted to do the right thing, he wanted Mary to be able to be with the one she loved. He wanted to follow the leading of The LORD.  The loving leadership of a just man, who would give up himself for his wife, in the power given through Absolute Love.

Mat 1:19-25  "And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus."

And what of the young woman? Mary, probably only 13 or 14 years old, not yet given to her betrothed. Mary, was troubled. Is that an understatement? How could this happen? What will people think, what will Joseph do? As for Mary, she will love and serve The LORD. The Absolute Love has provided a child to her elderly Aunt Elizabeth and to her a virgin, having never known any man in intimate contact. The Absolute Love has given life, He is The LORD of life. Nothing will be impossible for The Absolute Love. She would lovingly submit to her husband out of loving submission to The Absolute Love.

Luk 1:26-35  "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her."

This is the pattern of love between a man and a woman. This is the pattern for marriage. Loving as giving up self, loving as serving and submitting. Loving as a reflection of The Absolute Love.
Eph 5:21-33 "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body." Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."This mys tery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

#Advent #endtimes

Wanting children and waiting to have children is a blessed and often frustrating hope. It often seems that children come to you in unexpected ways. Either before you expected to have a child or were prepared to care for that child or in some unexpected way a child arrives on the scene. So many choose to make their lives less complicated, by terminating, or even discarding that promise of life. 
For my wife and I we wanted a child very much, but after seeing doctors we were told we would not have children. We attempted several adoptions but they fell through or didn't work out. Then after 21 years of married life together my wife was surprisingly, unexpectedly pregnant. Our beautiful daughter arrived nearly fourteen years ago. How much joy and love she has brought to our home.   

Isa 9:2-6 "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Who is this child, this son? The promise of a coming one, who would be much more than a ordinary human son, had been sought for and on the prayers of hearts for centuries. The hope that he should come, no the desperation for his coming was becoming nearly unbearable.

Mat 1:18-25 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus."

The love of a couple, not expecting, not planning for a child. No not even yet having consummated a betrothal. Yet they, being lovers of God, followed the path of absolute love. They honored and loved one another, they honored and loved the child together. They marveled at the gift and did not despise or reject the unexpectedness or unlikeliness of the child coming apart from their planning or desires.

The gifts of the Absolute Love are often disquised as interruptions and difficulties. Grasp on to those gifts, He is Absolute Love.

#Advent #endtimes

The second week of Advent is a focus upon love. This is most appropriate to fix our faiths' focus on hope last week and now on love. The only three abiding-lasting qualities of proven character. Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is love.

1Co 13 "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Love s the glory of God, He is the Absolute Love. When Moses asked God to show him(Moses) His (Yahweh) glory. The answer was two fold.

First the LORD says; "My mercy-lovingkindness (Hesed) is Absolute, it is only determined by my will and power, I alone grant loving mercy!"

Exo 33:18-19 "Moses said, "Please show me your glory."And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."

Second the Lord said: "Loving Kindness- Steadfast Love (Hesed) is my glory, a love that includes forgiveness and justice in a perfect harmony of pure, unadulterated, absolute love. An Absolute Love that overflows from God."

Exo 34:5-7 "The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty,"

This is the love we celebrate that has brought salvation and forgiveness in the first advent (appearing) and that will fulfill justice at the second advent.

#Advent #endtimes

Yes, John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was the Lamb of God, He was the promised one. Yeshua of Nazareth was the one hope of this world. Yet, the Lamb of God was also the shepherd of the sheep, the guide and loving leader of the people.

Mic 5:2-4 "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth."

Jesus the promised one was the shepherd promised to Israel to come out of Bethlehem. Yet not all, no not many were rejoicing at the coming of the Shepherd, least of all the leaders and kings of that time. For rulers begin to love the place of power above the One who has given them that power, instead of shepherds they become tyrants and despots.

Mat 2:3-16 "When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: "'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men."

Who can find a leader that will Shepherd the people as a gentle, loving, caring and just leader. The only Hope we have is in The Absolute Love. He will Love to the point of sacrifice, He will lay down His life for the sheep.

Joh 10:1-18 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

He is the Shepherd and the door for the sheep to enter by, He is the gate and the gatekeeper. Walk right in, no, only by Him opening the way can you enter! If you bow down and worship you may enter. If you seek entrance and knock He will open the door.

#Advent #endtimes

The Hope of the world is a savior, a messiah who would put things right. However to put things right we must be put right. John the Baptist was the one to prepare the way. How would the way be prepared? It will be through personal repentance. Repent was the the message of good news. Prepare yourself through turning away from yourself, to the Lamb of God. The Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.

Joh 1:29, 30 "The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'"

Lambs were important figures all throughout the Scriptures. Abraham believed The LORD out of His great love would provide a substitute sacrifice as He took the promised heir, Isaac up to the mountain to provide an offering to the LORD.

Gen 22:7, 8 "And Isaac said to his father Abraham, "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together."

To be delivered from the slavery of Egypt, and the penalty of death that was upon the firstborn children of Egypt, the sons of Israel were to offer a Lamb that was without defect, a perfect lamb. The blood of the Lamb was to be put on the doorposts and over the door as a sign of redemption, that death should passover that house.

Exo 12:3-8 "Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. "Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. "

The priests, who served the people of God who came out from Egypt, were to make atonement for their own sinfulness morning and evening. This sacrifice of a perfect lamb was to prepare them to be able to enter before the Lord to atonement for the sins of the people.

Exo 29:38-46 "Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight. And with the first lamb a tenth seah of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God."

Every year a special day of atonement was to be set aside to make atonement for sin.

Lev 23:27, 28 "Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD.And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God."

It is clear tha preparation and repentance is now an essential part of preparing for the coming of the Lord. One cannot stand in His presence without a covering and a cleasing, for He is Absolute Purity, Absolute Justice, Absolute Truth, The Absolute Love.

So Jesus of Nazareth, Yeshua Messiah, Isa Al Masih He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Are you prepared for His coming?

1Co 5:7 "Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."

1Pe 1:14-19 "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

Rev 5:8-14 "And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped. "

#Advent #endtimes

The Hope that John the Baptist gave to His followers was that the fulfillment of the promise was coming after him. He was laying the foundation for what was to come. Although the truth be told the foundation was set before the creation of the world. The voice, the Word of the LORD was to come to earth.

Joh 1:1-9 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world."

This was the Hope that John the Baptist was to prepare us for. That the very creator would come in among the creation and give hope of a new creation a new order. Of course it is very difficult for a created being who has come to believe that they are the pinnacle, that they are their own masters to accept that they are but needy creatures.

Joh 1:10-11 "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him."

Still harder is it for those who claim to be the guardians of truth, the purveyors of acceptable ways to approach God, to see through their dogma and rules into mystery. If as a leader one sees themself as a ruler instead of a servant and shepherd, it is very difficult to accept that you have been wrong. In your arrogance you might miss seeing the very thing you hoped for and have worshipped.

Joh 1:14-36 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel. And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

He is Absolute Love, the savior of all who believe in Him, He is the good shepherd who cares for us and from conception He was from The Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God rested on Him.  He was, is and is to come!

#Advent #endtimes

There is all throughout the Scriptures a promise of a deliverer, but how and from where would this deliverer come.?
Eve was promised that her offspring would be able to crush the serpents head, but her one son Cain killed the other Abel, later an heir was born and there was still hope in the promise.
Abraham was promised that through his seed all the nations would be blessed, and yet He was old and His wife Sara way beyond normal child bearing years, then finally a son to carry hope forward.
Naomi lost her husband and her two sons, then through her Moabite daughter in-law and a kinsman redeemer a son was given to carry on the hope of victory over the serpent.
Now we see Zecharia the priest and Elizabeth, but they were old and couldn't believe that they would have an heir, a son. In the midst of unbelief Zecharia was made mute. Was this promised child to be the one to carry on the hope of the promise given long ago?

Luk 1:5-25 "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

No this child was to be the one to prepare the way for the promise to come, for Hope to be born. The Hope would yet be given more mystery for the mother would be a young woman, who had never had sexual relations with a man. This was a child born of the Holy Spirit.

Luk 1:39-45  "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

This child was to be a gift of the promise, a deliverer of good news and one to prepare the way for the blessed Hope of Messiah.

Luk 1:57-80 "Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called John." And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. "

#Advent #endtimes

The Hope of Israel, of all the world would come as a shepherd and as the mighty God of the Universe. There would be a stark difference between what was understood of His coming. Some expected a mighty King that would finally lead Israel over the surrounding enemy nations; some expected a supernatural rearrangement to the laws of the universe.
It is clear that there would be some preparation for the coming of this Messiah, this saviour who would act on behalf of God or was it to be God Himself acting among men as a man?
How could anyone be prepared for that?

Isa 40 "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." A voice says, "Cry!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains. He who is too impoverished for an offering chooses wood that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to set up an idol that will not move. Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

This voice crying in the wilderness, spoken of long ago by the Prophet Isaiah was John, the cousin of Jesus of Nazareth. He was called John the Baptist. He is preparing the way for Hope to come in the Messiah. What preparation needed to be made? Wasn't the Messiah going to come and make all things right again? Well, no; not to make everything right, to make us right. Repentance and change in us is the preparation, for if you are going to be fit for The Kingdom, you must be made into a son and daughter of The King. He is Absolute Love. He wouldn't think of leaving you as you are.  

Luk 3:1-18 "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do."Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages." As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people."

Yes the call to repentance, to preparation is very good news, though many do not want that kind of good news. We will learn more of John and the preparation for The Absolute Love to come tomorrow.

#Advent #endtimes

The root, shoot of Jesse, He is the promised one, all Hope is found in Him. All the plans for we who believe in the Absolute Love of Christ Jesus, Yeshua Messiah, Isa Al Masih; are plans of welfare, hope and future fulfillment.

Jer 29:10-13  "For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

This hope is fulfilled in the coming of a little baby to earth 2,000 years ago. Kings from far off came seeking Him as they saw and believed in His coming. King Herod also knew and believed, but his belief led to fear instead of worship.

Mat 2:1-4  "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born."

All rulers and kings, leaders and political systems that rule unjustly; with thought for their own power and wealth, over against the benefit and service of the people will be severely judged for the Absolute Love uses power to give and to serve.
Rom 15:8-13 "For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name." And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him." And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope."May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

The root (shoot) of Jesse is coming again, let us have strong hope in believing He is Absolute Love.

#Advent #endtimes

The first week of Advent is the week of Hope. For long centuries it has been the Hope of people who Love God and have faith that a deliverer, a redeemer will come.
That hope is etched throughout scripture as we shall see, but the hope is to be fulfilled in two comings one of sacrifice and salvation, the second still to come of justice, vindication of righteousness and judgment.

Isa 11:1-10 "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.


The story of Ruth in the Tanakh is a beautiful story of faith, faithfulness and redemption. The story is a parable and a foreshadow of a future fulfillment, a final redeemer. The stump (shoot) of Jesses. The lineage and promise continues.

Rth 4:5-22 "Then Boaz said, "The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance." Then the redeemer said, "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it." Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel.So when the redeemer said to Boaz, "Buy it for yourself," he drew off his sandal. Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day." Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman." So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him." Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Naomi." They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David."

The lineage continues and is fulfilled in the Christ Child, Jesus born in Bethlehem, son of Mary and adopted on earth as son by Joseph, conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Mat 1:5-6 "and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,"

Luk 3:32"the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,"

The redeemer  has come!

Act 13:16-39 "So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.' Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John was finishing his course, he said, 'What do you suppose that I am? am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.' "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.'And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.' Therefore he says also in another psalm, "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."

He is Absolute Love. The first purple candle is lit in expectation of the Hope to come on Christmas day.

This next week is the beginning of Advent, a looking forward to the coming of the King of all the earth. The coming of the incarnate Lord. He is the King of Glory, the Absolute Love. He is the promised one, the messiah, the annointed Christ.
It is amazing that the Lord would come first as a infant. The one who eternally existed experienced all that we do in vulnerability and temporality, yet He is eternal. The same yesterday, today and yes tomorrow. The symbols of Advent are Alpha and Omega, the first and the last for the Advent is a two stage event. He has come and redemption is completely given to those who love Him and are filled with His love, He is coming and fulfillment of joy will be realized for those who love His appearing; judgment and eternal punishment for those who remain in rebellion.
Some will say this can not be; from one side "How can my sins and failings be accepted"?, on the another "How can God become a man?", still another "How can this man's death be a replacement-substitution for me to gain acceptance."
There is plenty to contemplate over the next four plus weeks. Won't you contemplate all these things with me?

Psa 24 "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah"

Who else would anounce the coming of the Lord, but angelic beings? Who else would be the most reliable witness to the mystery of this coming, but the mother who bore the Christ child? 

Luk 2:15-19 "When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart."

Catch these debates.

http://whomadegod.org/2011/11/debating-atheists/

Who is this God of Absolute Love?  Exo 34:6-7 "The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty,"

Psa 107:1-3 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

He renews and redeems all things, all those who turn to Him will not be disappointed. He is Absolute Love.

Psa 107:33-43 "He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in; they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish. When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD."

 You don't really have to go looking for trouble, in this world it seems trouble is everywhere. Someone close to you or close to someone who is close to you, is in distress and needs comfort and help. Or someone you don't know bumps into your life in one way or another, you are robbed, or slandered or attacked by someone who you don't have any connections. There is no way to get through this life with love and peace in your heart without being focused on the Absolute Love. He alone can sustain the right way in you.

Psa 107:1-3 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south."

Do you feel like your in a stormy place, all is swirling around you and your courage to do what is right is fading. Do you find yourself planning or thinking about some direction of life that you know in your heart is not right. He will answer if you call, in humility of heart say: "I am lost, afraid and think I am losing my bearings." He will say: "Peace, Be Still". He will be the deliverer and haven you need, He is Absolute Love. Let Him bring you to a place of thanksgiving and peace.

Psa 107:23-32 "Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders

Have you ever thought about forever? It seems that everything is so disposable these days. I think there will be so much waste and good things thrown away this week as people focus on feasting and getting together to celebrate. The steadfast love, "chesed" faithful love of the Absolute Love endures forever. I want to be loved by that kind of love, I want to have that kind of love. There is only ONE to go to to find it, if you do abide in it, meditate on the Absolute Love of God and give thanks to Him.

Psa 107:1-3 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south."

You might just feel sick, too sorry about the past or too worried about the future to enjoy anything. In fact in this life you would just as soon die as live. There is healing in Absolute Love. He can lift you up out of your malaise and cause you to know life abundant, filled with joy and purpose. He can put a song of thanksgiving in your heart. He is Absolute Love.

Psa 107:17-22 "Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!"

It has always been a truth that it is not only the things you do that stand against you in the court of heaven, the rebellion and falling short of what God commands. It is as much the the things ommitted, what is appropriate and right to do, that you just don't do for one reason or another. These things are as much an affront to the pure, just Absolute Love as the sins you've committed. Have you taken time to really contemplate, meditate on the goodness of God, therefore the very demand of what is right to give Him thanks. Yet, feigned or coerced thanksgiving would be thrown back, rejected, an additional affront. No, we must spend the time, and not race through the magnificent worth of God. To work up in our minds and hearts the very gratefulness that the Absolute Love deserves. This is for our good and His Glory.

Psa 107:1-3 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south."

Maybe you have been in a place where you felt trapped, imprisoned. It was dark and you could not see a way through and you felt like giving up and dying. If you cry out to the absolute Love- He is Light and in Him is no darkness at all- He sets the captives free. If you have been there don't forget to take much time to meditate on His mercy and grace, and to give thanks for His powerful deliverance.

Psa 107:10 - 16 "Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons, for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High. So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor; they fell down, with none to help. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron."

Nothing can stop or stay the the mercy of Absolute Love, He will shatter those bonds.