May 2022 – Light from the Word

Solomon and the Number 666

When we hear the number 666 mentioned, we associate it with the mark of the beast in Revelation 13:16. It reads: Also, he (the antichrist) compels, all both small and great, both the rich and the poor, the free and slave, to be marked with an inscription on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that no one will have power to buy or sell unless he bears the stamp, the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is [room for] discernment. Let anyone who has intelligence calculate the number of the beast, for it is a human number; his number is 666 (Rev. 13:16-18). In time, people assumed certain presidents from different countries to be the antichrist, as they figured out the letters of their names to come to the number 666, but they came and they went without taking the position of the assumed antichrist. There will be always a curiosity about the number 666 to whom it refers, that will never be satisfied, until he will be revealed. However, as the world becomes ripened to its judgment, it seems clearer that he is about to be reviewed sooner than later.

King Solomon left us with a question mark in relationship with the number 666 in his choice of receiving 666 talents of gold every year. It seemed all together insignificant in those days, but in God’s calendar, it had a prophetic significance that stirred up curiosity in many of us. We wonder what is the significance of it for the end-times. We read in Revelation 13:18, Here is [room for] discernment. Let anyone who has intelligence calculate the number of the beast, for it is a human number; his number is 666. Is it based on knowledge and understanding of the past history that we can figure out whom it is referred to?

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He Sent His Word and Healed My Diseases

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needed to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded Him] we are healed and made whole (Isaiah 53:5).

No disease is greater than God’s healing power. However, diseases have their roots deeply in sin; it is a result of the fall of men. When God introduced man to the garden He had beautifully created, He commanded Adam saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Gen. 2: 16-17). Why was it so important for Adam to obey the Lord’s command, “But the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat?” Because this particular command was key to men’s blessings. Disobedience of this command would bring serious consequences, not only to Adam’s family, but to the entire human race and nature. The perfect world God had created was going to be changed from order to chaos; from peace to war; from love to hate. Consequences were devastating for all. As a result consequence demanded the death of God’s Son to restore men to Himself, to order, love and peace. The importance of that command demanded obedience. God had created the world in perfect harmony of beauty; He created man to tend the garden, which provided Adam with his sustenance. Adam had everything he needed in that garden. A simple command not to eat the fruit of one tree should have not been a problem for Adam. Obedience is the result of trust, faith and respect for someone; it is also submission of the spirit. Adam, even though knowing what God had commanded him, decided not to harken to the command of the Lord, but to follow his wife’s idea. The apostle Paul tells us that Eve was deceived, but not Adam. If he were not deceived why then did he disobey the Lord? Where was he when the serpent deceived Eve? Created to be the head of the family, Adam was to protect Eve. But he failed and he is to be blamed for the original sin. Although Eve sinned first, God’s question was directed to Adam (Gen. 3: 9)

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Sorrow Is Better Than Laughter

(Ecclesiastes 7:3)

Contrary to our thinking, Solomon in his wisdom, declares the not so obvious situation of the soul. In his analyses, he identifies the hidden truth of what seems way out of the mind of man. Judges of the soul for what we see, it shocks us to know that what we see is not what truly is. Sorrow, an expression of an unpleasant experience, is always marked on the face. It denotes sadness, in a deep emotional disturbance within, expressing outwardly, caused by a sense of loss; a condition of mournfulness. Solomon shows an interesting factor concerning this condition: sorrow is better than laughter for by sadness of face the heart is made glad; for a sad countenance is good for the heart (Ecl. 7:3). Seemly, the weight of sorrow demonstrated on the face, lifts it from the heart. The tremendous result one can experience afterward, comes with tears of joy, for it is in that time when the soul cries to God; it is in that time when man seeks God with a broken heart. Other times, life goes on without the knowledge of God. YAHSHUA took all our sorrows and pains; He suffered all we suffer and more. At the time when sorrow from whatever situation comes to us, remember that He wore the crown of thorns, while we enjoy the roses’ fragrance.

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When Pastors Are Just Hired Servants

(John 10; Jeremiah 23:1-5; Ezekiel 34:2,5-23)

Now the hireling flees because he merely serves for wages and is not himself concerned about the sheep (vs. 13). When presenting Himself as the Good Shepherd in comparison with others, YAHSHUA gave a solemn picture of a hired shepherd. He said, But the hired servant who is neither the shepherd nor the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming deserts the flock and runs away, and the wolf chases the and snatches them and scatters [the flock]. Now the hireling flees because he merely serves for wages and is not himself concerned about the sheep (John 10:12-13). We know nothing or very little about the responsibilities of a shepherd in our today’s society to understand the depth of YAHSHUA’S words. However, there is much we can learn from the life of a shepherd. For example, they lead the sheep to good pastures, and cooler places higher in the mountain; at night they sleep outdoors to guard the sheepfold from wild animals and sometimes they shelter their flock in a cave assuring them with reassuring voice. Shepherds have to be diligent, dependable and brave to be a good one. Their lives are involved with their sheep from dawn to dawn. The lives of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David and many others were lives that portrayed a life of true shepherds. A good shepherd also has a relationship with his sheep. We see this in the life of David. He was truly a good shepherd. For two times he risked his own life to defend them as he told King Saul, Your servant kept his father’s sheep. And when there came a lion or again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock I went out after it and smote it and delivered the lamb out of its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and smote it and killed it. Your servant killed both the lion and the bear… (I Sam. 16:34-36a). Lion and bear are two powerful animals; a human being cannot easily prevail against them. David’s love for his sheep carried a weight of sacrificial love. He was willing to die to save them.

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Prayer, a Salve for Every Hurt

Prayer, empowered by faith, is the vehicle that takes our needs to the courts of heaven. YAHSHUA’S sacrifice for mankind was complete when He, at the time of expiring, caused the curtain of the temple to be torn in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51a). With that, YAHSHUA was reconciliating mankind to God. No more sacrifice of an animal was necessary by a high priest on behalf of the people. YAHSHUA fulfilled the Law and its demands on the altar of the cross. And how much more surely shall the blood of Messiah, who by virtue of [His] eternal Spirit has offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, purify our consciences from dead works and lifeless observances to serve the living God? (Heb. 9:14). Because of Him, heaven will be open and God’s courts will be always ready to receive those who come to Him in sincerity of heart, presenting their needs.

YAHSHUA, as our High Priest acts on our behalf in time of our needs. The Bible tells us that The Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearning and groaning too deep for utterance…The Holy Spirit intercedes and pleads in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God (Rom. 8:26, 27b). In a beautiful harmony of agreement, the trinity performs the act of mercy and grace toward mankind. YAHSHUA’S sacrifice of love extends to us His people, for He understands the pains and hurts we suffer in our life-time on earth. Prayer is the bridge that connects us to the heavenly Father. If only we could perceive what is happening in heaven when we pray, we would spend more time in communion with our heavenly Father. Lives are touched, lives are changed and many times we do not even know the results of our many prayers. Before His ordeal, YAHSHUA prayed for us. A priestly prayer that salve flows from it every time we read it. It brings us comfort and a sense of His love towards us even after so many years.

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If You Are Willing to Receive and Accept It

YAHSHUA affirmed to the disciples that if they were willing to receive and accept it, John was Elijah. After the wonderful experience the three disciples had at the Mount of Transfiguration, on their way down they asked YAHSHUA an interesting question: Why do the Scribes say that it is necessary for Elijah to come first? YAHSHUA then answered: Elijah, it is true, does come first to restore all things and set them to rights. And how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be utterly despised and be treated with contempt and rejected? But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and (people) did to him whatever they desired, as it is written of him (Mark 9:11-13). What did He mean by that? Was John the incarnated Elijah? It is natural for us to think that for lack of scriptural knowledge related to the subject. But as it is, Isaiah specifically prophesized about John saying: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will make ready your way. A voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make His beaten tracks straight (Mark 1:2-3) prophecy from the Isaiah chapter 40:3).

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DNA – The Evidence of God’s Signature in Every Cell

God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in our image, after our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. So, God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them; then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs or a part of his side and closed up the flesh; and the rib or part of his side which the Lord God had taken from the man He built up and made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Then Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of a man (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7,21-23). When God created men, He perfected them with intelligence and wisdom. No one can comprehend the complicated manifold of His work. The human body, the heavens, all nature and every created living thing, have God’s signature on them. His, and His alone matches the manifold of wisdom manifested in all He created. “OH, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever! Amen (Rom.1:33a,36).

When created man and woman, God performed an act of perfect and wonderful creation. He focused on every detail of the body, visible and invisible. When He said, Let Us make mankind in our image, after our likeness… His words carried a very important meaning, not applied to the rest of His creation. Man was made to carry God’s image and likeness (Gen. 1:27). In that, man was set apart from the animal world. King David in his psalm 139 says, … You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb; I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well; my frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depts of the earth; Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them; how precious and weighty also are Your thought to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! “Intricately and curiously wrought,” he could be referring to the DNA, the hereditary part of humans. It is there that information is stored as a code. It transmits genetic information. It determines each cell’s structure and function; located in the center of the cell, it is responsible for the control of the cells’ activities. We are truly “God’s intelligent design!” Amazingly, scientists have found proof of God in the DNA code. As Paul said, man is without excuses concerning the existence of God (Rom. 1). DNA expresses information from intelligence, and one like no one else’s “It is an instructional script.” The DNA’s code is very complex, compost of 3 billion letters, which are four chemicals called, adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. It is mind boggling; It is hard for men to grasp the complexity of God’s creation, for they are limited in their understanding concerning the deep wisdom and knowledge of God, since they are created and are not the Creator. DNA’S code is the evidence of God’s signature in every cell proving that He is the Creator of all living things. Paul asks the question: Who has known the mind of God and who has understood His thoughts, or who has been His counselor? (Rom. 11:34) All God’s creations – animal and plants alike have DNA, which is a long molecule containing their entire genetic code. Although the animals have will, emotion and intelligence, showing how smart they are in many things, they do not reflect the image of God. God does not require accountability from them, as Paul said, Creation was subjected to frailty, not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will off Him Who so subjected it- with the hope that nature itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children (Rom. 8: 20-21).

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