Christ came and said that He accomplished the work given to Him by the
Father. But this in no way has precluded us from accomplishing and
carrying on with the mighty work that has been given us. We need to be
able to come to the point that Christ was at and be able to say that
we too have finished the work given to each of us.
Kalon Mitchell
Are you a Temple of God?
The Tabernacle and later the Temple were key components in the lives
of the Israelites. God had them very specially specifically created.
The symbols that they stood for still have application for us today.
We are to become the actual living temples of God. How do we
accomplish this?
Being on Guard
It is our duty as Christians to stand guard against the many pitfalls this world has to offer. If we are not focused on this at all times we can fall, lose our way and potentially lose everything we have worked so hard for.
Stress At This Time
We live in a time of great stress and fear. How can we avoid becoming overwhelmed and worried when so many things around us are going wrong? What can we learn by studying the word of God in this regard?
What is the purpose of hyssop mentioned in numerous places in both the Old and the New Testament?
The usage of hyssop and its references in the Bible are mostly in the Old Testament, but it is also used a few times in the New Testament. Its symbolism is of interest as to how God commanded it to be used and its later involvement at the time of Christ’s death. The Old and the New Testament are woven together. People who claim that the Old Testament is no longer valid are mistaken and refuse to see how both Testaments are needed.
In 1 Kings 4:33, we find that King Solomon mentioned that hyssop liked to grow out of walls, indicating hearty plants which were able to grow in rough spots. Many people feel that the plant being referenced is Origanum syriacum. This plant has longish stems that are woody at the base with white flowers. It is widely used today to make teas, and also to make a spice called za’ater, which can be added to breads, cheese and salads.
But it is the purpose for which God commanded its use that is most interesting.
In Leviticus, God commanded the Israelites to use hyssop in the ceremonial cleansing of people and houses. In one example, God tells the priests to use hyssop together with cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and the blood of a clean bird to sprinkle a person recently healed from a skin disease. This would ceremonially cleanse the formerly diseased person and allow him to reenter the camp (Leviticus 14:1–7). The same method was used to purify a house that had previously contained mold (Leviticus 14:33–53). It is of note that in both cases, the same purification procedures were to be enacted, both signifying defilement and then purification.
When, during the Old Testament Passover time, the Israelites marked their doorposts with the blood of lambs in order for the angel of death to pass over them, God instructed them to use a bunch of hyssop as a “paintbrush” (Exodus 12:22). This was probably because hyssop was sturdy and could withstand the brushing, but it is also likely that it was to signify that God was marking His people “pure” and not targets of the judgment God was about to deal out to the Egyptians. Just to note, another type of God’s protection happening in the near future is found in Ezekiel 9:4 where God is saying that those who are sighing and crying—those who are different from the rest of the world—will be spared from the coming great atrocities that are going to happen to this world.
As mentioned, hyssop was much used by the Israelites in their sacred purifications and sprinklings. In Numbers 19, in connection with the sacrifice of a red heifer, we find another example for the use of the hyssop plant (verse 6), again having to do with purification and sanctification. This constant need for cleansing starts to become apparent.
David also mentions hyssop in Psalm 51:7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” David does not refer to physical cleansing—rather, he is asking God to cleanse him spiritually as he confesses his sin. He was seeking an “internal” change—and not that he was depending on any mere outward ordinance or rite. The word rendered “purge” is from the word chata (Strong’s Analytical Concordance, Number 2398)—which means literally, “to miss”, “go wrong” or “to sin.” Here it conveys the notion of being purified or “cleansed from error” (Young’s Analytical Concordance) or sin “by” a sacred rite, or by that which was signified as a sacred rite. The idea was that the sin was to be removed or taken away, so that he might be free from it, which was represented by the sprinkling with hyssop, so that he might be made pure.
Sin is represented as “defiling,” and the idea of “washing” it away is often used in Scripture. Isaiah 1:16, 18 states: “‘Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings form before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good… Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be white as wool…’” In regard to the “white wool,” we might note an indirect reference to Jesus Christ here (compare John 1:29; Isaiah 53:7) Who, as the Lamb of God, is the ONLY One able to take away our sin.
God is the only Source of true purification. The biblical use of hyssop in the Passover, the sacrifices, and the ceremonial cleansing rituals were a constant reminder, painting a detailed picture of the washing, cleansing, saving, purification, and salvation from death that can come only from God. This is the kind of cleansing that David requested of God when he asked to be purged with hyssop.
The last use of hyssop mentioned is, interestingly, found in John 19:28-30, where Christ is dying on a stake. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’ Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
In the final moments of His life, when He died as our New Testament Passover Lamb, He uttered the words “I thirst”, which alone can have a whole meaning. But for this Q&A, focusing on the hyssop, while the hyssop stalk may have been used for purely practical purposes, as it was long enough to reach to Jesus’ mouth as He hung on the stake, it is interesting that this particular plant was chosen. It is possible that God meant this as a picture of purification, as Jesus bought our forgiveness with His Sacrifice. Just as in the Old Testament blood and hyssop purified a defiled person, so Jesus’ shed blood purifies us from the defilement of our sin. The hyssop was an identifying element that connected Christ to the Passover lamb, the sacrificial and cleansing ceremonies and even David’s request to be purified.
In Hebrews 9:6-28; 10:1-18; 12:24, we find that Christ’s Sacrifice was necessary for our salvation, and it did away with the priestly duties of continual cleansing for people’s sins or other issues with the blood of animals and hyssop. In Matthew 5:17 Christ stated that He came to fulfill the law. All of this points to the fact that we can overcome and have our sins forgiven. Not only that, but we should realize that we can become purified and clean through the great Sacrifice that Christ gave. Notice in Titus 2:11-14 and in 2 Timothy 2:20-21 that it is now our duty to find greater obedience to God in our lives so that we can accomplish that which God has for each of us to do. The many references to and uses of hyssop foreshadow and remind us of the great plan that God is accomplishing in us.
Lead Writer: Kalon Mitchell
When In Debt
Many years ago, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be mightily blessed. That same promise was passed on to Isaac and his son Jacob and their generations (Genesis 15:1-21; 22:15-18; 26:1-5; 49:1-28; Hebrews 11:17-22).
Those blessings came to fruition. The United States of America and the British Commonwealth were two of the greatest nations or groups of nations that ever ruled on this earth. God saw to it that they were well taken care of. They both led the industrial revolution. They invented incredible and amazing things. They possessed some of the greatest natural resources known to man. They won many battles and conquered many lands.
And yet, we find today the United States with a debt deficit of 22 trillion dollars. Some analysts say while that number is on paper, it is more likely that the debt is actually around 70 trillion. We see the great debacle of the British people attempting to leave the EU with a “great deal,” and coming woefully shy of doing so. A number of companies are already leaving the UK and there could be many more in the future, including many of the financial services that once did massive amounts of business in London.
Yet only very few bother to stop and see why this is happening. The answers are in the Bible. Deuteronomy 28:18-68 shows aptly what is occurring. Verses 43-44 tell us: “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.” This is not just a one-time warning. Haggai 1:3-7 states: “Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?’ Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.’ Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Consider your ways!’”
IF people would consider their ways and if they would pay attention to the warning signs of what is going on, they would be able to see that something is dreadfully wrong. David’s thoughts in Psalm 119:9-16 show that we must not forget God and turn from Him, but that we must delight in obedience to God’s laws. In fact, Deuteronomy 28:1-14 shows that when people are obedient, then the blessings that God rains down are innumerable.
From all appearances, our nations are on an inevitable crash course to swift destruction, because most people don’t want to change. They would rather enjoy life as they see fit (Romans 1:18-31). It should be evident that things are getting worse, not better. When the ancient city of Nineveh was confronted with their sin and their threat of punishment, all the people, from the greatest to the least, fasted and turned from doing wrong, and so God delayed for a time the destruction of that great city. Unfortunately, it appears that this world is asleep. Hopefully, we in the Church are awake and are working feverishly to draw closer and closer to God, so that we can escape the soon-coming prophesied great tribulation.
Naked or Clothed
We are warned not to be spiritually naked. We are told to be clothed with righteousness. What happens when we aren’t? What happens when we find ourselves spiritually naked? The warnings to be clothed are powerful and should inspire each Christian to make the changes necessary to remain clothed and ready for the soon return of Jesus Christ.
National Mourning
December 5, 2018, was declared a national day of mourning for the United States of America, because former President George H. W. Bush had died the previous day. Many governmental agencies were shut down in response to this day of mourning for a past president.
When I heard about this, there were a couple of observations that ran through my mind. The first was that, while yes, banks were closed, the stock market was closed and post offices were closed, there didn’t seem to be an outpouring of sorrow. No one was of a sad countenance. Life kept going on. Most people went to their jobs and lived their lives. Secondly, I wondered what it would be like if this day of mourning was actually in response to people’s realization that they have been living the wrong way of life and they were ready to turn to God.
In reading through the Bible, we find many stories about how people were living the wrong way of life and had issues and problems that came to a head. Then, they would call out and ask God for help and He would save them. Many times, the Israelites had to face serious problems and captivity in order to repent and return to God. The city of Nineveh, while not an Israelite city, was warned about the captivity and destruction that WOULD come upon them unless they repented. They did, and the city was spared at that time.
The problem is that very often, humans have to learn the hard way. God doesn’t desire people to die. In Ezekiel 18:21-32; 33:11-20, God keeps asking why people would not turn from sin and live. The whole reason God has given man about 6,000 years to try living his own way is to recognize how bad a job he has done. And indeed, we are coming up to the times when issues and problems are becoming more and more prevalent. We are destroying the earth we live on, and we are in the process of destroying all life. In fact, Christ warns in Matthew 24:21-22 that if God were not to cut short the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord, no flesh would survive. We would wipe each other out. That’s how far man would take it. When we review the history of the past two world wars and the atrocities and the inhuman treatment, it is not hard to imagine that man would be willing to do much worse, especially under the inspiration of the god of this world, Satan the Devil.
As Christians, we also have the duty to sigh and cry about the atrocities that we see (Ezekiel 9:4), as well as continue our warning cry to the nations, as we are told to do by God (Ezekiel 33:1-10). Unfortunately, many refuse to hear the warning. They claim to know God and yet their hearts are not in line with God’s ways (Ezekiel 33:30-33). The warning to mourn and to turn to God is plainly there. Will we be the ones who are willing to do so? Or will we have to go through the Great Tribulation?
Our choice is of the utmost importance at this moment in time. James 4:8-10 tells us: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Yes, we should be weeping. We should be, individually and collectively, appalled, disgusted, shocked and grieved in the depths of our hearts over our sins, just as the people were in Acts 2:37: “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart…”
We are not only addressing the prideful, lying, stealing, and lusting sins but also sins of the tongue, sins of anxiousness, sins of bitterness, sins of partiality, sins of complacency, sins of jealousy, sins of impatience, sins of arrogance, sins of hate, sins of backbiting and sins of cowardliness, and the list could go on and on. We should grieve over all of them because every sin separates us from God.
The time for mourning and returning to God is NOW! In Matthew 5, the beatitudes show that the actions of those who want to be known by God are in line with turning to Him. They are doing what is required of them. One of these actions is mourning, while being mindful of sin in our lives and actively turning from it. True Godly sorrow and repentance produce the change that is needed. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 says: “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”
Again, the choice is ours. What will our choice be?
By the Power of God!
The power of God is incredible and yet His Word shows us that we can at this time call upon and partake in some of this power now. Once we are a God being we will have the same power that God and Christ have, but we can use this power in small quantities in accordance with their will at this present time. But it takes having a close relationship with them to be able to do so.
True Christian Humility
The Bible enjoins us all to be humble and have the attitude of being as such. But why? Why is it important? What does Christian humility look like? Are there any other parts that go along with being humble? We will look into these questions and discover the important answers.
