JESUS CHRIST IN PROPHECY......................... Proverbs 8: 22-34

     In the Old Testament book of Proverbs; Chapter 8,   
    vs. 22.34: "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of
his  ways.  Before his works of  old.  I was set  up from
before his works of old.  I was set up  from everlasting,
from the beginning or ever the earth was.  When there
were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were
no fountains abounding with water.  Before the moun-
tains ere settled, before the hills I was brought forth:
while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
nor the highest part of the dust of the world.  

When he prepared  the heavens,  I was  there: when he 
set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he gave
to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment:  When he appointed the foundations of 
the earth:

Then I was by him, as one brought up with him;  and I  was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoi-
cing in the habitable part of his earth;  and my delights  were with the sons of men.  Now therefore hearken unto 
me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. 

Hear instruction, and be wise,  and refuse it not.  Blessed
is the man that heareth me,  watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." 

I just learned a word previously unknown to me.  The word
is used in my dictionary to give a hint to the existence of our
Lord, Jesus Christ.  It gives understanding to this passage in
Proverbs 8. Adumbration: "The act of(*)shadowing forth; a
faint or imperfect representation of a thing." (*adumbrating
or) This definition is from Websters Encyclopedic Dictionary
of  the English Language,  published by  the North American
Educational Guild, ltd.  Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1952.

If there has ever been an event shrouded in mystery and won-
der, it is the arrival on the stage of history, the Lord Jesus, or
the Son of God (God the Son) Adonais.  These are mere tokens
of the many names of Yeshua.  His equality with his Father,
God (Yaweh) is long established. He was not initially, born as
were men.  He was with the Father in the beginning and it  is
not clear just how long ago that was, since time has been fac-
tored into the universe for only some 6,000 years.  Time mea-
sured by our earth's circumnavigation of the Sun, along with
the  creation of  the  universe,  are markers by  which  time is
measured.  

      In the Prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 7: 14-16, "Therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall con-
ceive,  and  bear a  son,  and  shall call  his name  Immanuel.
      For  before the  child  shall  know  to  refuse the  evil,  and 
choose the good,  the land  that thou  abhorrest  shall be  for-
saken of both her kings." 
 
Further speculation on this event would never be more than 
speculation and an empty  pursuit.  So we will not go down 
that path to nowhere.  We plan to return to this post as fur-
ther light comes from Scripture.      
        

donporter,sr. 7.26.17

DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE BORN AGAIN? .........First John

          How does one  know he is "in Christ?" There
are proofs one may have,  from Scripture, as  to 
whether  a calling is an "election sure."   In  this 
post we  will deal with  some  found in  Ist John.   
We  will see negative  and positive proofs...  You 
might even go directly to this epistle and  find it
for yourself.  I have, however;  isolated pointed 
passages  that follow...

  In the first Epistle of John, chapter one we see;  
"This then is the message which we have heard 
of him,  and  declare unto you,  that God is light,  
and in him  is no darkness  at all.  If we say that  
we have fellowship with him,  and walk in dark-
ness, we lie, and do not the truth.  But if we walk 
in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellow-
ship with  one another, and  the  blood  of  Jesus  
Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin. (vs. 5-7)
     
      When we see our lives changed from a lost, 
pointless existence,  to a meaningful relation-
ship with our Lord and followers of Jesus Christ,   
this gives hope of eternal life and we are given a  
mode of service, even a "ministry."  At times that 
word is confusing  since it  is used  extensively to
indicate  "vocational"  service.  The vocational or
professional mode is the smaller part of  a much 
greater  picture.  Ministry is  applicable to  that, 
but it also  applies to a servant of  the Lord, whe-
ther he/she is  in "ministry"  as a profession,  or  
service to our Lord and his Kingdom out of love 
for our Lord, his church and his children.  In a 
broader  sense,  every  one  is  a "child"  of  God 
and we all  have a  ministry.  We may  at times,  
neglect that ministry and those who  do not, as 
yet, know the Lord are not even aware He has a 
service, or ministry for them.
      
      In the second chapter, I John, we find... "And  
hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep 
his  commandments."  If we would keep  his com-
mandments,  it is incumbent upon us to be in  the 
Word.   (The  passage  in  Romans  10: 17,  "Faith 
cometh  by  hearing and  hearing by the Word of  
God.")   It is possible our greater neglects may be 
prayer,  Bible study, and the personal application 
of the disciplines.  

   In I John 4:15 we see; "Whosoever shall confess
  that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him,  
  and he in God."  In verse 21, "And this command-
  ment have we from him, That he who loveth God 
  love his brother also.
 
        In First John 5:5 we find; "Who is he that over-
   cometh  the world,  but  he  that  believeth that 
  Jesus is the Son of God."  

    Keep in mind; the Word of God is plain if one 
will  diligently  search  the  message...  It is not 
"simple," and in order for you or I  to  begin to 
plumb  it's depths, (dig deep) diligence must be 
applied and faithful application of the message 
therein,  must be made to one's  life...  We  will  
gain nothing if  we attempt  to apply the  mes-
sage to  the life of  another, or simply read the  
message, and fail to act on it, or apply it to our
our lives...  (AMEN)

    In First John 5: 11-13, "And this is the record, 
that God  hath given to us eternal life,  and this  
life is  in his  Son.   He  that hath  the Son  hath 
the  life;  and he  that hath  not the  Son of God 
hath not life.  
    These things have I written unto you that ye  
believe on  the name of  the Son of God; that ye 
may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye  
may believe on the name of  the Son of God."   
                                                See James 1:22-25

   With all of this there  are caveats.  One,  recor-
ded  in  James 1: 22-25:  "But be ye  doers of  the 
Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own 
selves.  For if any  be a hearer of  the Word,  and 
not a doer,  he is  like unto  a man  beholding his 
natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, 
and goeth  his way,  and straightway  forgetteth 
what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh 
into  the  perfect  law of  liberty,  and  continueth 
therein,  he being  not  a forgetful  hearer,  but  a 
doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his 
deed."                                        


Caveat:  An intimation of caution, hint, warning, admonition. 
 
          Thanks for looking and may the Lord
           God bless you in all your "deeds.")

This post will be augmented from time to time as 
found in the epistles of John.

 edited, 7.25.17; 9.16.17                      donporter,sr