2024 ADVENT 7 – The BIGGEST Bruising … which is TO COME

 

The LORD GOD declared  HIS divine, immutable WORD:  the SEED+  of a woman, Eve, would eventually come to bruise the head of the lying serpent.

That Prophecy was given as the FIRST PROPHECY concerning the Advent of The LORD JESUS CHRIST , HIM+ becoming robed in human flesh,  here upon earth.

And yet, there is COMING ANOTHER BRUISING.

Romans 16:20

And the GOD of Peace shall bruise satan

under your feet shortly.

The Grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be with you. Amen.

+  +  +

That day is when the satan will be taken and thrown into the bottomless pit.

^{REVELATION 20:1}  And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 

^{REVELATION 20:2}  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and satan, and bound him a thousand years, 

^{REVELATION 20:3}  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. ….

^{….. REVELATION 20:10}  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 

+  +  +

GLORY to GOD in the Highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill  toward men !

Thanks be to GOD

WHO+ giveth us the Victory

through our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

+  +  +

Let us pray:

Dear Heavenly FATHER,

YOU planted early in Your Word the first Prophecy of the Advent of Your Only-Begotten SON+. 

Thank YOU for that Prophecy.

Thank YOU for including Your Followers in that Prophecy as well, that HE+ will give us HIS+ Victory over the satan even as we live here on planet earth.

We thank YOU for giving Your Beloved SON+ the FINAL VICTORY over the satan, at the End of the Battle for planet earth.

And THAT was included in the First Prophecy too !

We glorify Your SON+ JESUS CHRIST , for HE+ did fulfill, is fulfilling, and will fulfill that first Prophecy to the uttermost. 

What a mighty GOD we serve !

Hosanna in the Highest !

In the Mighty Name of our Soon-Coming-Again LORD JESUS CHRIST,

Amen and amen.

2024 ADVENT 6 – The BIG Bruising … which WAS, and IS, and is TO COME ... Matthew 12:49

 

 

The LORD GOD declared  HIS divine, immutable WORD to the serpent in the Garden of Eden: 

the SEED+ of the woman Eve

would bruise the head of the lying serpent.

 

And I will put enmity between thee and The Woman,

and between thy seed and her SEED+ ;

*HE+ shall bruise thy head,

and thou shalt bruise His+ Heel. 

^{Genesis 3:15}

*[ In this Hebrew verse, “HE” is specifically written. “It” does not occur in the Hebrew language. ]

+  +  +

Yes,  this is the first Prophecy of the Coming LORD JESUS, The MESSIAH+ , The CHRIST.

In this first Prophecy of the MESSIAH’S Advent, The LORD certainly was referring to the immediate situation with Eve as “The Woman.”  

HOWEVER . . .  Could the verse above hold yet ANOTHER meaning ? Consider this:

Genesis 3:20 

And Adam called his wife's name Eve;

because she was the mother of all living.

+  +  +

It has been said** that “GOD is our FATHER; the Church is our mother.”

** from  Cyprian of Carthage: “No one can have GOD for their FATHER who does not have The CHURCH for their mother.” Cyprian ( d. 258 AD ) on Church Unity, Section 6.

That statement is based on The Words of The LORD JESUS :

Matthew 12:49

And HE+ stretched forth His+ Hand toward His+ disciples, and said, Behold My+ mother and My+ brethren! 

That is, His+ Church. [ Similarly, in Mark 3:34, Luke 8:21 ]

The Church is The LORD’S earthly instrument to find those who are lost and usher them into a LIVING Salvation in CHRIST. [ See Galatians 4:26 on the Church as our “mother.”]

So, could it be that THE ANOINTED CHURCH of The Living LORD might ALSO be considered “the Woman” whose off-spring or children will also “bruise” the head of the satan ?

What does Scripture state ?

^{LUKE 10:17}  And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, LORD, even the devils are subject unto us through THY+ NAME. 

^{LUKE 10:18}  And HE+ said unto them: I+ beheld satan as lightning fall from Heaven.

^{LUKE 10:19}  Behold, I+ give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL THE POWER of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 

^{LUKE 10:20}  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in Heaven. 

[ Note: “You” in the KJV is the plural “you.”  Thus, this passage is referring to the Followers of CHRIST, which would be the Living Church. ]

+  +  +

Thus, we NOW can see a deeper meaning built into that first Prophecy about the Advent of the Jewish MESSIAH+, The SAVIOR+ of the world.

That is:

HE+ extended the power to bruise the head of the satan even unto us who walk in obedience to CHRIST,  as His+ Body on earth, the one, unified, Apostolic, Eternal CHURCH of the LIVING GOD !   

CHRIST’S Victory over death, hell, and the grave was transferred unto His+ obedient followers, unto His+ Living Church.  

John 5:24 

Verily, verily, I+ say unto you,

He that heareth MY+ Word,

and believeth on HIM that sent ME+,

hath everlasting Life,

and shall not come into condemnation;

but is passed from death unto LIFE. 

 

The serpent didn’t bargain for THAT when he tricked Eve!

That old serpent, the devil, didn’t see his own defeat coming when the ONE+ he worked to kill through evil men , as an infant and as an adult crucified …  

rose again from the Dead !

+  +  +

Let us pray:

LORD JESUS,

Thank YOU+ for Coming to earth.

Thank YOU+ for condescending in the greatest of humility to be born of a woman, a simple Hebrew virgin.  

Thank YOU+ for taking on our human flesh … in order to free us from the grip of satan.

Thank YOU+ for fighting our battles with the satan so that we could become the adopted sons of The Living GOD… never to die again, like HIM+.

For, HE+ hath moved our soul and spirit from the Realm of Death into the Realm of The Living.

WORTHY is The LAMB+ ! 

Glory to GOD in the Highest and Peace on earth,

goodwill towards man !

Amen and Amen.

2024 ADVENT 5 ~ The BRUISING of the satan's head ... which WAS , and IS, and is TO COME ! HALLELUJAH !

 

The LORD GOD declared  HIS divine, immutable WORD:  the SEED+  of a woman, Eve, would eventually come to bruise the head of the lying serpent.

The YHWH ELOHIM --- The LORD GOD --- knew the serpent satan had deliberately lured and trapped Eve.  The ELOHIM knew what the intent was: to destroy GOD’S highest creation.

GOD The ELOHIM had made man in “our image” as per the Hebrew throughout Genesis chapter 1.

Even lucifer himself, that great angel,

was not created in the image of the Divine ELOHIM;

man was.

Was the satan jealous ?

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,

and between thy seed and her SEED+ ;

*HE+ shall bruise thy head,

and thou shalt bruise His+ Heel. 

^{Genesis 3:15}

*[ In the Hebrew, “HE” is written. “It” does not occur in the Hebrew language. ]

Yes, we realize The LORD JESUS CHRIST, that Divine SEED+ of Eve, was wounded, crucified, and died.

HIS+ “bruising” was very intense.  

Once the bruising was over, however,  HE+ arose from the worst that the satan was permitted to do to HIM+.  The SEED+ of Eve ( through Abraham’s line ) then rose from the Dead,  NEVER  to die again. 

The SEED+ of Eve bruised the head of the serpent .

 Now, that very SEED+, The LORD JESUS CHRIST,  is extending His+ power to “bruise” the satan unto His+ Followers !

HE+ is giving unto man the VICTORY over the satan with the power to OVERCOME our own Adamic nature.

Yes, even now in our flesh, we can vanquish the power that the satan has over our lives … over our thoughts … over our emotions … over our hearts.  

This is ALL through the BLOOD of the SEED+ of Eve through Abraham’s line.

We are enabled by The LORD CHRIST to have victory over the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Our OBEDIENCE to CHRIST is a terrific defeat for the satan !

This, dear friends, where SPIRITUAL WARFARE begins: as we defeat our OWN, Adamic,  fleshly nature … through submitting to The LORD JESUS.

After defeating our OWN Adamic nature, we can then go on to bind and hinder the wiles of the devil in other arenas in life.

No power exists on earth that is greater than the satan…

except The BLOOD+ of JESUS CHRIST.

From that Divine BABE+ in the Manger to the SON+ of GOD upon the Cross, HE+ has given us that same power to defeat the satan after we have been “washed in The BLOOD+  of  The LAMB+ .” 

Thanks be to GOD

 WHO+ giveth us the Victory

 through our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

GLORY to GOD in the Highest, and peace on earth to men !

 

2024 ADVENT 4 ~ Eve, Who Did NOT See What was Coming….

  .Genesis 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: Genesis 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, GOD hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

Genesis 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

Genesis 3:5  For GOD doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. . . . .

^{. . . . Genesis 3:13}  And the LORD GOD said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 

^{Genesis 3:14}  And The LORD GOD said unto the serpent

Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,

and between thy seed and her SEED+ ;

*HE+ shall bruise thy head,

and thou shalt bruise His+ Heel. 

^{Genesis 3:15}

*[ In the Hebrew, “HE” is written. “It” does not occur in the Hebrew language. ]

Eve did NOT see what was coming, unlike faithful Abraham.

Eve was blinded  because of her disobedience.  

Disobedience blinds us.

When we listen to the tantalizing lies of the satan, we fall into his trap.

The trap of satan works like this: Listen to me-e-e … and I will make you instantly happy !   Yes…. just as “happy” as the satan is … the serpent satan who is FILLED with fury because he knows his time is short.

The satan only brings LIES . Lies ONLY bring pain.

Here is the Truth… and TRUTH makes us free if we embrace it: 

ALL disobedience is based on a LIE of the satan.

In their disobedience, Eve and Adam subtly changed the Authority Structure of their family: Eve told her husband Adam what  to  do  .

That  pattern of change has caused much difficulty and pain ever since it entered the human race through Eve’s disobedience.

No, poor , deluded Eve did NOT see what was coming. 

She did NOT rejoice to see the Day of The LORD come to planet earth.

Eve only gained a pocketful of thorns and a cradle full of sorrow as the fruit of her disobedience to GOD, The ELOHIM.

Even so,  The LORD GOD declared HIS divine, immutable WORD that her SEED+ would eventually come to bruise the head of the lying serpent.

Let us pray:

Heavenly FATHER,

Help me to SEE !  Open my eyes to see “who” is causing my disobediences , those attitudes that are so displeasing to YOU.

I am too old in CHRIST to indulge in those attitudes and nurse those emotions that are NOT worthy of  a  follower of CHRIST.

Open my eyes to see which LIES of the satan I have embraced and held onto “to make me happy.”

Like Martha’s sister Mary, I need “only ONE thing” to make me happy. Like that Mary, I want to choose “that GOOD part “ which shall not be taken away from me. …. no matter what situation I am in.

I repent, O LORD JESUS, for running after something or someone else besides YOU+  , to make me happy.  

Open my heart, now, to realize what I’ve done in my quest for happiness.  

Help me ever to embrace it and to forsake those lies about “what” or “whom”  will bring me happiness.

Thank YOU+ for coming to deliver me through Your+ TRUTH.

Praise, honor, and glory are YOURS+,  LORD CHRIST,

forever and ever. Amen

 

2024 ADVENT 3 --- How Did ABRAHAM Know ?

HOW Did Abraham KNOW what The MESSIAH+ came to do ?

How did Abraham KNOW how to identify The MESSIAH+ ?

The offering of Isaac showed Abraham something.

Hear The WORD of The LORD to Abraham.

Genesis 22:2 

And HE said,

Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac,

whom thou lovest,

and get thee into the land of Moriah;

and offer him there for a burnt offering

upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

…. Genesis 22:15  And the Angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of Heaven the second time, 

Genesis 22:16  And said,        

 By MYSELF have I sworn, saith THE LORD,

for because thou hast done this thing,

and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

Genesis 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the Heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy SEED+ shall possess the gate of His+ enemies; 

Genesis 22:18 

 And in thy SEED+

shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

because thou hast obeyed MY VOICE.

+  +  +

Did Abraham realize that his test of obedience from THE LORD was going to establish before our eyes the PATTERN of Redemption ?

Did Abraham realize that test of obedience was going to establish HOW his people would be able to IDENTIFY The MESSIAH+ … as the Redeemer, the SAVIOR+ of Israel ?  … and the world ?

If Abraham did not realize it at that time, he discovered it after his death … and REJOICED to see the Coming of the Long-promised SEED+ !  

+  +  +

Let us pray:

O Heavenly FATHER,

The SEED+ of Abraham came through his obedience to YOU.

That SEED+ has blessed all nations, indeed, whosoever will humble himself to obey Your WORD and come to the Hebrew MESSIAH+,  CHRIST JESUS, as LORD of his/her life.  

Your Holy, Promised SEED+  is available yet, to “whomsoever” will receive His+ Divine Invitation to Eternal Life.

For this cause we bow the knees of our heart to rejoice and give thanks to YOU, O Heavenly FATHER, for sending us Your SON+,  the SEED+ of  Abraham.

For Your PROMISES are always TRUE !

Also for this cause, O LORD, we bow the knees of our heart to obey Your Will… that same Will that Your Beloved SON+, JESUS CHRIST obeyed:

Though he were a SON+,

yet learned HE+ obedience

by the things which HE+ suffered. ^{Hebrews 5:8}

Help me to learn obedience to YOU through the things uncomfortable, hurtful, and bringing suffering to my heart and body, those things that YOU have laid in my path.  Because YOU are worthy … worthy of all obedience.

YOU sent Your SON+ to give me Life and HE+ did !

 HE+ died for me; help me to die for HIM+,  KING+ JESUS,  the LORD of my life.

Glory to GOD in the Highest

and  on earth, peace, good will

towards men !