First Night, First Day In the HEART of The EARTH ~ ~ ~

Photo courtesy of Sunny Shell
Christian Worldview Examiner
www.examiner.com

I Corinthians 5

 Purge out therefore the old leaven, 

that ye may be a new lump, 

as ye are unleavened. 

For even 

CHRIST+ our Passover 

is sacrificed for us:

Therefore let us keep the feast, 

not with old leaven, 

 neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; 

but with the unleavened bread

 of sincerity and truth.

RESURRECTION SEASON ~ ~ ~ Day 23 ~ ~ ~ The Great Removal... or, NO TRAIL of TEARS HERE !

Resurrection Season ~ ~ ~ Day 23
for the Year of Our LORD, 4.14.2008

Removing the Church
from the Heart of the Earth
Part 2



To Answer the Questions in Psalm 88,
in light of the Resurrection of CHRIST JESUS
from the dead and
the Removal of His+ Saints from Sheol:

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Wilt THOU+ shew wonders to the dead?
Shall the dead arise and praise THEE+ ? Selah.

YES ! Amen.

Shall Thy+ lovingkindness
be declared in the grave?
Or Thy+ faithfulness in destruction?


YES ! YES ! Amen.

Shall Thy+ wonders be known in the dark?
And Thy+ righteousness
in the land of forgetfulness?

YES ! YES! YES!
Amen and HALLELUJAH!


Psalm 88: 10-12

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After two days will HE revive us:
in the third day HE will raise us up,
and we shall live in HIS sight.
Hosea 6:1-2

The Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST…

the most life-changing event in human history.

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RESURRECTION SEASON ~ ~ DAY 19 ~ The Formation of the CHURCH

Resurrection Season ~ ~ ~ Day 19
for the Year of Our LORD, 4.10.2008
Forming the Church in the Heart of the Earth, Part 4


For we are members of His+ body,
of His+ flesh, and of His+ bones.
Ephesians 5:30

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For the last part of this discussion, let us look at verses in Psalm 139:14-17 through the eyes of the Church, or rather …through the formation of the Church in the heart of the earth… for we are His+ Body.

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I will praise thee;
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

or, more literally from the Hebrew:
I will thank You
for with fearful things
I am wonderful
[Hebrew text, Jay P.Green’s Interlinear]

marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.

…WITH FEARFUL THINGS?

Yes, with fearful things ! Who would be in great fear when The LORD descended into Sheol ? Certainly NOT Abraham and the other saints who rejoiced to see His+ day ! See what is written in Scriptures:

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and [HE+] took it out of the way, nailing it to His+ cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, HE+ made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Col. 2:14-15). Applying this verse to the formation of the Church in Sheol, we can see where ---and to whom--- great fear would come!
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Now then, let us return to Psalm 139:15, focusing our eyes upon the formation of the Church, His+ Body, in the heart of the earth.

My substance was not hid from thee,
when I was made in secret,
and curiously wrought
in the lowest parts of the earth.

This verse tells us something: My substance is NOT referring to the beginnings of “my” personal human life in the womb. Yes, The LORD does know our human beginnings. Yes, we are humanly conceived in secret, and yes, our human bodies are intricately formed. But… we as baby humans are NOT WOVEN TOGETHER IN THE LOWEST PARTS OF THE EARTH.

My Substance, then, refers to the human souls held captive in the heart of the earth, in Sheol, whom The LORD preached unto… knitting them into His+ Body, the Church. The dominion of principalities and powers over the souls and spirits of the dead was broken, spoiled.

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And thus, we see that my substance and the further references to my and me are also referring to the formation of the church of its various members.

Thine eyes did see My substance,
yet being unperfect…


(that is, incomplete until CHRIST JESUS descended into Sheol to knit the Church of the Old Testament saints into Himself+ as part of His+ Body);

…and in Thy book all My members were written,

Thy Book, historically, would be referring to the LORD’S Book in Exodus 32:32 and the Book of the Living in Psalm 69:28. There is also The LORD’S Book mentioned in Daniel 12:1,2. And then, there is the LAMB’S Book of Life (Luke 10:20, Phil 4:3, Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, and 21:27). All these mean those members of the living church of CHRIST.
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…which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there was none of them.

Here we must revert to the literal Hebrew text in order to see the picture more clearly. Thus, again from Jay P.Green’s Hebrew Interlinear:

…And on Your book
all (thy members) were written;
the days they were formed,
and none was among them.

Although more literal, Jay P.Green’s translation still adds into the English words and punctuation not found in the Hebrew. He adds his punctuation plus the words “thy members” and, like the KJV, leaves us wondering exactly what is being said.

Upon parsing the verb forms, we found again a future tense ! Therefore, we would more accurately read it like this:

And on Your Book of Life,
all of them will be written down
the days they were intensely formed

(i.e., during “THE” 3 days and 3 nights)

although they were not yet united into one.

(i.e., not yet before this time One Body).

Yes, that word “one” is the Hebrew plural one, literally meaning a unified “one”, combined or united out of many. It is used in adjective form here. Echad, the Hebrew word, is the adjective used to describe ELOHIM, the ONE GOD:

The FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT.


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How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is
the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

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What did Our LORD do after HE+ preached in Sheol, forming His+ Body the Church out of the Patriarchs, Prophets, Old Testament saints, and the disobedient ones (whom we assume had never heard about The LORD) ?

TAKE A GUESS !
(Or see Psalm 68:18 and Eph. 4:8 )
(To be continued)


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For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;

neither wilt thou suffer

thine Holy One

to see corruption.

Psalm 16:10
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The Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST

… the most life-changing event in human history.

+ + +

RESURRECTION SEASON ~ ~ DAY 17 ~ Forming the Church

Resurrection Season ~ ~ ~ Day 17…

Forming the Church

in the Heart of the Earth,

Part 2

for the Year of Our LORD, 4.8.2008

Come, and let us return unto the LORD:
for HE hath torn, and HE will heal us;
HE hath smitten, and HE will bind us up.

After two days will HE revive us:
in the third day HE will raise us up,
and we shall live in HIS sight.
Hosea 6:1-2


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The formation of the CHURCH of CHRIST JESUS began with His+ descent into hell [ Hades / Sheol ] immediately after Our LORD’S crucifixion. Contrary to many popular doctrines and suppositions, Scripture is not found to support Our LORD’S descent into hell in order to fight with satan. It is NOT WRITTEN that The LORD JESUS CHRIST dealt with the devil or satan or the demons … even in the slightest way … when HE+ descended down there… and HE+ certainly was not tortured nor held captive by them. Their power was vanquished.

+

[ Please email me at www.srjudhan@yahoo.com if you KNOW of any Scripture, Hebrew text or Greek, which confirms those erroneous doctrines. ]

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However, it IS plainly and clearly WRITTEN:

That your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men,
but in the power of God.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
even the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained
before the world unto our glory:

Which none of the princes
of this world knew:
for had they known it,
they would not have crucified

the Lord of glory.
I Cor. 2:5, 7,8


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Our LORD went down into the heart of the earth to form His+ Body, the Church, with the Old Testament saints and with those unrighteous, disobeying ones who died in the Flood… those whom [we honestly simply assume ] had not heard the preaching of Noah.

None of the powers of the wicked ones could hinder HIM+. It is likely they were cowering in fear. Nor could the gate of hell prevail against HIM+… NOTHING could stop HIM+ now !

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And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God.

And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter,
and upon this rock
I will build My+ church;
and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16: 16, 18

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This discussion will be continued as we ponder verses from Psalm 139 and a few other Scriptures in the context of the formation of HIS+ Body, the Church… in the heart of the earth.


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For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;

neither wilt thou suffer

thine Holy One to see corruption.

Psalm 16:10

RESURRECTION SEASON ~ ~ Day 15 ~~ The Forming of the CHURCH

Resurrection Season ~~ Day 15

~~~ The Formation of the Church

for the Year of Our LORD, 4.6.2008

And Simon Peter answered and said,

THOU+ art the CHRIST,

the SON+ of the Living GOD...

And I say also unto thee, That thou are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build My+ Church:

And the gates of hell

shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18

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Resurrection Season - Day 13~ ~ Part 3, In the Heart of the Earth

Resurrection Season ~ ~ ~ Day 13
… In the Heart of the Earth, Part 3
for the Year of Our LORD, 4.4.2008

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption.
Psalm 16:10


The LORD JESUS CHRIST was quite busy during those 3 days and 3 nights HE+ was in the heart of the earth. Both Scriptures and the ancient Christian writings tell us HE+ preached while HE+ was down there. To whom did HE+ bring the glad tidings?


For to this end also
the GOSPEL WAS PREACHED
TO THE DEAD ONES,
that they might truly be judged
according to men in the flesh,
but might live according to GOD in the Spirit.
(I Peter 4:6, Gk)

TO WHOM DID HE+ PREACH THE GOSPEL?

Using the OGS Expanded Version from the Greek text, look at 1 Peter 3: 18, 19, and part of verse 20.

Because even CHRIST, one time, solely and uniquely, suffered concerning sins, the righteous on behalf of the unrighteous, that HE+ might bring us to GOD, having been put to death truly IN THE FLESH but having been made alive IN THE SPIRIT; by which also, going UNTO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON, HE+ proclaimed, heralded, announced, and PREACHED to the FORMERLY DISOBEYING ONES when one time, solely and uniquely, the long-suffering of GOD Himself was expectantly waiting in the days of Noah …

Scriptures tell us 1) The LORD JESUS in the spirit preached to the spirits in Hades/Sheol, the spirits of those who had died; 2) HE+ preached the GOSPEL; 3) HE+ preached to the disobedient ones who in the days of Noah died in the flood.

An Early Christian, Justin Martyr, found himself dialoguing with some Jewish men. He remonstrated with them as to why their rabbis had removed portions of the Prophetic Scriptures. Justin told them this was cut out from the writings of Jeremiah:

“The LORD GOD remembered His dead people of Israel who lay in the graves; and HE descended to preach to them His own salvation.” The serious group of Jewish men had no answer or excuse for Justin, as copies of the original Jeremiah were still available for anyone to read who cared to do so.

Another group to hear the GOSPEL would have been the Old Testament saints who died under the Patriarchal covenant (before Moses).

“Your father Abraham leaped for joy that he should see My+ day: and he saw and rejoiced,” The LORD said to the Pharisees and Jews. (Jay P. Green’s Interlinear Greek New Testament, recorded in John 8:56.).

The third group would have been all those who died righteously under the Mosaic Covenant. Included in this group would have been those in the Exodus and spoken of in the New Testament as “the church in the Wilderness,” Acts 7:38. Also included in this group would have been all the Old Testament saints during the time of the Judges and Kings of Israel and indeed, all the saints under the Old Covenant up through the death of the repentant thief on the cross.

Some may think that the souls and spirits of the dead were given a SECOND chance, a second opportunity to partake of Eternal Life, when The LORD JESUS preached to the dead. However, we hesitate to agree with that theory. Personally, we believe that HE+ preached to those “disobedient ones” who NEVER had the opportunity to hear about The GOD of Israel or who never had the opportunity to enter into the Old Covenant with Israel before they died. They would have gotten their first chance perhaps? The text is very clear that HE+ preached to a large group of “unrighteous/disobedient ones.”



“Your father Abraham leaped for joy that he should see My+ day: and he saw and rejoiced,” The LORD said to the Pharisees and Jews. (Jay P. Green’s Interlinear Greek New Testament, recorded in John 8:56.).

Whoever they were who were included in the count, could it be that the Old Covenant saints agreed with Abraham’s words in John 8:56 and were also glad to see His+ day?

What could have made them so glad?

(To be continued)


References from the Early Christian writings regarding the groups being preached to in Sheol / Hades (KJV “hell”):

· Irenaeus, AnteNicene Fathers (ANF), Vol. 1, Book IV (4), chapter 22, sections 1 and 2, pages 493-494; and also chapter 27, section 2, page 499. This was the Second Printing edition, June 1995.

· Recognitions of Clement, ANF, Vol. 8, Book I, chapter LII (52), page 91, “The Saints Before Christ’s Coming.”

· Clement of Alexandria, ANF, Vol. 2, Book VI (6), chapter 6, pages 490-492, “Stromata.”

· Epistle of the Apostles, New Testament Apocrypha, by M.R. Banks, sections 27 and 28, pages 494-495.

· Justin Martyr, ANF, Vol. 1, “Dialogue with Trypho,” chapter LXXII (72), page 235.




Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption.
Acts 2: 22-27

The Resurrection of JESUS CHRIST
… the most life-changing event in human history.


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