Chapter I - God Blessed the Forty Stripes Save One

Chapter I - God Blessed the Forty Stripes Save One
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    Let's begin our extensive study by looking closer at the creation account; “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:1-3). Right near the 'start' we can see that the seventh day is holy or 'sanctified.' If we continue reading we can also learn the very reason God formed Adam; “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that YHVH God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for YHVH God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground” (Genesis 2:4-5). Adam and his future offspring were "shaped" to be farmers.

    Already we can see that the seventh day is considered holy by God and that He created Adam-man because “there was not a man to till the ground.” Still, things get much more specific in the very next two verses; “There went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And YHVH God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:6-7).” Adam was evidently formed of the dust of the ground. Adam was formed (not created) of the very dust of the ground that he was made to 'till' or work. The Hebrew word transliterated as 'ground' in these verses is 'ădâmâh (pronounced ad-aw-maw') and literally means “red soil” (Strong's # H127) which is why Adam and his future progeny are considered “ruddy” (Strong's # H120). This is very important because we're about to take a deeper look at the curses given by the Creator to both Cain and his parents that all center on these words.

    Let's see what happened after Cain, who was “of that wicked one” (I John 3:12), murdered righteous Abel; “He [YHVH] said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth” (Genesis 4:10-12). Here we see the terminology of "earth" change from 'ădâmâh to 'erets (pronounced eh'-rets) which is a more generic term meaning “wilderness country” (Strong's # H776). Abel's blood cries to Yahweh from the very ground that he was born from, the murdering Cain becomes cursed from that same earth as a fugitive and a vagabond and told that when he tills the ground it will never produce for him. Cain's wicked offspring today can only leech from the efforts of farmers or sell God's land.

    Here's the curse on Satan; “Yahweh 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; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:14-15). To put it bluntly -- Satan's curse is an eventual Jesus (I John 3:8) that destroys his immoral "works." Now, let's look at the punishment for the woman; “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Genesis 3:16). The woman's curse specifically focuses on conception and after directly after this sentence Adam calls his wife's name Eve “because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). It says all living -- good and bad -- not just some living beings.

    Finally, Adam's curse; “Unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:17-19). Adam's curse is death and hard labor -- while the earth still brings forth crops for him, he must now eat bread by "the sweat of his face." For now, things should be in their proper perspective before going to the New Testament for even more teachings on labor and work. In way of review, the wicked seed can only leech off of the hard-working Adamites or charge them usury. These curses continue right up to modern times so let's always look for these simple clues and be aware of "the enmity."

    Before continuing, I'd like to ask you a few questions: Based on the verses we've covered already, do you think that working for fake paper money at some unnatural corporation cubicle nestled in an outsized city could be a gift from God? What do you think is a more honest line of work -- the conforming man who depends on man for their entire existence or the farmer who must rely on his own good-standing with God for increased crops or expanded lands? We can't serve both God and mammon. A hardcore Christian might not feel the need to submit their blood, urine nor DNA in order to get a higher-paying job and a nearby hypochristian might retort by quoting II Thessalonians 3:10; “If any would not work, neither should he eat.” This is manipulation of scripture and by reading the chapter one can see that statement is geared towards “every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Yes, it pretty much speaks of them.

    For example, how can so-called "Christian police officers" spend their lives enforcing man's law over the obviously perfect and eternal Laws of Yahweh while protecting sodomites? Perhaps even worse are the modern-day Israelites who allow the television or Babylonian current trends influence their thought patterns on race, religion, politics and so much more. It's the truly brainwashed man who feels the world is in better shape than a mere two hundred years ago or that it hasn't even degraded at all. That's not to say there's no honor in holding a job for income because about half of the disciples were fishermen and even Paul was a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Still, none of these men truly prospered until beginning their work for our Sabbath Jesus Christ who taught us; “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) and also; “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life” (John 6:27).

    Like most things the Creator has given us, man comes along and offers their own bastardized version of it -- with this the enemy enslaves us. For example, in current times most people don't work for even silver or gold but for paper or coins that hold no real value yet they still pay a tithe to the government "god" called taxes. Add extra deductions for "benefits" like the medical insurance scam which promises to keep the slaves in a state of eternal sickness with their own flu shots or vaccinations. Let’s examine 2nd Timothy 3:10; “Thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (II Timothy 3:10-12).

    Paul here is speaking to Timotheus of earlier accounts that are all transcribed in the book of Acts. We'll cover those in a moment but for now we should notice this New Testament teaching - all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Paul doesn't say might or possibly suffer persecution; he says shall meaning without a doubt. Christian suffering is an everyday part of our walk with Jesus and it has been so since righteous Abel. Only a false prophet would teach that life is suddenly peachy-keen after "accepting Christ." First off, we don't accept Christ -- He accepts us if He so chooses. Jesus Himself taught; “Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27) and “He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). In the parable of the sower and the seed, those sown on stony ground wither at persecution (Mark 4:16-17).

    Jesus taught in Matthew 5:10-12; “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Notice that true Christian suffering or persecution must be in Jesus' name? Here's what happened at Antioch; “When they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience” (Acts 13:14-16).

    Most Christians are familiar with this account -- Paul then proceeds to give an entire discourse on the history of Israel, the messianic Psalms an boldly teaching the message of Jesus Christ. Here's a clue in Acts 13:44; “The next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.” How things don't change. The Bible teaches that the jews got upset at Paul and Barnabas for teaching the word of God so they become filled with envy and blasphemed Jesus Christ. No matter; “The word of the Lord was published throughout all the region” (Acts 13:49) anyway even though “the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts” (Acts 13:50).

    From here, both Paul and Barnabas “shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium” (Acts 13:51) with their mission accomplished at Antioch. Even with the constant twisting of scripture by our serpentile enemy we always have the upper hand because we are the Sons of YHVH always under the protection of the Holy Spirit and God our Father. We should notice the enemy's tactics of manipulation in high places and hatred of God from these passages. The account of Paul at Iconium is found in the very next chapter; “It came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Judeans and also of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren” (Acts 14:1-2). Right from the start we can notice that the unbelieving jews were at opposition to Paul and Barnabas.

    Even though Paul stayed in Iconium for a long time doing missionary work; “The multitude of the city was divided: and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them, They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about: And there they preached the gospel” (Acts 4:4-7). As we can also see in these passages, it was the jews who protested the message of Jesus Christ wherever the apostles traveled holding power with the rulers of the land. It should be no surprise because even in today's age it is the jews who still deny Jesus and go out of their way to twist scripture and history to suit their agenda. Just like in the days of old, some jews use politics or media "images" to pull their strings and get their way.

    Nonetheless, Paul continues his journey after becoming aware of a plot by the jews to stone him for preaching the Gospel. This was also seen in the example of Christ who was continually one step ahead of his enemies and moved from town to town teaching the truth wherever He went. Jesus taught us; “When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (Matthew 10:23). Timotheus himself most likely lived in Lystra (Acts 16:1) so he probably bore witness to an even more brutal attack by the enemies of Yahweh. Here, Paul healed a lifelong cripple but when the locals who worshipped false gods saw it they “called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius [Mercury] because he was the chief speaker” (Acts 14:12). While both men witnessed to the people of Lystra the angered jews from both Antioch and Iconium are planning their next attack.

    Let's continue in Acts 14:19; “There came thither Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch” (Acts 14:19-21). As we can see, Paul got stoned in Lystra by those who worshipped other gods by the prodding of the jews that came from both cities. Needless to say, it was a full-scale "search party" of snakes who were against Paul and blueprinting their plot to have him murdered the entire time. This same wicked practice is going on in today's age by many serpentile groups and organizations who seek to destroy the teaching of the Creator Jesus because they hate the children of Yahweh.

    Paul explains this event in 2 Corinthians 11:24; “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren” (II Corinthians 11:24-26). These many persecutions that Paul experienced will also be similar to those that are heaped upon the true followers of Jesus Christ today. It's really what's to be expected because the Messiah Himself taught; “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:14-16). Sure, most Bible believers can quickly to point out the more obvious false prophets that have risen to power in these latter days and pollute the television airwaves, but how many can spot the "Judas snake" that's sitting right next to them?

    A common trend for false brethren is to infiltrate a Christian church posing as believers but their real intentions are to poison those around them by inserting their own leaven. Judas Iscariot is a perfect example of this type. Jesus taught us; “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:34-37). It's safe to say that “God manifest in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16) is a man of war (Exodus 15:3). David writes; “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:0) and Jesus adds; “I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me” (John 13:18) when speaking of Judas Iscariot. Again, it is Jesus who does the choosing so we must always strive to be aware of what's around us.

[ End of Chapter One ]

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