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And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.( 1 Samuel 6:1-2)We have been seeing in the story of the capture of the Ark of the covenant by the Philistines, in the book of Samuel. Not only did these events truly happen in Israel’s history, but they foretell the future history of both gentiles and Jews in their details. * Israel would endure...

"One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:6). There is only one God, and we will have a strong testimony by worshiping Him and holding on to what unites us. The last point of Christian unity Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:4-6 is that Christians have "one God and Father." In Paul's day, people believed in many gods; so he emphasizes our God's uniqueness. No person or object can compare with God because He is "above all," which means He is the sovereign creator and controller of the universe; He is...

God exalted Christ "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet" (Eph. 1:21-22). Now and forever Christ is the Supreme One! Yesterday we saw that Christ has both an exalted name and an exalted, authoritative position. In verses 21-22 Paul elaborates on the extent of Christ's authority, which is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion." "Rule," "authority," "power," and "dominion" are designations for angelic beings, whether...

Whether anyone in Washington, DC believes that the United States of America is the product of a Christian Heritage, whether anyone has the courage to continue to call the United States a Christian Nation, or not, . . . . our elected representatives must be aware that there are remaining throughout the country millions of Bible-believing Christians who are determined to live-out traditional, Biblical, Christian ideals in our homes and in our public life. We reject the federal government taking the place or honor of God Almighty in our existances. ORDER OF DEPENDENCY FOR THE BIBLE-BELIEVING CHRISTIAN CONTRASTED WITH THE...

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the...

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). All Christians have a common Lord, common beliefs, and a common public testimony. Yesterday we looked at what Christians have in common through the Spirit. Today's verse teaches us what we share through Christ. Christians have only "one Lord," the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says, "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." Paul says in Romans 10:12, "There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord...

"[God] seated [Christ] at His right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph.1:20). Christ occupies the highest place of power, prominence, authority, and honor. To exalt someone is to elevate that person in status, dignity, power, and honor. As God, Jesus possesses all power and authority and is deserving of all honor and glory. But when He was on earth, most people refused to give Him the glory He deserved. Instead they mocked and eventually murdered Him. Just prior to His death, Jesus prayed to the Father, "Glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I ever had...

And the Word of Samuel Came to All Israel…(I Samuel 4:1)Thus begins the story of the capture of the ARK. The events which would follow, involve all ISRAEL for all time. The story of the capture and recovery of the Ark is the future history of Israel as well as valid salvation history. What we have related so far is that Israel suffered in their own land under foreign domination. Because of their unfaithfulness they were unable to fully dwell in the land, according to the terms of the covenant. Israel sought to throw off the foreign domination, but proved...

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh...

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). All Christians are part of the same Body, with the same Spirit, who is our pledge of eternal life. Everything God ever designed for the church is based on the unity of believers. Paul emphasizes that by listing seven "ones" in these verses. One is the key; it is the cause of the worthy walk. How many...

"These are in accordance with the working of the strength of [God's] might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead" (Eph. 1:19-20). In Christ you have all the power you will ever need. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the great hope of believers. Because He lives, we will live also (John 14:19). Peter said we have been "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away" (1 Pet. 1:3-4). We and what we...

You have stepped out of the birthing and into the known, It is time to ROAR ! ! ! You have stepped out of the birthing and into the known, For all of heaven sees you are my very own, Obedient and fearless as you stand at the front of the pride, For you stand before my very Bride, A MIGHTY ! A FIRE and A CLOUD! You ( (( ROAR )) ) as The Lion of Judah Brave and Loud ! You are ARIEL( LION OF GOD) The teeth of My Kingdom and Crown, My Presence surrounds you as...

The Pope spoke at a prayer service concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity After walking across the threshold of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls with an Orthodox metropolitan and an Anglican archbishop, Pope Francis invoked God's mercy upon divided Christians and apologised for times that Catholics may have hurt members of other denominations. "As bishop of Rome and pastor of the Catholic Church, I want to beg for mercy and forgiveness for un-Gospel-like behaviour on the part of Catholics against Christians of other churches," the Pope said on Monday at a...

"I . . . entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). God is most concerned about who we are, because who we are determines what we do. Now that we've looked in depth at Ephesians 4:1-3, let's take a step back. These verses reveal a basic truth: the Christian life is not primarily about what we do but who we...

"I pray that ... you may know ... the surpassing greatness of [God's] power toward us who believe" (Eph. 1:18-19). The same divine power that created, sustains, and controls the universe secures your salvation. God's power is awesome! David wrote, "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all, and in Thy hand...

Hey Europe, How is That Feminism Working for you?…Kings of The Earth pt 4 European Men are Being DemasculanizedYou have to see this video to get a grip on what I have been trying to tell you about “the KNGS of The Earth and their Rulers”, and what they have done to destroy the formerly healthy, vigorous and highly successful Western Civilization. One of the toxic viruses of their arsenal against Judeo/Christianity has been feminism. In the West, through culture, and education and false religious Christian notions, the line between the sexes has been blurred, and that to the detriment...

"Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). The key to peace in the church is selfless love. People often delude themselves that there is peace when there is no real peace (Jer. 8:11). However, we can show the world that Jesus is the true peacemaker if we have a community of peaceful, loving, united believers. Others will realize then that Christ must be sent from God, because only God can make true, lasting peace. "The bond of peace" is what holds our unity together. The Greek word translated "bond" refers to...

"I pray that . . . you may know . . . what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18). How you perceive your spiritual resources dictates how you live. Throughout Ephesians 1 Paul is clearly struck with the magnificence of our inheritance in Christ. Here he prays that we will know the riches of its glory. Some commentators see "His inheritance" as a reference to believers, who are God's inheritance or special possession (v. 14). That view stresses the value God places on us as believers, as demonstrated in Christ's death, the...

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me,...

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou...