The third integral component of true worship

 3.         Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

When one considers the fact that everything one has and everything one is has been gifted to him/her expressing love and gratitude with thanksgiving is a debt that we all owe to Him who gave us all things. We should therefore, learn a vital lesson from the apostle Paul who wrote; “Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:6-7).

We have been further reminded saying; “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says:" When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men" (Ephesians 4:7).

Now the way one expresses his/her gratitude to God for what He has done is through praise and worship as alluded to by the Psalmist David who wrote; “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!” (1 Chronicles 16:8-9; Psalms 105:1-3).

David further states; “Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens: Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary” (Psalms 96:1-6).

Although one may not know in full details what he/she is required to do, but one should at least have the basic knowledge and understanding of why they are doing whatever it is that they are doing. This is termed knowing the rationale, objective or significance of what it is one is doing, one should avoid doing things simply because of customs and traditions, it is important to know the significance of what one is doing and if possible the origin, especially when it comes to worship since there is one who is vying to be worshiped in the place of God.

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Lucius Joseph

The second prerequisite for true acceptable form of worship

 Worship the Lord in truth

To worship God in truth denotes worshiping God in accordance to the entirety of His word as confirmed by King David and Jesus Christ who respectively stated; “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (Psalms 119: 151,160; John 17:17).

Therefore, in order to curb and find a solution to the divisions and disunity that exist in the body of Christ we need to take the word of God seriously especially with regards to the worship of the One and only True God and stop disregarding the practical and literal things and only viewing them as metaphors. Worship the Lord in truth denotes exactly what it says; truth is attributed to five (5) distinctive things viz.

a.       God’s law

For we have been duly admonished saying; “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.” The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalms 119:142,160).

b.      Jesus Christ

Jesus said clearly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

c.       Holy Spirit

With regards to the Holy Spirit the Lord says; “If you love Me, keep My commandments. and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:15-17).

d.      God’s word

As alluded to by Jesus Christ in His prayer to the Father Who prayed and said; “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth” (John 17:17-19).

e.       The Gospel

As confirmed by the apostle Paul in his defense of the gospel who wrote; “to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews” (Galatians 2: 5, 14)?

Therefore, any teaching, customs or practices that are not in compliance with the law, the teachings of Christ, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God’s word and the gospel should not be associated with the life of a believer because, everything that are associated with truth remains the same yesterday, today and forever, For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations (John 17:17; Hebrews 13:7; Psalms 100:5).

Having covered the two prerequisites for true worship which are, to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, let us now look at the other five components of true worship which describes the prescribed manner or the protocol for true worship.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The seven integral components of true spiritual worship

The seven ordained integral components of true spiritual worship

The seventh important question we should be asking ourselves in regards to spiritual worship is whether there is a prescribed ordained manner of worship! Or, is everyone at liberty to worship the Lord when and how they want? The answer to this question is, there is definitely a prescribed ordained manner of spiritual worship which all true worshipers should adhere to in order to worship God in the way He has ordained, and in the way that is acceptable to Him.

 There are indeed seven (7) vital integral components of true worship that are of paramount in the worship of the One and only true God, the first two are the pre-requisites and the other five are the prescribed manner of worship:

These seven integral components of true spiritual worship are inseparable and one is incomplete without the other and what is of intrinsic importance to note is that when it comes to worship we are to be very mindful of the fact that, Satan’s quest is to be worshiped just as God is worshiped and if we do not worship God on the day and in the manner He has prescribed, we are advertently or inadvertently worshiping the devil.

We should also take into consideration the fact that, if Satan could be bold enough to approach Jesus Christ and took Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours" (Luke 4:5-7).

So who are we for Satan not to desire us to worship him? Satan’s quest to be worshiped just as God is worshiped has been his quest even before the re-creation of the world for thus it is written; "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ' I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars (angels) of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:12-14).

And so, to avoid the pitfall of all forms of vain or false worship we have been given seven (7) integral components of how to truly worship the Father in a manner that is pleasing to Him and they are as follows:

1.         Worship the Lord in Spirit

Jesus stated categorically, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

To worship the Father in spirit denotes that the motive, the rationale, the objective for worship must originate from the intent of the heart out of love, out of compassion out of gratitude for what this particular day or occasion means to us and not out of compulsion, coercion or legalism, just like the analogy Jesus Christ gave concerning committing murder and adultery when He said; “You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” And, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:21, 22, 27, 28).

Therefore, worshiping the Lord in spirit has to originate from the intent and desires of the heart, it necessitates being fully convinced in one’s mind the rationale for the occasion and out of one’s own desire and volition gives to the Lord the honor and the glory due to His name, but it does not invalidate the practical and literal aspect of worship that of presenting oneself before the Lord at the appointed times.

For the word of the Lord states categorically; “the feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts. And. “These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. Therefore, when it comes to worship God in spirit it does not forsake the literal assembling of ourselves together in holy convocation.

To worship God in spirit is to have the true perspective and rationale for the reason for worshipping God on that particular day. For example, on the weekly Sabbath it is to express gratitude and appreciation for what the Lord did on this particular day which is to remind us that; “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).

And so it is with all the other Sabbaths it is to remind us of what the Lord did on that particular day and to express our gratitude and appreciation for what the Lord did. So to worship in spirit is to understand the purpose, the rationale, the intent and the significance of that particular festival to the human race and in gratitude, from the intent and desires of one’s heart, out of one’s own volition they observe it to the Lord in thanksgiving for what He has done.

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Lucius Joseph

Prescribed manner of worship (part two)

 Let us continue examining the question of  what is the prescribed manner of true spiritual worship?

4. What is the main purpose for having a holy convocation?

Answer: To offer to the Lord the food for His offerings: For thus says the Lord; “These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day ---besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:37-38).

5.  Is the Lord pleased when one comes before Him on a day He has not appointed?

Answer: No! For thus says the Lord: “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD." I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies --- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them” (Isaiah 1:11-14).

Please note carefully that, the appointed feasts which the Lord’s soul hates which are troubles to Him and weary of bearing them are not His ordained feasts but are the appointed feasts of the people which the Lord has not appointed.

6. Is there a specific type of worship that the Father is seeking for?

Answer: Definitely! For thus says the Lord; “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

This now leads us to the seventh significant question we should all be asking ourselves and that is, what is the ordained, prescribed manner of true spiritual worship?

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Lucius Joseph

God's prescribed manner of spiritual worship

The prescribed manner of worship

Has it ever crossed our minds to ask ourselves this one very important question as to why is the church, the body of Christ so divided and in disunity when there is only; “one body and one Spirit, just as we were called in one hope of our calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all” (Ephesians 4:4-6)?

There is also a plea from the apostle Paul stating “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1Corinthians 1:10).

So the question is why hasn’t the church obtain this objective? And, will the idea that is presently being promulgated saying to put aside our differences and come together truly solve the problem when nature clearly teaches us and confirmed by the prophet Amos saying; “ Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)

Remember, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets”. Therefore, if it is the Lord’s will for His church all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among them, but that they be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment, surely He must have made known to His prophets the cause for that divisive spirit and the way to resolve this issue.

In order to resolve any problem one has to deal with the root cause of the problem and not merely with the effects and so, the root cause of the divisions that exist in the body of Christ and preventing the members from being perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment is the sin of irreverence.

A simple definition of irreverence is a lack of due respect and veneration to God especially when it comes to worship. The majority of believers assumed that the grace of God gave them the license to appear before the throne of Grace in the inner court at any time and any how without having to follow the protocol or the prescribed manner of worship and this is the root cause of the divisions that exist in the body of Christ.

So let us with an open mind examine the subject of true spiritual worship and prove for ourselves whether we are contributing to the divisions and disunity that exist in the church which is the body of Christ by examining the following questions:

1. How can someone prove for him/herself that he/she is worshipping the One and only true God?

Answer: By observing the Lord’s Sabbaths (plural) for thus says the Lord; “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2; Ezekiel 20:12, 20).

2.  Has the Lord ordained specific days for His Sabbaths, times for having a holy convocation?

Answer: Yes! For thus says the Lord; 'The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.” 'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Leviticus 23:2, 4).

3. What are the appointed times for the Lord’s festivals or Holy convocations?

Answer: The weekly seventh day Sabbath; The Passover and Unleavened Bread; The Feast of First fruits; The Feast of Weeks (Pentecost); The Feast of Trumpets; The Day of Atonement; The Feast of Tabernacles (see Leviticus 23).

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Lucius Joseph

 

The Ministry of Jesus Christ

 

The Ministry of Jesus Christ

In case that there are people who are still not convinced about the date of Christ’s birth let us take a look at one more proof. The scriptures state clearly that; “Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli.” His ministry officially began during the Feast of Tabernacles for we are told that; “His brothers said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."

For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come" (John 7:3-8).

But later we are told; “But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught” (John 7:10, 14).

Now if the ministry of Jesus Christ officially began at the age of thirty (30) during the Feast of Tabernacles and His ministry lasted for three and half (3 ½) years which ended at His death on the fourteenth day of the first month of the year, I beg to ask the question, when was Jesus Christ born?

Obviously, if Christ’s ministry which He Himself began at the age of thirty began during the Feast of Tabernacles and it lasted for three and a half years, ending on Passover, the fourteenth day of the first month of the year, six months from that date will bring us to the fifteenth day of the seventh month which is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a day specifically ordained to worship the King the Lord of hosts

This festival is so indispensable that in the future, every nation will be required to come and worship the King, and those who refuse to worship the King will be severely punished, for it is written; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.'

“And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. That day "HOLINESS TO THE LORD" shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar” (Zechariah 14:16-20).

Now there is a definite date, and time of the year for this celebration and commemoration, for it is written; “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles seven days to the LORD. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it” (Leviticus 23: 34-36).

I therefore beg to ask a question, what is so mysterious or concealing in this doctrine that we are unable to comprehend? Even those who are observing the Feast of Tabernacles and having people to live in temporary dwellings during those days, a requirement which should be only for native Israelites and not for Gentiles are themselves not associating the Feast of Tabernacles with the birth and circumcision of Jesus Christ what a travesty?

But God has overlooked these times of ignorance and now commands all men everywhere to repent.

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Lucius Joseph

When was Elizabeth conceived?

When was Elizabeth Conceived?

The scriptures state clearly that, "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth". And it was during his time of service according to his division that the angel appeared to him.

So the question is when was Zacharias performing his time of service in the temple? According to the scriptures Zacharias was performing his service according to the division of Abijah which was the eighth division (1Chronicles 24:10).

Now since there were 24 divisions of priests who had to perform their duties for the year, logically it means that two (2) divisions had to perform their duties every month, and since Abijah's division under which Zacharias time of service fell was number eight, it means that he served during the last two weeks of the fourth month of the year.

Now since it is clearly stated that, as soon as the days of Zacharias’ service were completed, that he departed to his own house and after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; it is quite logical to say that his wife was conceived during the fifth month of the year. And since she became conceived six months before Mary, this means that Mary’s conception was during the eleventh month of the year.

And if Elizabeth was conceived during the fifth month of the year, the birth of John Baptist would have to be during the first month of the following year, and since he was six months older that Jesus Christ, the birth of Jesus Christ would have to be during the seventh month of the year, which coincides with the month on which the Feast of Tabernacles falls.

 For this is what the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man's need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight" (Exodus 12:1-6).

The conclusion therefore is that, the first month of the year is the first New Moon in spring, the month on which the Lord's Passover falls, which coincides with the end of March to the beginning of April, and the seventh month, the month on which Christ was born is the ending of September to the beginning of October, and it coincides with the Feast of Tabernacle.

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To be continued, stay tuned

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Lucius Joseph

 

Biblical proof of the date of Christ's birth

Biblical proof of the date of Christ’s birth

I am quite sure that despite of all what I have written to prove that the Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the date of Christ’s birth and that the Eighth Day commemorates His circumcision, the day He received the powerful name of Jesus for which every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, there are still many professing believers who may still doubt the veracity of what was written as some have asked me to stop deceiving the people. So here are two more biblical proofs to prove the date of Christ’s birth.

•           The birth of John Baptist

We are instructed in the scriptures saying that, "There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years" (Luke1:5-7).

Now while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, he was visited by an angel who said to him "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John".

Now because of disbelief Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time" (Luke 1: 13-20)

But as soon as the days of Zacharias service were completed, he departed to his own house. Now after those days (of his service) his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people" (Luke 1:23-25).

Now something happened during the sixth month pregnancy of Elizabeth, the same angel Gabriel who visited Zacharias was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS." The angel also told her, "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren: For with God nothing will be impossible" (Luke 1:30-37).

Now from the time Mary accepted the angel's proclamation and said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her, she became conceived. Because, it is stated that, "Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, indeed as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. (Luke 1:38-44.

What is proven in all this is the fact that John Baptiste was six (6) months older that Jesus Christ, therefore, if we can find out when Elizabeth became conceived and gave birth to John Baptist, we simply have to add six months to those dates.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

What is the rationale for the Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernacles?

The Eighth Day

If one studies carefully the word of God one will notice that there is an Eighth Day that is associated with the Feast of Tabernacles for we have been duly instructed saying; “The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it” (Leviticus 23: 4-36).

But what exactly is the rationale for the Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernacles? A thorough study and examination of the word of God will prove and confirmed that the biblical eighth day is associated with cleansing, circumcision, sanctification and dedication and so, the rationale for the Eighth Day of the Feast of Tabernacles it is to commemorate the sanctification and circumcision of Jesus Christ a day which signifies a lot for humanity, a day which should be commemorated not because the law says to observe it but observing it in gratitude and appreciation for what this day means to humanity especially Gentiles who at one time were without God in the world.

And so the significance and spiritual intent of the Eighth Day festival is to commemorate the day that the Lord was circumcised and given the name JESUS, the name which is above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11)?

This day also commemorates the day when Gentiles became fellow citizens with the commonwealth of Israel as we have been duly admonished saying: “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh --- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands ---that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13).

It is also a day which foreshadows eternity when Jesus Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father and when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

I therefore beg to ask the question why a day of such significance not being observed and commemorated in thanksgiving and appreciation for what the Lord has done for humanity. Why pretend and deceive others in believing that no one knows the date of Christ’s birth and substituting it with the pagan festival of Christmas? God has overlooked this time of ignorance and now commands all men everywhere to repent.

Observing the Lord’s festivals is not something that should be done under compulsion or coercion but according to one’s own volition in gratitude and in commemoration and perpetuation for what the Lord did for humanity on that particular day or season. For we have been duly admonished saying; “Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it” (Romans 14:4-6).

What should be considered however is that, in many passages of scriptures the Lord is described as being a jealous God, for example the Lord said; “(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),” (Exodus 20:5; 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24; 5:9; 6:15; Joshua 24:19).

Now since the Lord is a jealous God and we have been duly instructed saying; “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

It is imperative that we examine ourselves and take into consideration the amount of time, diligence, energy and resources that we spend and devote in the celebration, commemoration and perpetuation of historical events, anniversaries, customs and traditions of men such as, the celebration of Christmas and for us to be completely oblivious of the Lord’s festivals, I wonder how does the Lord feels since it is clearly stated that; “The Lord our God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.? Food for thought.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Feast of Tabernacles and the birth of Jesus Christ are intertwined

 

1.      Worshiping the King of kings and celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles are intertwined

By now I hope that we all should be fully convinced that the main objective for the Word who created the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that are in them to become flesh and dwelt among men was for Him to destroy the works of the devil and to restore the kingdom of God on the earth which Satan hijacked from Adam.

Most people are focusing mainly on Christ’s death and resurrection which are actually preludes in fulfilling the real purpose of His earthly life as He made mention to the apostle John saying; “I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Revelations 1:17-18).

So the main purpose for Christ’s human birth is for Him to destroy the woks of the devil which is sin and death and to restore the Government of God on the earth. And so the main reason for our calling is to become kings and priests and to reign on the earth with Him and this has been the thoughts expressed by Isaiah’s prophecy, the shepherds visit by the angel and the heavenly hosts, the wise men’s visit from the East and Christ’s appearance before Pilate, the emphasis was all about the Kingship of Jesus Christ.

I therefore beg to ask the question, if there is a feast designated by God which states; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” why is it not being observed today by the majority who professed to know Jesus Christ? (Zachariah 14:16).

Is not the worship of the King, the Lord of hosts and observing the Feast of Tabernacles intertwined? And since they are intertwined who is this feast honoring! And what is the rationale for observing it?  The prophet Zachariah went further to show the co-relation between the two by saying; “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zachariah 14:17-19).

The other question is, when did Jesus Christ attained the title of King, was it not from His birth? Remember what the prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the birth of Jesus Christ, he said; “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” From this time forward, even forever refers to the time of Christ’s birth.

Take note also of the visit of the wise men from the East, when they came to Jerusalem they asked; “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." And Jesus’ appearance before Pilate and he asked Jesus Christ; “Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.”

Even the songs that are being sung when celebrating the Lord’s birthday on a substitute pagan holiday gives clear indication that the worship of the King the Lord of hosts and the birth of Jesus Christ are amalgamated, intertwined and associated with each other, because, songs such as; “hark! The herald angels sing glory to the new born King” and, “Joy to the world the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King” surely indicates that there is a correlation between the birth of Jesus Christ and the worship of the King the Lord of hosts.

 So here again one can clearly see how the worship of the King, the Lord of hosts and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ are amalgamated and that the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles is to honor the day the Word became flesh and tabernacle among us and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

And so, I beg to ask the question, what excuse we have for not celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles and worship the King of kings, the Lord of hosts! Or, observing the Feast of Tabernacles and not attributing it to the date of Christ’s birth? Or observing the pagan festival of Christmas and ignoring or being oblivious to the Feast of Tabernacles?

We should also be mindful of the fact that, the holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come, is Jesus Christ, Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, if the Feast of Tabernacles was observed in the past and will be observed in the future, why is it not being observed today? Why are so many who profess to believe in Jesus Christ are ignorant and oblivious of this very important festival! Has it been forgotten?

If it has been forgotten it is all because of sin, lies and deceptions as indicated in the book of Lamentations which reads; “He has done violence to His tabernacle, as if it were a garden; He has destroyed His place of assembly; The LORD has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. In His burning indignation He has spurned the king and the priest. The Lord has spurned His altar, He has abandoned His sanctuary; He has given up the walls of her palaces into the hand of the enemy. They have made a noise in the house of the LORD as on the day of a set feast” (Lamentations 2:6-7).

The Feasts Days of the Lord were ordained for His people to have fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son and principally, to offer to the Lord the food for His offerings as a peace or fellowship offering in commemoration and perpetuation of what He did for humanity on that particular day.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Proof of the date of Christ's birth

Let us continue looking at biblical proofs relating to the date of Christ’s birth.

1.      The shepherds did not conceal what was made known to them

For after the departure of the angels, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:15-18).

2.      The circumcision of Christ

If no one knows the date of Christ’s birth how they would know when He was eight days old to circumcise Him as we have been duly instructed saying; “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.” They also knew when He was thirty days old to present Him to the Father (Luke 2:20-23).

3.      The visit of the wise men from the East

It is stated clearly in the scriptures that, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:1-2).

Please note carefully that the wise men did not say, where is He who is born to be king of the Jews, but rather, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” Signifying that, Jesus Christ as designated King from birth, and when the wise men had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold was to honor Him as King, the frankincense was to honor Him as God and the myrrh was to honor Him as man.

4.      Christ’s trial before Pilate

During Christ’s earthly trial, Pilate entered the Praetorium, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:33-37).

Please note carefully that the birth of Jesus Christ, or the Word become flesh and dwelt among men has everything to do with the kingdom of God which will be establish on this earth and to rule forever.

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Feast of Tabernacles commemorates the date of Christ's birth

Proof of the date of Christ’s birth

Let us be openly minded and allow the Holy Spirit to instruct us and let us prove for ourselves whether the date of Christ’s birth is not clearly stated in scriptures. The most important clue that one needs to have is to know the rationale and ultimate objective for the Word who created the heavens, the earth, the seas and all that are in them to divest Himself of His glory and taking on the nature of man. So let us begin with the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah.

1.      The prophecy of Isaiah

The prophet Isaiah prophesying about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man wrote: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Please note carefully that, the ultimate objective of this prophecy had to do with a Child and a Son on whose shoulder the government would be established and the increase of His government and peace there will be no end and this all began from the time of His birth forward and even forever. But what is even more amazing is the fact that the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. And so the birth of Jesus Christ has to do with the kingdom of God which will be established on this earth and will rule forever commencing with the birth of Jesus Christ.

2.      The angel’s visit to the shepherds

On the exact date on which Christ was born we are told that; “There were in the same country (were Christ was born) shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:8-12).

And so I beg to ask the question, how and why should the day of Christ’s birth which according to the angel, a good tidings of great joy which will be to all people be concealed or be unknown to people? And in addition to this on that same day on which Christ was born we are told; “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:13-14).

So how and why should a day of good tidings of great joy to all people be concealed or unknown to those it was intended to serve and instead substituting this important day with customs and traditions of men which we have been duly warned saying; “Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good" (Jeremiah 10:2-5).

 So definitely, if the date of Christ’s birth is unknown it is due to a deliberate conspiracy with the intent to deceive and to deprive Jesus Christ of His honor and glory as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

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To be continued, stay tuned

Wit brotherly love

Lucius Joseph