The Chosen Few

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ have been admonished by Jude a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James saying; “I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude5).

The apostle Paul echoed similar sentiment by saying; “But with most of them God was not pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” And that “All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come: Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1Corinthians 10:5-6, 11-12).

Unfortunately, there is a condemnation leveled on the church where ungodly men have turned the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and for this reason although many have been called, only a few will be chosen.

Who is responsible for choosing only a few from the many, is it God? Is it predestination?

For sure it is not God, because according to the truth of God’s inspired word He shows no partiality. “For the Lord our God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and widows, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

God’s role in man’s eternal destiny is to:-

a. Blessed him with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

b. Let His divine power give to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:3-4).

c. Execute righteous judgment. For He will render to each one according to his deeds. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and who rejects the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for everyone who does evil. First for the Jew, then for the Gentiles, but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; for God does not show favoritism.” In every nation whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Romans 2:6-11; Acts 10:35).

The many called and few are chosen is it a matter of predestination?

In one sense of the word yes, but not as many presumed it is. It is not a matter of; some individuals are predestined to be saved while others are predestined to be lost.

The predestination of either being saved, or being lost: lies in the belief or disbelief in Jesus Christ. Jesus said emphatically, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets; they will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me” (John 6:44-45).

Again Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled him” (John 6:65).

The irony of truth is, because of the Father’s impartiality towards man He has drawn every one to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” this He said, signifying by what death He would die” (John 12:32-33).

Christ’s death on the cross reconciled all men to the Father, giving each on the equal opportunity to be saved. As it is written; “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life: And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).

The only thing we have different to each other is, “To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.’

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.’

“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines” (Ephesians 4:7; 1Corinthians 12:4-11).

Why are many called but few are chosen?

Many are called but few are chosen because of the following reasons:-

1. The calling is initially not an everlasting calling.

It is a calling to lead us to the Father. Jesus whilst praying for Himself said, “Father, the hour has come: Glorify your Son , that your Son also may glorify You, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:1-3).

One must not forget that, “The Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe.” With regards to this general calling, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus, and in Him we all live and move and have our existence.

2. The calling is a call to holiness.

To all who have been drawn to Jesus Christ has a mandate to live holy lives, “For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2Corinthians 5:14-15).

Everyone who has been drawn to Jesus Christ is urged to “Have a walk worthy of the calling with which he/she has been called.” And, “As obedient children, they are not to conformed themselves to the former lusts, as when they were ignorant, because this time of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. But as He who called us is holy, we also must be holy in all our conduct, because it is written; “Be holy, for I am holy” (Ephesians 4:1; 1Peter 1:14-16).

It is a calling that one should esteem highly. “For we see our calling brethren, think of what we were when we were called. Not many of us were wise by human standards, not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.”

It is because of God the Father that we are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1Corinthians 1:26-31).

The call to holiness is the main objective for which we were called. “Just as God the Father chose us in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:4-7).

The will of God for those who have been called, is their sanctification. He did not call them to uncleanness, but in holiness, unto holiness, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.

Holiness is a state that is derived from the act of righteousness. It is the fruit of righteousness, not of our own, because man´s righteousness is as filthy rags before God, nor is it by the deeds of the law, because by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, but from the act of righteousness which Christ has done, and we continue to believe in, and partake of, which has become our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

3. One must abide in Christ in whom he/she has received the calling.

 

Jesus Christ gave an illustration on how we can abide in Him by saying, “I am the vine you are the branches”, and according to Jesus Christ’s own words, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit the Father takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.’

“Therefore, Jesus’ admonition to those who are in Him is; “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.’

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:2-7).

The chosen ones are those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.

How does one abide or be preserved in Jesus Christ?

According to Christ’s analogy regarding the true vine and the branches, the sap of the vine [His blood] must continue to flow through the branches, and the branches have to be bearing fruits, and this is accomplished by:-

1. Partaking of Christ’s flesh and blood [Communion]. Jesus said; “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56).

2. By allowing the truth which was heard from the beginning concerning the Word of life to abide in us.

According to the apostle John the truth which was heard from the beginning concerning the word of life is this: “The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us – that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ: And the basis of this fellowship is for us to be holy, blameless and spotless, walking in the light even as He is in the light.

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father” (I John 1:1-3; 2:24-27).

3. Keeping God’s Commandments.

It is written; “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1John 3; 24).

And, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1John 4:12-13).

Keeping God’s commandments which is the love of God, and the love of our neighbor is prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is given to those who obey God, and Jesus Himself said, “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. Even 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” (Acts 5:32; John 14:15-17 ).

4. By abiding in love:

It is written; “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him” (1John 4:16).

The way God expressed His love was to give His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And the belief that one should have concerning the Beloved Son in order to have everlasting life is to believe that, Jesus Christ is the living bread which comes down from heaven and give life to the world.

For thus says the Lord, “Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:47-51).

5. Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God.

For, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1John 4:15).

In conclusion the few who are chosen are those who have acknowledged their calling in Christ, are walking worthy of this calling, which is to walk in holiness, and are preserved in Christ by abiding in His love, which is tantamount to keeping His commandments, and feeding on His flesh and blood, by partaking of communion at the appointed times.

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He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph

How deceived are we

How deceived are we?

The world has been bombarded with all different types of theories regarding the moon, some religious leaders have written bestselling books on the topic of blood moons, red moons, super blue moons, black moons etc. But what is the truth and secret behind all this hype?

For example, I read an article on the Mercury news which states, "July 31 will mark a rare occurrence for Earth's natural satellite — a phenomenon known as a black Moon. The sparse celestial event will be seen in North America, marking the first occurrence since 2016. The rest of the planet will see the black Moon on Aug. 30. Although there is no one single definition of a black Moon, according to Time and Date, it is most commonly used to represent the second new Moon of a month. This rarely happens outside of leap years, as lunar cycles largely take 29 days to complete. But every 32 months or so, there are two full Moons in a month, with the first being known as a blue Moon."

But, wait a minute, is it possible according to the laws of nature which governs the universe, to have two new moons which is termed as "black moon" or two full moons which is termed "red moon" in one month! Whose idea is this? Is it factual or is it a deception?

To find out the truth about the whole matter, let us start from the beginning. It is stated that, when God created the sun moon and stars, He created them for specific purposes because, when He  created them He said, " "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years" (Genesis 1:14).

The sun is appointed to rule the day and the moon is appointed for seasons, months and years. The moon is what should be regulating months and years, because a month is a unit of time, which is approximately as long as a natural period related to the motion of the moon, in fact, the word month and moon are cognates, related words. It has to do with the amount of time it takes the moon to orbit the earth. The traditional concept of a month began with the cycle of moon phases; such months (lunations) are synodic months and last approximately 29.53 days.

There are enough biblical evidences to prove that the new moon is the beginning of a new month. First, when the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, He said to them, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." Now, on the fourteenth day of this same first month is the Lord's Passover and it always fall on a full moon.

There is also the Feast of Trumpets concerning which the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it" (Leviticus 23:23-25).

This first day of the seventh month is again verified by the new moon, and the tenth day of the same month,  is the Day of Atonement, and the fifteenth day is the Feast of Tabernacles which are all calibrated using the new moon as being the first day of a new month.

So, who changed the way the beginning of days, months and years are being observed? To some people this may seems very trivial, but is it? The prophet Daniel forewarned us concerning a fourth beast or kingdom that will rule the earth, and during the reign of this kingdom a little horn (ruler) shall rise, he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.

Times and law were changed by the fourth beast (kingdom) to whom Satan the dragon gave his power, his throne and great authority, the major changes took place on February 24, 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII when he issued a papal bull, "Inter Gravissimus" that established the Gregorian calendar as the new and official calendar of the Catholic world. Since the Julian calendar had fallen ten days behind over the centuries, Pope Gregory XIII designated that October 4, 1582 would be officially followed by October 15, 1582. The news of the calendar change was disseminated across Europe. Not only would the new calendar be utilized but ten days would be "lost" forever, the new year would now begin on January 1 instead of March 25, which would be the first new moon in spring and consequently a new method of determining the date of Easter was established.

Only a few countries were ready or willing to change to the new calendar in 1582. It was adopted that year in Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and France. The Pope was forced to issue a reminder on November 7 to nations that they should change their calendars, and many did not heed the call. Had the calendar change been promulgated a century earlier, more countries would have been under Catholic rule and would have heeded the Pope's command. By 1582, Protestantism had spread across the continent and politics and religion were in disarray; additionally, the Eastern Orthodox Christian countries would not change for many years.

Other countries later joined the fray over the following centuries. Roman Catholic Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands switched by 1584; Hungary changed in 1587; Denmark and Protestant Germany switched by 1704; Great Britain and its colonies changed in 1752; Sweden changed in 1753; Japan changed in 1873 as part of Meiji's Westernization; Egypt changed in 1875; Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Turkey all changed between 1912 and 1917; the Soviet Union changed in 1919; Greece switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1928; and finally, China changed to the Gregorian calendar after their revolution of 1949!

Here is a perfect example of how all the world marveled and followed the beast and are inadvertently worshiping the dragon who gave his power, his throne and great authority to the beast; and are all worshiping the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" Because, the Lord ordained and appointed the moon for seasons, months and years, a month therefore, is the amount of time it takes the moon to orbit the earth, but man has blatantly rejected this formula and has instead adopted the formula established by man which is the earth orbiting the sun, something contrary to what the Lord ordained.

Appointed time for the Lord's Sabbaths (part 2)

 

let us examine a few examples in the bible to prove that a day does not begin in the evening.

a. The Passover

With regards to the Passover, the children off Israel were asked that, every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. They were to keep the lamb until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight (of the fourteenth day). And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

They were not to eat it raw, nor boiled it at all with water, but roasted in fire --- its head with its legs and its entrails. They were not to allow any of it to remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning they were told; “You shall burn with fire. And thus, you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So, you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” They were further instructed saying; “And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. (Exodus 12:6-11;22).

The children of Israel we are told, “went away and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So, Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead” (Exodus 12:29-30).

My question therefore is, if at twilight (sunset) when the lamb was killed it was still the fourteenth day, In the night when the lamb was roasted and eaten, was still the fourteenth day, at midnight when the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, it was still the night of the fourteenth; The Israelites stayed in their houses until morning, and any portion of the lamb that remained until morning they were not to eat it, but were to burn it with fire. If all this transpired on the fourteenth day of the first month, how then can a new day begin at sunset or at midnight? 

B.  Days of Unleavened Bread

Days of unleavened bread we are told is on the fifteenth day of the first month, and it is for seven days, but unleavened bread must be eaten beginning with the night of the Passover, which is on the fourteenth day of the first month. Now if a day as most people have falsely assumed begins in the evening, this would mean that the night of the Passover would commence the first day of unleavened bread, but this is what the word of God says; “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening” (Exodus 12:18).

If one has to eat unleavened bread from the evening of the fourteenth which is the Passover, until the evening of the 21st day of the month, surely the night of the fourteenth cannot be considered as the beginning of the days of unleavened bread which begins on the fifteenth day of the first month.

c. The manna

The Manna was a sign to test and prove to the children of Israel that the Lord is their God. For thus the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go and gather a certain Quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily” (Exodus 16:4-5).

The daily quota was from morning until morning, as they were instructed by Moses saying; “Let no one leave any of it till morning.”

d. Day of Atonement

With regards to the Day of Atonement it is clearly stated that, the Lord spoke to Moses saying: “Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God.”

This Day the Lord said is “a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath” (Leviticus 23:27-28, 31-32).

Although they had to begin afflicting their souls from the night before the Day of Atonement which is on the tenth day, no where it is stated that, the night of the ninth is the beginning of the tenth day. The rationale for beginning the fast on the night of the ninth is to ascertain that nothing is eaten of the Day of Atonement which is on the tenth day of the seventh month

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Appointed time for the Lord's Sabbaths

It is stated categorically, "From evening to evening you shall celebrate your Sabbath." But what does this terminology from evening to evening means? This terminology simply means that, the Lord's Sabbath is the period which stands between two evenings, and this is all in agreement with the word of God from creation. For from the beginning when God created the first six days of the week He said at the end of each day, “the evening and the morning were the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth day respectively.

But when it came to the seventh day, it is simply stating that; “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2: 2-3).

There is absolutely no mentioned of evening being a part of the seventh day, and since the evening of the sixth day is part and parcel of the sixth day, and the Lord's directives concerning the Sabbath is to; “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days (including the evening of the sixth day) you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 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 20:8-11).

It is clearly stated that on the sixth day God, made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. He also said; "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So, God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And at the end of it all, it is stated that; “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So, the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:24-31).

So, the question is, in as much as the evening and the morning of the six day constitutes the six day, how can the evening of the six day, be the beginning of the seventh day Sabbath? And if a day as so many erroneously assumed begins in the evening, because the bible states that the evening and the morning were the first day etc., what then separated the six day of creation from the seventh day? And why was there no evening to begin the seventh day?

It is stated quite explicitly in the scriptures that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” But what could have caused the earth to be in such a chaotic state when it is stated; “For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: " I am the LORD, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:18).

The Lord Himself questioned Job and asked him, " Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars (angels) sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 45:4-7)?

What could have caused such a beautiful creation, which was formed to be inhabited, to be without form and void, and darkness covering the face of the deep?

It all happened because of the fall of the son of the morning from whom the earth was illuminated. For 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 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.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15).

The fall of Lucifer, son of the morning brought darkness on the face of the earth, and so what we find inscribed in the scriptures stating, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light”, was actually a recreation of the earth. For it is written; “You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth” (Psalms 104:30).

The chaotic condition of the earth, which was without form and void, necessitated the renewal of the face of the earth, and so God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So, the evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:2-5).

Let us bear in mind that when darkness covered the entire earth before the Lord said, “Let there be light” day and night were not in existence, the earth was in complete oblivion, things like seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years were not in existence, thy became in existence when the Lord created light, and divided the light from the darkness, He then called the light day, and the darkness He called night;

Before then , there was no order, no daily cycle of twenty four (24) hours to complete a day, and therefore, after the Lord formed light and separated it from the darkness and called the light part day, and the darkness He called night, in order to complete the daily cycle and caused the evening which was separated from the morning to become amalgamated, in order to complete the daily cycle. And through this process, the evening and the morning became one to create the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth day.

nd so, the statement “evening and morning” which seems to have so many people confused and bamboozled in believing that the day begins in the evening is preposterous.

To be continued
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Fourth corner stone of our salvation

Jesus Christ our Redemption
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our redemption because only in Him we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins. God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Redemption is not a one time process as it is commonly believed, it is an ongoing process. The one time process of redemption is, once and for all there is now an offering that can present the worshiper holy, perfect, and blameless in the presence of God. It is made absolutely clear that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, and no one can say that I have no sin, or have not sinned. Therefore, “If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”
But, if any body does sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. It is the blood of Christ that (not purified as in the past, but as an ongoing process) purifies us from all sins.
It is stated quite categorically that the life of the flesh is in the blood: and God has given it to us upon the altar to make atonement for our souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore, the cup of the New Covenant which was instituted on the night before Jesus Christ was led to be crucified and became effective after His death, was part and parcel of the plan of the mystery hidden in ages in God.
According to the scriptures, a testament is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. Therefore the cup of the new covenant of Christ’s blood became effective after His death and that was all part of God’s redemption plan for man.
The corner stone of our spiritual structure therefore is, Jesus Christ coming in the flesh, His death and resurrection, and His appointment as the eternal High Priest, and His flesh and blood as the food for God’s offering as the redemption price for our sins. For thus it is written; “God is the source of our life in Jesus Christ, whom He made our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and our redemption; therefore, as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord” (1Corinthians 1:30-31).
It is the lack of, and improper discernment of the body and blood of Jesus Christ that is the cause of the believer’s weakness, sickness and premature death. We should therefore learn how to build our spiritual house on the chief corner stone, in view of God’s mercy, to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (as priests), holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual act of worship.
Priests must be holy to their God, and must not profane the name of their God, because they present the offerings made to the Lord by fire, the food of their God, they are to be holy. Priests are holy to their God and should be regarded as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy – I who make you holy” (Leviticus 21:6-7).
Our admonition therefore is; “Come to Him, the living Stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him. You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
People stumble because they disobey the message, which is also what they were destined for. “But you (believers), are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once we were not a people, but now we are the people of God; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy” (1Peter 2:5, 9).
All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ, who chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has given us in the one He loves, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment” (Ephesans 1:3-10).
I think the time has reached its fulfillment. Therefore as obedient children, let us not conform  ourselves to the evil desires we had when we lived in ignorance, but just as He who called us is holy, so let us be holy in all we do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

The third cornerstone of salvation

The third cornerstone of our salvation is Jesus Christ our Sanctification.
Jesus Christ is the corner stone of our sanctification as a result of His resurrection from the dead, and His appointment as High Priest who lives forever and has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.
Such a High Priest meets our need – One who is holy, blameless, pure, and set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Both righteousness and holiness (sanctification) is a state which has been conferred upon believers because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Hence we are admonished to “Put on the new man, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
As living stones we are integrated into the cornerstone of holiness by “God the Father who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” This spiritual state has to be perfected by cleansing ones self from every defilement of body and spirit, and making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
This necessitates our separation from everything that defiles as we have been instructed saying; “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For, we are the temple of the living God.
As God has said, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2Corinthians 6:14-18).
Christ the cornerstone of our sanctification has called His people out of the world, and prayed to the Father on their behalf saying; “I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world anymore than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but to protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John17:14-19).
It is also by the authority of Christ our sanctification that Paul issued a letter to the church saying; “I have written to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler, with such a man do not even eat.”
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you” (1Corinthians 5:9-13).
A messenger of Christ our sanctification has issued a warning saying; “Come out of her, My people so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues” (Revelatons 18:4).

Second Cornerstone of Salvation

2. Jesus Christ Our Righteousness
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our righteousness because His death fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law, by paying the penalty of sin in full, which is death, and conferred His righteousness to all those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness, and will reign in life through the One Man Jesus Christ . As the result of this one act of righteousness, justification which brings life, came for all men. As the scripture clearly states; “But now, the righteousness of God apart from law has been made known, to which the law and the prophet testify. This righteousness from God; comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Romans  5: 17-19; 3: 21-22).
This righteousness has not only been imputed, but has to be practiced as well, because we have been admonished saying; “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.’ And, “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteousness just as He is righteous.” This act of righteousness is the only righteous act that can produce holiness, because, all of man’s righteousness is as filthy rags before God
This act of righteousness is to become slaves to God as priests, to offer to Him His food for His offerings at its appointed time, and having become slaves to God, the benefit we reap leads to holiness, and the result is everlasting life.
With regards to this righteousness the apostle Paul wrote concernng Israel saying; "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:1-4).
The cornerstone of our righteousness therefore, is the act of righteousness which Jesus Christ did which resulted in the justification of life, and He, now being seated at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf.