“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

(…continued from part five…)

6)            Adam began to see his race as an alien before the thrice holy God. He had forgotten that he was created, not only in the anthropomorphic façade of the Divinity, but also in absolute facticity of the grand image of the One seated eternally on the empyreal throne of the Rainbow Administration. The Image of Elohiym is Christ. So, what we read in Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…;” the ‘image’ is tselem (tseh’-lem), meaning: ‘to shade; a phantom, that is, (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence a representative figure, especially an idol.’ The image of Genesis 1:26 points to a Personage. 2Corinthians 4:4 reveals, “…lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The ‘glorious light’ is not the image, Christ is the Image.

                Let us go to Colossians 1:15: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:” The ‘image’ found in Corinthians and Colossians is the Greek eikōn (i-kone’) and it means: ‘figure, likeness; an image of the things (the heavenly things); used of the moral likeness of renewed men to God; the image of the Son of God, into which true Christians are transformed.’ Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” but the word ‘image,’ in this verse includes its adjective, hence, ‘express image’ which goes by the Greek, charaktēr (khar-ak-tare’): ‘the exact expression (the image) of any person or thing, marked likeness, precise reproduction in every respect.’

                It is this Image that had, from the day of Adam’s creation, given Lucifer his discomforting envy. If he could just unsolder this Adam from this Image, he would be as disgraced as Lucifer suffered. The Devil failed to understand that God was so much interested in this fallen Adamic entity. It was very apropos that the LORD God must walk into the Garden of Eden, because of the image. It has an intrinsic attraction of the pull of the Divinity. The image gave Adam the unmerited second chance, quite unlike the angelic reach. An unprecedented grace was offered mankind even in the face of an unquestionably fact of his fall, when the Lord God of creation thundered the vaticinatory, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” [Gen 3:15]. Satan’s dream of, “to steal, kill and destroy” the image of God’s donation failed, all because Jesus Christ stepped into the arena, our Gladiator! The intensity of the oculogyria that took over Lucifer’s sockets told me that he would find somewhere to weep out whatever liquid he could shed. Satan, the machinator that I saw, was drenched in sweaty failure. Amen.

                1Corinthians 15:55-58, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” This Lucifer has not yet been thrown into his hellish gaol of confinement. He is “our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” [1Peter 5:8]. He is the evil spirit that pours wicked thoughts of dejection in our minds, making us believe that a delay is a denial of request by the Divinity.

“…what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless…?”

                Let us go back to Abraham. When God told him, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” of Genesis 15:1, he could not help asking, “Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” Abraham continued with, “Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” If Abraham had known God’s plan for him, he would not have asked out of ignorance; Abraham would have done the needful to strengthen his faith. What should he have done? “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” [Genesis 15:6]. Yes, we can build our faith levels and strengths by looking around us and especially, remembering that the LORD who had saved us six whole times will not abandon us on the seventh occasion.

Remember to ask your problems, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD?”

                The Bible says, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” In the tortuous face of uncertainties, show God your faith. When creditors surround you with all the claims of legalities, calling for your head, ready to roast you alive, it may sound really crazy, but, the gospel truth is that, keep showing faith. That faith is all the Lord God is waiting for to prove to your detractors that the LORD your God is the Jehovah of salvation. Hallelujah!

David anointed at seventeen

                Once upon a time, God decided to give Israel a king.

                1Samuel 16:1 “And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.” In the 13th verse: “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah:” David, at that time, was a teenager.

This same David did not ascend the throne to become a sovereign ruler until: 2 Samuel 2:4 “And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.”

King David of Israel

                At this time, David was thirty years old, so, for thirteen whole, long years all he had was the anointing but not the emblematic crown of the majestic office of God’s word concerning his kingship. The good Lord who delayed David’s coronation did not deny him of the promised throne. At another time: 2Samuel 5:3, “So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.”

                God eventually made good His word.

                The good Lord God, I pray, has begun His providential beneficence towards your predicament. Keep believing. Delay is not denial. Amen!

                Get born again. Say this simple prayer, believing it with all your heart. Say:

“Dear heavenly Father, I come to You now in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe in my heart that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I receive Him now as my Lord and my Saviour. I give God all the glory. Amen!”      

(…to be concluded…)

Part five is here. Click.

The concluding 7th part is here. Click.

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