Book of Hebrews section expands through Hebrews chapter 8

My webhost has just put up the files going from Hebrews chapters 5-8, so we're a little over 2/3 the way through the Book of Hebrews.  Enjoy.  The new files are at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews5-1-14.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews6-1-20.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews%207%201-28.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews%208%201-13.htm

Also got a new article about how evangelism walks on two legs, can be found in the Worldwide Church of God section at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/Questions.htm

And one more on Family Prayer-groups at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/FamilyPrayer-group%20guideline.htm


I finished through 2nd Thessalonians and am currently working on 1st Timothy.  My short-term goal is to have Paul's epistles finished by June 2014, 1st and  2nd Peter and Jude finished by the Fall Holy Days.

Pastor Joe gives some pretty sound arguments for a pre-Trib Rapture/1st Resurrection of the saints in the 1st Thessalonians 2:16-18 transcript.  The whole subject of differing interpretations for 2nd Coming prophecies is discussed as an addendum to the end of the Matthew 24:1-31 study, as well as on the title page of the Prophecy section, where I challenge theologians and denominational leaders to get their act together on the proper interpretation of 2nd Coming prophecies.  To read this challenge, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/Prophets_Prophecy.html

Fall Holy Days 2013 Are Upon Us

Each year those of us who observe God's Holy Days rehearse in the Fall Holy Days the end-time Plan of God, his Plan of Salvation for greater mankind.  It would appear by even a glance at the history of mankind, the vast majority of mankind has never been called into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For one, over two-thirds of man's written history, going back 6,000 years, was before Jesus Christ paid for the sins of mankind, and thus it would be pretty hard to ask Jesus Christ into your life before he was born.  Basically, the knowledge of God had only been given to the 12 tribes of Israel, and the Jews, Judah, before the time of Christ, from Moses until the birth of Christ.  The Spring Holy Days, Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, all point to individual salvation we have through Christ, and the birth of the Church, and the Church Age.  But at the return of Jesus Christ, a new age begins, the Kingdom Age, the age when the Kingdom of God will dwell on this earth, as Jesus Christ and the resurrected, immortal saints will rule over the whole world.  Current events do show us we're not far from these earth-shaking events.  It would be wise to read about these events before they come upon us unawares.    Several sections on this site rehearse these events.   For a quick run-down on the Fall Holy days, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/E-Mails/June%2014/FallHolyDays-short.htm

For a glimpse into this Kingdom Age, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/kingdomofgod/mkg1.htm

By the Hebrew calculated calendar which the Jews go by, the Feast of Trumpets falls on the 5th September, 2013, and the Day of Atonement falls on the 14th of September, and the Feast of Tabernacles runs from the 19th through the 26th of September.  For a look at the Hebrew Calendar the Jews use, and why it is accurate, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/calendar/HebrewCalendar.htm

Ministry of Reconciliation

One Of The Most Important Studies To Come Down the Pike: The Ministry of Reconciliation

Hi folks. This is a heads-up notification.  I just finished transcribing an incredible six-sermon set on the Ministry of Reconciliation.  I had thought my condensed series of Gary Petty's Agape series was the best thing to go up on the site, but this one is even better.  It's genuine grade A T-bone steak, real spiritual meat.  For the new section, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/wwcofg/reconciliation/MinistryOfReconciliation1.htm

PS, also working on an expository section for the Book of Hebrews, which is about to be expanded through Hebrews chapter 8.  Hebrews 4, 6 through 8 are a bit controversial, but then this whole book was just that when Paul sent it from Rome to the brethren living in Jerusalem and Judea.  Check it out at;

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews1-1-14.htm and for Hebrews 4, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/hebrews/Hebrews4-1-16.htm

Pentecost, the Church's Birthday

We all grew up celebrating birthdays (or at least most of us did), our own, those of our friends, then our children's, parents, grandparents, you name it.  Facebook even reminds us when someone we've "friended" has a birthday coming up.  The Body of Christ, also called in God's Word, "the Bride of Christ," which is the Church, composed of all believers from 31/32AD to the 2nd coming of Christ, has a birthday.  And most of us pay it little mind.  This birthday is probably the most important of birthdays, and it is recorded in the Bible, with its date and all.  Even God did not allow us to know the actual date of Jesus Christ's birthday (and if you think it was December 25th, you're sadly misinformed, that wasn't it).  Where Jesus never highlighted the actual date of his own birth, he certainly did highlight the birthday of his future Bride (cf. Acts 2:1-4; Revelation 19:7-9).  When is this birthday of the Bride of Christ, the Church, the Body of Christ?  It is on the day of Pentecost, and this year the birthday of the Church, the Body of Christ, is coming up on the 19th of May this year (2013).

For some related articles that delve into the symbolic and prophetic meaning behind this Holy Day God gave the Israelites as well as the Church to observe, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Feast%20of%20Weeks.htm

For two links detailing the birth of the early Church, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index4.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index3.htm

Finally, what is Jesus Christ's desire for his Body of Believers in these end-times we find ourselves living in?  See:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophets/Zephaniah/Zephaniah1.htm (and scroll to Zephaniah 2:1-2)

Meaning of the Boston Marathon Bombing

I know in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings by two Chechen terrorists, that people are looking for the ultimate meaning behind it all.  For one, Chechen rebels, terrorists, are some of the most deadly in the world, as the Russians have discovered.  And the Russians are no slouches when it comes to brutal responses, and payback.  For the Chechens to continue terror attacks against the Russians says something about them.  But amazingly enough, the whole incident, from bombing to the killing and/or capture of these two Chechen brothers was over with in five short days.  But let's back up a little bit, from this lone incident and try to get the Big picture, which will show us it is not a lone incident, but is being driven by a spiritual force.  Up until the early 1980s, all terrorism was basically politically motivated, not over religion or religiously driven.  Since the 1980s that has done an about-face, where over 85 percent of all terrorism is religiously motivated and driven.  And the driving force of modern terrorism (I know it's not politically correct to say so, but neither Jesus nor Bible prophecy are politically correct) comes from Islamic/Arabic sources, the Muslim world.  And all since the early 1980s.  For a good primer on this subject, see:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/terror.htm

But where is it all headed?  I realize Chechnya is not part of the Arabic world.  But Chechens are strongly Muslim, and they also send volunteers to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban against the Americans.  But again I ask, where is all this headed?  What is the driving "spirit" behind all of this? And it is a spiritual force driving this, make no mistake. The whole 11th chapter of Daniel is about the four divided kingdoms that sprang off of Alexander the Great's Greek Empire at the time of his untimely death.  As you get to the end of Daniel 11, two of those four kingdoms get swallowed up by the two that remain.  Daniel names these two kingdoms that remain "the king of the north" and "the king of the south."  The "king of the north" ended up being the Roman Empire, and at the end of Daniel 11, the "king of the north" represents an end-time resurrection of this deadly ferocious Roman Empire.  And this "king of the south" represents a federation of Arabic nations, whose headquarters is Egypt, and Cairo.  Daniel 11, verse 40 predicts that this "king of the south" pushes in some way at this "king of the north", which triggers World War III, leading eventually, three years down the road, to the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ.  What evidence do we have that an Arabic/Muslim caliphate is forming into what the Bible calls in Daniel 11, "the king of the south"?  Read these fine current events articles to see where this is all leading.  

http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/winter-advisory-arab-spring-wasnt/

http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/will-world-see-new-caliphate/

http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/closer-look-muslim-brotherhood/

New York City had its taste of this spiritual force which is driving these Arabic nations into "the king of the south," an Arabic/Muslim caliphate.  Now Boston has just had its taste of this same spiritual force which is driving this religious movement forward.  Keep a weather-eye on Syria, for when Basher Assad's regime falls, this Muslim Brotherhood caliphate is ready to form.  Watch the Middle East.  And yes, some of that has spilled over onto US soil, because the US has been involved directly in suppressing Arabic/Muslim extremism (in response, understandably, to 9/11).  In the end, the United States of America will not have the resolve to end this conflict, but a empire rising out of Europe will possess that resolve. 

The Four Gospels---Four Clear Windows into Christ's Life

The Gospel section for UnityinChrist.com is now complete, check it out, and dive into some very clear studies on the Life of Christ as expounded through the four Gospel accounts.

See:  http://www.unityinchrist.com/gospels.html

Passover Season Special

I just finished up on the Gospel of Luke section.  I have just put up Luke chapters 22 through 24, containing some excellent "connective expository sermons" dealing with the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This will make an excellent Passover review for all you readers.  

Other related links are at:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/lastsix.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/lamb/exodus1.html 

http://www.unityinchrist.com/messianicmovement/Leaven.htm

Luke 22 through 24 just went up in time for the Passover season.  Check out these links:

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-1-20.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-21-34.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-35-53.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke22-54-71.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke23-13-43.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke23-43-56.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke24-1-35.htm

http://www.unityinchrist.com/luke/Luke24-36-53.htm

The incredible character of Jesus Christ comes out in this series.  I highly recommend it.