Why God Hides His Face

Glory Cloud, New Hampshire

In my previous article, I explained the ongoing Hide and Seek interaction between God and man, including why God hides Himself from us and why we need to seek Him.  Today I would like to discuss a related topic, which is the fact that God's face is deliberately hidden. Did you ever wonder why He hides His face, even from those who are in heaven. We know that His face is enshrouded with divine glory, so why do you think He does that? Even the psalmist asked this question when He said, "Why do You hide your face?" (Psalm 44:23-4). This is a valid question, so let's explore it in Scripture.

First of all, do you remember when Moses asked to see God's glory? Here is how the Lord answered him. "And He said, 'I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.' But He said, 'You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!'" (Exo 33:19-20). Then God hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by, but He only allowed Moses to see His backside and not His face. God explicitly told Moses why he could not see His face, when He said, "No man can see Me and live!" Therefore, we may understand from this statement that it is out of love for us that He hides His face, because it is necessary for our survival.

Therefore, we may ask why our survival depends on it, and why we would die if we saw His face. I realize that the holiness and power of God have a lot to do with that. The prophet Isaiah attempted to describe the indescribable scenes around the throne when he saw the Lord seated there high and lifted up.

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." (Isa 6:1-5)

You notice how Isaiah knew he was ruined when his eyes beheld the King on His throne, the Lord of hosts? I'm sure you or I would feel the same way if we saw the Lord, too. John the apostle described a similar sight when He was taken up in the Spirit to heaven and stood before the throne:

"Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance." (Rev 4:2-3)

It's amazing how the luminescent smoke fills the temple during those times of worship, as the light and the glory emanate from God, who is seated upon His throne. John described it as a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. Apparently there are lovely bands of colors in the streams of light and glory surrounding Him. God wraps Himself in light as with a garment (Ps 104:2a). He enshrouds His head with this glory fog so that you cannot see His face. It's awesome to behold, and extraordinarily beautiful. In fact it is perfect in beauty, unlike anyone or anything else you have ever seen or ever will see. Scripture says, "Out of Zion comes the excellence of His beauty." (Ps 50:2, Brenton Septuagint). Other translations refer to it as "the perfection of beauty."

Glory Clouds, at Pinnacle Mtn, NH

The apostle Paul had also seen the Lord, when Jesus appeared to him at noon time while he was on the road to Damascus. At that time the Lord appeared brighter than the noon-day sun. Paul had also been caught up to Paradise and heard inexpressible words that he was not permitted to speak. He described God like this:

"God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen." (1 Tim 6:15b-16, NIV)

David said, "One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple." (Ps 27:4). His one desire was to behold the beauty of the Lord.

As the lyrics say in that beautiful, worshipful song, "I Stand in Awe," the Lord is "beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard." No words, nor sounds, nor sights, nor anything you can touch or smell could ever compare to God's beauty. As that song says, "Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the depth of Your love?" The songwriter Mark Altrogge explained how he wrote that song during a period when he was reading some books on God's holiness and other attributes. He says he was blown away at the thought that, "God is an infinite being, and infinite in each of his attributes. He is infinitely holy. Infinitely powerful. Infinitely loving. Infinitely wise. In fact, because he is infinite, there will always be things about himself that only He knows. Throughout eternity, those he redeemed will never come to an end of seeing new vistas of his glory, majesty and beauty."

So please allow me to answer the question I have posed: why does our survival depend on being kept from seeing the Lord's face, and why would we die if we saw it? Perhaps one reason is that you would not be able to withstand the experience of seeing such beauty and glory; you would be overwhelmed with it to the point of being completely overcome. As the Lord says, if you saw His face while in your earthly body, you would die. And it seems that even for the saints up in glory, it is rare to see God's actual face. I'm not saying that they cannot see God, because the Scripture says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." (Mt 5:8). But I am specifically referring to seeing His face.

In fact, there are even some people on earth who claim they have seen God the Father. I recall one brother who said that he once saw God's face and He looked like a very handsome young man. You can read other testimonies like that in my article, The Bodily Form of God the Father, which is one of my all-time most popular articles on my blog Sun of Righteousness.

Summing it All Up

I want to close by saying that Jesus came to reveal the Father to us, and He alone can do so (Joh 1:18). When Philip asked Him to show us the Father, Jesus said that His oneness with the Father is such that if you have seen Him, you have seen the Father, and to know Him is to know the Father (Joh 14:7,9). If you would like to know God more and see the Father, then draw near to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." (Joh 14:6-7). Jesus Christ is the one and only way to the Father. There is no other way to get to see God's face. This is an experience of a lifetime that you don't want to miss for anything. In fact, it's the experience of all eternity, to which nothing else can compare. 

Why don't you begin to seek God's face now, and press in to know Him? He loves you more than anyone else in the universe, and He has prepared a place for you to be with Him where you can love Him. While He does hide His face in a cloud of glory for your own protection to keep you from dying, He still wants you to seek His face. As David said, "My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek." Let that be your heart's cry, too.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright the Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Images are actual photos of genuine Glory Cloud witnessed in my home state of New Hampshire, in New England, USA during a February 2013 weekend at the Pinnacle Mountain New Hampshire U.S.A. Photos copyright The Stewarts. I did not personally attend that event. Used according to Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: You are invited to read Hide and Seek with God, The Bodily Form of God the Father, Jesus Alone Reveals the Father, The Link Between Two Realms, One Thing, Seeking the Lord, Our God is an Awesome God!, Who is God? -- Part I, Who is God? -- Part II, and Obedient to the Heavenly Vision. You may also like the video, Glory Cloud in New England USA. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Our God is an Awesome God!

Dear God-seekers,

Let me encourage you today to seek the Lord with all your heart. He is awesome! Here are some Scriptures about the awesomeness of God:

"He was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.'” (Gen 28:17)

 "Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" (Ex 15:11)

"Then the Lord said: 'I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you.'" (Ex 34:10)

"Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?" (Deut 4:34)

"Do not be terrified by them, for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God." (Deut 7:21)

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." (Deut 10:17)

"He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes." (Deut 10:21)

"If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God—  the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses." (Deut 28:58)

"And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?" (2 Sam 7:23)

"Then I said: 'Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments...'" (Neh 1:5)

"After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, 'Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.'" (Neh 4:14)

"'Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.'" (Neh 9:32)

"Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty." (Job 37:22)

"For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth." (Ps 47:2)

"You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,'" (Ps 65:5)

"Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.'" (Ps 66:3)

"'Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!'" (Ps 66:5)

"You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!" (Ps 68:35)

"In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; He is more awesome than all who surround him." (Ps 89:7)

"I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments," (Dan 9:4)

"The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands." (Zeph 2:1)

Testimonies of Those Who Saw the Lord
Many people have given testimony to seeing the Lord, like the prophet Isaiah, who saw Him on His throne high and lifted up with the seraphim above Him crying, "Holy, holy, holy!" (Is 6:1-7). Or like the prophet Ezekiel who saw the Lord high above the expanse above the living creatures, and described his torso as "what looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire," and below His waist what "looked like fire with brilliant light surrounding him." He saw the radiance around him with the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds (Ez 1:25-28, NIV). The apostle John saw the Lord on His throne in heaven, "and the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne." (Rev 4:3, NIV).

I have written about these in depth, as well as modern-day testimonies of those who have seen the Lord, in my articles The Bodily Form of God the Father and The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ. For further reading on this topic, I have also written about the testimonies of those for whom God has done amazing things in Testimonies from Budapest. And I have recorded many amazing testimonies of those who have seen the Lord and seen heaven and hell on Eternal Destinations. I invite you to check those out if you are interested, and you will be blessed if you do.

Putting it All Together
God is the only One whom we can truly say is awesome. I have often heard people misuse that word. For example I once knew a guy who, when asked how he was doing, would respond by saying, "Awesome!" I really don't think he was awesome. He may have been doing well by the grace of God, but none of us are awesome. Only God is awesome. That word means "extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear."

I have seen Him do so many awesome things. I have seen the Lord miraculously heal people. I have seen Him even cause a lady's leg to grow out right before our eyes in answer to prayer. I have watched as the Lord miraculously dissolved a lump in a man's throat within a few minutes in answer to prayer. I have seen Him instantly heal a young lady from neck pain. I have witnessed Him bring my mother back from the verge of death in the emergency room within just a few minutes in direct answer to prayer. I have seen Him overwhelm people with joy in His presence, and experienced that myself. I have seen Him bring people to their knees beneath the weight of His awesome glory, and I have experienced His glorious presence myself so many times. I have seen Him deliver people of demons. I have witnessed His miraculous provision for me and others. I have seen Him save sinners and bring backsliders home. He is good and He does good! He has done great things for us and we are glad!

Doxologies
When you consider Who God Is, it inspires thoughts and praises like those found in the wonderful doxologies of Scripture. Here are a couple that are appropriate to close with:

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?
Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay him?
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen."
(Rom 11:33-36, NIV)

"God, the blessed and only Ruler,
  the King of kings and Lord of lords,
Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,
  whom no one has seen or can see.
To him be honor and might forever. Amen."
(1 Tim 6:15b-16, NIV)

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
    Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
(Rev 15:3-4, NIV)

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used with permission.

Author's note:  Also see Who is God?, Who is God - Part II,  Knowing the Lord, Known by God, The Knowledge of the Holy, Is Jesus God?, Jesus is Yehova, The Bodily Form of God the Father, The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Light and the Glory, Jesus Alone Reveals the Father, and The Glory of the Lord Revealed.

You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Seeking Glory from God

Thou Art Worthy by Charity Lacroix

Dear God-seekers,

From whom are you seeking praise and honor? Is it from men or from God? The Lord taught about this in a discourse with the Jews recorded in the fifth chapter of John's gospel. He said:

"I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?" (Joh 5:41-44)

To begin with, let's focus on two phrases. He said, "I do not receive glory from men," and "you receive glory from one another."  In order to correctly understand these statements, we need to define a coupe of key words first. In this passage, the Greek word for "glory" is "doxa" meaning "glory, honor, praise, or worship." So some translations use the word "praise". Moreover, the word "receive" is a bad translation on the part of most English translations, and the use of the word "accept" in the NASB is just as inadequate. The Greek word is "lambano" meaning "strive to obtain, reach after, take, lay hold of, get, get back." It is not a passive word.

Therefore, when Jesus said, "I do not receive glory from men" (Joh 5:41), He meant He did not strive to obtain or reach after honor from men. He also said, "But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges." (Joh 8:50). Even though He is worthy of glory, He still did not seek it for Himself, but the Father sought it. And Jesus sought to bring glory to the Father. He explained, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'." (Joh 8:54)

One example of Jesus not seeking the honor of men was when they decided to make Him their king. "Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, 'This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.' So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone." (Joh 6:14-15). He withdrew to a solitary place, so that they could not accomplish what they wanted to do. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mt 20:28), not to be made king on earth by men and die a natural death. He was already a King, but His kingdom was and still is from another world (Joh 18:36-37). His Kingdom is a secret kingdom. He first had to suffer and be rejected by men before He was glorified (Lk 9:22; 17:25; Mk 8:31).

However, He did accept it when it was appropriate, such as the time when the little children were praising Him. "As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting: 'Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.' But Jesus answered, 'I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!'" (Luk 19:37-40). He also accepted honor from His disciples. For He said, "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am." (Joh 13:13, NIV). For example, there was the occasion when Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Mat 16:16-17). So we see that Jesus did accept glory, honor, and praise from men, however, He did not strive to obtain it.

On the contrary, the Jews, especially the Pharisees, sought after and strove to obtain praise from one another. They enjoyed the praises of men. They loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God (Joh 12:43). The Greek word for "approval" in this verse is the same word "doxa" meaning glory. In fact the English Revised Version translates that verse to say, "For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God." Jesus indicated some of the ways they sought glory, honor, praise, and approval from men, rather than that which comes from God, when He said, "They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others." (Mt 23:7, NIV). They did not seek the glory that is from the only God (Joh 5:44). The word "seek" is "zeteo" meaning "seek, seek for, seek after, aim at, strive, after, desire, crave, demand something."

We must not seek to obtain, strive after, or try to get praise from men (1 Thes 2:6). "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full." (Mt 6:2, NIV). If you strive after honor from men, you have already received your reward in full, and there will be no reward in heaven for you. "We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." (1 Thes 2:4b, NIV). "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Gal 1:10b, NIV). Jesus told the Jews that did not receive Him (Joh 5:43) that their seeking of honor from men was a hindrance that was keeping them from believing in Him. He said, "How can you believe" when you do that? (Joh 5:44). You cannot be a servant of Christ and seek to gain honor from men or to be a man pleaser.

As with the Jewish religious leaders of Christ's day, titles are still one way that men today seek to obtain honor from men. In my article, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, I reported that the Lord gave a warning to those answering to big titles. He said, "Preach the Truth or else you will be cast into the bottomless put. Tell those answering with big titles like Bishop, Archbishop, Most Reverend, Reverend, Right Reverend, I don’t know them by that. I know them by their name and their works." (see Matthew 23:8-10). Our "Senior Pastor" is the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Pe 5:4), as I wrote in my article, Our Senior Pastor. Nobody else truly deserves to be called by that title.

When people seek honor from men, it keeps them from obeying God. That's why Peter and John did not pay attention to the Jewish Sanhedrin council, when they ordered the apostles to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men." (Ac 5:29).

On the other hand, King Herod is an example of a man pleaser. He "laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword. When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also." (Ac 12:1b-3a). Herod's desire for praise from men ultimately cost him his life. "On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not of a man.' Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died." (Ac 12:21-23, NIV). Governor Felix was another one like that. He left Paul imprisoned as a favor to the Jews (Ac 24:27). Governor Festus was the same way, wishing to do the Jews a favor (Ac 25:9). Governor Pilate was another example of a man pleaser, agreeing to have the Lord crucified to satisfy the crowd, even though he knew Jesus was innocent (Mk 15:15). There are plenty of examples of those who seek the praise of men, rather than the glory of God. But this must not be so in the Church.

We must make every effort to obtain glory from the only God. We must seek after and strive for honor from Him. "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life." (Rom 2:7, NIV). We seek the glory not of ourselves, but of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We seek to glorify God. We must do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). And in the end He will glorify us in His presence. We will share in the glory of Christ, if we share in His sufferings now (Rom 8:17).

If anyone honors us or praises us, we need to deflect it to God and not accept it for ourselves. What do we have that we did not receive? (1 Cor 4:7). We have no reason to be proud or take any credit, since all that we have comes from Him. Any gifts, talents, or abilities we have all come from His hand. Every good and perfect gift comes from above, flowing down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17). We can do nothing apart from Jesus (Joh 15:5). Anything good you see in me is Jesus, and all the mistakes are mine. We say, "Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1). But, "Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord." (1 Cor 1:31; 2 Cor 10:17). He alone deserves all the praise, all the glory, and all the honor. He alone is worthy. "Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen." (Php 4:20). "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Rom 11:36)

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, except where otherwise noted. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. The "Thou Art Worthy" illustration is by my daughter, Charity Lacroix. You may find more of her lovely artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like For the Glory of God Alone, The Light and the Glory, Whatever You Do, Do All Like This, Pleasing the Lord, Success in God's Eyes, Having a Servant's Heart, Holy Living in a Perverted World, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, Seeing Jesus, Loving Him, Character and Glory, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, One Thing, Our Senior Pastor, Ask for the Ancient Paths, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, Aim for Perfection, and The Wardrobe of the Saints. I highly recommend reading Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies and Holy Fire Baptism. You may find the Main Directory for this blog at Home, and also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Who is God? - Part II

View Over Crystal Lake, C.V. Lacroix

Dear God-seekers,

Some people like to think of God in limited terms. In one sense, in their minds, they have put God in a box. But God cannot be put into a box. I want to show you from Scripture just how awesome He really is. Whom and what is He the God of?

The God of Shem
He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem; And let Canaan be his servant.” (Gen 9:26)

The God of Heaven and the God of Earth
“And I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live,” (Gen 24:3)

"The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I will give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there.” (Gen 24:7)

"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!'" (2Ch 36:23; cf., Ezr 1:2)

"Thus they answered us, saying, 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. (Ezr 5:11)

'But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. (Ezr 5:12)

"Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail, (Ezr 6:9)

that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons. (Ezr 6:10)

"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. (Ezr 7:12a)

"I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently, (Ezr 7:21)

"Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons. (Ezr 7:23)

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Neh 1:4)

Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. (Neh 2:4)

So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right or memorial in Jerusalem." (Neh 2:20)

Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psa 136:26)

so that they might request compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. (Dan 2:18)

Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; (Dan 2:19)

"You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; (Dan 2:37)

"In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (Dan 2:44)

And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Rev 11:13)

and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. (Rev 16:11)

The God of All the Earth
"For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. (Isa 54:5)

The God of Abraham
He said, "O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show lovingkindness to my master Abraham. (Gen 24:12)

He said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master's brothers." (Gen 24:27)

"So I came today to the spring, and said, 'O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful;” (Gen 24:42)

"And I bowed low and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son. (Gen 24:48)

“The LORD appeared to him the same night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.’" (Gen 26:24)

The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted. (Psa 47:9)

The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
“And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, ‘I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.’” (Gen 28:13)

“And [Jacob] said to them, ‘I see your father's attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me.’” (Gen 31:5)

"If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night." (Gen 31:42)

"’The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.’ So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.” (Gen 31:53)

“He said also, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.’” (Exo 3:6)

God, furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. (Exo 3:15)

"Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. (Exo 3:16)

"that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you." (Exo 4:5)

At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. (1Ki 18:36)

"O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, our fathers, preserve this forever in the intentions of the heart of Your people, and direct their heart to You; (1Ch 29:18)

'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Mat 22:32)

"But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, and the God of Jacob'? (Mar 12:26)

"But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. (Luk 20:37)

"The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. (Act 3:13)

'I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC AND JACOB.' Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. (Act 7:32)

The God of Jacob
"David found favor in God's sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. (Act 7:46)

Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel, (2Sa 23:1)

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! (Psa 20:1)

The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. (Psa 46:7)

The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. (Psa 46:11)

But as for me, I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. (Psa 75:9)

For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph. Sing for joy to God our strength; Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob. (Psa 81:1)

For it is a statute for Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob. (Psa 81:4)

They have said, "The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed." (Psa 94:7)

Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, Before the God of Jacob, (Psa 114:7)

How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
(Psa 146:5)

And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isa 2:3)

Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Mic 4:2)

The God of Israel
“And they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.” (Exo 24:10)

Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. (Jos 24:2)

"Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." (Jos 24:23)

"The mountains quaked at the presence of the LORD, This Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.” (Jdg 5:5)

He said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, (1Ki 8:23)

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." (1Ki 17:1)

Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. (2Ki 19:15)

Then Huram continued, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, endowed with discretion and understanding, who will build a house for the LORD and a royal palace for himself. (2Ch 2:12)

He said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no god like You in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart; (2Ch 6:14)

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. (Psa 41:13)

You, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, Awake to punish all the nations; Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity. Selah. (Psa 59:5)

The earth quaked; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel. (Psa 68:8)

O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God! (Psa 68:35)

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders. (Psa 72:18)

But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob And will stand in awe of the God of Israel. (Isa 29:23)

"The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them. (Isa 41:17)

"I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. (Isa 45:3)

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. (Jer 7:3)

And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain. (Eze 8:4)

Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. (Eze 9:3)

When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD'S house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. (Eze 10:19)

These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim. (Eze 10:20)

Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. (Eze 11:22)

and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. (Eze 43:2)

"For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously." (Mal 2:16)

So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. (Mat 15:31)

"The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. (Act 13:17)

Also see Exo. 5:1; 24:10; 32:27; 34:23; Num. 16:9; Jos. 7:13,19,20; 8:30; 9:18,19; 10:40,42; 13:14,33; 22:16,24; 24:23; Jdg. 4:6; 5:3,5; 6:8; 11:21,23; Ruth 2:12; 1Sa. 1:17; 5:7,8,10,11; 6:3,5; 10:18; 14:41; 20:12; 2Sa. 7:27; 23:3; 1Ki. 1:30,48; 8:15,17,20,23,25; 11:9,31; 17:1; 2Ki. 9:6; 10:31; 14:25; 18:5; 19:15,20; 21:12; 1Ch. 4:10; 5:26; 16:36; 17:24; 28:4; 2Ch. 2:12; 6:4,7,10,14,16,17; 29:7; 34:23; Ezra 1:3; 3:2; 5:1; 6:14,22; 7:15; 8:35; 9:4; Psa. 41:13; 59:5; 68:8,35; 72:18; 106:48; Isa. 17:6; 21:10; 24:15; 29:23; 37:16,21; 41:17; 45:3; 48:1,2; 52:12; Jer. 7:3,21; 9:15; 11:3; 13:12; 16:9; 19:3,15; 25:15,27; 27:4,21; 28:2,14; 29:4,8,21,25; 30:2; 31:23; 32:14,15; 35:13,17,18,19; 38:17; 39:16; 42:9,15,18; 43:10; 44:2,7,11,25; 45:2; 46:25; 48:1; 50:18; 51:33; Eze. 8:4; 9:3; 10:19,20; 11:22; 43:2; Zep. 2:9; Mal. 2:16;

The God of the Hebrews
"They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.' (Exo 3:18)

Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, otherwise He will fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword." (Exo 5:3)

"You shall say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now." (Exo 7:16)

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (Exo 9:1)

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (Exo 9:13)

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (Exo 10:3)

The God of Jerusalem
They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of men's hands. (2Ch 32:19)

"Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. (Ezr 7:19)

The God of Bethel
'I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.'" (Gen 31:13)

The God of all the Families of Israel
"At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." (Jer 31:1)

The God of the Armies of Israel
Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. (1Sa 17:45)

The God of Jeshurun
"There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty.” (Deu 33:26)

The God of gods
"For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.” (Deu 10:17)

Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psa 136:2)

"Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. (Dan 11:36)

The God of Hosts
He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1Ki 19:10)

Then he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1Ki 19:14)

Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, "Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire And this people wood, and it will consume them. (Jer 5:14)

Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame. (Isa 10:16)

Behold, the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash; Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down And those who are lofty will be abased. (Isa 10:33)

Even the LORD, the God of hosts, The LORD is His name. (Hos 12:5)

'Now then thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant, (Jer 44:7)

"Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them; because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.'" (Jer 35:17)

"Hear and testify against the house of Jacob," Declares the Lord GOD, the God of hosts.
(Amo 3:13)

"Therefore, I will make you go into exile beyond Damascus," says the LORD, whose name is the God of hosts. (Amo 5:27)

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, 'If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive. (Jer 38:17)

The God of the spirits of all flesh
"May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,
(Num 27:16)

The God of All Flesh
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?" (Jer 32:27)

The God of the Living
"He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken." (Mar 12:27)

"Now He is not the God of the dead but of the living; for all live to Him." (Luk 20:38)

The God of All the Kingdoms of the Earth
"O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. (Isa 37:16)

The God of the Gentiles
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, (Rom 3:29)

The God of the Spirits of the Prophets
And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true"; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. (Rev 22:6)

The God of Elijah
“He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, ‘Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?’ And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.” (2Ki 2:14)

The God of David
"Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. (2Ki 20:5)

"Go and say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
(Isa 38:5)

The God of Daniel
"I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. (Dan 6:26)

The God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego
Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God. (Dan 3:28)

"Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way." (Dan 3:29)

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Eph 1:17; cf., 2Co 1:3)

The God of my Salvation
The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,
(Psa 18:46)

Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day. (Psa 25:5)

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. (Psa 51:14)

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. (Psa 88:1)

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. (Mic 7:7)

Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (Hab 3:18)

For you have forgotten the God of your salvation And have not remembered the rock of your refuge. Therefore you plant delightful plants And set them with vine slips of a strange god. (Isa 17:10)

The God of My Life
The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. (Psa 42:8)

The God of My Strength
For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? (Psa 43:2)

The God of Truth
"Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight! (Isa 65:16)

"Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth." (Ps 31:5, NIV 1978)

The God of Justice
You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied Him?" In that you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them," or, "Where is the God of justice?" (Mal 2:17)

The God of Glory
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, The LORD is over many waters. (Psa 29:3)

And he said, "Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, (Act 7:2)

The God of Hope
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13)

The God of Peace
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. (Rom 15:33)

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Rom 16:20)

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Php 4:9)

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 5:23)

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, (Heb 13:20)

The God of Love
Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2Co 13:11)

God of All Comfort
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort..." (2Co 1:3)

The God of All Grace
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. (1Pe 5:10)

Putting it All Together
As we have just seen, God cannot be put in a box. Throughout Scripture we find that He is the God of Shem, the God of heaven and the God of earth, the God of all the earth, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of Israel, the God of the Hebrews, the God of Jerusalem, the God of Bethel, the God of all the families of Israel, the God of the armies of Israel, the God of Jeshurun, the God of gods, the God of hosts, the God of the spirits of all flesh, the God of all flesh, the God of the living, the God of the Gentiles, the God of the spirits of the prophets, the God of Elijah, the God of David, the God of Daniel, the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of my salvation, the God of my life, the God of my strength, the God of truth, the God of justice, the God of glory, the God of hope, the God of peace, the God of love, the God of all comfort, and the God of all grace.

What god is so great as our God? "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." (Ps 48:14. NIV). If you already know Him, I hope this study has helped you know Him better. If you don't know Him yet, please see the section below where I invite you to do so.

Who is God? - Part I and Who is God - Part III

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, unless otherwise noted. Where note, Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®.The "View Over Crystal Lake" painting by my seventeen-year old daughter, C.V. Lacroix. You can find more of her lovely artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: You are invited to read Who is God? - Part I, Who is God - Part III, The Loving God Who Bids Us to Come, The Bodily Form of God the Father, Is Jesus God?, God is an Awesome God, The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer, The Cost of Discipleship, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org

Listen to Jesus, Who Upholds Moses and the Prophets

These days it is rare to find anyone who is correctly teaching the proper relationship of the Law and the Prophets to the kingdom of God.  Many are confused about the New Covenant of grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, and they fail to preach the whole counsel of God.  So let's take a look at what Jesus said on this topic.

Jesus with Moses and Elijah in the Kingdom of God
In Luke's gospel it is recorded that Jesus said:

"But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."  (Luk 9:27)

So He said some of his disciples would see the kingdom of God before they tasted death.  He meant that they would see the kingdom before they left this planet at the end of their lives.  And just as He said, eight days later He took His three closest disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- up onto a mountain to pray.  That is when the three disciples saw the kingdom of God. There the Lord's face and clothes became as white as lightning.

“Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus.” (Luk 9:30, NIV)

The disciples saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. It is important to notice who was talking with the Lord in the glorious kingdom of God there on the mountain.  Not only was Jesus appearing glorified, but so were Moses and Elijah. These two men represented the Law and the Prophets.

Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"  (Luk 9:35)

So the Heavenly Father identified Jesus Christ as His Son, His Chosen One, which was an important seal of divine authority and remains so today as recorded in Scripture.  The Father commanded the disciples to listen to Jesus.  So this changed the focus, so that from that point forward all disciples of Christ would listen to Jesus.  There is still Moses and Elijah, the Law and the Prophets, but we listen to Jesus now.  Therefore, we must ask whether that means we listen to Jesus to the exclusion of the Law and Prophets, or in conjunction with them.

The Law and the Prophets Fulfilled in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Jesus answered this question later when He said:

"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail. Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery.” (Luk 16:16-18)

Since Jesus came, the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is forcing their way into the kingdom.  It was only until Jesus came that the Law and the Prophets were proclaimed. However, Jesus did not do away with the Law and the Prophets or annul them.  He upheld them!  Although He established a New Covenant with God's people, according to the prophet Jeremiah, He upheld the Law and the Prophets. He said, "it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail."  And in Matthews gospel, he said:

"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:17-19)

In the kingdom of heaven, whoever keeps and teaches the Law and the Prophets is considered great. Far from abolishing the Law and Prophets, the Lord gave them a place of very high importance. He said that not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. So let nobody annul one of the least of these commandments, or teach others to do the same.  In fact, if you read the rest of the Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7, you will clearly see that Jesus taught the Law and the Prophets.  For example, He said, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 7:12). Other topics He taught about from the Law and Prophets in that sermon were murder, adultery, reconciliation, righteousness, and more. 

Likewise, in the context of Luke's gospel, where Jesus said it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail, He immediately referred to adultery in connection with divorce. That was a connection that the Pharisees and teachers of the Law were not preaching about. He said, "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." In doing so, He accurately taught the meaning of the Law and the Prophets, tying together and unifying passages from the Law (like Genesis 2:24 and Deuteronomy 24:1-4) with passages from the Prophets (like Jeremiah 3:1 and Malachi 2:13-16).  He carried the same message in the gospel of the kingdom as the Lord said through Malachi and other prophets, "you are not keeping My ways."

Another example of Jesus tying together and unifying the Law and the Prophets with the gospel of the kingdom is in regard to the commandments to love. "One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  (Mat 22:35-40).  Therefore, Jesus summarized in two commandments everything that was written by Moses and the prophets. He showed that the whole Law and Prophets are unified or tied together by the one common, central theme of love.

Now back to the Luke passage we were examining a moment ago. In the same context of Jesus' instruction about the lasting nature of the Law and Prophets, He immediately told the account of the rich man in hell and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom.  This was not a parable, because it contains a proper name, which is Lazarus, and a parable never uses proper names.  Most of us are familiar with this account of the two men in the underworld.  But do we fully understand the final impact of the story's lesson?  Listen to Abraham teach us the lesson:

"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them…If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luk 16:29,31).

First of all, Abraham in his lifetime came before Moses and the Prophets, as well as before Christ.  Yet Abraham taught that people on earth should listen to Moses and the Prophets.  He upheld their teachings. In fact, he said that if people will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead. And that is a veiled reference to both the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the first fruits from the dead, as well as the many genuine and proven testimonies we hear in these last days of people rising from the dead with a message from the Lord about heaven and hell.

Secondly, it was the Lord Jesus who told this true account of the rich man and Lazarus, and He used it to further emphasize His point that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.  In this story that Jesus told, He declared through the mouth of Abraham that people should listen to Moses and the Prophets.  As I said, that was the main point of the story, which most people miss.  In saying this, Jesus upheld the Law and the Prophets. In fact, if the rich man had listened to them, he would have remembered the poor and been kind to Lazarus.

Therefore, we can see that the Law and Prophets have not lost their importance and have not been abolished by the New Covenant.  The way we relate to God now has changed under the New Covenant, because of the great and loving sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us, shedding His own blood, so that we sinners could be made righteous.  In the gospel of the kingdom, we preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But the ways of God have not changed!

And the message of the Lord to the apostate Church today is still "you are not keeping My ways." The message of the gospel is that you must repent of sin and believe on Jesus Christ in order to receive forgiveness of sins.  The Father said to listen to Jesus and Jesus said to listen to the Law and the Prophets, which taught a pro-love message against sin. We need to listen to Jesus, Who will teach us by His Spirit to properly understand the deeper meaning of the Law and Prophets, as He did in His Sermon on the Mount and the rest of the gospels, in order to show us the ways of God.  Then we will see where we have gone astray, so that we can repent, be forgiven, and return to God.

Learning the Ways of God in the Law and Prophets
I recommend you read my other articles about the Law, in order to understand clearly what I am teaching about the ways of God, which is not a return to living under the Law, since we are under grace and not Law. We are not endeavoring to keep up the law of Moses in conjunction with the gospel of Christ. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading the following articles below, beginning with the ones in the left column:

Is Obedience Optional? The Law of Christ  The Law Fulfilled in Us The Law Established Through Faith The Cost of Discipleship Faith Works! Costly Grace Deleted Scriptures in the Bible? Did Jesus Nail the Law to the Cross? The Obedience of Faith Righteousness by Faith not Law

Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God Aim for Perfection Righteous Deeds and White Robes Doing What is Right Your Rewards Are Based on Your Practice Partaking of the Divine Nature Walking in the Perfect Will of God Pressing on Toward the Goal Obedience by the Spirit The Law is Good if Used Lawfully What Then Must We Observe? Remember the Eternal Law of God

Believe All That the Prophets Have Spoken
Jesus taught us to believe all that Moses and the Prophets have spoken.  He said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" (Joh 5:46-47).  From this it is clear that Moses and Jesus are in harmony with each other.  And it is necessary to believe both Moses and Jesus.  If you do not believe the writings of Moses, you will not believe the words of Jesus.

Another passage in Luke’s gospel that I would like to mention is the account of the Lord meeting the two men on the road to Emmaus on the day of His resurrection. 

“And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” (Luk 24:25-27)

Notice that he rebuked them for being slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. The prophets spoke of how it was necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory.  One example of that is in Isaiah 53, in which Isaiah prophesied about Christ’s suffering and crucifixion around seven hundred years before it happened (also see Yeshua Ha'Maschiah in the Tanakh).  And notice how Jesus explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with Moses and with all the prophets. So as they listened to Jesus, He taught about Himself from the Law and the prophets.

“Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” (Luk 24:44-47)

Notice that all things that are written about Jesus in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. So Jesus emphasized His harmonious relationship with the Law of Moses and the Prophets.  In Him we find the fulfillment of what is written in those Scriptures, including their fulfillment in Him within our lives.  His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection from the dead were all in fulfillment of those Scriptures. Likewise, we proclaim to all nations repentance for forgiveness of sins in His name, just as it is written in the Law and the prophets. It is always just as it is written in the Law and the prophets, since they must always be fulfilled.  And Jesus is the One Who opens our minds to understand those Scriptures by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to Him!

As Philip said to Nathanael, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (Joh 1:45).  We proclaim as Peter did,  "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."  (Act 10:43). As Paul did, we believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets. (Ac 24:14).

Finally, if you notice in the many divine revelations of heaven and hell that I have posted on Eternal Destinations, the message in these revelations typically refers to the ways of God that are found throughout the Bible, including the Law and the Prophets. Let's keep the ways of God according to Scripture, and not be like the rich man in hell and countless others who failed to do so, because they didn't listen to the Law and the Prophets.  They were slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Just as it is written, let us prepare in holiness for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is coming right away! The call is going out today, "Sinner, come home!" Repent and believe the gospel, for the Kingdom of God is near.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.  The calligraphy in the "Every Word of God is Flawless" image used in this article is by my sixteen-year-old daughter, C.V. Lacroix.  The "At the Cross" illustration was also created by her. You can find more of her fine artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this article, I recommend The Cost of Discipleship, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Remember the Eternal Law of God, Is Tithing Required?, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, The Straight and Narrow Path, Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught, Separation from the World, The Rise of Antichrists, The Flesh vs the Spirit, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.