2005 Singles Edition

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Contents FEA TURES FEATURES 7 My First Love byL.C.Tardy

co ver st ory cov story

13 Please God Not Aids

by Loretta Parker Spivey

16 Special Section: The Blood Covenant

by Vincent Vallane

POEMS 12 “Christian Friendships”

ver st ory cov story Courtco ship: A SOLDIER IN THE Doing ARMY OF it THE LLORD ORD God’s Way

by L.C. T ar dy Tar ardy

by Joe Floyd

12 “The Invitation”

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by Rickey Macklin

by Joe Floyd

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Visions Visions Christian Christian Magazine Magazine is available through subscription.

Please give us a call at 202-882-7945 VCM is also available online at visionschristianmagazine.com

L.C. T ar dy Publisher Tar ardy Publisherss Pr esident/CEO President/CEO

Ex ecutiv e Edit or Executiv ecutive Editor orss Penelope White Writer s/R egular Contribut or riters/R s/Regular Contributor orss Joe Floyd Rickey Macklin L.C. Tardy Vincent Vallane Graphic Designers Chauntika Broggin Phot ogr apher Photogr ographer Kevin Lucas Print Coor dinat or Coordinat dinator T CG Printing/Washington Times

Romans 10:9-10

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,� and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

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Layout/Pr oduction out/Production

Chauntika Broggin Front co ver pictur e ttak ak en b y E. Johnson cov picture aken by Bible rrefer efer ences ar e fr om the KJV and NIV eferences are from

Main Office Visions Christian Magazine, Inc P.O. Box 7066, Largo, MD. 20792-7066 202-882-7945

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Psalms 127:1,2 1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. t is so important that I start here because if the Lord is not the builder then the Lord is not obligated to be the keeper. The bottom line is all the decisions that we make outside of Christ are subject to be vanity. So, what am I saying in essence? Get the blueprint from God before you commence to build your relationships. For if you don’t, you will begin to build a house and later discover

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One: Understanding The Purpose In the last article I was privy to write in Vision Magazine, I wrote of purpose and its significance to our destiny. Well that hasn’t changed and the reason why, especially when dealing with the area of relationships, is that the person you hook-up with can potentially destroy your destiny. So, what is it that I want to speak of in regards to purpose here? For a moment let’s deal with the purpose of Courtship and Dating. If you do a thorough research on the topic, you will discover that courtship outlines the biblical model of how relationships should work. Dating on the other hand outlines the world’s way. As a matter of fact, the concept of dating wasn’t even introduced on the scene until the early 1920’s. Prior to that,

by Rickey Macklin that you lack the resources to finish it. Have you ever noticed houses or churches that were in the process of construction years ago and are still in the process of construction? Jesus puts it this way, which of you will begin to build a house without first sitting down and counting the cost? “…if the Lord is not the builder then the Lord is not obligated to be the keeper.”

In the eyes of Jesus, any person that does this is likened to a fool. So, how does this parable tie in to Courtship? It’s simple. Do it God’s way and you will reap God’s benefits. Follow me in this article very precisely as I mention a series of points that I believe are critical when considering courting.

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relationships were arranged – often times based on family background and the hopes and ambitions of the parents. Dating implies that I’ll try this and I’ll try that and perhaps I’ll try this again. It’s a system based on trial and error.

I always compare this concept to a science laboratory. In the lab, if the scientist mixes the wrong chemicals, he would probably produce an explosion.

Within that explosion, someone could get hurt, end up scared for life or possibly even die. So it is when we as men float from one woman to the next experimenting, we too end up leaving a lot of hurt and scared sisters behind. Unfortunately, most of the people I talk to say, well if you don’t date then how will you ever know who’s the one? My question to them and you is, if you are of the same mind, since www.visionschristianmagazine.com

when did God start allowing us to make decisions based upon intellectualism? It’s an earthly leaning on ones limited intellect to choose a God-ordained mate that may potentially be with them for the rest of their lives.

But I read in Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 that I am to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean to my own understanding but in all of my ways acknowledge Him and allow Him to direct my path.

“My question to them and you is, if you are of the same mind, since when did God start allowing us to make decisions based upon intellectualism?”

That’s why you know so many people that are in and out of relationships and in and out of marriages – because God wasn’t in the selection process. Listen, either you are going to do it God’s way or you’re not.

There is enough you’ll have to deal with once the relationship starts so you may as well do it God’s way from the beginning. Courtship is the process that outlines this. If you follow the path of dating, you will soon become frustrated and discouraged because your decision will primarily be based on your likes and dislikes; your backgrounds and similarities; how well you get along and how attractive he or she is. Child of God, although all of these things are important, none of them are as important than a word from God. If the Lord gives you a word, it really doesn’t matter what or how the situation presently is – he’ll work it out. Sure, you can meet someone who has it all together today but only God knows where he or she will be in five years.

purpose. As with Isaac, we are His sons and daughters. Oh, as for the servant, the Holy Ghost lives within us leading and guiding us to all truth.

My God, a divine connection! Let me give you this scripture it may help you a little.

Philippians 2:13 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

You got it! When we become saturated and engulfed with a passionate desire to please Him, our desire becomes or shall I say is His desire. The Holy Spirit is in us creating a desire towards that which pleases the Father. And Daddy knows what’s best for us. I heard Pastor Tony Evans say, “while we can choose someone that’s good for us only God knows what is best for us.” So, in courtship when God brings the two of you together, it will not necessarily be flesh attracting flesh but purpose attracting purpose – everything else are fringe benefits. So, what’s the purpose of this union? God has a mandate on earth written from heaven that only the two of you together can fulfill. In addition, even your offspring have been written in God’s script to do a work in their generation.

Pastor leads crusade against youth violence

Now let’s deal with courtship since I believe we have a grasp on dating. While dating happens numerous times, courtship should really happen only once leading to a life long covenant relationship. As with courtship, in what we called it in the olden days, I still believe that God ordained relationships are arranged. For Isaac, Abraham sent out his servant to bring Rebekah. If you noticed, there were three involved in this process: One, Abraham – the father; two, Isaac – the son and three the servant – as the servant (Genesis 24). You haven’t caught it yet? Keep reading! Today, the Father {God} already knows what we need and what is needed to accomplish His www.visionschristianmagazine.com

Now, although I do not have enough space to expound on the numerous other points, I will at least mention some of them.

Two: Understanding Your Purpose I always say, as I learned from my Mentor Dr Myles Munroe some 10 years ago, that where purpose is not known abuse is inevitable. So, before entering into courtship, do a little homework first. If purpose is what’s going to attract purpose then I need to know what my purpose is. So, here you go – for those of you who are eagerly in search of your wives and for those that are eagerly waiting to be discovered by your husbands…find out who you are and why you’re here first. Dig deep and find out the purpose of the male, the purpose of the female and God’s original intent for both. Then find out your own individual purpose. You may not like what I’m saying Singles Edition 2004

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but Adam’s time of meeting Eve was after God laid text, almost every decision made was ratified by a out Adam’s purpose. It is the discovering of it that covenant. With the animals cut in two and blood everywhere, the covenanter would walk through the qualifies you for your mate. blood declaring that if he didn’t keep his part of the agreement then let the same thing that happened to the Three: Fall In Love With Daddy-God First animals likewise happen to him. So, since courtship is Love Him with your whole heart, your whole designed to lead to marriage, make sure that you are soul and your whole body. Because God is love, as ready to make this kind of commitment.

These are just a few of the things that are essential we fall head over hills in love with Him, He will teach us how to love, honor and respect each other. This to courtship but trust me there’s so much more. type of love can only be manifested in those that are However, let me leave you with this, courtship can be in Him. Outside of Him (unsaved), as much as he or seen as embodying three phases. The first is friendship, she says they love you, it’s not the God kind of love. the second is relationship and the third is engagement.

The truth of the matter is any person you engage You say, but how do I start? If you happen to meet yourself in relationship with that’s not saved is in someone and the both of you feel like there is a divine essence a monster. You say how? Because they are connection, seek God for clarity. I would suggest that the both of you fast until you get a word or a true peace without Christ – meaning they have no head. from God. Then as you begin your courtship, take your time and develop a real friendship first. It is upon Four: Understanding Covenant this friendship that you will build your relationship.

Since courtship is designed to lead to marriage, Below is a simple abstinence contract the Lord gave this is a perfect time to get your house in order. Work me . It’s posted on my website but I’ll give it to you on your character and your integrity. Understand the here. This will be helpful in assisting the two of you significance of covenant keeping. In the Old Hebrew maintain sexual purity in your relationship.

Abstinence Contract I pledge, before God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost and God’s holy angels to live a sanctified life and to walk upright before God and you. I also pledge to live in abstinence until we are married.

I further pledge to honor and respect you as a friend and a mate but more importantly as God’s chosen heritage. I will not become a stumbling block or create an occasion for you to fall to sexual sins.

I will commit rather to encouragement, prayer and if need be fasting on your behalf.

Together, we will walk upright before God and He shall give us the desires of our hearts.

Sign____________________________ (you)

Sign____________________________ (your mate)

Date____________________________ Rickey E. Macklin (http://www.ambassador4christ.org/abstinence.htm) © 2004 I cannot go into the do’s and don’ts in this article but at least you have a foundation on which to start. If you are already in a relationship, please think this process through and make sure that what you’re in measures up with the true standard – the word of God. Rickey E. Macklin is a Minister at the Jericho City of Praise, he teaches the class, “Dating For Him, and is Author of two books, www.visionschristianmagazine.com

Edition 2004 V I S I O N S“Daddy’s 6 WaitingSingles on You, and “God’’s Whole Armor.”

by L.C. Tardy

“My First Love” od is truly awesome! It is true when you ask in Jesus Name, you shall receive. I had been experiencing God’s miraculous power in my life very strongly. Whatsoever I asked in Jesus Name I received. I ask the Lord to give me clarity on whether or not He was divinely connecting me and someone together for marriage. I kept seeing signs of it, and this person was always in my spirit 24/7.

When I desired not to think about him, he was still on my mind. When I would see him, I wanted to bow in humble adoration. He was truly a respected man of God. However, I had to remind myself that Jesus is the only one that I adore that much! Then I was not sure what God had spoken to his spirit. I kept thinking: “Except the Lord build the house, it is a house built in vain.” Well, one night I was completely exhausted from thinking and casting down all imagi-

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nations, and every high thing that exhaulted itself above the knowledge of God. I was starting to feel temptation, and I began to pray and fast. So, I got on my knees with tears in my eyes, and ask the Lord to “Take this thing from me if it is not of you, O’God. I asked the Lord to give me clarity on marriage and relationships and where I stood with Him. I ask Him to plant in my mind the book of the Bible that I should read. I said, “Please, Lord, I need to know now, what is going on inside of me.” On this very same night, the Lord spoke to my spirit, “Turn to 1 Corinthians Chapter 7. The funny thing is, I had been reading that chapter all along. But God was telling me to read it again, and this time God gave me a deeper revelation about marriage and relationships. The Lord had the Apostle Paul, the writer of the book of Corinthians, who spoke in Corinthians, chapter 7 to minister to my spirit. Paul was saying that he would Singles Edition 2004

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advise me to be celibate, “Not that married life is less spiritual than celibate life, but his advice is the promotion of faithful and undistracted devotion to the Lord.”

So what I gathered from this was that God do not want us man nor woman to put anything or anybody above HIM, whether husband, wife, children, sister or brother.

God is your “First Love,” and Husbandman.

The Bible tells us that “An unmarried woman has more time for God, and a married woman has more time for the world and how she should please her husband, I would have you without carefulness.” Paul spoke this: “If you cannot contain then you should marry, for it is better to marry then to burn.1 Corinthians 6:13 Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.”

I AM the true Vine and my FFather ather is the Husbandman John 15:1

The most awesome revelation that I received was discovering who I am in Christ and my purpose here on earth, which tells me where I stand with God and marThe revelation got even deeper. I read in 1 Corinthians riage.

7: 29-31 that it does not matter whether you have a husband, wife, or even that you weep, because the In Matthew 22: 30,32, “When the Lord answered the fashion of this world passeth away. I had a clear un- disciple and said, “For when they shall rise from the derstanding as to why I was placed here on this earth, dead: they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but and it was not for marriage to another human being, are as the angels which are in heaven.” The Lord said but an undistracted devoted relationship of Praise & that He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the Worship with God. My purpose is to have a marriage living. covenant with God, whether single or married. Also marriage is symbolic of the church: The Bible says in It is imperative that we understand that we are not made Ephesians 5:22-23, Wives, submit yourselves unto your whole by our husbands and wives, but by the blood own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is and by the eternal love of Christ. Until we are conthe head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the tented with being alone with God, we will never underchurch: and he is the savior of the body. And Isaiah stand true love. Love is eternal not temporal, and God 54:5 says, For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of is eternal, not temporal. He (God) has made everyhosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of thing beautiful in it’s time, also He had set the world in Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. their heart, so that no man can find out the work that Then I went over to Revelations and read: And I John God maketh from the beginning to the end (Ecclesiastes saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from 3:11(a)).

God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Linda C. Tardy is a Freelance Writer/Author. She is the Publisher of this magazine, Visions Christian Magazine.

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Singles Ministries Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church 610 Rhode Island Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002-1292 Office: 202.529.4547 Fax: 202.529.4495 • TDD 202-526-8247 Emailus@gmchc.org

Spirit of Faith Christian Center Faith Plaza Drs Mike and DeeDee Freeman 2261 Oxon Run Drive Temple Hills, Maryland 20748 (301) 630-3733 www.spiritofffaith.org

First Baptist Church of Glenarden Pastor John Jenkins 3600 Brightseat Road Landover , Maryland 20785 (301) 773-3600

Hope Christian Church 4700 Boston Way Lanham, Maryland Jericho City of Praise Dr. Pastor Betty P. Peebles, Sr. 8501 Bishop Peebles Drive Landover, Maryland 20785 (301) 333-0500 www.jerichocop.org Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church Reverend Dr. Grainger Browning, Sr. Pastor Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning, Co Pastor The Family of God Serving the Family of God 7707 Allentown Road Ft Washington, Maryland (301) 248-8833 www.eamefw.com

Ministry Ev ent Event entss: Friday Night - January 23rd 7:00 PM Sunday Night - February 29th 7:00 PM Spirit of Faith Singles Ministry (South Location) Jericho Singles Ministry Speakers: Pastor Michael & Dee Dee Freeman Movie Night - “Passion” Min. Krystal Tibbs on (301) 6303733 Dea. Rayetta Byrd on (301) 333-0500 www.visionschristianmagazine.com

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Spirit of Faith Christian Center’s (SOFCC) Single’s Ministry Faith Plaza-Drs Mike and DeeDee Freeman 2261 Oxon Run Drive, Temple Hills, Maryland 20748 (301) 630-3733 www.spiritofffaith.org

Seniors Pastors, Dr. Michael and Deloris Freeman of Spirit of Faith Christian Center’s (SOFCC) vision are to build people of purpose, power and praise in faith, the family and finance through fellowship. As the ministry grew, Pastors Mike and DeeDee, as they are so lovingly known as, saw an immediate need to house a group of individual that were not married, yet seeking GOD’s best.

In 1998, Minister Krystal Tibbs, a faithful partner who rose up from the broken single to the Woman of God she was called to be, was appointed by Pastors as the Head of the Single’s Ministry of SOFCC. Min. Kris, with no staff, took on her assignment from GOD with excitement. She composed a vision for the singles: Every single is complete in spirit, soul, and body lacking no components, andin need of no external resources to make him/her whole. The singles know who they are in Christ and their self-worth.

There will be no compromise on the Body of Christ. Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto GOD, which is your reasonable service.” She was so determined with the loving support of the Pastors and leadership of SOFCC to trust GOD. She stood on GOD’s word. As a direct result of her faithfulness, the ministry has reaped the fruit of her labor. The Single’s Ministry has been blessed with thirteen anointed Ministry of Helps staff to inlcude a Research Developer, a Marketing Expert, 2 Administrative Assistants and an Assist Department Head who all truly believe in 1 Corinthians 3:9 The SOFCC Single’s Ministry purpose is to enhance the spiritual growth of every male and female in their single state in accordance to the vision of SOFCC. Every single is complete in Christ (Spirit, Soul, and Body), lacking no components, and in need of no external resources to make him/her whole.

As singles at SOFCC we receive the unadulterated, uncompromising word of GOD and have great fun. Each year under the grace of GOD, the Single’s plan and expedite activities and fun filled events include: Word Base Meeting, Ski Adventures Crab Feast, Game NIght, Lunch/Dinner Cruises, Roller Skating, Bowling, and Jean Socials. Pastors Mike and Dee Dee meet with us the first of the year to bring forth a word from God for us, answer questions,a nd encourage us to careth for the things of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:32 Throughout the year we learn: 1) who we are according to the Word; a child of GOD-Roman 8:16, joint heir with Christ-Roman 8:17, needs met by Jesus-Philippians 4:19, more than conquerors-Roman 8:37, an imitator of JesusEphesians 5:1 2) our purpose; careth for the things of the LORD-1 Corinthians 7:32, dwelling in fullness of the GOD head...complete in him-Colossians 2:9-10 and 3) how to live in our single state; we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body...2 Corinthians 5:8 with understandingProverb 4:7 and full of joy 1 Peter 4:13.

We have replaced the old man’s way with the new man’s way 2 Corinthians 5:17!

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Satisfied, in God, Living Expectation-Singlewww.visionschristianmagazine.com .

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poetry Christian Friendships Friendships are based On love and trust And Christian values Are a definite must.

God has promised To be there for you And Christian friends Feel the same way too.

Finding Christian friends Has a certain perk Sharing the Word of God Can make a friendship work.

Having Christ in common Is a good place to start Then you grow with time And test each other’s heart.

God brings friends together And he wishes you the very best Remember your Christian values Your friendship will be blessed.

Joe Floyd

An Invitation I’m going to be in church on Sunday I thought maybe you’d like to come along I’m sure that you would enjoy the service Praising the Lord in word and song.

Just think how hard you worked this week Under pressure that stressed your mind Come with me and relieve the tension Leaving the grief and troubles behind.

The time you spend with God in church Could be a chance to open your eyes You’ll hear the reading of the Holy Word The Word is truth you’ll hear no lies.

You’ll learn the teachings of Jesus Christ And the meaning of the life he gave You’ll know why all your sins are forgiven Your life is one he was sent to save.

At times I’ve seen your painful tears You appeared to be looking for help Come and see what worked for me Because I know just how you felt.

If you should have a troubled heart And you’re living a life in despair Come and God’s love will set you free Come walk with me in prayer.

Joe Floyd

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Please, God—Not Aids As told to Loretta Parker Spivey

hen I found out that my son had AIDS, I screamed. You could hear me all over the neighborhood. My son was so compassionate. He just held me and said, “It’s gonna be OK, Mom.” He believed it would be OK because his will to live was incredible, and at that time he really did not believe that he was going to die.

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He lived 200 miles from me at the time, and I wanted him to move home to live with us, so that I could care for him properly. I had seen people live and die with AIDS, and I knew it would be a rough road. Ultimately we decided that it was best for him to stay where he was. That meant that every weekend I hit the highway to go see my baby. I say my baby because a mother’s child is always her baby, whether he is 3 years old or 33 years old, as my son, Jarred*, was.

We didn’t have the luxury of easing into the illness the way some families do. First, they hear the words HIV positive and that it could literally be years before the disease turns into full-blown AIDS. Jarred was sick, went to the hospital, was tested, and was diagnosed with AIDS. It all happened very fast.

One moment I had a typical mother’s concern that her son wasn’t feeling well, and within weeks I was visiting him at a residential-care facility for people with HIV/AIDS. I remember when I first heard that he was in the hospital with pneumonia. I was at work, and, I guess, way in the back of my mind I knew. I broke into a cold sweat and said, “Oh, my God, please don’t let my child be sick.” I recalled a beesting that didn’t properly heal and started putting some other things together in my head. “O Lord, please don’t let my child have AIDS.”. www.visionschristianmagazine.com

Not long after, I was screaming and crying uncontrollably—my son had AIDS. Looking back, I can see how the Lord was preparing me. He taught me compassion and acceptance. I remember, two years before Jarred was diagnosed, my friend calling me one night, tired and stressed, to tell me her son had AIDS. All she wanted to do was to get out of the house, but she couldn’t leave her son and she couldn’t take him with her, not because he was too sick, but because of people’s reactions. I invited her to our home. She hesitated because people reacted so negatively to him in social situations that she had really stopped taking him out because of the hurt that both would experience as a result of the fears and ignorance of people (Christian people, I might add).

She and her son came over and just enjoyed being out and accepted. I knew I couldn’t get AIDS from being kind, compassionate, and supportive. I was never fearful that I could get AIDS from casual contact.

That experience and similar ones helped me to develop a sense of compassion. And God helped me to love

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my son unconditionally. You see, he was a homosexual; he was openly gay. I knew that, and although I did not approve of his lifestyle, he was my child, and I loved him unconditionally. I say to parents that it is so important to love your children unconditionally.

Accepting salvation is a choice. We cannot choose salvation for our children; they must choose it for themselves, and no matter what their choice, we must love them. Maybe we can love them right into the arms of Christ.

We must love them in the good times and in the bad times. AIDS caused my son to lose a tremendous amount of weight and experience severe dementia, which is a broad term for a syndrome characterized by a general decline in higher brain functioning, such as reasoning, with a pattern of eventual decline in ability to perform even basic activities of daily living, such as toileting and eating. Dementia is also characterized by memory loss, wandering, and significantly decreased judgment.

At one point, his behavior became so erratic and troublesome that the residential facility where he lived said that they just couldn’t handle him and that we would have to place him elsewhere. I convinced them to let him stay. There was nowhere else for him to go.

I did attempt to keep him at home. It was very difficult.

My husband and I worked full-time jobs, and Jarred required much more care and attention than we were able to provide. At the residential facility he was loved, supported, and very well cared for.

Believe me, he had everything he needed and wanted.

I treated him as if every day might be his last. I never wanted him to want for anything. From flowers to socks to CD players to whatever he needed to make him more comfortable, I got it for him.

calm as I talked to my child about his impending death.

I told Jarred, “You don’t have to be afraid. God is so faithful. You have given your heart and life to Jesus.

You don’t have to be afraid. You will go to sleep, and when you wake up you will see the face of Jesus.”

We talked and prayed. Later he told me that he had indeed given his heart to Jesus and was looking forward to going to heaven. Three days after that, he slipped into a coma and died peacefully. People reminded me of what a blessing it was that he died peacefully, but I still couldn’t believe it.

I couldn’t believe that he was dead. Others were in disbelief as well. People who die of AIDS usually suffer a lot and ultimately die slowly and painfully. I took his death very hard. He was my son, and even though he was grown, it just isn’t natural for parents to outlive their children.

After his death I was a total wreck. I was so despondent that counselors called me to offer their services. I couldn’t concentrate on anything; I really couldn’t think—it just consumed me. Years later, not a day goes by that I don’t think about him. It has taken me almost until now to get to the point where I am not screaming and crying. I still miss him, but it’s different now.

Now my focus is on Christ and helping others. Now I can see that I am a better person because of that experience. I am much more compassionate. I understand more about unconditional love and the ministry of Jesus Christ. He was willing to reach out and touch the “untouchables.” I really learned how to pray and depend on God for physical and emotional strength. Throughout the whole ordeal I never once got sick. I was exhausted at times, but God kept me well enough to be there for my son. Most of all, I really want to go to heaven. I have a longing for it. I want to help as many people as I can, especially those impacted byAIDS. I want to live my life on this earth in such a way that I will be able see my Jesus and my son Jarred in heaven.

I was happy to meet his material needs whenever I could, but it was his emotional and spiritual needs that I was most interested in. One night he admitted that he was afraid: afraid of his future, and afraid to die. At *All names have been changed. that moment God gave me supernatural strength to be

LORETTA PARKER SPIVEY is the music and book review maven for Message Magazine. She is working on her second book, Eternity Interrupted, which addresses the grief associated with the death of a loved one. She writes from Windsor, Connecticut.

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CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES Battles Religious Bookstore

It’s God’s Choice Christian Bookstore

4315 Sheriff Road, N.E. Washington, DC 20019 (202) 398-2366

Walker Mill Square Shopping Center 1454 Addison Road South Capitol Heights, MD 20743 Phone: (301 499-5799 Fax: (301) 499-4558 www.geocities.com/gcchristianbooks e-mail: gcchristianbooks@yahoo.com

For His Glory 10582 Campus Way South Upper Marlboro, Maryland (301) 499-7979 Jesus Bookstore 4823 Allentown Road Camp Springs, Maryland 20746 (301) 735-1100 Potomac Adventist Book and Health Food Store 12004 Cherryhill Silver Spring, Maryland (301) 572-0700

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John 3:16 Christian Bookstore 7953 Annapolis Road Lanham, MD 20706 (301 459-5999 (301) 459-5699 FAX www.John316books.com e-mail: jhn031@aol.com Monday-Friday 10:00 A.M.- 7:00 P.M. Howard Univ. Giftshop Georgia Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C

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SPECIAL SECTION

by Vincent V allane Vallane

THE BLOOD COVENANT

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The Pt.1: Tracing the History of the erence to a black tar like substance that will seal wood.

So the scripture could read; And Noah did atone the Covenant hen you understand the covenant relationship, then you understand why Jesus came to this earth and the meaning of the scripture that tells us that He died that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. Through His death, the Lord Jesus brought about the New Covenant of His blood. That is what this is about. Most who go to church and even have been saved for some time have no idea what the blood covenant is all about or what Jesus accomplished for us at Calvary that we call the finished works of Calvary as captured by the words of Christ Himself when He exclaimed on the cross, “ It is finished.”

Let us begin with these verses: Psalm 25:14 “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.” Psalm 89:34 “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” What does the scripture mean by the word covenant? The first place the word covenant is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 6:18. “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons\’ wives with thee.” The first use of covenant has to do with God dealing with Noah and the saving of his family from the judgment that was to come upon the world.

The law of first reference says that whatever the meaning of a word or the way it is first used in the Bible, is the meaning of the word whenever it is used later in the Bible. Here the word covenant is used in reference to an Ark that would become the Ark of safety and deliverance for Noah and his family. Genesis 6:14 “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.” It says that the Ark was pitched within and without with a black pitch. In this verse there are two different Hebrew words used for pitch.

The first word for pitch means to cover and is a word for atone and is translated in different places as appease, make atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, to pitch, purge, make reconciliation. The last word for pitch in this verse is in ref-

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boat with pitch. So the Ark is a type of protection and atonement. Noah built a boat to the saving of his household, which is the covenant that God made with him.

So the theme of the covenant is about God protecting a people. God raising up a people, protecting that people and developing a personal relationship with those people.

The Hebrew word for covenant, ‘beriyth, ber-eeth’ is found 280 times in the Old Testament and means a compact (because it was made by passing between pieces of flesh: It is translated as confederacy, covenant, or league). Ex: When God made covenant with Abram in Genesis 15:9-10,17-18a. “And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not... And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram...” The root word means to eat and also to cut. So a covenant, in Old Testament times, involved the eating of a sacrificial meal and the cutting of the flesh of an animal and so also refers to the shedding of blood. The English word covenant is used 272 times in the Old Testament. The word ‘beriyth, ber-eeth’ is sometimes translated as ‘league’, which appears 19 times in the Old Testament, but some of those are translated from the Hebrew word chabar, khaw-bar\’ meaning to join or have fellowship with. The word covenant seems to come form an ancient Semitic word from the Middle East area where the Arab and Nomad people became blood brothers by cutting their wrists or palm of their hand, the blood of which ran into a cup and then it was mixed with wine and drank, signifying they were blood brothers by covenant. This introduced people into a tribe and also to the protection of the god that clan or tribe was under. This idea of blood being related to covenant is found throughout the world in various world religions. Dr. Livingston was in Africa and a man named Stanley went on a Singles Edition 2004

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search to find him. Stanley wanted to know how to get into Africa and travel and be protected. He was told that he had to cut the covenant with a chieftain.

He did. The chieftain had a man representing him and Stanley had a man representing him. They cut a slit in their wrist and drink from the cup their blood was caught in. Then they put gunpowder over the wound so that it would heal and then they had to exchange gifts. Now Stanley had ulcers so he carried a goat with him to drink the milk. The chief wanted the goat and Stanley was hesitant to do it and then he was told that if he didn’t give up the goat the chief might kill him because they had made covenant and what was his now belonged to the chief. So, he gave his goat to the chief and asked what he would get in return. The Chief gave him a big stick with copper on top of it. Stanley thought that he just gave up his goat for some dumb

when He was buried. Then that body rose from the dead and has no blood according to scripture. I believe it is as it was in that respect. Also, because a man of God was taken to heaven said when he fell at his feet the first thing he saw was the holes left by the nails and it impressed upon him the great price that He paid for our salvation. But in the ancient time they cut the wrist or palm of the hand to cut covenant. Isaiah 62:8 “The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured.” Many times in the covenant, they would make an oath by raising their right arm. It was a sign of oath or covenant. This oath was the sealing of the covenant. This has carried over even to our court systems today, in raising the right hand to make an oath

“...the theme of the Bible is God saving a people, delivering a people, protecting that people and eventually replacing it with the New Covenant to save all men of all races that would believe in Christ and the price He paid to make covenant stick. But what Stanley didn’t realize was that that stick represented the chief. So when Stanley’s man would hold this staff up when they went to different African tribes, they all honored Stanley and it opened the door to him because he had made covenant with one of the great chieftains in Africa. Also they spoke a blessing over a person for obeying the covenant and a curse if they disobeyed it, just as in the Old Testament.

Isaiah 49:16 “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” We know that through the crucifixion of Christ we enter into a covenant relationship with Him and Jesus bears the scars, the mark of the covenant in his hands. I believe that he does not bear physical scars, but literal holes in his hands and feet where the nails were driven and there are numerous reasons for this including the scripture in John 20:27 “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” Jesus blood ran from his body and so there was no clotting of blood and no closing of the wound VISIONS

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to speak the truth. Abraham did this in Genesis 15.

He raises his right hand and made an oath to the Lord.

So as the first use of covenant in the Bible was in relationship to Noah building an ark to save his household, the theme of the Bible is God saving a people, delivering a people, protecting that people and eventually replacing it with the New Covenant to save all men of all races that would believe in Christ and the price He paid to make covenant with all men who would receive it. Anytime the word ‘beriyth, ber-eeth’ is used it implies a cutting of some kind and the shedding of blood. Our Bible is made in two parts, the Old Testament or Old Covenant and New Testament or New Covenant.

The real covenant story began in Genesis. The Old Covenant was made by God with Abraham and carried till the death and resurrection of Jesus, which instituted the New Covenant of His blood. The word testament is an English word for a will, as we speak of a last will and testament concerning someone who has died. Hebrews tells us that a will or testament is not in www.visionschristianmagazine.com

force until the testator dies (Hebrews 9:17). It is a will with promises and provisions, that if we will obey we will be in covenant with God. Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant. This is the foundation to understand the covenant and that when you enter into a relationship with God, everything He has belongs to you and everything that you have now belongs to Him. You take His name and His nature and He removes your sins. I call it the Divine Exchange. What you have for what He has. What you are for what He is. It’s your life for His life, not the harlot version of Christianity today where God gives you everything with no strings attached and you owe Him nothing in return.

The first reference of the cutting of animal skins is not with Abraham or even Noah, but in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Even fell by sin. God then killed two animals and used the skins to cover Adam and Eve. Later it became the slaying of animals for Hebrews 9:22 says, without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin). All covenants have several features. First there are the terms of agreement. This is what I am expecting out of you and what I am expecting you to do. The terms of agreement in Genesis for the covenant was that all Jewish males born from Abraham onward were to be circumcised on the 8th day. The reason God picked the 8th day for circumcision was never understood until modern medical science showed that on the 8th day the baby has more of the blood clotting substance, (vitamin K), that an any other time in their life. That way the child healed much faster with less bleeding. Also it is interesting to note that the number 8 is used in the Bible to represent new beginnings.

The circumcision of the male child was a verification and testimony that you were in agreement with God and were in covenant with Him. That circumcision was the mark of the covenant. In the New Testament the agreement is by circumcision of the heart and our agreeing to obey Him. The mark of circumcision in the New Testament is that of a change of heart and agreeing with the Word of God by repentance of sin. Secondly, in all covenants there was the swearing of an oath and sealing of the blood. In the Old Testament it was done through animal sacrifices and in the New Testament through the blood of Jesus that was www.visionschristianmagazine.com

shed for all men at Calvary. In the Old Testament, men brought a bull or goat or ram to offer on the altar as a sign of repentance of sin. Christ paid the price for our entering into covenant with God and we merely accept His sacrifice by faith and the covenant is sealed with His blood instead of the blood of animals.

In all covenants there are the blessing of keeping covenant and the curse for breaking covenant. That is spelled out in Deuteronomy chapters 27 & 28. There was the blessing of the law for keeping it and the curse of the law for disobeying the terms of the covenant. In the New Testament we have been redeemed from the curse of the law, Christ being made a curse for us. But that doesn’t mean that there is not a qualification and demand for our obedience. We are redeemed from the curse of sin and the punishment for that sin when we repent of sin. But God still requires obedience to the repentant sinner, which brings God’s blessings upon that life. If we disobey we are chastised or punished

by God for disobedience. If we walk in obedience to the Lord, then we have the promises of the covenant.

As, John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Yet the requirement and condition is given in verse 15, that we keep his commandments. So all covenants have an agreement, a sealing of blood or an oath and a blessing and curse. That is the same whether in the Old or New Testament.

The first reference of the word covenant is Genesis 6:18 when God made a covenant with Noah and his family that if they would build an Ark, He would spare them and then through them repopulated the earth. “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons\’ wives with thee.” Genesis 9:15 was another covenant God made with Noah as representing all mankind, that He would never again destroy the earth with water and the sign of the covenant was the rainbow. “And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.” We see a half circle; half rainbow on earth and the other part of it is round about the throne in heaven (Revelation 4:3). “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in Singles Edition 2004

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sight like unto an emerald.” If you put the two together they would form a complete circle, as there is a circle in circumcision. God put half the bow on earth and half of the bow in heaven. It doesn’t matter that there is a scientific explanation that it is caused by the bending of light rays by the water in the air. There had never been a rainbow or rain prior to this time. So here God made a change in nature and science and caused this to be so that we have a visible sign and reminder of his promise and covenant with man.

Then God made a covenant with Abraham to make a great nation of him. Genesis 17:1-2, 5-6. “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly... Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.” So God promised to make Abraham great, his name great and his seed great. In Noah’s covenant the sign of the covenant was the rainbow (Genesis 9:13). “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.”

For Abraham, the sign or token of the covenant was circumcision (Genesis 17:11-12). “And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.” God was so serious of this that he said if the child was not circumcised on the 8th day, then the soul of that child would be cut off from among the people.

In Exodus, Moses was told to go down to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let His people go and Moses took his wife and two sons and their came the time where God sought to kill Moses and his two sons. Moses then did something that upset his wife greatly. He immediately had her circumcise his two sons, which had not been circumcised and she called him a bloody man.

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the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.”

God would not let Moses go gown to Egypt without putting his sons under the covenant. When Joshua was about to lead the children of Israel into the promised land, there were a lot of men born in the wilderness that were not circumcised and Joshua had them all circumcised and then they had to wait to recover before beginning the trip. In each case, God demanded that all males be circumcised before they entered into battle because He could not protect them and fulfill the promises of his covenant if they were uncircumcised going into battle. Because circumcision was a demand or condition and sign of the covenant with God, it became so important to the Jewish people that in the day of the early church many thought that without circumcision one couldn’t become a Christian and be a follower of Jesus. They believed this so strongly because their law said the soul that was not circumcised would be cut off from among the people.

When a Jewish man would go into his wife to have a child, the seed of sperm has to pass through the mark of the covenant before entering the woman’s body. It meant that the seed was marked for the covenant and that is why the male circumcision was so important in the time of the Bible as a mark and sign of their covenant with God. Remember the story of Mr. Stanley. In marriage, the covenant is the same. Whatever is your wife’s becomes yours and what is yours becomes hers. That which you own or that which you owe become common ownership and responsibility in the marriage covenant. All covenants have that exchange of possession and responsibility. Again, showing the power of the covenant. When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham’s nephew Lot was living in the city. So, God first went to Abraham with his plan to destroy the city and would not destroy the city without first telling Abraham because of their covenant and Abraham could negotiate with God because he had family relatives in the city. In Genesis 22:1-2 God www.visionschristianmagazine.com

asked Abraham to go offer his son upon an altar. “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Abraham didn’t answer and say, but if I offer my son and he dies, how will your word to me then be fulfilled? Abraham understood the covenant he had and that if God wanted something from him, then he was obligated to give it to God, but also, if he needed something from God, then God would give it to him.

This is the real understanding of the covenant that we have missed and lost today. We have this concept of God, at least as I grew up in the A/G, where He could make demands of us, but we are not allowed to make

on from Abraham to Isaac, then to Jacob. Then in the time of Moses the Hebrew people are in Egypt. They have become slaves and are building these treasure cities for Pharaoh. Exodus 2:24 “And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” As the people cried out to Him, He remembered His covenant with them. It doesn’t mean that He had forgotten His covenant with the people, but when they began to cry out, then His covenant came in remembrance to Him, that He had promised Abraham that after 400 years He would bring them out of Egypt (Genesis 15:1314). “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out

“Psalm 89:34 “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”

demands of Him. He is God and we are but servants and that is true. But that is not the covenant relationship we have been given through the blood of Jesus, if we truly enter into that covenant with Him. If we are walking in the covenant and being obedient of God’s demands of us, then if we have need of anything, we have a right to ask it and He said He will do it. If I am in true covenant with God, if I believe it and walk in it, then all I have belongs to Him and all He has belongs to me. That is where the promise of Philippians 4:19 comes in. “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” It isn’t good for anyone who claims to be a Christian, but those who walk in the covenant. My need becomes His, but only when His needs become mine. When He needs me to witness to someone, I do it. When he needs me to help someone, give to someone, whatever He asks me to do that I do it. As we obey Him and do what He asks of us, then we walk in covenant and the blessing and favor of God will come to us.

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with great substance.” And God did all He promised Abraham He would do. Then they got into the wilderness and started worshipping this cow and the Lord told Moses that He would kill them and start over with Moses and rise up a new nation from him (Exodus 32:7-14). As Abraham understood that as He was required to give God anything He asked for, the Lord was also required to meet His needs and grant His requests, Moses understood that God will become angry with His people for their disobedience, but God is still faithful to His covenant if He is reminded of it and will never break it and He will be faithful in taking care of His people.

Again and again in the Old Testament we see the prophets prayed in the name of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That was to remind God that they were of the seed of Abraham, whom God had made covenant with.

In Luke we were told the woman with a spirit of infirmity was a daughter of Abraham meaning that she came under God’s covenant (Luke 13:16). So when Moses said remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Exodus Singles Edition 2004

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32:13, he was praying a covenant prayer to remind God of His covenant with His people. “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”

In the time of King David, God made a covenant with Him for a throne and a king to rule from Jerusalem. Abraham had a covenant concerning the land of Israel. Moses had a covenant concerning the nation of Israel and David had a covenant concerning the city of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. The covenant with David had to do with his being kind and his descendants ruling from Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 7:12-14 “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” Psalm 89:4 “Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.” Also Psalm 132:11-12.

King Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin was the first kind of Israel, then God raised up David out of the prophetic tribe of Judah. David ruled for 40 years and gave the throne to Solomon who ruled for 40 years, who passed the throne to Rehoboam. Rehoboam made some foolish decisions, which were from the Lord, so that He could split the kingdom between the North and South. From that time, David had a descendent that sat upon the throne in Israel, though only over one tribe. David had been a man after God’s own heart, but he made a serious error in the matter of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. The prophet Nathan then came to David and he was told his judgment in 2 Samuel 12:9-11.

“Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take VISIONS

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thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.” David had a son named Adonijah, a son named Amnon, and a son named Absolom. The first son of Bathsheba died because of his sin and then the second was Solomon. But because this sword did not depart from David’s house, he outlived four of his sons.

But we can still see the power of the covenant with David, whom God made a covenant with concerning his throne. 1 Kings 15:4 “Nevertheless for David\’s sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem.” 86 years after David died. So even though this descendant of David didn’t do what was right, God left him in power in Jerusalem to fulfill his covenant with David. This also is stated concerning several other descendants of David. 2 Kings 8:18-19 “And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant\’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.” Jehoram came to power 156 years after David. 2 Kings 8:16 “And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.” Ahab’s wife was Jezebel, one of the most wicked women in the Bible and it was her daughter that was married to Jehoram. They were wicked and didn’t do what was right in God’s sight, but God didn’t do remove him because of His promise and covenant He made with David.

Psalm 89:34 “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” Isaiah 45:23a “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return.” When God says something, it is settled and He will fulfill it.

When God swears by Himself He is saying I guarantee that I will keep my word and if I break my word, I will destroy my throne in the heavens. That is the power of God’s Word. That is why we were given Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that www.visionschristianmagazine.com

goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” Jeremiah 1:12 “For I will hasten my word to perform it.”

And so God allowed these wicked men to reign on the throne because of His promise and covenant to David, which He would not break. In 2 Kings 20 king Hezekiah, 313 years after David had died, needs a miracle of healing, the Assyrians are invading the city.

2 Kings 20:5-6 “Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David\’s sake.” This is the third example that specifically names David and God’s faithfulness of His promise. God was still remembering David, 313 years after his death. That was the power of the covenant and word of God and why His covenant is unchangeable. Psalm 119:89 “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” Psalm 105:8 “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.” In his anger, God could have gotten rid of those wicked kings. He didn’t justify their sins but said the only reason you have not been removed from the throne is that I am remembering your father David and the covenant I have made with him.

Remember that in the first context and use of the word covenant in scripture, it had to do with Noah and his building an ark. It was God telling Noah that He would save Noah and his family if he would be obedient and build the ark. God’s will is to save. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. His will is to save you and your house. We do our best to train up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, yet many of them leave the Lord and walk out in sin and rebellion. This is where, if we are walking in covenant, we can stand for them, that God would save them. www.visionschristianmagazine.com

Many sitting in church have come to Jesus to be their savior, but they have not made Him Lord in your life.

They have come to Him for fire insurance and that is the extent of their understanding. When you make Him Lord, it means that you belong to Him, that He is your owner and He is the Lord over your life. Then you don’t make decisions without consulting Him; you don’t do things contrary to the Word of God. You walk in covenant with Him. Then God works on your behalf in ways He cannot in the lives of those who do not have a covenant with Him. There are others, who do more than just believe God for salvation and actually do things ‘for’ God. Matthew 7:21-23 “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The Greek word for knew, means to have an intimate relationship with. God wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him. To understand that is to understand the covenant that He wants to make and has provided to make with us through His blood. The theme of scripture in relationship to covenant is that God wants to save you and your family.

In the time of Abraham, God birthed the nation through Isaac and then Jacob who became Israel and his sons became the nation of Israel, God’s covenant people. Then through His covenant people, God revealed His prophets, His covenant and raised up a people through which the Messiah would come into the world and bring redemption through the New Covenant of His blood. The Old Testament predicted that God would write His word upon their hearts and establish a New Covenant with His people and this He did through Christ.

In Hebrew, the word for covenant means to cut and implies a cutting of flesh. In the Old Testament it was the slaying of animals. The whole understanding of the covenant is tied to understanding the role of blood, for there can be no covenant without the shedding of blood. World religions have some form of offering of blood. Even Satanism uses blood in sacriSingles Edition 2004

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fices, sometimes animal and sometimes-human blood because they believe that in sacrificing blood there is power.

Most alleged haunted houses have demons connected to them. Though men believe that the souls of people haunt them, we know that is not true, for the souls of men who have died do not remain on the surface of the earth to roam about. But demons like to hang around areas where blood has been shed, whether through human sacrifices of false religions or from murder. They hang around areas where blood is shed.

We know that the life of the flesh is in the blood from Leviticus 17:11 and the word for life means soul. The soul of he flesh is in the blood. We know that when Cain killed Abel, scripture says that his blood began to cry out from the ground. So, blood has some kind of voice.

The spirit world is given a certain amount of authority or it can be restrained through blood. This works in both kingdoms, that of God and that of darkness. You might ask, ‘what do you mean by that?’ In Exodus 12 at the time of the Passover, when the blood of the lamb was placed on the doorposts of the Hebrew, the death angel was restrained and unable to enter into the Hebrews house. Blood can restrain the enemy. In Revelation 12:11 it tells us the same things, that we can overcome Satan by the blood of the lamb.

So blood affects the spirit realm. In the Old Testament they could lay an animal on an alter and shed the blood of that animal and that blood didn’t bring forgiveness, but atoned for their sins. It covered their sins.

But the blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins. The blood of Jesus justifies us. So we see that many times in false religions they use blood. It is a coping of what God intended for His people to understand in relationship to the covenant of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. False religions, witchcraft, Satanism always use some form of blood because they believe that blood has power to it and they gain power by shedding blood.

In the Old Testament it was always the blood of animals that was sacrificed. The blood of a bull, goat, ram, lamb or even a turtle dove. When we come to the New Covenant and understand the mystery of the blood of Jesus Christ, we understand the New Covenant was ratified and sealed by the blood of Jesus.

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However in some religions as Muslims, there is no concept of sin or of the shedding of blood. Now when God created Adam, He breathed into Adam. Scripture says that when Jesus breathed the breath of life into the dirt that became Adam, he became a living soul. Scripture tells us that the life of the flesh is in the blood. The soul is in the blood. The name Adam means God’s blood and Adam was the created son of God. Jesus was called the second Adam, because He was the second man Adam to come into the world with the pure blood of God. We know that Jesus having not an earthly father and that the blood comes from the father, received his blood from God the Holy Spirit who impregnated Mary with the seed of God. And we know that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. When Adam sinned, something happened to his blood and he died. Had he not sinned, he would have lived forever. Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” So, through Adam’s sin and death, that sinful nature and death was passed on to all. That seed of Adam, now a fallen seed, was and is still passed on from father to son or daughter. This is the very reason and purpose for the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. That He might not be of the fallen seed and corrupted blood of Adam, but the second Adam, having the pure blood of God. God dropped the seed of the Word of God into Mary. That seed is a life force. As man has a seed, the Word of God is called seed and they both come from the same Greek word. The seed of God’s Word has a life force within itself and is able to reproduce life. And we are born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God. 1Peter 1:23 “Born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” When God dropped His seed into the virgin Mary, she conceived not only in the physical part of her body, but blood began to form in the body of Jesus. We also know that the blood type comes from the father’s seed and not the mother and so the blood that was in Jesus, as the blood that was in Adam, was pure blood that came from the father in heaven. I think the blood of Adam and Jesus were the same. They both were pure and originated from God. Why in the crucifixion, did www.visionschristianmagazine.com

the blood of Jesus have to come out of His body? His blood was unique in that Jesus knew no sin for He was sinless and His blood pure. But He that knew no sin; took our sins upon Himself, that we who are sinners, might become the righteousness of God, through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Next we will look into mystery of the blood, the mystery of the marks on the body of Christ and the New Covenant that we might understand our relationship to Jesus and our covenant to Him. Part 2 - The Mystery of the Blood Covenant The blood of Jesus was unique and incorruptible because it came from God and Jesus was sinless. Also we must consider the question that some have asked, “If Jesus truly was the Son of God, then why would God want to crucify His own son?” the only reason for the crucifixion has to do with blood and the shedding of blood for atonement according to Hebrew 9:22. So the blood of Jesus had to be shed and flow from His body for Him to be the final Passover sacrifice. The blood of all the animals being sacrificed at the temple had to flood out of the animal for the sacrifice to be proper and effective. Also, we must understand that his hands, feet and side carry the marks of the cross. The nail prints from his hands and feet, literally left holes, not just scars, and also their is hole left by the spear in his side. John 20:27 “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.” So Jesus is a marked man, marked for all eternity. One man whose testimony I have heard that was taken to heaven stated that he could see light through the holes in the feet of Jesus when he fell down before Him. Large holes left by hugh nails. Adam was a marked man in that God took a rib from his side to make a wife for him.

Abraham and his descendants were marked in their flesh by circumcision. This is one of the ways that the Jewish people will recognize Jesus when He returns, by the marks of the crucifixion that He carries. That is why none will be able to say that He wasn’t crucified for our sins. www.visionschristianmagazine.com

We know that when the animal sacrifices were brought to the temple and the blood was shed, sins were covered. Now lets talk about the New Covenant through the blood of Jesus. First, Jesus was born of the virgin Mary to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14.

Why? So, that the blood in His body would be pure and sinless in nature. At age 12 he was confounding the scribes and doctors of the law, so He obviously spent time learning the scriptures and had great wisdom even at that early age. But at age 30, the age that a man was allowed to enter into the priesthood, Jesus went into public ministry. Jesus was introduced by his cousin John the Baptist at the Jordan River as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the Word.”

So, Jesus is introduced as the Lamb. When you talk about a lamb in Jewish thinking, you are talking about Passover. That was the time when all the lambs were offered and sacrificed. He is introduced as the Lamb of God and as the one who would take away the sins of the world.

Several things happened at the time of Jesus suffering and crucifixion. The first thing that happens according to Matthew is what is called the Last Supper between Jesus and His disciples. They have the Passover Meal that He would share with His disciples. In the Jewish Passover, there are four cups used in the Passover Meal. The third cup is called the cup of redemption. Apparently, this is the cup Jesus is lifting when He makes the statement of Matthew 26:27-29.

“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father\’s kingdom.” What He is referring to when He speaks of drinking of this cup with His disciples in His Father’s kingdom is most likely what is known as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb which is a tremendous time of celebration and worship while partaking of this great feast in heaven.

Revelation 19:7-9. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness Singles Edition 2004

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of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb...” The fourth cup used in the Passover Meal is called the cup of rejoicing, which is the wedding cup.

That is the particular cup Jesus was probably referring to partaking of with His bride in Heaven. We are told that as oft as we drink of this cup of the Communion of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, we do so in remembrance of Him and His death for us until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:25-26). After that moment was sealed with the drinking of the cup - which also is pictured in the Jewish wedding, for after the man is engaged and he sits down, they drink from a cup together showing that they are engaged. So that cup is more than a cup of redemption, but also when we drink from it, we are showing our fellowship with Him and that we are espoused to Him.

considered the bride of Christ on earth. At the marriage supper of the Lamb, we are His bride. Ekklesia means called out ones and the 30 pieces of silver represents our being purchased back to God even though it was the blood of Christ that paid the price we have here in figure or type. Judas, realizing what he had done, took the money back to the temple but the Priests couldn’t put it back into the treasury so they bought a field called the potters field were strangers were to be buried (Matthew 27:3-5) which was a fulfillment of Jeremiah chapter 18 & 19 and Zechariah chapter 11.

Now, when Jesus partook of this meal and drink with His disciples, it was like the sealing of an engagement. It says, and then they sang a hymn (Matthew 26:30). During Passover season, the Jews sing songs called the Hallel songs, which are the Psalms which

“When the load of the sins of the world were put upon Jesus, it was such a great load and heaven burden put upon Him with such agony that He was close to death.”

John 6:53-56 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.” He was talking about this supper. When Abraham met Melchizadek, who was the first king and priest of the Most High God, king of Salem, which later became Jerusalem, he offered the wine and the bread to Abraham. So it was a type of the Passover Supper and the Communion Supper that was to come.

Second: Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, Matthew 26:14-15. Why did Judas pick 30 pieces of silver? Yes it was a fulfillment of prophecy of Zechariah 11:12. More than that, a female slave could be redeemed back to the owner for 30 pieces of silver. The word church comes from the Greek ekklesia, ek-klay-see\’-ah, which is a feminine word. We are VISIONS

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begin with “Praise Ye the Lord.” Praise Ye the Lord is Hallelujah. One of the Psalms that would be sung at Passover is the Psalm that says, “This is the day that the Lord hath made, I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Imagine Jesus getting ready to suffer and be whipped by the Romans, getting ready to be crucified and die for man and He is singing with His disciples, “This is the Day that the Lord hath made.”

That is amazing. All the patterns of what the Jews did at the Passover fit into the crucifixion story of the Lord Jesus Christ. Following this they go out in Matthew 26:36-39 to a place Jesus went often for prayer, the Garden of Gethsemane. There is a lot of tradition about the Garden of Gethsemane, which is located at the base of the Mount of Olives and is on the edge of the deep Kidron Valley that is in front of the Eastern Gate on the East side of the wall of Jerusalem. They are in this Garden praying, which is full of Olive Trees and then He goes into what is called agony, where His sweat becomes as great drops of blood. Here something interesting happens. In John 14:30, Jesus had www.visionschristianmagazine.com

said; “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

Hebrews 5:5-7 (Vs.7) “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.” Jesus had prayed for the Father to save Him from death and it says He was heard. Yet we know that He came to die on the cross and so this is not the death this must be referring too, but from a premature death, before He could get to the cross. Here in the Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world, as when the priest laid his hands upon the goat sacrifice and transferred the sins of the people to the goat and then send it off into the wilderness, and in such agony that He was nigh unto death.

When the load of the sins of the world were put upon Jesus, it was such a great load and heaven burden put upon Him with such agony that He was close to death.

The angel of the Lord came to strengthen Him so that He could endure unto the cross. Here in the Garden, as Jesus prayed three times, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Mathew 26:39). Jesus prayed this prayer three times over a period of three hours. He was in a period of heavy intercession. Also it is interesting and significant to note that Jesus was in a Garden of trees when He took upon Himself the sins of the world because the first man Adam was in the Garden of Eden among the trees of the Garden when the serpent came and caused them to sin and the fall of man took place. The first man Adam experienced sin in the Garden and the last man Adam, Christ experiences the sins of the world being placed upon Him in a garden. I personally believe they were in the same geographical area. Also it is significant that their were olive trees. To get the oil from the olive they are put under great pressure and crushed and Jesus was being crushed under the weight of the sins of man.

After this prayer meeting in which the disciples all went to sleep, a band of Roman soldiers come into the Garden, led by Judas to capture Jesus. Why was there a band of Roman soldiers, hundreds of men coming to take one man? Some who have researched this say that it was about 600 men. In John 18, they come www.visionschristianmagazine.com

into the Garden and Jesus asked them who they were looking for (John 18:4). In Verse 5 they said, Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus replied, “I Am He.” At that point we are told in verse 6, they fell backward to the ground.

It must be noted that the ‘He’ is in italics, meaning that it is not in the direct translation in the original. The italics are words added by the translators to give what they thought was the proper meaning to the words, but the literal translation is, “I AM”. It was used here in the same way as in the Septuagint where God said in Exodus 3:14, “I AM THAT I AM.” Jesus didn’t say, “I am he” but “I AM” and at that proclamation the entire band of Roman soldiers fell over backward.

He just showed to them all that they didn’t have the power to take Him captive, much less to take His life, but that He was going to lay down His life. Remember what Jesus told Peter after he tried to start fighting to keep Jesus from being taken by using his sword against the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Matthew 26:53-54 “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” He could stop them from taking Him, He had the power, but He chose to lay down his life. A legion was 6000, so this is 72000 angels. But Jesus said, “I have the power to lay down my life and I have the power to take it up again” (John 10:18). When they all fell over backward, it was a sign to them of His power and that He truly did have power over them as He would tell Pilate that He could have no power over Him if it were not given to Him of the Heavenly Father (John 19:11).

The other part is to understand that before Christ goes to the crucifixion He goes to what is called the whipping post. Most churches don’t talk about this today but it is most likely because they don’t believe that healing is for today, it happened back in the Old Testament and in the New Testament times, but stopped with the Apostles. They say the gifts of the Holy Spirit were just for the starting of the church and getting it established in the beginning.

Jesus went to a post only a couple feet high that protruded out of the ground, to which they tied the hands of the person being whipped to a ring. They Singles Edition 2004

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stretched the person out and took a cat of nine tails, which was a short handled whip with leather, sometimes having bits of glass or bone or shrapnel on the end of the tails of the whip. Then they beat Him 39 times with it, leaving 39x9 or 351 stripes upon the body of Jesus. Isaiah 53:5 says; “with his stripes we are healed” and 1 Peter 2:24 says; “by whose stripes ye were healed.” Those verses refer to this beating at the whipping post that Jesus suffered for us. In the Old Covenant, God made a covenant with Israel and said; “I am the LORD that healeth thee” or Yehovah, yeh-ho-vaw\’ rapha\’, raw-faw\’ (Exodus 15:26). This was demonstrated when God told Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole and those who looked upon it lived (Numbers 21:9). John 3:14 “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” You might ask, why didn’t Moses put a lamb on the pole because Jesus was called the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. A serpent represents sin or Satan and here Jesus is being put into an analogy or representation of a serpent. When Jesus was hanging on the cross He was carrying the sins of the people and dying for their sins. He had taken our sins upon Himself and so that is a picture of the price for our sins being paid by Christ who had taken our sin and became sin and the sin sacrifice for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Nevertheless, healing was a part of the Old Testament covenant and yet today many don’t want to believe that God can or still heals His people. And men who pray for the sick and see them healed are not the healers. They may have the gift of healing given by the Holy Spirit, a gift of faith or working of miracles, but it has nothing to do with them. God has a covenant of healing and even had a covenant name that revealed Him as the healer of His people. What about Mark 16:18? “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Healing is a part of the covenant. Many don’t preach and teach it because it takes prayer and faith to believe God and it is a lot easier for them to explain it away than to explain why they pray for people and they don’t get healed after telling them that it is a covenant promise of the New Covenant. I have been healed many times in my life, instantly, but VISIONS

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there also have been times when I had to go through the normal process of natural healing that is built within the body’s immune system. Matthew 8:17 “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Our sicknesses were dealt with at the whipping post and our sins were dealt with at the cross.

The timing of the crucifixion was set at the time of the Passover, when the lambs were offered as sacrifices for their sins. At the time of Jesus death, He was on the cross from 9am until 3pm and scriptures tells us that the lambs were killed in the evening time between 3pm and 6pm. Josephus tells us that most were slaughtered between 3pm and 5pm. It is at the time of the evening sacrifice when Jesus died for our sins. When the priest finished the last sacrifice, he held up his hands and said, “It is finished.” And Jesus, with his hands outstretched on the cross, cried, “It is finished.” Jesus shed blood seven times on seven different parts of His body, fulfilling the type and shadow of the red heifer in Numbers chapter 19. The priest caught the blood of the Red Heifer and sprinkled it 7 times toward the door of the tabernacle. Jesus blood was shed and spilt on his right foot, his left foot, his right hand, his left hand, his side by the Roman spear, his forehead by the crown of thorns, on his back by the cat of 9 tails.

The number of 7 is also the number of completion and the priests sprinkling of the blood 7 times spoke of a perfect sacrifice and access to the Father through the shed blood.

Jesus died at 3pm in the afternoon, scripture saying that He gave up the ghost, voluntarily, and then he went and preached to the captive spirits in prison in Abraham’s bosom. Ephesians 4:9 “Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” Jesus spirit did not go into heaven, but into the place where all the spirits of the just men of the Old Testament were awaiting the death of their Messiah, spoke of in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, that some wrongly call a parable. Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale\’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Jesus went to Paradise, Abraham’s bosom, a place in the heart of the earth. Then after He www.visionschristianmagazine.com

arose from the dead, Jesus took all those to heaven with him where now all the dead saints of the Old and New Testament await the return of Jesus and the resurrection. Before that, scripture tells us that many of the Old Testament saints rose from the dead when Jesus was raised from the dead and they walked the streets of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:52-53).

Yet the New Covenant was not complete with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Hebrews tells us that Jesus entered into the Holy Place not made with hands, in Heaven, and by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:11-12). Sin did not originate in the Garden of Eden with Adam, but originated in Heaven with Lucifer, the anointed Cherub who became Satan after trying to overthrow God (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 27 & 28). So the Heavenly temple was corrupted with sin and the Word of God tells us

Paradise, the Old Testament saints could literally look into hell. But now we go to Paradise in the third heaven.

Now, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we don’t have to go to a high priest, or wait to the Day of Atonement once a year to offer a lamb for our sins, but can receive remission of our sins by confession and repentance of our sins (1 John 1:9). “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The whole process of Moses building the Ark of the Covenant and all the other vessels of the tabernacle ministry were that men might be able to approach God and enable God to remit the sins of the people, once a year on Yom Kippur. With the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, all men, all over the world, can go not through a man or a priest or a confessional, but personally, directly to the Lord Jesus

“When you enter into covenant with God, you become a marked person for God.”

that it was necessary that the things in heaven had to be purified, but not with the blood of animals, but a better sacrifice, that of the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9:21-24). Somewhere from the time that Jesus met Mary at the tomb and told her “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father:” (John 20:17) and when he later met the disciples behind locked doors, He went into Heaven to obtain eternal redemption for us and also with His blood sprinkle the heavenly altar and all the heavenly pieces of furniture. Once a year on the Day of Atonement, all the vessels of the tabernacle were sprinkled with blood. It was a part of the atoning process that they had to go through to guarantee that the covenant with God to cover their sins would be renewed for another year. But Jesus, once and for all, by going into the heavenly temple with His own blood, bought our eternal redemption. Now, all who are redeemed and die, no longer go down into the lower parts of the earth, to that place where Jesus told the repentant thief he would see him, in Paradise, but into Heaven itself to await the resurrection. From www.visionschristianmagazine.com

Christ and confess that they are a sinner and in need His forgiveness, cleansing and salvation and they can know that they are redeemed and that is the beginning of a covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who is the mediator or a better covenant established on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). The Old Covenant had one High priest; the New Covenant has one high priest. The Old Covenant had a priesthood and the New Covenant has a priesthood, because we who believe are called a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9).

The Old Covenant was an Aaronic priesthood through Aaron and the New Covenant is a Melchizedek priesthood, because Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. Jesus is our High Priest but also the King of Kings and we are a kingdom of priests unto our God (Revelation 1:6, 5:10; 17:14, 19:16). Once a year the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies, Christ entered once and for all under the New Covenant.

Under the Old Covenant the sins were remitted or covered for the nation of Israel, under the New Covenant the sins of the world are forgiven, for all who Singles Edition 2004

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come before God in repentance. In the Old Covenant the mark of the covenant was the circumcision of the flesh; in the New Covenant the mark is the circumcision of the heart. In the Old Covenant there was a covenant of healing, in the New Covenant there is also a covenant of healing. No wonder the Bible tells us that we have a better covenant established upon better promises. Therefore, when you repent of your sins and ask the Lord Jesus to come into your life as Lord and Savior, and you need to ask Him to become both to you, not just savior of your sins, you then will enter into a covenant relationship in which He becomes your Lord and all the He has becomes yours and all that you have becomes His. He will write your name in the Lamb’s book of life, He will give you eternal life, He will give you access to Heaven and take you to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Heaven, He will reward you for your faithfulness and obedience to Him and in return you give Him your life. You give Him your body, your mind and your spirit. You love Him with all you are, body, soul and spirit. You confess that you are not your own, but you are bought with a price and all you have now belongs to Him (1 Corinthians 6:20). Then God will begin to lead you, guide you, direct your life and show you how to live.

The more you learn about the promises of God and the New Testament, the more you will understand what a great covenant keeping God He is.

When you enter into covenant with God, you become a marked person for God. Just like a marriage is based upon conditions or expectations or basic understanding of each others rolls, likewise there are conditions of our walking in covenant relationship with Christ. We have to abide in Him; He has to abide in us. We have to obey Him and do what He tells us. We have to pray in His name. There are certain things we do that cause this covenant to be operative and in force and work in our life on a daily basis and not just something on a piece of paper we call the Bible. With this in mind, when you enter this covenant relationship, you become marked in the covenant. Covenant people are supernaturally blessed and promised supernatural power. Covenant people are promised supernatural protection. Covenant people are promised supernatural provision.

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Covenant people are supernaturally blessed. When Jacob left home, he went to Syria with nothing, worked 20 years for Laban, got his wages changed 10 times, but after 20 years when he came out, he had such great possessions that when he met Esau, he offered some of what he had to Esau who didn’t want to take it, because he had more than enough. Jacob went into Egypt as a slave and ends up second in command in Egypt and is so blessed that he brought all the goal and silver into Egypt in the time of famine and his family were given the best land of Egypt. Daniel goes into captivity as a 17-year-old lad and ends up as third in command. Those who walked in covenant with God were supernaturally blessed. Many times a boss or a business is blessed because of a believer there. It is no different that when the Ark of the Covenant was in the house of a man called Obededom. Everything he did and everything he touched was blessed.

Covenant people are also given supernatural power. Samson had supernatural power based on his Nazarite vow and covenant with God. The church is given supernatural power according to Acts 1:8 to do the works of God. Covenant people have supernatural protection. When king Abimelech tried to marry Sarah, God smote the women of his house and they were barren and God spoke to him in a dream to not touch Sarah or he would be a dead man. When they tried to throw the 3 Hebrew children into the fiery furnace, they didn’t burn. When they threw Daniel into the lion’s den, they didn’t eat him. The only time Israel lost a battle was when the broke covenant. They lost the first battle at AI, after the great victory at Jericho because Achan kept gold and silver and a Babylonian garment when God told them to keep nothing from the city, but destroy all. God said it would bring a curse upon them and it did when Achan broke the covenant God made with them. Another example was when they went to fight in battle in the time of the priests Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, who were both killed and the Ark of the Covenant was taken in battle in (1 Samuel 4) and Eli upon hearing the news, fell over backward and broke his neck. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy of 1 Samuel 2:34 when God told Eli his two sons would die in one day. Our protection of the covenant is based upon our abiding www.visionschristianmagazine.com

in Him and obeying Him. Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

When they tried to throw Jesus off a cliff in Nazareth they couldn’t do it, the Devil tried to drown Him in a boat, they tried to stone Jesus one day at the temple, but none worked because He walked in covenant with God and even though He came to die, his hour had not yet come. Everyone has an hour of testing and everyone has an hour to die and leave this world. But if you walk in covenant with God, Satan will not be able to do anything to you unless God permits him to do so as we see He did with Job. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have problems or trials because anytime you are dealing with people; you will have trouble and problems, delays, hindrance, attitudes. Ninety percent of your problems come through people who are not living right, who have the wrong attitudes, etc. But God has promised to guide, strengthen and protect His people. And though many are the affliction of the righteous, the Lord delivereth them out of them all (Psalm 34:19) if you are walking in covenant with Him. God has also promised a covenant of supernatural provision for those in covenant with Him. In Exodus 12:37 there were 600,000 men who came out of Egypt not counting women and children and many figure there were about 3 million souls who came out of Egypt. The first miracle was Psalm 105:37 “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” The reason for this was the eating of the Passover lamb where they entered into covenant with God and He healed them.

The second miracle was that of the crossing of the Red Sea. How long did it take Israel to cross the Red Sea? It took them a day and a night. How can 3 million people cross in that period of time? God said He made a path through the sea. You normally think of a path as wide enough for a couple people to walk. If they did that, the line would have been 800 miles long and would have taken 35 days, 24 hours a day to cross the Red Sea. According to calculation, the path that God made had to have been approximately 5 miles wide with people 5000 abreast in order for them to www.visionschristianmagazine.com

cross it in a day and a night. It’s amazing that God calls a 5-mile wide opening in a sea, a path. It’s like nothing to Him. Then the next miracle was the feeding of the multitude. It is estimated that feeding 3 million people would require 4000 tons of food per day. If bread was transported from Egypt to the desert in railroad cars every morning, it would have taken two freight trains each a mile long every morning loaded with bread just to feed the people. At today’s prices, this could cost up to 12 million dollars per day. Yet, God rained down angel’s food every morning except on the Sabbath. The people asked, “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” Yes, He can. The next great miracle was the need for water to drink, as well as for washing pots and pans, clothing and for bathing.

Enough water needed to provide for these 3 million people it would take a train of railroad tankers stretching from Virginia to California to provide the necessary water for the needs of this caravan. That’s not like we do things today in America where we use a couple thousand gallons of water per person per month. God knew exactly where the water was underground and brought them to the right spot in Numbers 20:11. Can God bring streams in the desert? Yes, God can. But that’s not all. We are talking about God making supernatural provision for His covenant people.

When the Hebrews desired meat instead of manna, God said, “Is the LORD\’S hand waxed short?”

(Numbers 11:23) and then He sent a wind that brought quail into the desert. They gathered day and night and the one with the least gathered 10 homers (Vs.32).

“And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.” The quail were about 2 feet deep. One homer is about ten bushels and 10 homers was about 105 bushels. That would amount to about 6,700 quails each. Numbers 11:20 said it was enough for them to eat every meal for a month. “But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?” Multiply that by 3 million people. God did say the quail would be Singles Edition 2004

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coming out their noses. He does have a since of humor, actually that was sarcasm to me. Can God provide meat in the desert? Yes, God can. Part of God’s covenant is one of supernatural provision.

When Israel came out of Egyptian bondage, they came out as ex-slaves. Scripture doesn’t tell us where they got them, but after they crossed the Red Sea, they fought Amalek with swords. Surely, Pharaoh didn’t give these slaves swords, especially when he planned to bring them back. If this is so, as most think, then the question is where did they get them? You don’t give slaves weapons so they can cause an uprising and fight. Josephus said “On the next day (the day after Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the Red Sea) Moses gathered together the weapons of the Egyptians which were brought to the camp of the Hebrews by the current of the sea and the force of the winds

obedient to the Lord, then it never fails. Whenever God tells you to do something, He will supernaturally provide for you so that you can do it, if necessary.

And many times, what God will ask His people to do is physically impossible for them to do without God’s supernatural provision.

3 John 2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” According to Malachi 3:16 there is a special book of remembrance in Heaven. Now we know there is a book of life in heaven and books that contain the deeds of all men because it says the books are opened and men are judged out of the books for what they have done (Revelation 20:12). But there is also a book of remembrance. Why is there a book of remembrance? In Acts 10, when Cornelius is praying, the angel tells him that his prayers and alms had come

“God’s covenant involves supernatural blessing, supernatural power, supernatural protection and supernatural provision.” resisting it.” He deducted that this happened by divine providence. “So that they might not be destitute of weapons. So when He ordered the Hebrews to arm themselves with them, He led them to Mount Sinai in order to offer sacrifice to God and to render oblation for the salvation of the multitude as he was charged to do so before Him.” In other words, when God sent Pharaoh’s army into the sea and drowned them, their weapons floated on the water and washed upon the banks on the Israeli side. In 2 Kings 6:6 God caused an axe head to float, so surely He can cause the Egyptian weapons to float. According to the bible, God is a God of supernatural provision and God delights in showing His covenant people what He is able to do.

The reason people have difficulty believing God for supernatural provision is because they have a guilt complex or feeling they have not been totally obedient to Him in all areas of their life. If the Holy Spirit impresses upon you to do something and you don’t do it; that is disobedience. But when you know that you have done everything you know to do and have been VISIONS

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up to God as a memorial. How do they come up before God? These things, whatever we have done are written down. Nehemiah is dealing with the rebuilding of the temple, the fact that some of the priests had intermarried with heathen women and having to deal with the attitudes of the people but he wants to make sure he is doing what is right before God and having His favor. Nehemiah 13:22 “And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.” Psalm 105:8 “He hath remembered his covenant...”

According to Malachi there is a book of remembrance. What is God remembering? According to Acts 10 we know He remembers your prayers and your giving. The Word memorial means to keep the memory of something alive. God remembered Hannah, God remembered Noah, God remembered Abraham, God remembered His covenant with Abraham, God rewww.visionschristianmagazine.com

membered Rachel. It is not an issue of God forgetting you, but that there is a special book of remembrance and certain prayers you pray and certain deeds you do, especially acts of giving are recorded in this book.

Therefore, when you understood the covenant relationship you have with God and you come to a crisis situation, an emergency, then you ask God to remember your faithfulness to Him and remember you and your need. Then it will come up before God as a memorial or moment of remembrance and God will move on your behalf. God’s supernatural ability to provide for you is a part of the covenant. Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” John 14:13-14 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” All these verses have to do with provision in time of need.

God’s covenant involves supernatural blessing, supernatural power, supernatural protection and supernatural provision. For those who come under an attack by people, like relatives who don’t understand you or workers who attack and mock you because of your faith, you need to understand that those who come against God’s covenant people will eventually find their heads removed and find themselves without protection. One example is King Saul. He became jealous of David and tried to kill him on several occasions and then in 1 Samuel 22 Saul had a man kill 85 priests of the Lord and right after that in 1 Samuel 24 David cut off the skirt of Saul which signified cutting off of his authority. In 1 Samuel 26 David took Saul’s spear from him, which signified that God had just completely removed the protective hedge from Saul and he was shortly thereafter killed in battle on Mt. Gilboa with the Philistines (1 Samuel 31) because he has no hedge or protection in time of battle because he had come against the priesthood of the Lord and one of God’s choice young servants.

Pharaoh began to take the lives of the firstborn male children of the Hebrews out of fear of that the Hebrew children would become too numerous and www.visionschristianmagazine.com

fight and overthrow Egypt. So the hedge came down in Pharaoh’s house and he lost his own son when the death angel passed by and Pharaoh, who had these male babies thrown into the Nile, was himself drowned in the Red Sea. Scripture says he that lives by the sword will die by the sword. And part of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants was those who curse them would be cursed and those who blessed them would be blessed. At one time Egypt was blessed because of Joseph and God’s people, but then because they turned against them, they were destroyed. Also, we see many times God returned the wickedness of men upon their own heads, as with Haman in the time of Queen Ester when he tried to have Mordecai hung on the gallows. Entire empires have faced destruction because they came against the Hebrew people, God’s covenant people.

In Indonesia a Muslim was trying to burn a Christian church. He poured gasoline on the floor of the church and was trying to light it with matches and he couldn’t do it. Then when he got to the last match, he suddenly jumped up and started running through the village screaming. When they caught him and asked what was wrong, he said, “The angel of God is chasing me.” He said, “When I tried to light the last match the angel of God came up to me and said, this is the property of the people of the most high God, it is holy and you are not going to burn it.” This Muslim became a believer and started preaching the gospel on the tops of houses. You cannot attack the people of God and get by with it for God will eventually rise up and defend His people. Much of the attacks of Muslims against Christians today are not true Christians who are in covenant with God, but harlot Christians, mostly Roman Catholics. In Maryland some years ago there was a tent used for Gospel meetings and was being used to start a church. There was a group of seven young men who decided to burn down the tent.

One who was part of the group said he would have no part in it because they were good people who had the tent. The six who burned it down all died young with terrible deaths. The seventh who didn’t partake, lived and told of it. When Christ spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus, He said; “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” Singles Edition 2004

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(Acts 9:5). God was telling Saul there is more here than you can see or understand and you can’t fight me and win.

The covenant ratified by the blood of Jesus is a whole lot more than just being saved and going to heaven. It’s a whole lot more than having your sins forgiven, even if that was all you received from it, that would be enough and still the greatest gift in the world. But it is more. It is a covenant of blessing and provision, of power and ability to function in life and do His will. Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” We go to battle with the covenant. If we get involved in battle with and in our flesh and try to reason and force something we cause more problems than we would have had if we just stayed out of it and left the battle to the Lord for He said, “The battle is the Lord’s” (2 Samuel 17:47). If I’m in covenant with him, it is like marriage. If I go through something and I am married, she becomes a part in it and vice-versa because you are in covenant together. The battles you go through, even battles you have nothing to do with, you need to turn over to God and let Him fight for you. Then when God is fighting a battle, you are to stand up for what is right and truth. That is a part of the covenant relationship. You speak for Him when you need to speak but shut up when you don’t need to speak.

There are three weapons for battle. The blood, the name and the Word! The blood of Jesus is given to us to deal with sin. Almost always when the blood is mentioned in the New Testament it is about cleansing, redemption and forgiveness of sin. Then we have the name of Jesus, He said, “In my name you shall...” The signs and wonders that are performed by any believer come through the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus deals with demons, sickness and disease. Anytime you see the name of Jesus in the New Testament it is dealing with demons, with oppression, depression, sickness, disease, etc. The man in Acts 3, the Paraplegic was healed by faith in the name of Jesus. So the Name of Jesus is used in dealing

with demons, the devil, sickness and disease. The Word of God is used in Luke 4 and Matthew 4 not only for doctrine, instruction, reproof and exhortation, but used in dealing with temptation and overcoming the attacks of the enemy. So we have three spiritual weapons. The blood to deal with sin, the name of Jesus to deal with demons, sickness and disease and the Word of God that deals with every practical aspect of our life with overcoming any attack against us. We grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the Word.

In this covenant, when Jesus died on the cross, it was a lot more than just to forgive your sin and write your name in the Lamb’s book of life. God wants you to have life and to have it more abundantly (John 10:10). He wants you to live your life to the fullest and to prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers (3John2). He wants to establish His covenant with you. Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” God gives wealth to some of His people, whom He can trust, to establish His covenant and so they will use that money for His purposes. It is not a sin to have wealth and be a Christian. It is a sin to put your faith in wealth and to hoard wealth and to mistreat others and do evil to get wealth and to love money. God goes to war and fights for His covenant people. You can be like Jacob, going to Syria with nothing and coming out rich. As you grow in grace and knowledge and understand the covenant you have with God and you walk in obedience to God, then the covenant becomes active and God begins to move on your behalf in every area of your life, including natural provision or finances. Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”

When you go to the Lord’s Table and partake of the fruit of the vine and the bread to remember His death till He comes and remember what He has done for you, you will become aware of how much He has done for you and the difference He has made in your life.

Vilbert Vallane can be reached at vvilbert@sify.com

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