Participants: Ivor Myers, Atonte Myers
Series Code: BOF
Program Code: BOF000021
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00:15 Welcome to Battles of Faith!
00:16 We are your host Ivor and Atonte Myers. 00:19 Today we are going to continue our discussion on 00:22 how to study the Bible. 00:24 You know I was thinking, many times people just say, 00:27 oh yeah I've read the Bible, or I read the Bible. 00:29 But the Bible doesn't tell us to read, 00:31 it says to study the Bible. 00:34 2 Timothy 2:15 says, 00:45 To study the Bible you need to have foundational principles 00:49 to help you guide your way through so you don't make up 00:53 something that is not in the Bible. 00:54 So it is really important, and we are going through some 00:56 more principles today. 00:58 So again we are very excited about this program because 01:01 once again it's going to help you to be able to properly 01:03 divide the word of truth. 01:05 Amen, you know the Bible is a, well the God of the Bible 01:09 is a creative God. 01:11 You look around at this world and you see that 01:15 God is an artist. 01:16 When it comes to His word it's the same thing. 01:19 God is a creative God and He has so many beautiful principles 01:25 in His word that this book, once it opens up to you, it is far 01:31 from a dull book. 01:33 There are so many beautiful lessons in there, so many 01:36 ways in which the lessons are brought out. 01:38 We are going to be looking at some of those principles 01:40 today and we are going to be looking at three principles 01:43 in particular. 01:44 We are going to be looking at Bible names. 01:45 We are going to be looking at Bible numbers and we are also 01:48 going to look at a principle, I like to call, 01:50 the second man principle. 01:52 so we are going to see, first of all, dealing with Bible names. 01:57 The Bible when it uses names, first of all a name in the 02:06 Jewish context was very important because 02:08 names were attached to meanings and people were not just named 02:13 spuriously, they took time to consider the character 02:16 of the child. 02:18 Then they would name the child. 02:19 When they taste like eight days I think we read in history. 02:22 They take eight days or a week to see what the child acted like 02:25 and then they name the child. Ivor: right! 02:27 There are some names in the Bible, some names given to 02:31 people and you wonder why did their parents named them that? 02:34 But we do not have the answer for that. 02:36 But we do know that Bible names carry significance when 02:40 attempting to understand stories. 02:43 They that's a much more to the story and we are going 02:46 to begin by looking at the highest name of all, Jesus. 02:50 Matthew 1:21, the Bible says that His name was 02:55 to be called Jesus because He would save His people 02:58 from their sins. Atonte: right! 03:01 The name Jesus means, Savior. 03:04 In particular Savior from sin. 03:06 So as we understand that name, we say okay, 03:10 that is why he was to be called Jesus. 03:12 It wasn't just a nice sounding name, it was because it carried 03:15 a meaning to it, He shall save His people from their sins. 03:19 If you look at verse 23 of the same chapter, it says that 03:23 His name was also to be called Emanuel. 03:26 It means God with us. Ivor: God with us. 03:28 That very name reveals who Jesus Christ was. 03:32 God with us, God manifested in the flesh. 03:36 So we see these names and we say okay, I'm understanding 03:39 these names reveal to us the important truth of who Jesus is. 03:42 God with us, and what His work was to be, 03:45 saving us from our sins. 03:48 I just thought a beautiful thought, when you said God 03:52 with us, it's like God couldn't be with us any other way 03:56 because we are sinful man. 03:57 He had to create a body for Himself, to fill that body 04:01 to dwell and be with us. 04:03 It is a very loving thing to do, because He cared 04:07 about us so much. Ivor: that's right! 04:08 For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. 04:11 In other words in giving His Son He was giving Himself. 04:14 Just that name Emanuel, is a gift of love to us. 04:20 So we see the importance of understanding Bible names. 04:23 I want to look at a couple more names here. 04:25 The name Israel for example. 04:27 Israel, which was the name that was given to Jacob after he 04:34 wrestled with God. 04:36 The name Israel means, overcomer with God, one who has wrestled 04:41 with God and overcome. 04:43 So we see in that context understanding the name Israel 04:48 in the New Testament, where God describes His church 04:53 as Israel, we understand that Israel composes those who 04:59 have wrestled with God and overcome. 05:01 Those who have overcome the world. 05:04 They are made of both Jews and Gentiles, because remember 05:08 Jacob was not born Israel. 05:11 He was considered the first Israelite, but yet he 05:15 wasn't born Israel, he was born Jacob. 05:17 the word Jacob means deceiver, or Surplanter. 05:22 So he wrestled with God and he overcame, God changed his name. 05:26 That's right, that is the story with each and everyone of us. 05:29 We are all like a Jacob, as it were, and God calls us to 05:34 wrestle with Him and in overcoming He changes our names. 05:38 Symbolically speaking to Israel, we become part of the Israel 05:43 of God, it doesn't matter where I was born, who I was born at 05:47 all that matters is that I have wrestled with God and now 05:52 He has changed my name, or my character. 05:54 Atonte, that is right, He is not a respecter of person's. 05:56 Ivor: that's right! 05:57 We can look at the name Barabbas and that is an interesting name. 06:01 Barabbas, reading the story of Jesus' crucifixion 06:06 there is a particular part in this episode where there is 06:14 brought out a criminal and the Jews are called to ask who would 06:20 you rather have, Jesus or Barabbas? 06:24 And they chose Barabbas. Ivor: they chose Barabbas. 06:27 If you think about this, the name Barabbas, bar means son of 06:32 an Abba, means father. 06:34 So here you have two people standing before the Jews. 06:38 The Son of the Father, and the son of the father. 06:42 They are called to make a choice make a decision about which 06:46 "son of the father" they will follow. 06:49 You see, I think about this in the context of last day events. 06:54 When the antichrist comes. 06:57 His impersonation of Jesus Christ, or rather the Devils 07:01 impersonation of Jesus Christ will be so powerful that many 07:05 will be deceived into thinking then he is the Son of the Father 07:10 You see in that story to understand the name Barabbas 07:13 opens up great meaning to the story, it is not just some guy 07:18 they called out, you want Jesus or Barabbas? 07:20 We understand they were making a choice between the Son of the 07:23 Father and the son of the father. 07:25 In the last days the counterfeit will be so close to the genuine, 07:30 that unless we are studying our Bibles, 07:33 unless we are guided by the Spirit of God, 07:37 we will be deceived by the counterfeit bar-aba, 07:41 the son of the father. 07:42 Atonte: I think the most important thing is being guided 07:45 by the Spirit, because the Jewish people at that time knew 07:47 when Jesus, a Savior, was supposed to come. 07:50 It wasn't that they didn't know the word, they knew someone 07:54 was supposed to come, but because the Spirit... 07:58 they weren't accepting what the Spirit was trying to tell 08:01 them, hey this is the Savior. 08:03 They rejected Him and the same thing for us. 08:06 We can know that there is an antichrist that is going to come 08:09 and there will be a situation, but if we don't have the Spirit 08:12 of God with us, we will make the wrong decision as well. 08:14 We don't want to do that. Ivor: exactly! 08:16 Again this is why, and I have said it repeatedly, 08:19 the enemy of souls does not wants us to be familiar 08:22 with the Word of God. 08:24 With the prophecies of God, because of a misunderstanding 08:28 of the prophecies of God, that when Jesus came the first time 08:31 they could not recognize Him as the Savior. 08:34 I want to take a look at a couple more names than we are 08:39 going to move into Bible numbers. 08:40 Again I am just showing you that as you read a story 08:43 it would be good to understand, try to get an understanding 08:47 of what the name is. 08:48 You can do that through a concordance or some other means 08:51 Understand what the name means. 08:53 Nine times out of 10, and that name is going to add 08:57 significance to the story. 08:59 Well having a concordance is the beginning to allowing your 09:03 Bible study to go deeper. Ivor: that is right. 09:05 Because it gives you original meanings of a word. 09:08 Sometimes we see a word in the Bible and we take it that it 09:11 means, or understand what it means in English. 09:12 In the Hebrew or the Greek it could mean something else. 09:15 It could have a deeper significance. 09:18 Let's look at the name, Judah. 09:21 The name Judah actually means praise. 09:24 That is significant when you bring that over, it is a Hebrew 09:28 name, and when you bring it over into the Greek, 09:30 the word is translated Judas. 09:33 so the word Judas, means praise. 09:35 When you think about this Atonte Judas, while pretending to 09:41 do what? Praise Jesus Christ, actually betrayed Him. 09:46 Now that's not to say that we don't want to praise God. 09:51 We want you to simply see the significance where Jesus says 09:55 that a close friend has betrayed Me, one who professed to be 10:00 my brother, companion has betrayed Me. 10:03 We see the significance of Judas not living up to his namesake. 10:07 Which was to praise, in particular, to praise God. 10:12 So Bible names again reveal to us this understanding or opens 10:17 up to us little gems that add a little piece to the story. 10:22 I'm going to give you two more examples. 10:23 In the book of Revelation there are seven churches that are 10:27 described, and the seven churches have seven names. 10:31 I just want to talk about two names. 10:32 One of the church's names is name Pergamos. 10:36 The word Pergamos is symbolic or actually means exultation 10:41 and marriage, Perga and gamos. 10:44 When you bring the word together exultation through marriage. 10:49 This church represents the third this is the third church rather 10:53 in the line of seven and it represents the period of time 10:57 where the Church of God was exalted through marriage 11:02 but not to Jesus Christ, rather to the state. 11:05 In other words, it represented a period of time in which 11:09 the church instead of reaching it's hand out in marriage 11:13 to Christ, began to take the hand of the state. 11:16 Roman in particular, government and was exalted to a high place. 11:21 This is a period of time where the church eventually begins 11:26 to persecute, because she now had the power of the state 11:30 by her side. 11:31 Before she was the persecuted, in fact the church before her 11:36 the name of the church is Smyrna 11:38 Representing those who are persecuted. 11:40 Smyr and mur, or Smyrna being synonymous, Mur was an ointment 11:46 used, or an herb used to embalm the dead. 11:49 It represented suffering. 11:50 You had the Church suffering and then you had its stage 11:53 of exultation and then you find that the church in turn began 11:58 persecute as it once had been persecuted. 12:01 There is another church, the last church called Laodicea. 12:04 the word Laodicea means the people of the judgment. 12:08 So we can understand that this Laodicean Church will represent 12:12 a judgment people. 12:14 Again just simply understand the names. 12:16 That's the last church on earth before Jesus Christ comes. 12:19 The last church right before Jesus comes. 12:21 Understanding these names help us to get a larger picture of 12:25 what the whole story may be talking about. 12:28 So that his Bible names and I want to encourage you to 12:31 really begin to look into these names. 12:33 In fact, there is one more thing I'd like to share. 12:37 It was the author of the Heidelberg catechism 12:40 that is credited as being the first one to find this 12:45 incredible prophecy in the genealogy recorded in 12:51 Genesis Chapter 5. 12:52 Atonte: this is awesome. 12:54 If you look in Genesis chapter 5 you will see a list of names 12:57 and Atonte I'm going to ask if you would just 12:59 read those names. 13:00 There is the first man on earth obviously that was Adam. 13:04 And then Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch 13:09 Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. 13:11 These are the descendents of Adam, laid out in order. 13:17 As you look at the meanings of these names, and in some 13:24 concordances these names will actually vary. 13:25 These definitions were actually gathered from Lexicons and 13:30 other places but the general meaning of these names are 13:35 given so that they actually reveal the plan of salvation 13:39 in these names. 13:41 I'm going to ask Atonte to read it again, but this time she is 13:45 going to read the name and then what it means. 13:49 Adam means the man. Seth, placed or appointed. 13:53 Enos, wretched fallen man. Cainan, lamenting. 13:58 Mahalaleel, the blessed God. Jared, shall descend 14:02 or come down. Enoch, teaching, dedicated, 14:06 disciplined, obedient unto death Methuselah his death shall bring 14:11 Lamech, power, Noah, rest and comfort. 14:15 Now I am going to ask you to just read that again 14:18 in the sentence without the names. 14:19 Atonte: Man placed or appointed wretched fallen man lamenting 14:24 the blessed God shall descend or come down, teaching 14:28 dedicated, disciplined, obedient unto death. 14:32 His death shall bring power, rest and comfort. 14:35 That is beautiful, the Gospel message just tied in. 14:39 Just as we begin to study the word of God 14:41 and as the Lord to open up our eyes so that we can see 14:44 that which is under the surface that we find so many beautiful 14:47 Gems and this is an example of one of those gems. 14:52 God wants this book to be your entertainment. 14:56 Not that there is not other fun things to do, but He wants 15:00 us to really enjoy reading and studying His word. 15:03 That is why He has put gems like this. 15:04 I look at the bottom part of the names where it says, 15:08 His death shall bring power, rest and comfort. 15:11 That is what we want. We need power to overcome sin. 15:15 We need rest and comfort as we may go through hard times 15:18 and trials on this earth, but what a promise, what a blessing 15:22 what an awesome God we serve. 15:24 To encode this into His word. 15:26 Now we are going to go quickly over to Bible numbers. 15:30 We are not going to have time to really get into this, but we're 15:35 going to skim through it and get into the second man principle. 15:39 Bible numbers are often significant, not all numbers 15:43 but some numbers, as you read through the Bible, you will see 15:46 that they are mentioned time and time again. 15:48 They are mentioned in relation to the very same thing. 15:51 You begin to realize that these numbers have significance. 15:54 When you bring these meanings all the way over to the book 15:58 of Revelation, you now begin to understand, the number four 16:02 is symbolic, or the number seven is symbolic of A, B, C or D, 16:06 whatever that might be. 16:07 We want to take a look at some of these numbers. 16:09 We are going to start with the number three. 16:11 The number three is symbolic of a dividing line, as it were, 16:17 between life and death. 16:19 When you look at the number three you will find over and 16:23 over again in the Scripture, that three surrounds 16:28 life and death, as you know Jesus was resurrected 16:34 on the third day. 16:35 If you go back to the old Testament, you think of Jonah, 16:40 being in the belly of the whale for three days. 16:43 You think about the Butler and the Baker who both had dreams 16:49 each having to do with three days. 16:51 One died, the other had a dream didn't understand what the 16:56 dream meant, but basically in the end, after three days they 17:01 were told that one would die and one would live. 17:05 You look at the number three continually throughout the 17:09 Scriptures and you will find its manifestations. 17:11 Deena, who was raped made a covenant with the man that 17:16 raped her and some of the sons of Israel said you get 17:20 circumcised and that will be the covenant that we 17:22 will live in peace. 17:24 The Bible says that after the third day, two of these sons 17:27 went upon the whole city when the men were sore 17:29 and slew them all. 17:31 You find that number three is symbolic of life and death. 17:36 As you look through the Scripture you begin to see 17:39 that yes, this number is consistent everywhere 17:43 we look at it. 17:44 I'm just throwing out a few of them, but you go all the way 17:46 through the Scripture looking at that number 3, and you will 17:49 see this division between life and death. 17:51 There is the number four. The number four is symbolic 17:56 of world wideness. 17:58 You think about the four directions, North, South, East 18:02 and West, represents world wide. 18:05 You think about, in Revelation Chapter 7, there are four 18:10 Angels seen standing on the four corners of the Earth. 18:14 They are holding back the four winds of the earth. 18:17 One angel says, do not let the winds go till we have sealed 18:22 the servants of our God in their foreheads. 18:25 this lets us know that the sealing is not a sealing that 18:31 happens in one local place. 18:33 It is a worldwide sealing that takes place. 18:37 So there is the number four. 18:39 You've got the number seven, which represents a complete 18:42 cycle, you have the seven days of the week. 18:43 It represents a complete cycle of time so that when we get 18:46 to the book of Revelation and we see seven churches, seven seals, 18:49 seven plagues, we know that these represents seven, 18:52 or rather a cycle of time. 18:55 we have to figure out when the time begins and when it ends. 18:58 These numbers of seven represent a complete, or something 19:02 happening over a complete cycle of time. 19:05 We can go on with the number eight representing newness 19:09 of life, baptism. 19:11 There were eight who made it through the flood. 19:14 Noah's flood, eight on the ark. 19:16 representing baptism or newness of life. 19:19 There is the number 12, which represents service. 19:21 There were 12 disciples called to serve Jesus. 19:23 There were 12 tribes called to go into the wilderness 19:26 and serve God. 19:28 In the New Testament, or in the book of Revelation, you have the 19:31 144,000 who serve God day and night in the temple. 19:35 Twelve times twelve representing the people who are called 19:40 to serve God. 19:42 So we can go through these numbers and we see these 19:45 numbers are significant in the Bible and helped 19:47 enrich our study. 19:49 Now we are going to look at the second man principle. 19:51 This happens to be my favorite. 19:54 In the Bible, I believe it is 1 Corinthians 15:45- 47 20:21 The Bible lays out this principle here that Jesus Christ 20:25 is the second man. 20:27 Now what does that mean? 20:29 That means, and please listen carefully, that means that 20:32 Jesus Christ is the second, Atonte. 20:35 He is the second Ivor, and He is the second Bill out there. 20:40 The second Bob, who ever you are, He is the second you 20:44 in this context, when you decide to die to self and are 20:49 born-again, as Paul said, I am crucified with Christ, 20:53 nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me. 20:58 Christ becomes the second person His mind is given to us. 21:02 That does not mean we are Jesus, simply means that Jesus is 21:06 in us living out His life in and through you as He becomes 21:10 the second man. 21:11 We find this principle all throughout the Old Testament. 21:15 Christ, not only was He the second Man for you and I, 21:20 He was the second man for many of the Old Testament prophets 21:24 and saints. 21:25 You think about Adam. 21:26 So where Adam failed, the first time, Jesus came 21:30 and was triumphant. 21:32 Adam's first temptation dealt with appetite. 21:34 Jesus comes, and as the second Adam, He overcomes where the 21:40 first Adam failed. 21:41 Atonte: in the wilderness Win Satan tempted Him. 21:42 Interestingly enough, Adam, in order to get his wife, 21:46 Adam was put to sleep and a rib was taken from his side. 21:51 In like manner, Jesus Christ has a bride, and that bride 21:55 is the Church. 21:56 Jesus Christ was put to sleep, a Roman soldier came 22:00 pierced His side, and the Bible says, came forth out there 22:05 blood and water. 22:06 It is from this blood and water, symbolically speaking, that the 22:10 bride of Christ came forth. The Church of Christ came forth. 22:14 The New Testament church, so we see that Christ is 22:17 the second Adam. 22:19 Christ was also the second Abel. 22:22 Remember Abel was killed by his own brother. 22:25 So Jesus, when He came, He was put to death by His own brethren 22:31 He's the second Enoch who walked with God. 22:35 The Bible describes Enoch as walking with God. 22:37 Christ was not translated as was Enoch, in other words 22:41 Christ died, Enoch did not die, but he is the second Enoch 22:44 in the sense that he walked with God. 22:47 He's the second Joseph, Or a 2nd Abraham, the Bible says Abraham 22:53 was called out, or were sent out to a strange land. 22:56 So Christ left his heavenly home and was sent to a strange land. 23:02 This planet that was full of sin and corruption. 23:06 Abraham was a Pilgrim, Christ was a Pilgrim. 23:10 He's a second Noah, how do you think he's the second Noah? 23:15 I don't know. 23:17 I put you on the spot, Christ is the second Noah in that he 23:21 as Noah built an ark, his mission was to save people from 23:26 the old world, to the new. 23:27 So Christ, in heaven right now, is ministering on our behalf 23:31 inviting us up into heaven because there is another flood 23:34 coming, but it is not a flood of water, it is a flood of fire. 23:39 You see He is the second Noah. 23:42 Christ is the second Isaac, Isaac when his father took him 23:47 to be sacrificed, he did not wrestle, he willingly laid 23:52 himself down, Christ willingly laid His life down on our behalf 23:58 He's a second Joseph who was sold into slavery 24:00 by his brothers, betrayed by his brothers and went down into 24:04 Egypt, his Brothers ended up having to come back to him after 24:08 they betrayed him to be saved, as it were, from the drought. 24:14 So Christ betrayed by humanity that has gone into heaven and we 24:18 must come to Him in time of drought and say Lord sorry for 24:23 what we did, please spare us. 24:25 I think about Christ being the second Sampson. 24:29 this is one of my favorites Atonte. 24:30 let me say that Christ was the second Moses. 24:34 He was in danger when he was born. 24:36 As Pharaoh tried to kill Moses and all the children at age two 24:42 so there was a decree that went out with Christ for the 24:45 same thing under the age of two. 24:46 Moses went out into the wilderness 40 years to prepare 24:52 to lead God's people. 24:53 So Christ, before He began His Ministry, 40 days in the 24:57 wilderness to lead His people, Moses lead his people 25:01 across the Red Sea. 25:03 He opened up that Red Sea and let His people through. 25:05 Jesus Christ will open up the sky and lead His people from 25:09 this earth over to the other side. 25:11 So He is the second Moses, He is the second Sampson. 25:15 Sampson was betrayed by the woman he loved. 25:19 So Christ was betrayed by the woman, the church that He loved. 25:25 The Bible says that Sampson had his eyes put out. 25:27 Jesus Christ was blindfolded as they beat him and 25:30 made sport of Him. 25:32 The Bible says that Sampson, let me say that Jesus Christ 25:35 is not the second Samson in failure, Jesus Christ overcame 25:38 where Sampson failed. 25:40 you see Sampson was brought between two pillars in the 25:46 temple of Dagon and the Bible says that when he died he 25:52 put his hands on those pillars, or before he died, he put his 25:55 hands on those pillars and the Bible says, it actually says in 25:58 verse 30 in chapter 16 of judges it says he bowed his head 26:02 and pushed, and when he pushed there was a great earthquake 26:06 as it were, not an earthquake, the building fell and those that 26:10 he killed in his death were more than those whom he had 26:14 slain in his life. 26:15 The same thing with Jesus when He was on the cross and bowed 26:20 His head and gave up His life. Alanzo: gave up His life. 26:25 Then there was a great earthquake and Jesus slew 26:29 more in His death, when I say slew I mean bringing about 26:34 a death of the first man. The carnal man 26:37 He has caused more people to die to self in His death then He did 26:42 when He was alive. 26:44 There was an earthquake in the temple of the Dragon. 26:49 In the citadel of the Dragon as it were. 26:52 It was a spiritual earthquake, the dragon and his foundation 26:57 were shaken at the death of Christ. 26:59 This is why we ought to take the word of God and see how 27:04 exciting it is, we began to see these principles unfolding 27:06 We should say man, Hollywood doesn't have anything 27:09 on this. Atonte: Hollywood couldn't touch it. 27:11 They can't create it because the Holy Spirit inspired this. 27:15 It is more exciting, has more drama, the best ending of a 27:19 story than any Hollywood movie could ever, ever dream up. 27:22 Hollywood tries to imitate the great controversy and imitate 27:25 the things of the word of God let me tell you, as we begin 27:29 to study the Word of God and make it our intense study, 27:33 we will begin to see that this word, this Bible is just 27:37 magnificent, the principles that are found there, the things 27:41 that God is trying to share with us in so many different 27:45 ways will just pull us in, we will not want to put this book 27:49 down because of how exciting it is. 27:51 It's our prayer that you will make the decision to take time, 27:55 to spend time in God's word because there is so much there. 27:59 Well we are all out of time, until next time God bless. |
Revised 2014-12-17