THE MYSTERY OF THE FISHED COIN (part 1)

 

 

 

                                                                     Modern day Half Shekel

In the Book of Matthew 17:27, “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee”, Jesus, on that day, did something I believe you have probably never heard until now, in this biblical exposition aimed at teaching the truth from the word of God. Amen.

It is apropos to commence this teaching from Matthew 17:24, “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?” In verse twenty-five, Jesus is quoted asking, “What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?” Four times monetary terms are mentioned. Four being the scriptural number of creation points to an understanding that the Author of creationism was about to embark on the creation of a new thing i.e a new species of intelligent beings. The first amount of money to be mentioned is ‘tribute money’. The second is ‘custom’ and the third being ‘tribute’ while the fourth is ‘a piece of money’.

It was germane that Capernaum would host the event of the mystery of this coin. Capernaum comes from two words: kaphar (kaw-fawr’) ‘a village (as protected by walls)’ and Nachuwm (nakh-oom’) ‘comfortable’. The LORD of creationism had decided to lay the foundation of the protection His own people with divine comfortableness in the right place.

‘Tribute money’ has ‘money’ printed in italics, denoting that it was not in the original script. Italicized words were included, by the translators, to enhance proper understanding of the English readers of the Bible. The word ‘tribute’ in Greek comes from two words: [‘dis (dece): ‘twice’ and drachmē (drakh-may’): ‘a drachma, a Greek silver coin about the same weight as a Roman denarius’]. It is called didrachmon (did’-rakh-mon) meaning: ‘a double drachma, a silver coin equal to two Attic drachmas‘. The payment and collection of this didrachmon dated over a millennium back in the Book of Exodus 30:12-16. It is an equivalence of the Jewish half shekel coin. Verse 12, “When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them”. Where do you think the Mafia got its satanic extortionist system from? Definitely from the good, security intentioned, mind of Jehovah. The Israelites gave this tribute (not forcefully), for God’s perfect insurance policy in the protection of their lives. The instruction of verse 16, “And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls”, shows that the tribute money is ecumenical. Half shekel (it has to do with 10 for 20 gerahs = 1 shekel) taking care the individual’s trial (10), is an intimation that no trial will overtake God’s, fully insured, child (spiritually). Are you born again? Then, you are fully insured by the Divine insurance policy.

 

   The next fiscal term is ‘custom’, and this is telos (tel’-os) which means: ‘end a. termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be (always of the end of some act or state, but not of the end of a period of time) b. the end; the last in any succession or series 2. eternal c. that by which a thing is finished, its close, issue d. the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose 2. toll, custom (i.e. indirect tax on goods)‘. In this context telos is about ‘indirect tax on goods’. Did Jesus instruct Peter to use the money to pay for the tax on goods imported into the land of Israel or exported out of the land by His ministry? Trust the word of God to possess answers to all nagging questions. The third term is ‘tribute’. This ‘tribute’ is kēnsos (kane’-sos): ‘in the NT the tax or tribute levied on individuals and to be paid yearly (our capitation or poll tax)‘. It is of Latin origin from which we have the English ‘census’ (among the Romans, denoting a register and valuation of property in accordance with which taxes were paid).

(To be continued…)

To read the part 2 click here

ISRAEL (3rd part)

 

 

The Holy of Holies

 

Psalm 32:1″Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered”. Colossians 2:14, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross”; this He did to wipe away the tears of our transgressions. Our sinful life styles that are contrary to the Word of God had brought untold punishment. As the Righteous One, He appears to remove the penalty of our sins by removing the evil one. The reconciliation through Israel was an expiatory design to cover our sins the same way God instructed Noah to use pitch inside and outside of the ark to make it safe for water navigation. The water is emblematic of God’s word. It is the spoken word of God that judges the intelligent man of creation. In God’s bid to help us navigate through the checkered pavements of this sinful world, Jesus had to reconcile us, i.e. cover us up, not fraudulently but via His righteous intention to save mankind. This reconciliation, once a man is garbed in it, is eternal.

Having been polluted by Antiochus, Mohammedan invasion and many others, the final desecration of the Jerusalem Temple is by the Antichrist. The Temple, an adumbration of the Church which is the body of Christ must receive its celestial Visitant for an anointing (that breaks the yoke). The Holy Spirit, who is called the Spirit of Jesus, will hear Christ at His Advent, calling out as the deep calleth unto the deep. From the holy of holies, the place of His seat, He will respond with, “Come hither, I AM here!” His deified presence uproots the Antichrist for an eternal destruction, cleanses His temple, hence, the world through Israel.

Seven years to the completion of the vatic 490 years the expected Messiah (historically) went up to heaven like He was wont to (Judges 6:21, 13:20-22; Micah 5:2). Fifty days later was an occurrence of the unexpected. The Holy Spirit descended, the unction for the functionality, to anoint the saints of Jesus (His body). It was the birth of a spiritual phenomenon, a most guarded secret, told to no prophet until the revelation of it was entrusted to Paul of Tarsus – the erudition of God’s protocol. God stopped counting after 483 years. Rather than the continuative 484, 485, 486 and so on, He paused. God birthed the Church: an intercalation. The Church age was sandwiched in-between the dispensation of the law. The law dispensation was paused because not all are conversant with the Divine economy that was entered into with Israel. The crucifixion was executed by the gentile Roman Empire, making His passion and death a catholic event. As long as the Church, His body, continues to tread upon the surface of our terra firma, the true Antichrist can never be revealed as the evil incarnate to receive catholic worship on behalf of Lucifer, his father.

Jesus And The Angels On Rapture Day

 

Rapture is a scriptural occurrence. It is an event that marks the commencement of the continuity of the suspended dispensation of the law. The Antichrist does not have more than seven years to belch all the evil colouration of his devious intentions on humanity especially Israel for this lawless son of Satan is the last taskmaster, under whom Israel will suffer the punishment for her apostasy. Perfection of the evil that Satan had all these eons been nursing will be unleashed on the earth. Put together the atrocious acts of Antiochus of Rome, Ahab of the northern kingdom Israel, Manasseh of the southern kingdom of Judah, Xerses of Persia, Idi Amin of Uganda, Abacha and Babangida of Nigeria, Hitler of Germany, Roman Catholic (of the so called Christian wars), Apartheid of South Africa and some others, then multiply the sum by a thousand and you will be getting close to the horrendous evil lurking in the darkest heart of Lucifer, all of which he will unleash and will not stop to relish on account of his trucebreaker stance (2Timothy 3:3).

Only the tribe of Israel has a soteriological covenant with Jehovah. They alone know the SOS code to bring His help down to the earth for He had promised, “I will never leave nor forsake thee…” (Deuteronomy 4:31, 31:6; Hebrew 13:5). This is the last enemy of Israel, so, He will come in Person. Unless Israel, to whom pertaineth the dispensation of the law cries out to Him, Christ will not come to save the world from the Satanic clutches of the Antichrist. The removal of Satan, the Antichrist and the very close evil associates marks the terminal point of the fifth dispensation – of the law. The sixth dispensation (as an intercalation) was dated from the upper room experience day of Pentecost, to the day of “Eyes up!” Rapture.

 

                              Israeli Flag

 

This is the only reason why Israel is indestructible. It has for centuries occupied a very tiny geographical space, surrounded by hostile Arab nations. Hundreds of wars have ravaged it but Israel is still occupied by the children of Abraham, the friend of Jehovah God, and with whom the fourth dispensation – of promise – was brought into being. A hand that cannot be overcome, too formidable to be engaged in any combat, physical or otherwise, is responsible for Israel’s continued existence. As a young boy, in my early teens, I used to wonder why they would just not show skeptics, in the Bible, how God actually gave the entire land to Israelites. A reminisce of that infantile ignorance of the laws of the earth – which demands concrete proofs –, creases my face with smiles, these days. Now that I am older and knowledgeably wiser, all I want to say is, “If they think it is possible, let them try an annihilation of Jewry or more equally serious, take that geographical entity called Israel away from Jews”. If they succeed, then I, H. O. Ojewale, will dump the Bible that I have been wielding all these decades!

            Cabbala Cult

 

Evil Cabbala (no doubt the bane of Israel’s apostasy), which has its source in Israel, and probably the designer of Israel’s flag, which features the occult ‘star of David’, is not of God, but Satan has used it to enhance the wealth of the people, indirectly bringing God’s purpose to fulfillment. There is no biblical proof of any ‘Star of David’. Israel is part of God’s dispensational calendar. Israel complements the salvational purpose of God on earth. Israel is in God’s hand; who can pluck it out (John 10:28-29)? With all the fuming of fire and the pouring of brimstones found in the At Tawba (9th chapter) of the Qur’an against Jewry and Christianity, the physical Israel of the stock of father Abraham and the Christians, the spiritual Israel, will keep marching victoriously on. Amen. (the conclusion)

 

ISRAEL (2nd part)

THE LION OF JUDAH

 

The prophetic Book of Daniel in chapter 9 verses 21 to 27 is astounding. Daniel 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy”. This verse is pregnant with the denotations of the phenomenal role of Israel and its grave effect on human history. The word ‘determined’, chathak (khaw-thak’): ‘to cut off, that is, (figuratively) to decree’. Do we not understand that every civic rule affects all inhabitants of its geographical entity whether an individual agrees with the law or not? The One who ‘determined’ is the Potentate Ruler, the Governor of nations.

The word ‘finish’ is kala’ (kaw-law’): ‘to restrict, by act (hold back or in) or word (prohibit)’. What is being ‘finished’ in this prognosis is ‘transgression’, rendered in Hebrew as pesha‛ (peh’-shah) {From pasha‛ (paw-shah’) to break away (from just authority), that is, trespass, apostatize, quarrel}: a revolt (national, moral or religious)’.   ‘End’ is: tamam (taw-mam’) ‘to complete in a good or bad sense’ & chatham (khaw-tham’) ‘to close up, especially seal‘. chaṭṭa’ah or chaṭṭa’th (khat-taw-aw’) is ‘sin’ Noun Feminine; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender’. ‘Reconciliation’ kaphar (kaw-far’) ‘to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively to expiate or condone, to placate or cancel’. ‘Iniquity’,‛avon (aw-vone’): ‘perversity, that is, (moral) evil’. ‘Bring in’ is bo’ (bo): ‘to go in, enter, come, go, come in’. Tsedeq (tseh’-dek) is the Hebrew for ‘righteousness’, meaning: ‘justice, rightness’. ‘Seal up’ chatham (khaw-tham’) BDB Definition: ‘to seal, seal up, affix a seal’. ‘Anoint’ is mashach (maw-shakh’) BDB Definition: ‘1. to smear, anoint, spread a liquid. 2. to anoint (as consecration)’.

The mantic seventy weeks was not demystified until 70×7days=490 days produced no realization of Daniel’s vatic pronouncement. They came to the understanding that each of the 490 days was actually a year, hence, four hundred and ninety years was Prophet Daniel’s actual prediction! It may be of immense interest that when one does careful scriptural calculations from the day of Daniel’s prediction to the day of the ascension of Jesus in the book of Acts of the Apostles, in the first chapter, it is exactly 483 years. Where is the remaining seven? I will come to that soon.

Whether it is a logical conviction to the rational mind of intelligence or not is not the bone of contention, it is of the simple fact that the Author and Owner of creation did determine to promulgate a divine decree of seventy weeks for the people of Israel. Four hundred and ninety years, commencing from the day of the revelation, was the allotment for the rearrangement of the cosmic order through Daniel’s people, Israel. Israel is God’s chosen, covenanted people, the lifeline given to redeem mankind (Exodus 4:31). It is for this reason Israel cannot be annihilated, she is firmly tied to God’s scheme of earthly business. This decree was promulgated to free God’s people, through Israel (to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile, Romans 2:10) to the entire peoples of the earth, and to condemn the disbelievers of the word of God even His Christ. Everything is strictly because of Jesus Christ!

 

 

                                                              Solomon’s Temple

The holy city is Jerusalem with a grave focal point on the Temple. That temple was the only place in the entire world where His physical presence was made available for true worship. The Holy Spirit was seated majestically in the holy of holies to receive the Divine worship (Exodus 33:8-10) and preserving mercy for thousands (Exodus 34:7). The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. When Satan stole Adam’s dominion he took over the earth. At the appointed time the land God promised Abraham was taken from Satan and handed over to Israel and Jerusalem was made its capital, where the Temple stood. The Antichrist will on behalf of Lucifer dominate the apostatized Israel, use Jerusalem to maximize the worship of himself, underscoring Jerusalem’s central of Divine attraction position.

 

MESSIAH

The expected Messiah will descend to ‘finish’ or more understandably, to restrict or put an end to the punishment meted on Israel and by extension the world. Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”. 1John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”. Jesus will put an end to satanic influence. He will cleanse the world of the iniquitous life style of the Devil, orchestrated by his Antichrist. (to be concluded)

 

Read 1^st part here.

 

ISRAEL (1st part)

       

                                  ISRAEL: surrounded by unfriendly nations

 

                                 Israel is Jehovah’s involvement. Israel is God’s personal invention. It is God’s child, son and wife. God’s investment on Israel is too huge to become an abandoned, white elephant project. Israel is the actualization of His reconstructive dream of the epitome project of creationism – mankind. Who or what can kill God’s own nurtured eternal dream?

It is so interesting how everything takes its seminal in the Book of Genesis. This project received a mention in chapter three verse fifteen, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel”. About two thousand years later God told Abram, when he was aged ninety-nine, “And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” [Gen 17:8]. Some years later, in Genesis 21:12, “And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called”. In an adumbration of the expected seed, God tested Abraham with, “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” Genesis 22:2. Isaac was not (the same way John the Baptist was not the Messiah) that particular seed who was mentioned in verse 18, “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice”. Note it does not say ‘thy seeds’. Genesis 48:16, “The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth”. Have you heard of the word of God being likened to a two edged sword? What it simply means is that when God speaks a word and you as much dare to utter the same words in appropriation to your need in faith, it cuts all barriers and sinks all oppositions to the actualization of your dreams. This is one of the reasons why God will need to have those who will choose to be believers in HIM. Jacob spoke those words to echo God’s mind. Let us see who the Angel is. It began in Genesis chapter 28 verses 10-22 when he had a spectacular dream. Verse 13 reads: “And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed”; then in Genesis 32:24-32, he had another theophanic encounter. This is what verse 28 says, “And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed”. This is where Israel shows up for the first time in scripture. The land and the native inhabitants of Israel belong exclusively to God Almighty and rightly so by an oath from His divine lips. “What shall we then say to these things?” Paul wondered in Romans 8:31, and continued with the famous rhetoric, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

 

 

                                                                  

                                                               Israel & God

The super power of the entire world could not perpetuate its hegemony of Jewish slavery. All it took was a Passover feast. Element stood at attention as the Red Sea acknowledged the passage of the Holy One of Israel. The presence of Israel of Jehovah defied the natural course of the ocean. Manna fell from heaven to feed them, who doubted ‘a furnish of the table’, in the wilderness of the desert. Another impregnable fortress of Jericho among others was miraculously sunk. The Jordanian River had no choice but to succumb to a superior power and got a path in itself dried up for the prince with Jehovah to pass through it. Even the sun and the moon, the first and only time in their history, obeyed a man of Israel spoke and the earth responded by putting a hold on its rotation and solar orbit. Balaam’s donkey spoke. Balaam could just not do what he was hired to do because a power is above all other powers. The children of Israel inevitably arrived to own houses and lands: slaves became landlords! Nothing was powerful enough to stop their advancement. God’s word had gone forth ahead of them.

                                                          The Ark of Covenant

Two thousand years down the ages some wise men from the east sought the expected seed in Jerusalem to pay homage and to worship the King of kings and Lord of all lords. But, before then, something took place five centuries earlier.

(to be continued)

click to read the 2nd part here