Biblical number --- two

Two

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Then God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day. (Genesis 1:6-8)

The number two in the Bible has several meanings. The number two denotes a difference. The number two proves there is a division or a separation. From the beginning of Creation we see the number two in the scriptures. On the second day of Creation, God divided the waters: earthly waters and heavenly waters. Throughout the Bible, we see the duality of two things being opposite and at no times can these two things be both at the same time: light and darkness, good and evil, heaven and hell, the saved and unsaved.

The number two suggesting division and separation is seen in the following examples: two birds, one slain and one set free; two goats, one slain, the other one set free; two masters; two covenants (Old Testament and New Testament); law and grace; Christ and the anti-Christ; the natural and the spiritual; male and female; the righteous and the wicked as in Psalm 1.

Two is the minimum number of people to be sent on an important assignment. Two angels were sent to Sodom (Genesis 19:1); two spies were sent to Jericho (Joshua 2:1); and Jesus sent His disciples out two by two (Mark 6:7). Also, two is the minimum number for witnesses. “By the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).

In conclusion, the number two is symbolic of (1) a difference or division; (2) the minimum number for an important assignment; (3) and the minimum number of witnesses for a matter to be established.

Quiz: (1) Jesus separated how many thieves on the cross? (2) How many disciples ran to the tomb? (3) How many angels were at Christ’s resurrection? (4) How many disciples did Jesus walk with on the Emmaus Road after His resurrection? (5) How many men in white apparel testified at Christ’s ascension? If your answer is TWO (2) for all questions, then you are correct.

Biblical Numbers from 1 to 10

Biblical Numbers from 1 to 10

Let us see Biblical numbers and their meanings. 

One

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

There cannot be two firsts. One is God’s number. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is the only God. “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). The number one stands alone, independent of all others. God doesn’t need help in His accomplishments; therefore He is the one and only God.

Number one in the Bible means “unity” and “uniqueness.” There is one body; the church made up of true believers. There is one Spirit; the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer individually also indwells the church collectively. There is one hope; the hope to be like Christ. There is one Lord; Jesus Christ who died for us all. There is one faith; the Christian faith based on Christ’s death on the cross. There is one baptism; the baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire. There is one God and Father of all; God Almighty who is over all and through all and in all.

The songwriter is right. “One is a lonely number.” The number one does stand alone, independent of all others. God is independent, and we are dependent. But that’s a good position for us to be in since the one on whom we depend is the ONE and ONLY true living God!

A quote about a prayer

In all states of dilemma or of difficulty, prayer is an available source. The ship of prayer may sail through all temptations, doubts and fears, straight up to the throne of God; and though she may be outward bound with only griefs, and groans, and sighs, she shall return freighted with a wealth of blessings! С. Spurgeon
Молитва всегда уместна: и при свете дня, и под покровом ночи мы должны дорожить ей. Молитва привлекает внимание небес и в тишине полночи, и в суете дня, и в жаркий полдень, и в вечерних сумерках. В богатстве и бедности, в болезни и здравии, в покое и тревоге, в сомнениях и непреклонной вере ваш Бог завета услышит вашу молитву и ответит на нее со Своего святого престола.

© Чарльз Сперджен

Беспокойство, можно ли быть довольным?

Беспокойство в нашей жизни. Можно ли быть довольным, живя в этом мире?
Радуетесь вы сегодня, в эти весенние деньки солнцу? Когда пасмурный день, что мы обычно говорим? Сегодня нет солнца. Но если подумать лучше, действительно его нет, или оно спряталось за тучки? Конечно оно, по-прежнему есть, только мы его не видим. Так и в различных ситуациях в нашей жизни. Какие обстоятельства нашей жизни дают нам повод для беспокойства? И что такое беспокойство вообще? Беспокойство --- неприятное чувство неопределённости, неуверенности или страха, тревога, отсутствие удовлетворённости от достигнутого, имеющегося. 1. В Библии беспокойство нередко описывается как естественное состояние человека в напряжённых обстоятельствах. В 1-й кн. Царств 9:5 описывается, как Отец Саула беспокоится о пропавших ослицах, а потом о Сауле, который пошёл искать их. И действительно: родители очень часто беспокоятся о своих детях, особенно мамы. Стоит мне только приехать домой, как мама начинает очень сильно беспокоиться обо мне. Она может не спать до 12 часов ночи, ожидая меня. 2. Псалмопевец признаётся, что «скорби» умножаются в его сердце (Пс. 93:19). Чем больше у нас проблем, тем меньше часто становится спокойствия в сердце. Нас всех подстерегает эта опасность: больше думать о проблемах, чем о Боге. И если только и смотреть на проблемы, то проблемы и будешь видеть. А каким далёким и маленьким будет казаться всемогущий и великий Бог! Вот и получается, что мы могли бы и горы двигать (Мрк. 11:23), а в итоге только и делаем, что мечемся от проблемы к проблеме, мучая без толку себя и всех окружающих. 3. Заботы способствуют тому, что мы углубляемся в мирскую суету, и это отвлекает нас от преданности Богу.

Я чувствую, когда я вижу. Я замечаю, когда я помню.

Все люди делятся на две категории – те, кто замечает благословения и те, кто предпочитает жаловаться. Представьте себе друга, который несколько часов рассказывает вам о том, как он сильно устал от ремонта. Ремонт, кажется, никогда не закончится в его новой пятикомнатной квартире. А вы в это время думаете только об одном: «У тебя есть пятикомнатная квартира, и ты жалуешься на что-то?» Вспомните того коллегу по работе, который три недели подряд убивался, когда мальчик из соседнего подъезда случайно поцарапал велосипедом его новенький Mercedes. Мы все знаем таких людей. Нам всем неприятно находиться рядом с ними. При этом, мало кто из нас признается, что бывают моменты, когда мы ведем себя точно так же. Мы сталкиваемся с небольшими трудностями в жизни, и начинаем уделять все свое внимание именно им, не замечая всего того, что Бог дал нам. Поступая так, мы элементарно утрачиваем вкус к жизни. Практически ничто больше не радует нас. Мы все еще живы, все еще дышим, но все реже можем сформулировать зачем.
Начинается это отношение незаметно. Сперва в сердце появляется мысль, что всего в жизни я добился собственными силами. Мы смотрим на то, сколько мы недосыпали, как упорно трудились и нам легко подумать, что всего мы достигли сами, без чьей-либо помощи. Мы забыли о том, что ничего не сделали, чтобы получить дары и способности, и даже трудолюбие и усердие были даны нам при рождении. Затем мы начинаем подмечать трудности, с которыми нам еще предстоит справиться самостоятельно. Мы просто не замечаем более всего, что уже есть у нас. Заканчивается все неминуемым вопросом, адресованным небесам: «Чем Ты мне помог, Господи?» Мы вряд ли услышим ответ на этот вопрос. Вкус жизни утрачен. А ведь все могло бы быть иначе, попроси мы Бога: «Поможешь увидеть Твою любовь?»
Книга пророка Малахии начинается именно с того, что пророк помогает увидеть израильтянам реальную любовь Бога, которая казалась им такой далекой и эфемерной. Мы чувствуем вкус жизни тогда, когда видим эту любовь. Мы замечаем ее тогда, когда вспоминаем обо всем, что Бог уже сделал для нас.
Аудио запись этой проповеди см. на http://biblechurch.ru/audio/listen/questions-answers-1

Why is life hard?

Why Is Life So Hard?

"Why?" When life is hard, is there a way to have peace?

Why do people get cancer? Why are there earthquakes that destroy entire cities? Why do people have to work so hard just to have enough money to barely feed their families?
Subconsciously, we probably ask ourselves questions like these quite often. But consciously we rarely do. We're so busy living our lives we rarely stop and wonder WHY?
But then something happens to wake us up. Our parents get divorced. The girl down the street gets abducted. A relative gets cancer. That wakes us up for awhile. But then we can often sink back into the denial. That is, until another tragedy hits, another incongruence. Then we're likely to think, Something isn't right here. Something is really, really wrong. This isn't how life's supposed to be!
So, WHY do bad things happen? WHY isn't this world a better place?

There is an answer to the WHY question, found in the Bible. But it's not an answer that most people like to hear: the world is the way it is because it's the world that we, in a sense, have asked for.
Sound strange?
What or who could make this world different than the way it is? What or who could guarantee that life is pain-free, for everyone, all the time?
God could. God could accomplish that. But he doesn't. At least not right now. And we're angry with him as a result. We say, "God can't be all-powerful and all-loving. If he were, this world wouldn't be the way it is!"
We say this hoping that God will then change his position on the matter. Our hope is that putting a guilt trip on him will make him change the way he's doing things.
But he doesn't seem to budge. WHY doesn't he?

God doesn't budge -- he doesn't change things right now -- because he's giving us what we asked for: a world where we get to treat him as though he is absent and unnecessary.
Remember the story of Adam and Eve? They ate the "forbidden fruit." That fruit was the idea that they could ignore what God said or gave them, and strike out on life apart from God. For Adam and Eve sort of hoped that they could become like God, without God. They consumed the notion that there was something more valuable in existence than God himself, something more valuable than having a personal relationship with God. And this world system -- with all of its faults -- came as a result of the choice they made.
Their story is the story of all of us, isn't it? Who hasn't said -- if not audibly at least in their hearts -- God, I think I can do this without you. I'll just go this one alone. But thanks for the offer.
We've all tried to make life work without God. Why do we do that? Probably because we've all bought the notion that there's something more valuable, more important, than God. For different people it's different things, but the mindset is the same: God isn't what's most important in life. In fact, I'd just as soon do it without him altogether.
What is God's response to that?

He allows it. Many people experience the painful results of others' or their own choices that run contrary to God's ways...murder, sexual abuse, greed, lying/fraud, slander, adultery, kidnapping, etc. All of these can be explained by people who have refused to give God access and influence over their lives. They are going about their lives as they see fit, and they and others suffer.
What's God view on all of this? He's not smug. In fact, God could rightly be viewed as leaning forward, compassionate, hoping we will turn to him so that he can bring real life to us. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."¹ But not all are willing to go to him. Jesus commented on this when he said: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."² Again, Jesus brings the issue back to our relationship with him. "I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."³
But what about when life is unfair? What about those horrible circumstances that hit us in life, caused by someone other than ourselves? When we are feeling victimized, it's useful to realize that God himself endured horrendous treatment from others. God more than understands what you are going through.

There is nothing in life that could be more painful than what Jesus endured on our behalf, when he was deserted by his friends, ridiculed by those who would not believe in him, beaten and tortured before his crucifixion, then nailed to a cross, in shameful public display, dying of slow suffocation. He created us, yet allowed humanity the freedom to do this, to fulfill Scripture and to set us free from our sin. This was no surprise to Jesus. He was aware of what was coming, foreknowing all the details, all the pain, all the humiliation. "And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." The rest of this article is on   ^{http://www.everystudent.com/journeys/why.html}   

Sex and Intimacy

Find out how to love and be loved. Experience real intimacy in your relationships...

By Dick Purnell
Dr. Henry Brandt, in the Collegiate Challenge magazine, said that there is a syndrome, a pattern, when couples come to him. They say, "At first, sex was exciting. Then I started feeling funny about myself, and then I started feeling funny about my partner. We argued and fought and finally we broke up. Now we are enemies."
This syndrome is what I call the morning-after syndrome. We wake up and find that intimacy is not really there. The sexual relationship does not satisfy us anymore, and what we end up with is not what we really wanted in the first place. All you have is two self-centered people seeking self-satisfaction. The elements of genuine love and intimacy cannot be obtained "instantly," and you find yourself in an unbalanced state, searching for harmony.

Intimacy means more than the physical.

Each of us has five significant parts in our lives. We have the physical, the emotional, the mental, the social, and the spiritual. All five of these parts are designed to work together in harmony. In our search for intimacy we want the solution today, or yesterday. One of our problems is that we want "instant" gratification. When the need for intimacy in a relationship is not met, we look for an "instant" solution. Where do we look? Physical, mental, social, emotional or spiritual? It's the physical. It is easier to be physically intimate with someone than to be intimate in any of the other four areas. You can become physically intimate with a person of the opposite sex in an hour, or half-hour -- it just depends upon the urge! But you soon discover that sex may only be a temporary relief for a superficial desire. There is a much deeper need that is still unmet.
What do you do when the thrill wears off and the more you have sex, the less you like it? We rationalize it by saying, "We are in love. No, I mean really in love." But we still find ourselves feeling guilty and unsatisfied. On campuses all across America I see men and women searching for intimacy, going from one relationship to another hoping, "This time will be it. This time I am going to find a relationship that will last."
I believe that what we really want is not sex. What we really want is intimacy.
Today, the word intimacy has taken on sexual connotations. But it is much more than that. It includes all the different dimensions of our lives -- yes, the physical, but also the social, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects as well. Intimacy really means total life sharing. And haven't we all had the desire at one time or another for closeness, for oneness, for sharing our life with someone totally? If you would like to read more go here: http://www.everystudent.com/features/search.html