Category: “Lord’s Prayer”

The “Our Father” Prayer in HD #1

Monday, November 18, 2013

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9 KJV).

Eliminating the static due to religious tradition, we present to you “the official prayer of Christendom” with unparalleled clarity….

Someone once claimed that the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is the “official prayer of Christendom.” This is not an overstatement, for this prayer is one of the most uttered prayers in all of the professing Church’s history. Actually, a better title is, “The ‘Our Father’ Prayer,” since Jesus never prayed it (John chapter 17 is the true “Lord’s Prayer”).

Nevertheless, despite its constant and widespread recitation, there is almost no understanding as to what the phrases and petitions in the “Our Father” Prayer actually mean. In 1 Corinthians 14:15, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.” In Paul’s mind, prayer was an action in which one understood the words he or she was uttering. If we do not understand the meaning of the contents of the “Our Father” Prayer, how can we expect our recitation of it will glorify and honor the Lord Jesus Christ?

Unfortunately, prayer in much of Christendom is often repetitious utterances mindlessly spoken because of “religious duty.” The purpose of prayer in the Bible is thus overlooked. Due to Christendom’s persistent failure to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), it has greatly erred doctrinally. Prayer in Christendom is usually worthless tradition or misapplied Scripture because dispensational Bible study has been either innocently or deliberately ignored. The dispensational changes evident in God’s Word are overlooked: verses that do not describe anything that God is doing today, are forced onto us as if they did apply to us today. Israel’s verses are taken and often applied to us, the Church the Body of Christ. No wonder people get confused regarding Scripture. No wonder people stumble over the so-called Bible “contradictions.”

In the next several studies, we will search the Scriptures to discover that the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is a beautiful summary of Israel’s program, and that it actually has nothing to do with any Christian today….

Psalm 23 in HD #5

Thursday, December 13, 2012

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5 KJV).

Cutting through the “static” of religious, traditional thinking, we present to you Psalm 23 in HD, dispensationally delivered with astounding clarity.

Halfway through the future seven-year Tribulation, the antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and desecrate her newly rebuilt Temple (Daniel 9:27; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4). Jesus Christ warned believing Jews in Jerusalem and Judaea who would witness that event, to flee to nearby mountains (Matthew 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-19; Luke 21:20-24).

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” This believing remnant of Israel (God’s people)—symbolized by “woman”—will escape to the mountains, angering the bloodthirsty antichrist. The Godhead will feed these believing Jews for the remaining 42 months of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:6,14). Thus, the “Our Father” prayer says, “Give us this day, our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Those Jews will depend on God for their daily meals (remember, Matthew 24:15-21 and Mark 13:14-19 explain how they quickly abandoned their homes, unable to bring neither food nor possessions). God will make a “table” in the presence of Israel’s enemies: Satan will attempt to destroy these Jews in the mountains, but he will be unsuccessful (Revelation 12:15-17).

God will feed these believing Jews with “bread.” Revelation 2:17, which applies to the Tribulation, says “hidden manna.” Just as God fed Israel with manna during her 40-year wilderness wanderings (Exodus 16:4-36; Psalm 78:18-29), He will repeat that during the future Tribulation with those Jews who will seek refuge in the mountains.

“Thou anointest my head with oil.” A glimpse of Israel’s coming salvation: anointing with oil is a type/picture of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:20,27), whom Christ will pour upon Israel at His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10).

“My cup runneth over.” A foretaste of Israel’s joy and prosperity in her kingdom (Isaiah 35:1-10; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-15; et al.), which Christ will establish on earth at His Second Coming. God nourishing Israel’s believing remnant in the mountains, is a shadow of what her kingdom will be like.

Jesus Christ: A Minister of the Circumcision #1

Friday, June 29, 2012

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:” (Romans 15:8 KJV).

Today’s Scripture clearly explains to whom Jesus ministered during His earthly ministry, but most of Christendom absolutely refuses to believe it.

Someone rightly stated that “Christianity” is merely “bastardized Judaism.” Today, what is called “Christianity” is actually Old Testament Judaism with “New Testament” verses tacked on. The root cause of the abounding doctrinal error and chaos in Christendom is a failure to believe today’s Scripture, and to practice dispensational Bible study, “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). All of the Bible is for us, but not all of the Bible is to us or about us.

The doctrine that God gave us through the Apostle Paul for this the Dispensation of Grace is almost totally ignored today. It was to Paul alone that God revealed our mystery program, the Church the Body of Christ and God’s purpose and plan for heaven (Ephesians 3:1-9). What has Christendom done? It has mostly ignored Paul’s epistles, preferring to steal the Bible verses—especially the Four Gospels—that God gave strictly to Israel. Israel’s doctrine does not belong in our dispensation, yet denominations continue to attempt to obey God’s will for Israel.

For the past 2,000 years, religious tradition has instructed us to obey what Jesus taught in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Entire denominations and churches are built and sustained by “naming and claiming” (actually “taking and faking”) the ceremonies, prayers, doctrines, and promises found in the Four Gospels.

In religion, “Follow Jesus” is a phrase mindlessly and faithlessly uttered. Repeating the so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is greatly emphasized, as is “following Jesus in ‘believer’s baptism’” and “claiming the Beatitudes.” No wonder people are so confused about the Bible! They are claiming verses that belong to a program God is not operating today, and when the verses do not work, the Bible is ridiculed.

Jesus Christ, during His earthly ministry, ministered only to Israel (the “circumcision”): He was not speaking to us Gentiles (today’s Scripture)!

When Truth is Error #2

Sunday, May 27, 2012

“But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16 KJV).

Being scriptural is not enough. To follow God’s will you must also be dispensational. All of the Bible is for us, but not all of the Bible is to us or about us.

For example, Mosaic Law-keeping is biblical (Exodus 20:1-17). But, to whom are these Scriptures written and spoken? The nation Israel—not us. Additionally, millions of precious souls are basing their salvation on what Jesus said in Matthew 19:17 (cf. James 2:24): “…but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” This is scriptural, but not dispensational: it was true for Israel, but it is error for us.

Friend, if you are basing your salvation on your works, you are going to hell. Following salvation verses that God spoke to someone else is error: God never gave them to you. If you want salvation from your sins and hell, you MUST go to Paul for God’s current plan of salvation. Our doctrine is found only in Paul’s epistles (Romans through Philemon) (Romans 11:13).

We are not under Israel’s works-religion (legalistic) economy. God has replaced Israel’s works-religion acceptance system (our performance) with something better: the grace-based acceptance system, what Jesus Christ did for us at Calvary’s cross. “Ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14b). In our dispensation, salvation is “to him that worketh not” (Romans 4:5).

The Gospel that saves you today is not Acts 2:38 or 1 John 1:9, but 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again the third day.”

James 5:14,15 is error for us to practice, but it is truth in Israel’s program. This includes Revelation 3:20, Hebrews 6:4-6, 1 John 2:27, Matthew 24:13, John 20:22,23, Acts 2:4, Matthew 6:9-13, and Mark 16:15-20—verses that Christendom steals from Israel’s program and (wrongly) practices today.

Dispensational Bible study is critical to your soul salvation, as well as to your Christian health. You MUST use God’s Word, God’s way (“rightly dividing the word of truth;” 2 Timothy 2:15), or you will make truth error (today’s Scripture)….

I Pray Thou Discardest Thy Prayer Books #2

Friday, December 2, 2011

“This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:8 KJV).

In today’s Scripture, the Lord Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 to describe the religious Jews of His day. These individuals spoke like believers and claimed to love and obey the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their lips and mouths praised His name, yet God was unimpressed. Why? Because “their heart is far from [God].” It was all put-on (hypocritical, faithless activity)!

Psalm 62:8 says: “Trust in him [God] at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah [Rest].” God wants you to “pour out your heart before Him.” Tell Him your thoughts/heart. Prayer is simply you speaking to and fellowshipping with God in light of His Word. It is not mindlessly uttering some prescribed phrases in a prayer book.

Pray to God in an intelligent, understandable manner (1 Corinthians 14:15): pray as a grace saint, a member of the Body of Christ, not as a member of Israel. We need not pray Israel’s prayers like the “Lord’s Prayer” of Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 (that was God’s will for them, not for us). Also, let us not be guilty of stealing Israel’s prayer promises (i.e., Matthew 18:19; John 14:14; et al.).

Paul’s epistles describe what God is doing today, so let us pay attention to the things for which our Apostle Paul prayed. Ephesians 1:16-23, Ephesians 3:14-21, Philippians 1:9-11, and Colossians 1:9-12 are valid things for which to pray in our dispensation (these describe God’s will for us). Pray for 1 Timothy 2:3,4 to come to pass—that lost souls would be saved, and Christians would be edified (strengthened, built up).

Exact words to pray are not the issue: the heart attitude (faith in God’s Word to us) is the issue. Note that God has given us some model prayers in Paul’s epistles. Thus, if we pray in accordance with them, we will be praying for God’s will to be accomplished. So, I pray thou discardest thy prayer books!

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Sunday, October 9, 2011

“After this manner therefore pray ye:… Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 KJV).

The so-called “Lord’s Prayer”—more aptly, the “Our Father Prayer”—has nothing to do with us in this the Dispensation of Grace. Its contents do not apply to our dispensation. However, the “Our Father” prayer is very appropriate in Israel’s kingdom program, its context. Our Apostle Paul tells us that if we want to eat, we must work (2 Thessalonians 3:10)! Yet, according to today’s Scripture, the Jews are to pray for daily bread rather than work for it (cf. Luke 11:3). Why?

Understand that the “bread” of today’s Scripture correlates with the manna (bread) that God rained down from heaven in Israel’s history. For the 40 years of wilderness wanderings, the LORD feed Israel with manna and quail (Exodus 16:4-36; Numbers 11:4-35; John 6:31,32). God miraculously feeding Israel will occur again, future from our present-day.

In the middle of the seven-year Tribulation, at least 42 months after the rapture, the antichrist will break his covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27). At this time, according to Matthew 24:15-21, God warns a believing remnant of Jews living in Jerusalem to flee into the wilderness of the Jordan River valley (north of Jerusalem). He tells them to take nothing with them: no food, no clothes, nothing.

According to Revelation 12:6, “the woman” (the believing remnant of Jews) flees into the wilderness, “where she hath a place prepared of God, that they [the Godhead] should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” Just as God fed Israel in the Old Testament, He will miraculously feed these Jews hiding from the antichrist! This “hidden manna” of Revelation 2:17 will rain down for the last 42 months of the seven years.

We have no reason to pray the “Our Father” prayer because we do not depend on God for our daily food. The Jews of Revelation 12:6 will be unable to work for their food, so God will honor their faith and feed them. Wow, it makes sense, unlike religion’s vain repetitious “Lord’s Prayer,” huh?