HEBREWS CHAPTER 6

Every minister of the Word gets his inspiration from our Great Teacher. The Lord said that the Father will send the Holy Spirit who will guide us unto all truth. No person should dictate him what part of the Word he should feed to the church. But as God leads him and permits him, and that it should be according to Scripture.  Those things ought he to declare behind the pulpit. Even as Paul who set aside the foundational teachings to move on to a higher level of revelations which he called perfection. And he said that they will tackle those things as God permits.

There are three stages a man goes through before he is finally reborn in the Kingdom of God as there are three divisions of the sanctuary, which are the outer court, holy place and finally the most holy place. It was in the most holy place that the mercy seat was situated where the shekinah glory of God appears.

The three stages of our Christian birth is first, justification. It is when we first heard about the love of God that He sent His beloved Son to be a propitiation for our sin. He suffered and died at the cross, went to hell, and on the third day rose again, appeared to many and then  He ascended up on high to sit at the right hand of the Father until all His enemies are placed under His feet. Then we believed for faith comes by hearing the Word. And as a gesture of declaring our faith and to identify ourselves to God's Sacrifice, we repent and are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is changing of the mind. Those things we allowed and willingly committed, we now consider us filth and evil. We realize that with such God is not pleased and that we ought not have  done. We realize that as a sinner, we are worthy of condemnation but because of God's grace for sending His Son for us, there is now a provided way to escape the judgment of the Almighty. Then we make our decision to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as a sign that we identify ourselves to the Sacrifice and accept that He was judged in our behalf. We are not baptized in titles but in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. For some are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit which are the three titles of one God whose "name" is the Lord Jesus Christ.

After water baptism, we have now entered into fellowship with the believers as one who has the same faith with them but we have not yet entered into the Kingdom of God. For it was said that except a man is born again of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter God's  kingdom. You have just been through justification, the first stage. Just like our natural birth, which types the spiritual, the first thing that comes forth is water, then blood. And after the blood, life comes forth which completes the process.

The second stage is sanctification. As we continue to hear the Word through the five-fold ministry (apostle, teacher, evangelist, prophet and pastor), our way of living changes. God is setting our mind towards holiness. We begin to act differently as we gain knowledge of the truth. The word sanctify means "to cleanse and set apart for a service". God changes our old worldly principles and habits to follow the admonitions of the Scripture as we "eat the good Word of God". But still this is not the rebirth.

The final stage is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. This is when God seals us to His kingdom. It is the indwelling of God's eternal gene into our heart. The only way for us to inherit the eternal nature of God is to be born of Him. As a natural father expresses his attributes through a seed and that seed becomes an individual being, a child that possesses his father's gene, which gene is the very abstract of all his characteristics. So also is God who is a spiritual Father. He expresses His attributes through  His Seeds in the form of the Holy Ghost which is the spiritual Seed of God. And that Seed becomes an individual being, a child of God that possesses the nature of his Father. This means that if we are a recipient of that Spirit in the way of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, God has begotten us. This time not only we could live a holy life because we were cleansed through sanctification but because we have the very nature of the Holy God as His sons and daughters. Then God anoints us with His Spirit as a gift to empower us for a ministry.

Let us not be confused about the word anointing and rebirth. To be born of God is to be a son of God.  A man can be anointed of the Spirit and yet not a son of God. God by His sovereign will could impart to anyone a portion of His power. For even Satan at first was called the "anointed" cherub. And in the last days, the Lord said that false Christs will come. The word Christ means anointed, which makes the phrase false christs as false anointed. A man can be anointed, or partaker of the Holy Ghost in that sense, and yet ordained to condemnation. As Paul beautifully illustrated it through nature in Hebrews 6:7-8  that," the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which bringeth thorns and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned.". The rain symbolizes the Spirit of God that pours upon both part of the earth that brings food and that part which brings thorns and briers. Both are recipients of God's anointing but not both are to obtain God's blessing.

We could say then that a man can be justified (once enlightened), sanctified (have tasted the good word of God), and anointed (have tasted of the  heavenly gift and made partakers of the Holy Ghost) and yet not born of God. He could still fall away and reject the truth which he once embraced. It is the same as crucifying the Son of God afresh for Israel demanded Jesus' crucifixion as a gesture of their rejection.

This is like crossing the boundary of grace and judgment and unpardonable in the sight of God.

Remember Israel in the time of exodus. They all passed through the Red Sea and ate of the manna from heaven. They were all partakers of the water from the Rock and witnesses of God's mighty power. But not everyone crossed Jordan. Not all made it to the promise land except for Joshua and Caleb. Which promised land represents Christ.

He who is a seed of Abraham will finish his journey across the wilderness. Through hunger and thirst, through marah and meribah. Not a Korah or a Dathan or an Abiram can hinder him. He will not look back to see the onions and cucumbers of Egypt. But his heart will be set towards Canaan. For God called His son out of Egypt not to die in the wilderness but to possess his portion in the Land flowing with milk and honey. God be praised forever more!

BY. BRO. ALBERTO ESPINOSA

HEBREWS CHAPTER 5 The Great High Priest

To be a high priest, there are requirements to meet. First, he must be ordained of God. For no one  takes the honor of becoming a high priest  'less it was given to him by God. Israel could not just pick for himself a tribe who will administer the temple works but God had to ordain the Levites for that purpose. It was God's choosing that placed the Levites in that office. For all the tribes was in the loin of Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchisedec after his victory over his enemies. Why not everyone is a priest? It is because God elected Levi before the foundation of the world to minister in things pertaining to God. So is everyone who will stand before the pulpit as modern-day priesthood who will devote themselves in the Word and in prayers. And will serve in the temple of God which is His Church.

Second, He must be anointed of God as His high priest. Aaron who was the first high priest of Israel was anointed with an oil before he actually stepped in his ministration as a high priest. Which oil, in this dispensation of Grace, signifies the Holy Ghost who comes into God's ordained minister to empower him with a gift for his ministry. He must have taken his part in the body of Christ for it was written, "but now God hath set everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.". And again, "for as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office.". Thus, to have an office in the body of Christ is to be a member of it. And by one Spirit we are baptized into one Body.

Third, the high priest could empathize with the people of God for he himself is compassed with infirmities.

Jesus Christ the Son of God had met every requirements. He was ordained of God as a High Priest saying, "Thou art a priest forever, in the order of Melchisedec.". He was anointed of God in the river Jordan when the Spirit of God descended like a dove and dwelt in Him to empower Him with the fullness of the Father. Jesus is not just part of the body but the whole body is connected to Him for He is the Head and that body is His own. He knows your every cares, your afflictions, your frustrations, your needs, your pains. For He Himself suffered and was tempted at all points. And not only he can empathize but it is written that whatsoever thing is done unto us they also have done it to Christ. 

He is the High Priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. He has the power to succor us that call on Him. He who is greater than all our tribulations promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is our Lord Jesus Christ, The Great High Priest, according to the power of endless life.

By. Bro. Alberto Espinosa

HEBREWS CHAPTER 2 (A HIGH PRIEST IN THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEC)

The Law and the Prophets was the Word of God which was spoken through His prophets as stated in  chapter 1 verse 1 which at sundry times and in divers manners was told and shown to the fathers. And the Gospel which is the New testament was God's Word through His Son and now is being disseminated to us by them who heard it whom God had borne witness with signs and wonders.

It was God's original purpose to make man as the head of His creations. The  earth was supposed to be man's dominion. But because of unbelief, It was taken away from his hand. Satan had the authority over it because man traded his headship with satan's wisdom. But  not ownership because God alone is the sole owner of His creation and to whom He will give it for an inheritance.

Man fell but not forsaken. God by His sovereign grace purposed in Himself that He will redeem man by sending His only Son to take upon Himself the penalty of sin. Jesus Christ the Son of God knew no sin but was made sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God. He suffered, died and on the third day rose again and is now setting in the right hand of God until all His enemy be subjected to Him. If we by faith died with Him, we believe that we also was risen with Him and are now sitting in  heavenly places with Him. And through Him all things shall be put under our feet to be made subject unto us. At present, it doesn't yet appear that all things are subject unto us. For we still suffer. We still grow old. We still embrace corruption  in the flesh. And ultimately, death still knocks at our door. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the will of God should taste death for every man.

It behooved Him to be made like unto us and through death He destroys him who has the power of death, which is the devil. And being victorious over death by His resurrection, death is become to us a defeated enemy. Even as Paul declared, "where is your  sting oh death , grave where is your victory.  Jesus was the firstfruit of the resurrection and those who are dead in Christ shall rise at His coming. But glory to God, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the air in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye at the last trump, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. This vile body that we have shall be change like unto His glorious body according to the power by which He is able to subdue all things unto Himself. There will be no sickness, no sorrow, no trials and tribulation, no death but it will be an eternal joy and peace and life.

While we wait for this glorious day, we are tempted at every side. But we have a great High Priest that can be touch by the feeling of our infirmities, who has been perfected by the things He suffer. This is not to say that He wasn't perfect prior to sufferings. Remember that He is the Word, the fountain of all goodness and perfections. But when He came into the flesh, He came the regular way except for the virgin birth. He had to grow in wisdom and stature. The Holy Ghost was His teacher. For as the Father taught Him, those things He spake. He even learned obedience though obedience would mean pain in the flesh.  Yes, He remained faithful even unto death. As a man He was perfected but as God He was the Fountain of Perfections.

And being perfected in the form of a man He became the Captain of our salvation. God in flesh in the form of His Son suffered and was tempted at all points and became a High Priest  in the order of Melchisedek.

By: Bro. Alberto Espinosa

HEBREWS CHAPTER 4 THE SABBATH OF GOD

When the Scripture said God rested on the seventh day after the completion of all creations and was refreshed, it doesn't mean that the all powerful, almighty, the inexhaustible fountain of strength, got tired and weary after six days of work. We have to remember that the whole bible is God's message to us. He conveys His thought through spoken words, He expresses His will through the life of His people whose story were written in the Holy Scripture. His actions tells us of what He has in mind.

Just like in Eden after the fall, God asked, "where art thou Adam?". Does it mean that the all knowing God didn't know where Adam was? And again before the flood He repented that He created man. Does it mean it was a mistake that He created Adam? I believe that all these things that God did, He was acting out what He had in mind. That if we could just see and read between the lines, we will be able to know what He really means.

When God ceased from all His works and rested the seventh day, He was commanding us through His action that we should ceased from our own dead works and enter His Sabbath. When God looked for Adam, it was to tell us that in our fallen state, it was Him who find us. We did not chose Him but He had chosen us. When He repented before the flood, it was to tell us that we must have a changing of mind before baptism.  For to repent is to have a change of mind.

God commanded Israel through Moses that they honor the seventh day which was called the sabbath day. For forty years in the wilderness they've had many sabbath days and still God was grieved with many of them and had sworn that they should not enter into His rest. Therefore there is a rest that God was speaking of apart from the literal sabbath. We may think that entering the promised land was that rest, for those who fell in disbelief did not enter therein. But it had been a long time since they were in the promised land and still David spoke that when we hear His voice let us not harden our heart as in the day of Israel's provocation, that we, not as they were, could enter His rest.

Thus we can say that it is not the literal day of rest neither entering the promised land that we are commanded to enter. Those are just the shadow of the true rest that God promised His people. It was said that the gospel was also preached to them in the form of the Law and they did not believe. Unto us also is the gospel preached and we believed. And after we believed we were baptized by the Holy Spirit of promise. The baptism of the Spirit brings us into Christ. For by one Spirit we are baptized into one body which is the body of our Lord. We believed and so we enter into Christ who is God's Sabbath. As it was written, "come and I will give rest to your souls".

To enter into God's rest is not without a work to do. It is to cease from our own work and enter into the work Jesus will give us. For He in one account said, "for my yoke is easy and my burden is light". And again, "this is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom God has sent".

Let us therefore labor, as we had been admonished, to enter into His rest. Let us have our faith towards Him, and that without hypocrisy. For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Penetrating even unto the innermost part of our being and exposing the desires of the spirit and of the flesh, and that if our heart is lusting for them. But on the positive side, the Word also can discern the sickness of the body even to the marrows and the disease of our soul. But praise be to God, we have a High Priest that has passed into heavens and has preeminence over all things. A High Priest that can be touch by the feeling of our infirmities for He Himself suffered at all points and yet without sin. Let all our cares be made known unto Him through prayers and supplications with thanksgiving. And if we will just confessed our sins before Him, He is just and faithful to forgive us.

By: Bro. Alberto Espinosa

HEBREWS CHAPTER 3 The House that God built

The Church is the house that God built. Jesus said that upon a rock, which is the rock of revelation, He will build His church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. His foundation stands sure having this seal, that God knows who are His, and he that names the name of the Lord, let him depart from iniquity. When Christ said He will build "His church", He knows every name that consists it. He knows every stone of it. And we are these stones which Peter described as the lively stones built up for a spiritual house as a habitation of God. Jesus knows who are these stones and they are His. They are foreknown of God whose names are written in the Lambs book of life. God predestinated them and called them in their own season. And whom God called He justified, and whom He justified He also glorified. God calls His people through His Word in His appointed time. And they will hearken unto His voice because they recognize it as the voice of their Shepherd and the voice of a stranger they will not follow.

Every child of God was in Him even before there was a creation. We are part of Him and in Him as we are part of our natural fathers  and in them even before we were born. Our spiritual life was in God, eternal with Him. At first we were expressed as creations and Adam was the first created son of God. In the beginning, God commanded Adam to multiply and be fruitful and that through him every child of God be brought forth in this world. If not because of satan who deceived the woman and injected a seed in her through the serpent, the only race of man who will inhabit the earth was God's children. But because of his perversion  by beguiling Eve and went into her before Adam did, another race was born. Since then the earth will not only be inhabited by God's children but also by the seeds of the serpent which Cain was the first. This is why he was called in the Scripture  as he who is of the wicked one. He was the first hybrid creature that existed who was a mixture of man and serpent. Some may ask how can the seed of an animal mix with man. We should take note that the serpent was an upright creature in the beginning. He could talk like a man. He was the most subtle among any beast which God had created. If he was, then he must be more intelligent than the chimpanzee which scientists consider as a specie that is closest to human. And considering God's way of creation which is from the most inferior to the greatest. Just like the botany life which starts from a simple algae to fungus and to vines then to shrubs and then to trees. If the serpent was more intelligent than the chimpanzee then It must be the closest thing to man before it was cursed. I believe it was the missing link scientists was never able to find. I believe it was that which God had cursed saying , "thou art  above every cattle, and above every beast of the field. Upon thy belly thou shalt go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life". I believe it was the serpent. It was like a man before God pronounce the curse that changed its physical structure. And the only difference between man and the serpent was the soul. Man has the soul for he was created in the image of God being a Spirit which the serpent doesn't have. But just like human, the serpent has a place for a soul which satan took as an opportunity  to dwell and take control of this creature. That serpent became like a man because Satan's soul and spirit dwelt in it.

Though Cain was  a hybrid creature, which is serpent and man, he had a soul because the superior life will always prevail and dominant in the case of hybriding. Man is a higher form of life than the serpent. And therefore Cain was not to be called a serpent but a man for he has a soul. He will answer in the day of judgment for murdering Abel his brother and no serpent shall be in the white throne judgment. Cain and all his descendants were the other race of man to inhabit the earth other than the children of God. As it is written," And the sons of God saw the daughters of man". The sons of God in this verse were not angels for angels could never be God's children. As it was written, which of the angels saith He at any time, "Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee".

After the flood, Noah was the last to possess the pure blood of Adam. His three children, Ham, Japheth and Shem came from a mix blood of man and animal which was the serpent. The nature of Ham tells us

and proves that the adulterous instinct of satan was in him and Noah's wife consented to her son's act. For the Bible spoke this way, "and Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brethren without". We know that seeing the nakedness doesn't mean what it seems to us.

After the flood, it was the children of Noah who replenished the world. They multiplied and scattered in all the earth. Since then every man that was born under the sun by a woman is stained by the blood of the serpent. But the purpose of God shall never be defeated. His children will still be born in His decreed seasons. And in every season He has His provided way to call them by sending a witness to preach His word. And as they preach every one hears them but not all will believe. Not every one will recognize God's visitation. And that, it was their "TODAY". As it was written, "today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart as in the day of provocation". Some will  rejoice for a season for the things they hear but will not endure up to the end as the Lord said that some seed fell by the wayside and some  among the thorns and some in the stony grounds. But it isn't so with us as the children of God. For we are His house, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing for the hope until the end.

And what is that hope that we should rejoice for? It is the hope of glory. That at His coming we shall receive the fullness of our inheritance. For we received the earnest. The gene of God which at first was expressed as a creation. That which at first was "created" in His image. That which at first was expressed as a "shadow". But now the real thing has come and it was not a creation. It was born of God. Not a shadow for the light has come. As it is written "the first Adam was made a living soul, but the second was a quickening Spirit". And as we have borne the image of the first, we shall also bear the image of the second. The living soul died (separated from God) because of sin as a penalty. But Jesus took the penalty. And when on the third day He was quickened, by faith the sinful soul was quickened with Him. But not only to become quickened but also to bear the image of the Second Adam as a QUICKENING SPIRIT. And that Spirit is the eternal Gene of the eternal God born from above. HALLELUJAH! That which was once created is now born. Oh, how unsearchable is the wisdom of the Almighty. For flesh and blood shall not reveal it to man but the Father in heaven. And upon this Rock He will build His House.

By: Bro. Alberto Espinosa

HEBREWS 1 (GODHEAD EXPLAINED)

    The author was  pointing out the supremacy of the Son over the angels by quoting several verses from the book of psalms . Angels was created in the image of their Creator who is also a Spirit, as declared in verse 7. But they are created as servants and ministers to them that are heirs of salvation. And being angels, which means messengers, they were made to fulfill instructions from the Almighty as Gabriel was sent from the presence of God. But unto the Son, He was addressed in verse 8 as God whose throne is forever and ever. Some perhaps would find it confusing that David in his psalms said that this God called the Son was anointed by His God above His fellows. How come a Hebrew, a king of Israel and a prophet, whose God commanded saying "hear ye all Israel, the Lord thy God is one God" would declare that there is another God besides Jehovah. And here in Hebrews, Paul who was believed to be the author of this epistle quoted the same verse.

           The bible says that in the beginning was the Word (which means an expressed thought). And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us whom we call the Son. But before He manifested in the flesh, He was just the Word, He was Jehovah,  who identified Himself as I AM THAT I AM. He was the express image of God. In other words the exact expression  of who God is. The characters and everything attributable to ELOHIM being God was expressed from His eternal mind as a thought to become a Word. This is why Jesus was called the Word, the expressed thought of God.  The invisible God became expressed in Word form. And in that form He created the heavens and the earth.

         God in Word form showed Himself in many ways to the prophets. He was seen  as a pillar of fire in the burning bush. At one time the Word took upon Himself a body  of flesh and ate with Abraham. The back part of Him was seen by Moses in the wilderness. He was  Israel's one true God. But in the fullness of time, God overshadowed a virgin and created in her womb a seed. And when that seed was born,  the Word dwelt in it and became His own body. And so the Word was made flesh and was called the Son of God.  Jehovah (God the Father) of the Old testament is the same WORD in the New testament as Jesus (The Son of God).

         What shall we say then?, the Father became Son and that God is no longer Father but Son. Certainly not. It was just the Word (the expression) who entered into another office as Son. But the ETERNAL UNSEEN GOD, who expressed the Word ,did not. But He (THE ETERNAL UNSEEN GOD) became the FATHER of the WORD when  the WORD became the SON of GOD.

This is why Jesus can pray and call on the Father and yet He could say "I and the Father are one". Jehovah of the old testament (the Word form of the ETERNAL UNSEEN) is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, (the Word manifested in flesh) of the new testament . God in Word form took the image of man and was called The Son. But God in the form of eternal unseen became the Father of The Son. It is not two Gods but ONE GOD existing in TWO DIFFERENT FORMS as Father (the unseen) and Son(the word).

         The name JESUS is God's redemptive name. It is His name as a Father. It is His name as a Son. And It is His name as the Holy Ghost that dwells in His people. That is why Peter when he was asked in Acts chapter 2 what the people should do, he admonished that they should repent and be baptized in the name of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST  as obedience to the Lord's commission to the apostle to preach and baptize in the NAME OF THE FATHER , AND OF THE SON , AND OF THE HOLY GHOST because the  FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST IS ONE GOD in three OFFICES and His name is Lord Jesus Christ.

         What then is the Holy Ghost? There are three answers to this question. One, the term "ghost" is synonymous to "spirit". God is a Spirit and a holy kind of spirit. Therefore, the Holy Ghost could be defined as the very being of God as a Spirit being. Two, at the time of Pentecost, two things happened to the disciples. That Fire in a form of cloven tongues rested upon each of them and also they were filled with the Holy Ghost. This cloven tongues is undoubtedly the Spirit of God (Holy Ghost) divided unto all the 120 disciples. This is not the very being of God but the seeds of God that rested upon each of them that brought their conversion or spiritual rebirth. "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."(I john 3:9). Three, it was said that they were also filled with the Holy Ghost. Again, this is not the very being of God but His anointing or empowerment which every son and daughter of God receives.

         Hebrews 1:4 was correct when it said He hath by INHERITANCE obtained a more excellent name than the angels because the name of the Lord is His Father's name. It was just right to say that He inherit it because He is in the Office of Sonship.

         Now, if everything was created by the Word which includes angels and Jesus is the Word, therefore , Jesus was the creator of the angels. And that there is no controversy to say that Jesus, our Lord and their Lord, is far greater than them.

To the reader:   I know that anyone who could read this article will find many flaws with regards to grammar and the choice of words seems to

   have come not from a man of literature or of a  highly polished man in terms of education. Please don’t pay attention to the simplicity of       

 this article. Let us always be reminded that God is hiding in simplicity. My sole objective is to share to all the Sovereign Grace of God and His Unconditional love for the elect. If in any way this objective is fulfilled in you or perhaps has questions concerning your salvation or any bible questions, please write me and send it to:    thethirdpullbrideofjesuschrist@yahoo.com