Mark was not one of the twelve disciples of Christ, but he was a young teenager at the time of Christ's ministry. As Jesus and the disciples would go here and there, this teenager would just tag along and listen to what was said. This book then is written from the energy of his youth, an he was present when most of the events of the other gospels happened. We will see his use of the word "now" over and over, and in the Greek this would be better translated, "immediately", into the English. The book of Mark rolls along and you can feel this youth relating his experiences to the reader. "Mark" is his surname which is a Roman or Latin name, and his Hebrew name was "John".

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;"

Mark is making a declaration of what this gospel is addressed to.

Mark 1:2 "As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee."

Mark is quoting here from Isaiah 40:3, and Mark was quite a scholar for his age in his interest into the prophets writings.

Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

This was not the cry of the Messiah, but of the fore-runner who in reality was John the Baptist. Each of the Gospels verify the fulfilling of this verse; Matthew 3:3; Luke 3:4-5; John 1:23, as well as this verse in Mark 1:2-3 and in I Peter 1:24.

Matthew 3:1 "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,"

Matthew 3:2 "Saying, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 3:3 "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias [Isaiah in the Hebrew], saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight' " 

The people of Jerusalem refused to accept both John the Baptist or the Messiah Jesus Christ. They refused John by cutting his head off, and they refused Christ in their cries to crucify Him, when they beat him and stripped Him, spit on Jesus and sent Him to die on the Roman cross. The Messiah's first coming in the flesh as a baby was rejected by the religious leaders, while at Christ's second coming all the people on the face of the earth will see Him as the Christ and every knee will bow to Him.

Isaiah 40:4 "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:"

At the next coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, His glory shall be seen and respected by all those living on the earth at that time. We know it shall happen because God has fore-warned us that it shall come to pass. That coming is not far away for us living in this generation of the fig tree, which started when the Jews returned to their homeland, and became established as a nation. The nation we today call Israel.

Live Link to-The Parable of the Fig Tree

Whoever thinks this earth age of flesh is done away with at the sounding of the Seventh and last trumpet [Christ's return] is wrong in their thinking. At the sounding of that last trumpet, we shall all be changed into our spiritual bodies which will be incorruptible. Those bodies will never grow old, and the marks of age and sickness that are left on these flesh bodies will be gone. But, this present earth age will last another 1000 years, on through Christ's millennial kingdom which will be right here on this earth. This is the mystery that Paul speaks of in I Corinthians 15:50-52.

I Corinthians 15:50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption."

The flesh and blood body cannot enter or exist during that time when Jesus Christ is on earth during His Millennium kingdom. "Corruption" is the flesh body, while "incorruption" is the non-aging spiritual body that all souls will be changed into at the sounding of seventh trumpet that marks the end of this flesh age, but not this earth age.

Live Link to- Christ's Millennial Temple

I Corinthians 15:51 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed,"

A "mystery" is something that is unknown, and once it becomes know it is no longer a mystery. This mystery was unknown to the church, to God's people prior to Paul revealing this mystery to them. It concerns a certain moment in time when all the people on the face of the earth that are living in their flesh bodies will not die in the flesh anymore. There will simply be no more death to any of the flesh bodies of those living on earth. Why? Because the people will all be changed instantly into their new bodies that they shall be living in for the next thousand year period. That time of the Millennium age is when Jesus Christ is here on earth ruling over His kingdom. "Sleep" in the Greek text is "koimao" in the prime, and it is where we get the English word "comatose". In the Strong's Greek dictionary it is "to slumber, figure of speech for decease; to be dead."

Remember that Paul is explaining to the Christians in Corinth that a time is coming when those living in these flesh bodies will not die, but their flesh bodies shall all be changed. Every last soul on the face of this earth shall be changed from their flesh bodies into a new incorruptible celestial body, such as that of the angels.

Isaiah 40:5 "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

This time when the glory of the Lord shall be revealed at Jesus Christ's second coming will be when all souls have been changed into their incorruptible bodies. Each soul will see and understand immediately the evil that he or she has done if they were deceived into worshipping Satan, the false Christ, called the Antichrist by some, during his/Satan's coming at the sixth trumpet. It shall happen because it is written in His Word.

Mark is also referring to Malachi 3:1; "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold He shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."

This is speaking of John the Baptist, who would come in the Spirit of Elijah.

Mark 1:3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.' 

We quoted this above from the prophet Isaiah, who was prophesying what John the Baptist would say.

Mark 1:4 "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

This was John the Baptist's role, and he would have been Elijah if people would have believed him. He came in the spirit of Elijah, saying the things that Elijah is going to say in the last days before the coming of Christ. Christ explained this in Matthew 11:13-15.

Matthew 11:13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied unto John."

Jesus is identifying John the Baptist as the last prophet before the first advent of Christ.

Matthew 11:14 "And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come."

Did you notice, there is a condition with this statement. Jesus is saying that, if you receive Christ as King of Kings, then John the Baptist is Elijah, in which he was prophesied to come before the coming of Christ. However, Jesus was not received as a King, but as a common man and accused to be nothing more than a fraud and a crook, for which the Kenites sought to hang Him on the cross. They did not receive John the Baptist, nor did they receive the message of Elijah that He brought them.

Luke 1:17 "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

This is quote from Malachi 4:5; "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;"

Malachi 4:6 "And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

So what is the ministry of Elijah? It is the ministry that turns the hearts of the people [children] to their "fathers", for there are two fathers.

Editor's Note: Yes, we who make up the residents of the earth, at this time, in this earth age, are descended from of one of two fathers.  
Live Link to-"Two Sowers of seed; both the good and the bad"

That ministry comes at the end of this earth age, and the two fathers are Jesus Christ the Messiah, and Satan the Antichrist.

Many of God's children are the "elect" of God, they know the Scriptures, for they are not deceived when the six seals of deception are opened. They are the ones that wait for their true Christ, for they are the bride of Christ.

Then there are those that follow after the traditions of men, and doctrines that will lead them to the Antichrist, such as through their rapture doctrine. They are the bride that adorns themselves for the wrong husband. They are also the ones that will stand as the unfaithful wife at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will commit their acts in ignorance, because they just don't want to study the Word of God, nor know the truth in God's Word, but would rather follow in the traditions of men taught in most Christian church houses today.

Even the Kenite Pharisees knew that Elijah was the for-runner of the Christ and they marked that time well, because they knew that the true Christ would come to earth at that time.

Matthew 11:15 "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus closes this part of the message with this statement, drawing our attention to the fact that it is important for us to learn and understand. It marks the end of this flesh age, and the message is that you will know the True Christ, and the signs of the times, or you will be drawn to the Antichrist [Satan]. You that have ears to hear, pay attention, something important was just stated."

Live Link to-The "curse" that comes before the second advent is the accursed one, the abomination of desolation, i.e. Satan as the false Messiah

There would not be a second advent had the Jews received Christ, but they did not. It was no accident that the Jews did not accept Christ for it was prophesied and written centuries prior to Jesus Christ's birth that they would not, and that the Messiah would be crucified at His first coming. Even right down to the very words He would say, and the actions of those trying Him and committing the acts during the crucifixion. The Word states clearly that there would be two advents in Zechariah 9:9, 10.

Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

This is as it was at the first coming of Christ. He entered into the city of Jerusalem, and the People shouted praises of Christ as He entered into Jerusalem. Matthew 21:1-9 records in detail Christ's entry into Jerusalem, and verse five fulfills this prophecy. At Jesus Christ's first coming He did not come as the King of Kings, and riding on a great white horse. No! He came as a baby, born of a virgin, in a cave because there was no room for him at the inn. Jesus was born in a stable, He came to pay the price by offering Himself as the sacrifice for our salvation. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He was riding on "a colt the foal of an ass." That is a young donkey that had never been ridden before. His first coming paid the price in full for your and my sins, when we repent them to the Father in Jesus name.

Zechariah 9:10 "And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth."

This verse is telling us of the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ will not be crucified at this second advent or coming, but He will come with a rod of iron. The chariot to be cut off will bring peace for Ephraim. The "river" is the Euphrates, which will be dried up, as the earth will take a new shape, and there shall be no boundaries. This event is coming very shortly. There will be no more battles when Jesus Christ comes for His second advent, here on earth. Jesus Christ will establish His Millennium [1000] year kingdom right here on earth and not some far off distant planet. That kingdom will cover the entire earth, and it's purpose is for teaching and discipline of the as yet unsaved.

Mark 1:5 "And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins."

This is a little confusing as it was translated here. They didn't just close everything down and rush out to be baptized all at one time as indicate, but there was just a steady trickle of believers from all parts of Judea coming out to see John, and to be baptized by him. People from all the towns including Jerusalem came out as they heard his message of salvation, understood and desired to be baptized by John the Baptist.

"Jordan" means "the descender", and we know that Jesus would be baptized and the Holy Spirit would descend upon Him when He was baptized in this river. So Jordan is well named. The first time John the Baptist was named in the Bible was when He was six month pregnant in the womb of his mother Elisabeth, and her cousin, the virgin Mary came to her having just conceived the Christ child Jesus.

Luke 1:36 And behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren."

So we see that this time in Mark where John is baptizing, he is six months older than Jesus, or about thirty years of age, as well as Jesus is.

Editor's Note: That story also tells us when Jesus birthday is; and it's not December 25th. Live Link to-Merry Conception Day!  December 25th, 5 B.C.
See pamphlet #1072

Editors note: We have no problem with celebrating the  Birth of Christ on December 25; just keep in mind it probably occurred on September 29, 4 B.C. which incidentally was the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. In plain words the "Word became flesh", i.e. was conceived (see John 1:14) on December 25, 5 B.C. and tabernacled with us, nine months later, starting September 29, 4 B.C.

Mark 1:6 "And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;"

The attire that John is wearing here is the same attire that Elijah wore.

II Kings 1:8 "And they answered him, "He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

This is why John the Baptist was thought to be Elijah, as we read in Luke 1:17; "And he shall go before Him in the spirit and Power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elias [Elijah], and when he spoke there was no middle ground, the people that heard John were either drawn to repentance for their sins, or they, like the Kenite Pharisees and scribes turned away and rejected what John was saying.

Mark 1:7 "And preached, saying, "There cometh One mightier than I after me, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose."

Of course John the Baptist is referring to the Messiah, Jesus the Christ here.

Mark 1:8 "I indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [Spirit]."

The word "Ghost" in the Greek refers to something unknown, However, there is nothing unknown in the Holy Spirit of God. This reads "Holy Spirit" in the Greek manuscript text. It is important that we remember that in the earth age that we are living in today, the Holy Spirit is present, and many have felt His warm presence and have been directed by Him.

There are also evil and seducing spirits in the world today, which many called "demonic" or "devils". Though there is not an evil spirit behind every bush, we must recognize that they are present in the world today. Our spiritual discernment must keep us aware of these spirits.

Mark 1:9 "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan."

John is baptizing the people with water at the river Jordan. Jesus came out from his home in Nazareth, and he came to the river bank where John was baptizing others, and Jesus was baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

There is a misconception that after John died, and Jesus was crucified that the necessity of being baptized or submerged with water had passed, and that isn't true. This indicates that those promoting such an idea just don't understand what baptism is all about. The baptism of water now signifies that "He that descended, ascended after His death, and it signifies the death and burial [under the water]; and the resurrection [the coming out from the submerging of the water]." This was an event [Christ's death, burial, and resurrection] that had not even taken place at the time of John the Baptist. In as much as Christ Himself saw fit to be baptized, each of us should desire that spiritual washing of the baptism also in obedience to Christ, although it is not a necessity for the salvation of your soul.

Mark 1:10 "And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him:"

Immediately after Jesus was baptized, and as he came out of the water the Spirit of God came upon Him. So why is a dove used here as an example
or symbol for the Holy Spirit of God? Any time an animal or creature is used in the Scripture there is more to what is being said. The word "dove" in the Hebrew tongue is # 3123; "yownay, yo-naw'; from 3196, a dove (from the warmth of their mating)." Then in # 3196 we read: "Yayin, yah'-yin; from an unused root meaning to efferveace; wine (as fermented); by impl. intoxication: banqueting, wine."

"Dove" in the Hebrew is another form of the word "Jonah", the same name as the Jonah that was swallowed by the big fish and later went to preach at Nineveh. Jonah spent three days and three nights in the whale's belly and then came forth alive. As we read above Jonah, or dove means "to feel warmeth", and that is why the God uses the dove as the symbol of His Holy Spirit to appear to men. Because if you have felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, you have felt that warmth that comes within you when you feel the presence of the Living God.

The prime root of the word for "dove" or "Jonah", is just plain wine, "Yayin" in the Hebrew. Therefore in the sense as used here, the warmth that you would receive on a very cold day from a sip of Yayin, is as the dove of the Holy spirit touching and warming your soul.

So within this verse, "Jordan" meaning "descending", "dove" being the touching and warmth of the Holy Spirit within Messiah Himself. Jesus Christ's priesthood was anointed after the order of Melchizedek, as spoken of in Hebrews 7. When each of us are baptized with water and in the Spirit, we become partakers of that same priesthood.

Mark 1:11 "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, "Thou art My beloved son, in Whom I am well pleased."

Another name for Jesus, as given by the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 7:14, is "Immanuel". The name "Immanuel" means "God with us", and just as the Spirit of God entered into Jesus at this time of His baptism, this same Spirit of God enters into each of us. Baptism is for every soul that desires to receive God's Spirit into their heart and mind through repentance; so we see the beautiful appearance of the Holy Spirit as He entered into Christ.

Mark 1:12 "And immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness."

The ministry of Jesus Christ started immediately after the Spirit of God moved into Christ at His baptism. When Jesus came out of the river the Spirit lead Him into the wilderness. Though Mark skips over the background reasons for Jesus going into this wilderness, he states in verse thirteen that Jesus went to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.

The purpose for Jesus subjecting Himself to the devil Satan was to show you and me that once the Spirit comes upon you and touches you with His warmth, you are given power over Satan. Satan can tempt you all he wants, and he will do that, but in exercising the power that God gives us through His Spirit that is within us, Satan and his evil spirits will flee from us. So God is showing us how to overcome Satan.

Mark 1:13 "And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto Him."

"Forty" in biblical numerics represents "probation". Jesus remained in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. God protected Jesus while in the wilderness during this time of temptation. So lets take a look at how Satan tempted Jesus and what did Satan tempt Jesus with?

Satan tempted Jesus with the offers of riches, which are Satan's to give. However, the thing that is important for us to remember is that Satan quoted Scripture. He was a Scripture lawyer, and Satan knows considerable more Scripture than the average Christian knows. In his tempting of Jesus, Satan quoted from the Psalms and from the book of Deuteronomy. He did a good job of quoting except for one fact, in each case he twisted one little part, one little word to make the entire meaning of the verse just the opposite from what God had said through the prophets. Satan turned everything around to mean the opposite from its intended meaning.

This should be a lesson to you and me that Satan will tempt you right from the Word of God, if you do not rightly divide the Word of God. That is why it is important to know the one you are studying under and the source of the material you are studying from. This is also why those who are biblically illiterate are very vulnerable, especially in our generation, for with Satan soon to appear here on earth they simply will not have the ability to tell the difference between Satan and Christ. Satan will not change his method of operation when he comes disguised as the Messiah.

This is why it is important to know the smooth flow of events concerning our generation. 

Live Link to-The Parable of the Fig Tree

When you know the events that have to happen in chronological order, then you will not be tempted into believing a lie. It is because of the knowledge that you have of God's Word, your faith in that Word, and the presence of the Holy Spirit within you that will give you your direction. So we see that the Holy Spirit is very necessary, not only to give us comfort, but to give us the wisdom and understanding to keep us from yielding to the temptation that Satan will bring upon the earth. The Holy Spirit is God with us and His Spirit gives us the discernment when we exercise that ability.

Live Link to-Endure til the end

As we look at the moral decay that exists around us today, and the desire of people to disregard God's laws and commandments, and we see that Christ, the Word of God is being taken out of the schools, and in its place there is a vacuum. Then people and community leaders sit by in a stupor and wonder why children are doing the things that they do today, when there is no standards for them to follow. Children are to be trained and taught, but within today's teachings as they are given, there are outright lies and falsehoods, undermining the things that would give them stability. They call it the "new way", however it is not new but Satan taking the same old lies and methods, and dressing them up to where the biblical illiterate will accept those lies. The prophet Amos told us that this would happen, and it is.

Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."

These days are here right now, and the famine is in the land. Listen to what is being taught in the churches and schools today, and what parents are teaching their kids. Sure there is no shortage for food to eat, but for the food that feeds our minds, there is today only trash and garbage; lies and deception.

Amos 8:12 "And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."

From coast to coast and around the world our so-called leaders are seeking for truths that are right before their eyes, but they remain spiritually blind. They seek their past in the far planets, and in the depths of the sea, and they take the most trivial things and build their non-sense around those things. Always searching but never coming to an understanding of anything sound. They seek the truths in the ancient relic religions of the east, yet all that it gives them is a wheel that leads them right back to where they started, nothing but non-sense. When the answer to all questions that the human mind thinks on, is right here in the Scriptures.

They use the same old tripe, and because they call it the "new age movement" it is suppose to demand respect. God is with us and in us, but not in the way and form that they have presented our Heavenly Father. They say that you are your own God, and so on, but we see nothing but moral decay within all this. We see the shootings, stealing, births out of wedlock, and so on, and the leaders just don't relate the things that are happening, to the fact that the truth has been taken from them. Within this new world order they are trying to receive the fruits of the Spirit, without the Spirit, and it just doesn't work that way. We sit by and see the government pass laws, and the so-called supreme court enforce the very things that will doom us as a nation. Facts are facts, and the proof of what they are doing can be read in the crime section of the newspaper, and on the faces of the men, women and children of our land.

It is obvious as Christ taught, "by their fruits ye shall know them." The moral codes and the biblical laws and standards are being removed from our homes, schools, and quite obviously from our governmental institutions. the people of our generations are being prepared to receive the false Christ when he comes.  This moral decay started way back in the late 1940's, and with each passing year it is getting progressive worse. We have no body to blame but ourselves, but those with the wisdom of God's Word know why this is happening, because it was all prophesied by God through the prophets.

It is time to look at the things in the way that they are. Understand that Satan tempts people with the very Word of God, either by the removal of a Word, or the twisting of the Word when it is presented to you. It doesn't matter to Satan which way that you want it, with or without the Word, he will get to the biblical illiterate person either way. That is the way Satan works.

There wasn't one place in the mind of Christ that Satan could tempt, and that is the same as it should be with you. When you know the Word and are lead by the Holy Spirit, then you will find Satan an abomination.

Mark 1:14 "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,"

This prison internment was after the forty day period when Jesus had been tempted in the wilderness. When His temptation was completed, Jesus returned into Galilee, and John the Baptist was then thrown into prison. This was the start of Jesus' preaching ministry. "Gospel" means "the good news", and the "kingdom" is made up of a king and the dominion that is under the control of that king. So here we are talking about the King, being our Heavenly Father, and His dominion is everything that is under His power and authority, which is everything.

Mark 1:15 "And saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

The gospel is the good news that God is giving forth, telling us that we don't have to be a slave to this world anymore. When we are in Christ, we are free from the guilt of the sin that binds the world to Satan. This is why Christ came to earth, for He was going to pay the price on the cross later for the sins of the World. This was done three years later when His ministry was finished. Jesus is telling the people that the time is here and now, and the prophecies that foretold this are being fulfilled. We know today that it is true; Jesus was crucified and He was laid in the tomb and after three days and three nights He was resurrected from the dead.

Editor:s Note: Don't let any church or pastor give you this third day he arose to mean anything other then THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS! Be sure of one thing "He arose the third day" can mean "THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS". But, "THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS" can not mean He arose on the third day if "THREE NIGHTS" were not included! That kind of throws the whole kit and caboodle of the Friday to Sunday business they try to pass off to us Christians as being Biblical!, Doesn't it?

Live Link to-Easter Sunday or Easter Saturday, which is it? Have we been deceived?

Also check out Live Link to->#7014 "Six Days Before The Passover"

This is why it is important that we see the necessity for our lives that the dove, which is the Holy Spirit, comes into our lives just as He did in Jesus'. The Spirit touched Christ, and enabled Jesus to withstand anything that Satan could bring upon him, and the same applies to our lives. That is what the gospel of Christ is all about, training, teaching and correcting us where it is needed. Through the discipline that we have in Christ, we can overcome Satan and the world that is under his control.

Mark 1:16 "Now as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers."

Simon and Andrew are the first two men that Jesus selected to be His disciples. They were fishermen at the sea of Galilee.

Mark 1:17 "And Jesus said unto them, "Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 

There was no long explanation to these two men of what would be required of them, just the simple statement, "follow Me."

Mark 1:18 "And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed Him."

Mark uses this word "straightway" quite a bit, and it means "immediately". Lets take a look at that caliber of people that Christ chose as His disciples. There was a time not long ago, one or two generations back, where children received their training at a very young age, and they became fixed in the standards that they would have the rest of their lives. Children were taught the way that you should live and the important things about the law and the commandments of God. Children were told that those commandments were important and should be followed. At the time of Christ the things that children were taught were given in the home, and the standards were something that you would not dare violate.

When it was the time of Passover, the book was taken out and the laws of God were read to everyone, from the children to grandpa. Two of those that Jesus selected, Simon and his brother Andrew, were fishermen, they were still educated in the laws and teaching of the prophets of God. Yet they were common people; they were not scribes, nor scholars of their day. The one characteristic that each disciple had was that they had common sense, and they used the common sense that they had. These men were good seed planters, and they knew that to catch a fish takes a little wisdom, patience and common sense. That is as it should be in planting the seeds of the truth of God's Word.. If you dump all that you know at one time, you chase the fish or people away, and you will lose the opportunity that God has given to you. This works the same way when we are fishing for the souls of men.

Mark 1:19 "And when He had gone a little farther thence, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets"

Jesus is now selecting two more of His disciples in this verse, James and John, and all four of these men selected to this point were fishermen.

Mark 1:20 "And straightway He called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after Him."

There was no tent revival nor altar call, but simply when Jesus called, them they dropped what they were doing and followed Him. These four disciples were not sports fishermen but commercial fishermen, for they made their living from their fishing. They were very successful, and their father owned the business that they were working in. These men were not hard up and with out jobs, looking for something to do, but were successful, and diligent in the task that was before them. They were able to focus on the little things that are required to get the job done, and not too lazy to tend to those tasks.

These fishermen followed after Jesus because they could feel the presence of the warmth of the Holy Spirit. They were drawn by the Holy Spirit of God when Jesus said "Follow Me." They could feel the presence of God.

Mark 1:21 "And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught."

Capernaum is the city that Jesus comes back to many times. "Nahum" in the Hebrew means "to have compassion", and that is what Capernaum is named after. The synagogue in Capernaum was away from Jerusalem where the religious leaders of the Temple were, and they were open to what Jesus taught.

Mark 1:22 "And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes."

It is important that you understand this verse and not skip over it lightly. Christ taught as one that had authority and not as the scribes. This applies to us even today, and should direct us to what teacher or speaker we place ourselves under. So how did the scribes teach and who were they?

The scribes did not teach necessarily from the Word of God., they had another book of the law, one that was established on their great men's opinions, which to sum it all up was their "traditions". It looked at both sides of the issues, and discussed the issues to bring all thoughts and ideas to come to a common ground. We call it "the law of precedent" today. This is when a court decision sets an example which is to be followed in all similar cases that arise thereafter. To put it another way, man sets the standard for what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, and there are no absolutes. When a decision by a judge or religious leader is spoken, then it is to be followed in all cases that come from that time on.

When one teacher says one thing, and another teacher says it means something else, then the scribes bring out what both sides have said, and allow the listener to form their own opinion. This is what builds traditional thought and false doctrines. This was as the scribes taught and it is exactly how Satan comes at you with the Scripture. The truth from God's Word was never presented as absolute fact by the scribes, because they regarded their religious leaders of the past, superior to the Word of God. When the scribe finished his teaching and instructions, he had not stated anything but the opinions of their great men, and in most cases would leave the entire Word of God out of it.

Jesus Christ taught with authority because He taught the Words that God spoke through the prophets, and left the traditions of men out of His teachings. This is what is meant by "teaching with authority". God's Words, given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is the only authority that is absolute and Jesus taught it boldly.

Editor's Note: Does your church teach the Bible, book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, and correctly divide the Word of God? or do they teach "TRADITIONS OF MEN" as in what the leaders of your denomination tell them to mention or not to mention because "IT'S TOO CONTROVERSIAL". The membership roles and the collection plate rule the day! In most churches, you know!  

Live Link to-What Does Your Church Teach

So if you are going to handle the Word of God, study the Word until the Holy Spirit brings that knowledge and understanding to your mind, to where you can teach boldly also. Speak with the authority and discernment of the Holy Spirit. When you teach in such a manner, there needs to be no apologies to anyone for what ever you have spoken. Teach it straight on, "Thus saith the Lord,..." and leave out what brother Joseph, or scholar Billy had to say. What man has to say is just not important, when it is not from the Word of God with accuracy. Teach God's Word with the authority of the presence of the Holy Spirit, for it is what God said that is important, and not what any man, including this man utters from his mind.

Our religious system today has turned to the same processes that our judicial system has become. It is not built on absolutes, but a maze of half truths and shaded areas, that are made up of the thinking of men's ideas, and relationships. Our US constitution gives us the right for the separation of church from state, but it did not give the state or government the power to limit the church. This is what is happening in our state, churches, schools, and even in our homes because of their acting under the influences of precedent, and this process is tearing down the very fabric of our society. There is nothing absolute anymore, right is not right and wrong is not wrong, but only degrees and opinions of people. To get back to speaking with the same authority that Jesus spoke, there must be a strong yes and no, right and wrong, and it must align with what the Word of God states. This is what builds a firm foundation that our children can grow on, and not on the sands of the traditions of men.

Mark 1:23 "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,"

This "unclean spirit" in the Greek is "pneuma". Satan is not allowed to walk upon the earth at that time, and at the time of this writing Christ had already been tempted and Christ put him behind him. Jesus put Satan under His control. There are negative spirits and there is the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit is free to go to anyone that He so chooses, there are also evil spirit that are free to roam to where-ever they may choose. Everyone of us also has a spirit within us, and as long as our spirit is within our flesh body, our spirit is not supernatural as these evil spirits are. You also can impose your spirit on someone else, and you can do good with your spirit, or your spirit can do evil. There is no great mystery about it.

Satan and his fallen angels have their evil spirits and they like to reason with people. They are very real in what they do. These evil spirits are quite knowledgeable, and when you speak of reincarnation, you are talking about the reasoning with these evil spirits. Those that believe that they are reincarnated are ones that are possessed with an evil spirit. When they say I lived four hundred years ago, I was a little girl living in Spain, that person is possessed with an evil spirit that also possessed that little girl that lived four hundred years ago. These little demons or evil spirits can recall all the details that a child's mind would retain, and that evil spirit passes that knowledge right on into the mind of the one living today that is possessed by that same demonic spirit.

It doesn't take a great deal of knowledge to see through the wisdom and knowledge of the things uttered by these demonics, for they see and retain many things to their memory. These evil spirits were not born of woman innocent, whereby all things were removed from their minds, that happened in that first earth age, and so forth, but they are entities in spiritual form that impose their powers on a person, through their reasoning with them.

So here in the synagogue in Capernaum, this possessed man with an unclean spirit within him allowed the spirit to use his body and cry out to Jesus. Though the people sitting in the congregation did not know who Jesus was, of course the evil spirit knew exactly who Jesus was, that He was the very Holy One of God.

Mark 1:24 "Saying, "Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee Who Thou art, the Holy One of God."

This is what the evil spirit said, mind you it is not the man speaking here, but the spirit speaking through the man. These evil spirits recognized the Son of God and they knew who He was. They knew He had the power and the authority to destroy them. Evil spirits are the spirits of supernatural entities, persons, or angels, or what ever you wish to call them. Each of the evil spirits know exactly who has the right to sit upon the mercy seat of God. It simply was no big deal to recognize who Jesus is, when you are in the supernatural state.

Mark 1:25 "And Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Hold thy peace, and come out of him."

When this evil spirit was speaking, Jesus ordered the spirit to shut his mouth and keep still. What the evil spirit knew and was saying was not anything Jesus wanted the people to hear and understand at that moment in time. Jesus came to earth this first time in the form of a baby, born in the most simple life, and His purpose for coming was to fulfill the blood sacrifice for all those that would repent in His name. If the people saw him as the King of kings and Lord of Lords then, there would be no death and resurrection, no conquering of death, and sacrifice made for mankind. The plan of God would be gone, and so would our salvation.

Jesus ordered the evil spirits out of the man, for when the spirits departed from the man, their ability to give a message would also be gone from them.

Mark 1:26 "And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he come out of him."

This verse misleads a little bit, for the word "torn" in the Greek, means that the man went into convulsions, and the evil spirit would not have a chance again to use the voice of a person to speak to people. No part of the man was actually torn, but the man went into convulsions when the demon departed out of his body.

In some churches they teach that every illness is caused by an evil spirit being within a person, and that simply is not true. In the case that is spoken of here in the book of Mark, it would then lead you to believe that anyone with an epileptic fit was possessed with an evil spirit. It takes someone with spiritual discernment to tell the difference between this type of demonic seizure, and an epileptic seizure. An epileptic seizure is caused by an injury to the human body and is a nervous system disorder. Thank God that there are methods of controlling this disorder and the reactions that are caused from this injury.

But the main thing for us to remember is that there is a difference between the one that is injured and the one that is possessed. This is why you must be very careful when you are dealing with something like this, or judge someone as being demonic when in fact they have an injury, for they are two completely different things.

Mark 1:27 "And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What thing is this? for with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him."

This conversation between the unclean spirits and Jesus took place right in front of the entire congregation, within the synagogue at Capernaum. The people sat in amazement as they listened to the words being spoken, and then watched as the evil spirits came out of the man, as he laid their in convulsions. They had never even heard of such authority, that when Jesus spoke, even the evil spirits had to obey His words. We read in Luke 10:18, that Christ gave us, you and me that same authority. 

He gave that authority, over the evil spirits, to all those that believe on Him.

Luke 10:17 "And the seventy returned again with joy, and saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name."

Luke 10:18 "And He said unto the, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

The "serpents" are the "Kenites", while the "scorpions" are "fallen angels" these demonics. The "enemy" is Satan himself, as Jesus explained to His disciples in Matthew 13:39 in explaining the parable of the tares. "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;" The "tares" are the Kenites who are "the offspring of Cain, the first born of Eve from the garden of Eden". The sin that took place was the sexual union between Eve and Satan, and from it came the child "Cain". Adam's first born was Abel, who was the half brother of Cain, the one who was murdered by his brother. Cain and Abel were twins, born of the same mother [Eve], but with different fathers. The sin in the garden of Eden was not the eating of apples but the union with Eve that brought forth two sons from two different fathers

Live Link to-"Two Sowers of seed; both the good and the bad"

You don't have to put up with anything negative within your home. We can use that authority that God has given us to order it out of our homes and our lives. You command those evil spirits back to where they came from in the name of Jesus. Anytime you allow your flesh to run your life, there are many different spirits that enter into you. There is the spirit of argument, the spirit of jealousy, the spirit of anger, and so forth, each of these spirits will cause you to lose control of your life. They are the negative spirits and thoughts that are of unclean spirits. There is enough trials in this life without having to put up with an unclean spirit. We are to learn discernment of these spirits, and take the authority that Christ has given us to keep them out of our own homes. We are to protect it and clean it, so spiritually why would you put up with anything negative around your home?

Mark 1:28 "And immediately His fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee."

Mark moves it right along in his writings, and immediately the word of what happened in the synagogue at Capernaum spread all over the area. There is a man in Capernaum that even has power over evil spirits, and He speaks with such authority that has never been spoken before. Jesus shook the people up, when He just spoke the Word of God.

Mark 1:29 "And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John."

Of course this "Simon" spoken of here is "Simon Peter". Jesus and the other three disciples left the synagogue, and the went into Peter's home.

Mark 1:30 "But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her."

"Anon" means "immediately" Jesus was told of Simon's mother-in-law's sickness.

Mark 1:31 "And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them."

When this woman was healed, she served them a meal. She prepared the foot tubs for the washing of the feet and all the other duties of the house that are necessary when guests arrive. At that time you walked in sandals on streets and paths of dirt, and the cleaning of the feet was the custom of the time. She served them and made them feel at home. This also documents that disciples could and were married. Simon Peter was, for it was his mother-in-law that was sick that Jesus healed.

The other thing to take note of here is that any time Jesus performs a miracle, there was a reason for it. For those that pray to be a side show, and get your money, forget it, there is always a purpose for what God does. Though Peter owned the house, this sick woman was the elder mother of the house. When Jesus came to earth, mother Israel was sick and in sad shape. Mother Israel, i.e. the Christian nations of the world, is still in sad shape, and is burning up with a fever of sin and spiritual sickness.

Live Link to-"Do you know who you really are?"  Are you a Israelite?
Live Link to-"Israel's Lost Tribes"

Mark 1:32 "And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils."

In the evening when the sun went down, the people brought both the diseased, and those that were possessed with devils or evil spirits. Keep the distinction between these two classes clear in your mind. Mark wants you to place this particular day in your mind and remember it. So why would these people wait until after sunset to bring these sick, and devil possessed people to Jesus, to be ministered to, to be healed and to be blessed and cleansed"

The reason Mark stressed over and over the words "immediately", "straightway", and "forthwith", is that this is the same day that Christ went into the synagogue and taught and freed the man from the evil spirit that possessed him. The ministry had to wait until after the Sabbath was complete. This makes a point to us that Christ's main ministry to the people was after the Sabbath, and to us it would be after the Sabbath of His resurrection that He would defeat death.

It was on that Sabbath the Jesus gave us a sign that mother Israel was ill and a fever of the mind can cause much trouble. It was through His Sabbath that Jesus brought the balance back into being, and He will do that in your life today. This is where we get that the Sabbath was nailed to the cross when Christ was crucified, and in Christ He became our Sabbath. The word "Sabbath" means rest, and the Sabbath was created for man, and not God. It is the day that man's flesh body can get a days rest one day out of the week.

Christ ministered every day, His body did not need the rest, he worked his ministry seven days a week. You see, the new day began at sunset for the Jews and when the sun went down the seventh day was over, and the first day of the week began. In this way the people could travel beyond the distance that they were bound to under the law. They could come from other cities around Capernaum, to the place where Jesus was.

However the important thing for us to take from this verse is that there is a difference between being diseased with sickness, and being possessed with evil spirits. It is sad to see a church praying for a person who has an injury to their flesh body, and to see them trying to cast out demons from that sick person, when there are no demons there. Just how do you think that Christ feels about an organizations like that? The problem with them is that there is no spiritual discernment, just plain ignorance. They just don't know the difference between anointing the person in prayer for the sake of healing, and casting out of a demon that may not even be present.

The two are treated entirely different, and there is a difference between sickness, and evil spirits. These evil spirits are "pneuma" and they are of the devil's mind and are obedient to Satan.

Mark 1:33 "And all the city was gathered together at the door."

When the Sabbath was over, the entire city came to the door of Peter's home.

Mark 1:34 "And He healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him."

Again Jesus makes a distinction between diseases, and being possessed with evil spirits which is spoken of here as being devils. Jesus "suffered not the devils or evil spirits to speak because they knew who Jesus was", and it is important that the evil spirits remain silent, because they were from the supernatural, and they would have revealed exactly who Jesus Christ was. He muzzled them because it was not time yet to make the declaration that He was the Son of God.

For God's elect it is important to see into these thing, and understand that all of the prophecies that were concerning Jesus time on earth, and surrounding His death and resurrection came to pass exactly as they were written. The evil spirits were aware of these things, such as those prophecies of Psalms 22, concerning Christ death and words while on the cross, and the prophecies of Isaiah in Isaiah 53, concerning Jesus trial and going to the cross. The time when even his closest disciples abandoned Him.

Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

Even Simon Peter, the one that is spoken of in Mark here, where Jesus is healing all these sick people, turned against Christ during this time of His trial. It is because of their ignorance that they went their way during this time of Christ's crucifixion, that the prophecies of the Word of God could be fulfilled. Father YHVH has done this for the sole purpose that the sins of our iniquities could be placed on His Son Jesus Christ. From way back in the time of the garden of Eden, this promise from God was established.

Genesis 3:15 "And I [God] will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed [the Kenites] and her Seed [Jesus Christ]; It [Christ] shall bruise thy [Satan's] head, and thou [Satan] shalt bruise His [Christ's] heel."

It is no accident that the Kenites took over the duties of the scribes, as well as the priesthood of the Levitical priests, for God had allowed it to happen in the fulfillment of His plan. In this verse, Eve's Seed is Jesus Christ, while Satan's seed are the Kenites, his children from the sexual union between Eve and Satan. From that union came their son Cain, the first Murderer, that Jesus spoke of in John 8:44, when He was addressing the scribes and the religious leaders. Jesus knew their hearts and their heritage. It is well documented that these sons of Cain, not of Israel had taken over the duties of both the scribes and the priests.

The conflict between Jesus and the Kenites, and their plotting and planning to murder Christ is no accident. Satan's seed, the "Kenites" are the very ones that "bruised His [Christ's] heel", when they ran the spikes through Jesus feet on the cross. When Christ died and shed His blood, the head of Satan was crushed and Satan became doomed to death. This sentence will be carried out on the day of Judgment, as is recorded in Ezekiel 28:18, 19.

Ezekiel 28:18 "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee."

Satan had every chance for salvation and he rejected God. He strived to gain control and rule as God. He sinned over and over, and his pride kept growing; and because of this, God said that He is going to set a fire within ["in the midst"] of him, to devour him. Satan will be the first to walk into the lake of fire on that final day, at the close of the Millennium age and be no more.

Ezekiel 28:19 "All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.' " 

Revelation 19:20 "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."

This is also known as the second death in the manuscripts. It is not the death of the physical body, but the soul. This warning has been out on the earth since man's beginning, however like Satan, man strives to do it his own way. This striving to reach God in any form but God's way, is what is called religion. God's way is reality. Once Satan is consumed in the lake of fire, even the thought and memory of him and those souls that refused Jesus Christ will be erased from the minds of those souls that have eternal life.

For a moment lets take a look at the Kenites, and try to understand who they are, where they came from, and just how God uses them in His plan. They are the negative part of the plan of God.

I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem in its unclean condition]; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab."

Editor's Note: And you thought Noah's flood was universal and killed everyone on earth except the eight people on Noah's ark. I'll bet you learned that in church! Well let me tell you, I Chronicles 2:55 was written many, many years after Noah's flood, so how did these Kenites that came of Hemath survive?  

When we look up the word Kenites in Strong's Hebrew dictionary, it is #7013, they are called "Qayin, or Kajin, from the first child [Cain], an oriental tribe." Where did Cain go for His wife? To the east to the land of Nod. The scribes that controlled the duties of the records were not of the house of Judah or of the house of Israel, but of the "house of Rechab". They were not Levitical priest, nor of the Abraham, Isaac or Jacab. They were Kenites from Hamath, the father of the house of Rechab. It is their offspring that that were the scribes of Jesus day, that so hated Jesus and tried to murder Him for speaking against their traditions of Cain, the son of Satan. 

Now Ezra is going to tell us about the priesthood itself.

Ezra 8:15 "And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the People, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi."

The purpose for Ezra and the people returning back to Jerusalem out of their captivity in Babylon was to re-establish the priesthood and the ways of the Temple. They had been three days on their wagon train journey back to Jerusalem when Ezra wanted to take a break and get an inventory of the people and supplies that were with them on this journey. This was much the same as the old wagon trains in early America, with the exception that this wagon train had over forty three thousand people in the group. The point I am bring to your attention is that there were many priests in the group, but not one of them was a Levite. It is to Aaron to the tribe of Levi that the priesthood of God was given, so who were these "Nethinims" or strangers that were amongst them. Of course as we read in the prior verse, they were the "Kenites", the offspring of Cain that were now sitting in the seat of Moses and injecting not God's Word into their teaching, but their traditions of men.

Now here in Mark, some five hundred years later, the people looked to these Kenite traditions and their Kenite scribe and priest leaders as being of God, when in fact they were the very ones that plotted to kill Jesus from the start of His ministry. This is why Jesus wanted to keep the evil spirits quiet, for had they been able to speak and reveal the truth, and the people accept Him as Messiah, Jesus would never been crucified and His blood shed for sinners such as you and me.

When Christ hung on the cross of Calvary, every word that was spoken by him came from the prophecies written in Psalm 22. You know that each event concerning the crucifixion had to come to pass, or the entire Word of God would become void. They all did come to pass exactly as it was written, and the events that are going on today are also being played out right before our eyes for those of the elect with the eyes to see, and wisdom and understanding from God's Word to see. That is the beauty of Mark's writing, this youth that doesn't forget anything fits all these events together through the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Mark addresses Jesus as the Son of man, God with us in the flesh, which is the name "Emmanuel".

Mark 1:35 "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."

With the busy night that had just passed, in the morning Jesus got up before the sun rose, and left Simon's house for a time when He could be alone with the Father. This is a good way to start each day, a time with the Lord facing the problems of the day, and asking His blessing on the day. You don't have to leave your house to have this time, but just a place where you can be alone. Jesus is planning the day that He is about to live in His flesh body.

Mark 1:36 "And Simon and they that were with Him followed after Him."

Simon and the others woke up a little later and they went out to see where Jesus had gone to.

Mark 1:37 "And when they had found Him, they said unto Him, "All men seek for Thee."

The entire town of Capernaum was still buzzing from the events of the night before. The sick of the entire town were healed, and those that had been possessed with evil spirits were freed from them, and now they were looking for Jesus in the daylight. People are no different today as they were in Jesus day. Some person sees an image of the virgin Mary in the glass window of a bank, and they flock from all over the world to see the image of Christ in the window. Yet they won't spend one hour in the Word to try to understand
what God has planned for them. If someone walked the earth today with the same authority and supernatural powers to say a word and supernatural things happen, it would be no different.

Today the high-tech industries are doing things that would be considered supernatural in Jesus day. Where images can be transmitted thousands of miles away and portray the exact image recorded on the other end. When Satan arrives on earth in his role as the Antichrist, Satan will possess the supernatural ability to do many supernatural acts, and this will cause even many proclaiming Christians to follow him, because they are ignorant of the events prophesied to happen in our day. They chose rather to follow the traditions of men, just as the people of Jesus day were following the traditions of these Kenites. True beleivers are hungry for the truth of God's Word, and with each passing day it is becoming more scarce.

Mark 1:38 "And He said unto them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth."

When these four disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew came to Jesus, Jesus told them lets not go back into Capernaum, but lets go to the country and to other towns. I came to preach to all the people. Jesus' ministry was that His Word would go to the ends of the earth. Though Jesus would not go physically to the ends of the earth, His apostles would carry that message to the ends of the earth. This is why He said, "greater things than these will ye do in My name."

Mark 1:39 "And He preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils."

Jesus had a way of angering Satan, for Satan is the accuser, and he used these devils or evil spirits to do his work in the church houses [synagogues]. Satan is not here on earth today physically, but he is in heaven accusing the saints before the throne of God, however at the appointed time, Michael will cast him to the earth along with all of his fallen angels, and we will have him to deal with in person, performing miracles, and claiming he is Christ, the final five months of this earth age of the flesh.

Satan's little evil spirits are trouble makers, with the mind of Satan being voiced through the mouths of the people that allow themselves to be controlled by these demons. They will try to shake you up, but don't let them bother you. You can handle it, and that is why you ask for a blessing before you begin the day, and that is why you have alternate plans so that when one thing goes wrong, you can shift to another plan for the day.

Mark 1:40 "And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, "If thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean."

This leper came to Jesus urgently requesting that Jesus make him clean. There is a lesson in what this leper is asking of Jesus, and it is all tied up on the way that he has asked Jesus to heal him. "If thou wilt," shows that the leper has doubt in Jesus willingness to heal him. It is like saying today, "I know you can, but will you..." He knew that Jesus could heal him, but he was not sure that Jesus would. If you have doubt, then just don't ask Him because He is just not going to do it.

Mark 1:41 "And Jesus moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, "I will; be thou clean."

This man that was filled with disease, and Jesus took compassion on him and healed him.

Mark 1:42 "And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed."

Mark 1:43 "And He straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;"

Remember that Christ never does anything but that there is a lesson to be learned. After the man was healed Jesus commanded him to be still about what happened, and sent him away. So this is the charge that Jesus gave the man.

Mark 1:44 "And saith unto him, "See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."

So we have to go to Leviticus 14:1-32 were we can read exactly what this man is suppose to take to the priest and what the priest is to do with the man's offering. One of the things in that command was that the man was to take two sparrows to the priest, and when he got there, the priest killed one of the sparrows, and he would dip the other sparrow in the blood of the first sparrow, and then let it go free. The reason for this is without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.

Remember that Christ had healed this man, yet Jesus Christ had not yet shed His own blood on the cross as of this day spoken of here. So the Old Testament Levitical laws still had to be respected, and that is why Jesus sent the man to the priest with this instruction.

Today we have the blessings of cleansing by God when we ask in faith, and it is within the will of God. There is no more requirements of the blood ordinance sacrifices, for Christ's death on the cross is sufficient for all sin and sickness. The laws are still in existence, whereas certain of the ordinances dealing with blood sacrifices have been done away with because of Christ's sacrificial death. The law didn't cleanse the man, but Jesus is allowing the church which was the priest know that it is going to be nailed to the cross. Christ's blood is sufficient for both the demonic sickness as well as the disease.

Mark 1:45 "But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they come to Him from every quarter."

This man was so filled with excitement that he didn't take the time to listen to Jesus' commandment to him. He had been so filled with leprosy that when the people saw him coming they would head the other direction. Now that he is healed, he just can't wait to get back home and tell the family what has happened to him. He just couldn't contain the good news of his healing.

                             

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