In a Redeemed World

Israel Homecoming CD audio clip "Halleluyah" (#5)

The words are in Hebrew and in English: "Hallelujah! Day by day! Hallelujah! Don't throw it away!"

Israel Homecoming DVD "Halleluyah"

Merriam-Webster defines "redeem" as a verb (action is implied):
to buy back
to get or win back
to free from distresses or harms as to free from captivity by payment of ransom,
to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental
to release from blame or debt
to free from the consequences of sin
to change for the better
to repair, restore
to free from a lien by payment of an amount secured thereby
to remove the obligation of by payment
to exchange for something of value
to make good
to atone for
to offset the bad effect of
to make worthwhile

Which of the above do you NOT want in your heart of hearts?

Why look at Webster's dictionary published by Merriam?

Noah Webster tried to standardize the American English language spelling and pronunciation singlehandedly. He recorded the outcome in a way no one else ever had done. He said education is useless without the Bible and he translated the Bible accurately into American English by himself. Often, when pastors speak, they define words in their messages according to Webster's Dictionary because they reflect a Christian understanding. Pastors often continue on defining words in English by checking the original words in the original languages of the Bible: Greek (New Testament), Hebrew (Old Testament), and Aramaic (New Testament, Old Testament). I include some links for Noah Webster found in Google.com. Depending on the translation of the Bible you may be reading, you may want to look up in the original language exactly what was said to see how it was said. One must also understand the culture of the time and scholars have compared the texts with other surviving texts such as phone bills (just joking), shopping lists, bills of lading, history books, etc. Far from unreliable, the ancient texts are very reliable. Footnotes may include the number of texts that support a particular verse translation, alternative translations and the number of texts that support that verse translation. This is called textual criticism. It's harder than doing your taxes with the IRS 1040 form and I was required to do it for a semester in Hebrew. Mark Twain said he was not concerned about the Bible verses he didn't understand; he was afraid of the Bible verses he understood completely! I think he summed it up.

I will insert some information I have on a printed page to support the above. The bottom line is at your own peril you ignore Scripture:

BCE=before the Common Era (BC: before Christ), same thing, less offensive to some; CE=in the Common Era (AD: after Christ), same thing, less offensive to some
Author.................Written.......Earliest Copy.....Time Span....#Mss. (Manuscripts) (could be fragments)
Caesar...............100-44 BCE........900 CE...........1000 years..............10
Plato................427-347 BCE.......900 CE............1200 years...............7
Thucydides......460-400 BCE.......900 CE............1300 years...............8
Tacitus....................100 BCE.....1100 CE............1000 years.............20
Suetonius.............75-160 CE........950 CE..............800 years..............8
Homer (Iliad).........900 BCE........400 CE.......... ...500 years..........643
New Testament.40-100 BCE........125 CE...........25-50 years....24,000

As for the Old Testament, the Jews were absolutely trustworthy in bringing what is called the Masoretic text to us.

Noah Webster and America's First Dictionary

Noah Webster, Writings and Biography

1828 edition of Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language

English Bible History, Noah Webster

NOAH WEBSTER

Connecticut: Noah Webster

Here are some renditions of the song "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It!" by Fanny Crosby

Words, karaoke style

Words, gateway to Gospel song lyrics

Teaching about what it means to be redeemed:

Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 2) had a chance to stay there forever and all successive offspring could continue in obedience to God's simple command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent (Genesis 3), the physical manifestation of satan (lucifer, beelzebub), twisted truth by agreeing with what God had said but twisting God's motive for saying it from keeping humankind safely in his presence to withholding God's very nature from them with respect to knowledge of good and evil.

satan continues this today in our lives. He offers just enough truth so we will listen, and then adds some poisonous changes, and if we believe it, we become his marionettes. God wants free individuals. satan wants marionettes.

satan deceives us in order to rob us of our freedom in Christ to be downgraded to being his marionettes. Defeat him!

Joyce Meyer on September 9, 2011 illustrates the challenge through a skit. (If this doesn't persist, go to and find the program (Moods part 2) for this date. (You should see satan dressed in red with a pitch fork he uses on Joyce on one side and Jesus on the other side of her. Both desire her attention. It is up to you which one will capture your attention.)

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve who were given dominion over this planet, gave their dominion over to satan who steps in when God is rejected, and who is called in the New Testament, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). When satan tempted Jesus to bow down to him (Matthew 4:8-10) to get the planet, back but still under satan's control, Jesus rejected it. Jesus knew he had to die in our place to irrevocably crush satan's dominion. Jesus died on the Cross and satan thought he had won and had wiped out the only one who could redeem the planet. But...as Jesus accomplished this...he rose from the grave to satan's utter astonishment and humiliation! Carmen so eloquently portrays satan's temporary joy by counting backwards from 10: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, the resurrection! satan is a defeated foe and the last enemy now is death (I Corinthians 15:26). But Jesus has the keys to death and hell (Revelation 1:18) in his hands. Jesus sits at the right hand of God now to make intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Intercession means he hears us when we pray. He sees what we need. He is helping us out while very close to the throne of the Father. And if we cannot put into words our grief and anguish, the Spirit of God present in and around us, translates our groans and sighs (Romans 8:26-27) and makes them intelligible. You want to talk with God? You've got help!

First, you need to be redeemed! It is written in many places on this site how to start your personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Second, if at all possible, be filled with the Spirit of God.
Third, if you can obtain and read the Bible in your own language, do so.
Fourth, if you can be baptized, do so. It's a public step and freedom results from having proclaimed your decision!

I am an improviser. If there is no one who can baptize you after asking God to send someone, I would combine 2 and 4 in some fashion that is meaningful and possible for you. I might get on my knees (not required but it helps me know I mean it) and pour some water on my head and ask that I be baptized by water and fire, by water of repentance and the fire of the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11) The angels are rejoicing over your entry into the kingdom and it is public to them (Luke 15:10). As soon as God provides someone who can baptize you, if you want to take that step, reaffirm your decision publicly in front of humans.

Father, my prayer for the reader is he or she experiences the power of being redeemed to the point screaming for joy!

This is how secure you are with God when he has redeemed you and you receive his redemption through Jesus Christ!
(He is holding on to you as you are holding on to him!)

Paul says in Romans that all creation groans (Romans 8:22-23) for the revealing of the sons of God. We are here! Are we revealed? What are we doing to make a difference? Are we yoked with Jesus (Matthew 25:14-end) on giving a cup of cold water to a thirsty one? Or are we sitting at home waiting for Jesus to come again? What will our reward be after we live our lives having invited Jesus into our lives? The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives (2 Corinthians 1:22) is our guarantee of our future with God in heaven. He (the Holy Spirit) is our down payment on our inheritance with God (Ephesians 1:13-14). Therefore, we must not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit is your closest friend. If you do grieve him, say you are sorry, please forgive me, and please let me have fellowship with you again.

Sometimes people worry that they have committed the unforgiveable sin. (Matthew 12:31-32) To be worried about this means you have not done it. It means to call the good of God evil. Who is the one who searches all things, who searches the hearts of men, and helps them repent? (Romans 8:26)? It (he) is the Holy Spirit. If you reject the only one who can help you repent, naturally this can never be forgiven because you can never get to the point of being forgiven. We call it "biting the hand that feeds you." satan loves to yank your chain on this and get you full of remorse and worry. Yank satan's chain back and tell him even if he were right (and we know he is a liar: John 8:44), he is not the source of information per the Garden of Eden and thousands of years of lying after that to the present. Declare, "In the name of Jesus, satan, you must flee." (James 4:7) He must depart! He is like a big barking scary dog. The dog catcher just pulled up. The dog has to flee.

The short and the long of living in a redeemed world is that we are sojourners on earth. This is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are to obey our Master and Savior, Jesus, which means we must grow in grace and treat others well, share the hope we have with others as well as our substance (stuff), while we patiently wait for our TOTAL REDEMPTION which will be when Jesus returns and takes us to our real home, heaven. There may be a few stops along the way. We may suffer for our faith. We may also bring many to faith and shine like starts forever! (Daniel 12:3). Jesus said, to be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Our presence to others on the earth (2 Corinthians 2:15-17) will be a blessing to them or their downfall. This is how God planned it. If this is Plan B after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, it's so good that we can thank him that it's either the best Plan B that ever could be, or it looks so much like Plan A, that we have to praise him that we have to decide to follow him or not. We are all free! Even the descendants of Adam and Eve, post-Garden!

A blog about redemption

Halleluyah!
(by the Isaacs, partly in transliterated Hebrew)

Hallelujah, la o'lam
Hallelujah, Yashiru kulam
Be mila achat, bodeda, ha lev make behamon toda
Vohelem gam hoo eize olam nifla

Hallelujah, im ha shir
Hallelujah, al yom she me'ir
Hallelujah, al ma she haya-ya
Uma she 'od lo haya, hallelujah!

Hallelujah, day by day
Hallelujah, don't throw it away!
Fly and spread your wings high to try to free again like a butterfly
Come along and sing with us, hallelujah!

Hallelujah, sounds of love
Hallelujah, the sun shines above
Hallelujah, the bells will go ringing
And echo from dawn til night, hallelujah!

Hallelujah, hand in hand
Hallelujah, all over the land
Hallelujah, let's try from the start
Hallelujah, and sing it with all our heart, hallelujah!

Hallelujah, im ha shir
Hallelujah, al yom she me'ir
Hallelujah, al ma she haya-ya
Uma she 'od lo haya, hallelujah!

Tag

Hallelujah, the bells will go ringing
And echo from dawn til night, hallelujah!

Reprise

Hallelujah, im ha shir
Hallelujah, al yom she me'ir
Hallelujah, al ma she haya-ya
Uma she 'od lo haya, hallelujah!

Hallelujah, im ha shir
Hallelujah, al yom she me'ir
Hallelujah, al ma she haya-ya
Uma she 'od lo haya, hallelujah!

Hallelujah, the bells will go ringing
And echo from dawn til night, hallelujah!

Last updated: 01/15/2015