Paradise Found

Here's a condensed rewrite of Paradise Lost with the twist that all of Human History - 

Man's fall, his redemption, and his subsequent conquest of lost ground-

have always been the plan- since Satan's rebellion- before the foundation of the earth... 

We are in the midst of God's reply- a powerful demonstration of His true nature

And men are the vessel of His demonstration.  We should get with the program.

Paradise Found

In Heaven's vaulted halls where glory reigns,

Sat Satan, once in splendor’s full embrace,

A countenance of light, now dark with scorn,

Rose to accuse the Throne of Might and Grace.

"O God, proclaimed as good, Almighty, just,

Creator of the worlds and sustainer of life,

How can You claim these honors in Your name,

When shadows of Your faults arise in sight?"

"Your faithfulness is fickle, love contrived,

Your power not supreme, but flawed, unwise.

You speak of endless mercy, boundless care,

Yet tyranny and pride infest Your air."

God, with wisdom vast and patience deep,

In silent contemplation heard the charge,

His countenance serene, yet eyes ablaze

With holy fire and boundless, just resolve.

"Behold, thy accusations I will meet,

With power, truth, and love beyond thy grasp.

A plan unfolds within My sovereign will,

To silence every doubt, expose the lie."

"I'll fashion Earth, a realm of purest form,

And there, a being, shaped in My own mold,

With breath of life infused, a soul endowed,

This Man shall walk in innocence and grace."

"But tempted he shall be, deceived to fall,

Into thy grip, to taste of sin's cruel sting.

Yet through this fall, My greater plan revealed,

For from his seed, redemption shall arise."

"The Son, My own, in flesh shall come to dwell,

To walk the path of sorrow, pain, and death,

His blood the price, His life the ransom paid,

To break thy hold, to crush thy darkened reign."

"In death He conquers death, in rising frees,

The sons of men from chains of sin and shame.

Through faith in Him, restored to life and light,

They shall reclaim the ground once lost to thee."

"With resurrection's power, men shall rise,

In newfound strength, thy darkness to dispel.

The peace with Me, a bond unbreakable,

Shall answer all thy questionings, quell thy pride."

"Not by might alone, but by My love,

Shall they reclaim the beauty from the ash.

In every corner, light shall pierce the dark,

And man, My victor, shall reflect My grace."

"Thou, Satan, powerless to counteract,

Shall witness all thy spoils reclaimed, undone.

For men of faith, in Christ, shall walk in truth,

Their steps ordained to tread on serpent’s head."

Thus spake the Lord, His plan with justice sealed,

The answer to the rebel’s questioning.

And Satan, though in fury, silent stood,

His schemes foreseen; his power shown as naught.

Through trials deep, mankind would find the way,

From bondage into freedom’s glorious light.

With God’s own love and power to guide their path,

They’d turn the tide and bring the darkness day.

In Heaven's realm and Earth's new-fashioned clay,

The tale unfolds, God's highest honor resounds.

For in the fall and rise of humankind,

God's truth prevails, and grace forever crowns.

The Greater Context

 

We’re going through the whole Bible to extract references that explain the tenets of The Greater Context (TGC).   These tenets will be identified in these notes using hashtags. Here is the living list of hashtags used:

#wreakinghavoc #warringnation #takingover #manup #endgame #namesofgod #natureofgod #godsenseofhumor #badassjesus #buildingheritage #startingamovement #adultintheroom

What is ‘The Greater Context?’  

Briefly, the context of the gospel, and earth and humanity, is greater than we’ve been led to believe. Spoiler alert: It’s not about us.

The Greater Context came about as an answer to my question “Why did Jesus die?”
The short answer is that Satan, a created being, doubted and challenged God, the creator, in every aspect of His nature.  This was “the fall,” the original sin.  

God, demonstrating faithfulness to his creation, didn’t smite Satan, but instead responded to his “questions”.  God’s answer would be a demonstration of Himself- His true nature..
He then created the heavens and the earth, and a new being, mankind, in His own image and likeness- totally unique from anything that had been created, and with a unique purpose. As planned, man would fall into the deception and corruption of Satan. And as planned- in the very founding of earth (Rev 13:8) - even as the purpose of earth and time- God would answer “Am I faithful?’ ‘Am I sovereign?’ ‘Am I able?’ ‘Am I good?’ ‘Am I Love?” by giving Jesus the Son of God, as a lamb to be slain for the reconciliation of deceived, fallen men back to relationship with God. He continues today, and for the remainder of time, until He ends this conflict, to answer.

This changes what He made men for! It changes who we are as men of faith… what we are called to be… and what we were made for. The answer to my question of why Jesus died indicates a greater context, and that changes the purpose of earth and time and mankind.  All of ‘this’ is God purposefully answering the challenges to His nature, and He has made mankind to be central in resolving that eternal conflict in the heavens. That changes what we’re made for.

This thesis has come to have certain tenets.  The effort on these pages is to establish the scriptural basis for them. The tenets themselves will be explained with scriptures following this exercise (see hashtags for hints) but they are about the role of man in the context of God's purpose of demonstrating Himself to His "questioner."  It's not so much a war, as in two comparable parties seeking victory over the other, as it is an unquestionable response to a mopey, brooding, self-abosrbed, small-minded accuser.  God's answers are often like what Jesus said in Mark 3:27 "no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house."  He was explaining what the Pharisees had just seen him do (he had healed a demon oppressed man who was blind and mute). "You just saw me bind the strong man and plunder his house."  So, yeah, get used to the idea that God mocks His enemy at times. 

Check out Rev 13:8 for the purpose of earth and mankind, and the whole story of Samson in Judges for the role of man in wreaking havoc in the enemy camp- also Jonathan for this - in   1 Sam 13;3 and 14;1-14.

Feb. 26, 2017

·        Gen 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

·        Gen 24:60  And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.

I felt these are references to an attitude of not making peace with enemies, but taking them over, possessing them (their gates).  An important principle for warriors. #warringnation #takingover

Feb.28, 2017

·        Ex 3:22 ... and you shall plunder the Egyptians

As in “I’m just telling you…”  Another “promise” from God to His people, or perhaps, a prophecy. It’s just more badass Jesus… stuff I see in His personality. #badassjesus

·        Ex 3:14, 15 Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD (Yahweh), God (elohim) of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever

·        Ex 6:2,3  God (ELOHIM) spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am Yahweh.” And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty (EL SHADDAI), but my name Yahweh, I did not reveal to them.

These verses indicate that God was introducing Himself to his people, thru Moses, in a new way. So new, that He was giving Himself a new name- Yaweh from now on, forever.  Now, Moses would be going to a people who have not known Yahweh, but only God Almighty- the way He was known to Abraham, etc. This feels important regarding God introducing Himself in a new way to His people. This name goes viral and its used all over, as you read through this episode with Pharaoh… #namesofgod

Another note here is that Pharaoh’s reply in Ex 5:2 is ‘who is Yahweh? That I should listen to him? I don’t know Yahweh.’ This indicates to me that the name YHVH is what was being used as the name of the Hebrew God, and NOT ‘The LORD God’ or Yahweh God, just simply God’s name is YHVH, or YEHoVAH. #namesofgod

·        Ex 4:10 Moses said unto Yahweh, “O Adonai...I’m not the man…”

Note here how much Moses shriveled up at the scope and power given to him to bring to Israel and to Pharaoh. “Moses said unto Yahweh, “O Adonai...I’m not the man…” He did not call God by His name Yahweh. God was not happy with that. “Man up!” I hear in the Lord’s way with Moses… #manup

·        Ex 6: 29,30 Yaweh spoke unto Moses, saying, “I am Yahweh: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.”  And Moses said before the LORD (Yahweh), Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

Again here is Moses whining and afraid to believe Yaweh has given it to him to be the man to bring the word and the power of God.  Man up Moses!!!  You are indeed the man.  Just a word to be ready, man of God. You may have something to bring. #manup

·        Ex 12:49 One law shall be to the native and to the stranger that sojourns among you.

See also Num 9:14  Anyone who wants to celebrate the passover must be circumcised, and then he shall be as one who was born in the land.  I somehow like this “One law” declaration. Not sure why, but it seems to answer a lot of whiney questions I perceive today…

March 1, 2017

·        Ex 15:3 “Yahweh is a man of war! Yahweh is His name!”

Israel just came through the sea and then watched that sea crush Pharaoh’s army. Two things. First, Moses is so exhilarated he says, Yahweh is a man of war! Yeah, He is!

Second, Moses is using God’s name! Like God gave Him. Singing it out loud “Yahweh is His name!” You go, Moses! All through Ex15 he does this! I think this was a turning point for Moses. V.6: Your right hand, Yahweh, has shattered the enemy! V 11: Who is like you among the gods, Yahweh?! #manup #namesofgod #takingover #warringnation

Then he contemplates what all this will mean- when the armies of Philistia, Edom and Moab hear the the Lord has defeated the Egyptian armies for Israel, they will tremble in fear.

Yahweh shall reign forever and ever. “Sing to Yahweh, for He has triumphed gloriously.”

·        Ex 15:26 “If you listen to Yahweh, your God, and obey… I will not bring the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh raffa (who heals).”

God introduces Himself to His people as Yahweh Who Heals. #namesofgod

·        Ex 17:15 And Moses built an altar. And he called its name, Yahweh nissi (My Banner).

Another nickname for Yahweh, or for the altar… But this was given by Moses, not spoken by Yahweh Himself.  #namesofgod

March 2, 2017

·        Ex 28:9, 10 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

Suddenly, the people of Israel, the nation, aren’t a nameless mass of people. Instead, God says, in the midst of his instructions on construction and design, He says put the names of the 12 men who were the sons of Jacob (Israel). This creates identity and heritage for the new nation.  They would be a nation of connected bloodlines, each one an heir of one of the sons of Jacob- sons of promise. Now the temple and the priesthood would not just be Aaron and those guys doing their thing, but would personally include every tribe within Israel. Note the care of engraving the names by skilled craftsmen, and set in settings of gold.  

All of Ex 28 and 29- I notice that God is explaining exactly what these people are a part of. He is building a careful and glorious temple and temple service. He is naming names and giving identity to each of the lineages of the sons of Israel. #buildingheritage #startingamovement

·        Ex 29:45,46  And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be God to them- that they shall know that I am Yahweh, their God who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt (so) that I may dwell among them.  I am Yahweh their God.

NOTE!: This is the final state of God and man described in Revelation. #endgame

·        Rev 21:3  “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

·        Ex 30:15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the LORD's offering to make atonement for your lives.

See Ex 12:49 above. Here’s this concept again of one law, no negotiations or whining.

·        Ex 30:25 And you shall make of these ((ingredients) a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.

See how God enlists and dignifies the skills of the perfumer- another craft worker contributing to the temple worship, and to the identity of the nation Israel. Also v.35 and more so in 31: 1-6   #startingamovement #buildingheritage

·        Ex 32 All the while as God was passing on the vision of his government and His temple, and the honor and dignity to be the inheritance of His people and the identity to be given to them as a nation unto Himself, the people were sinning greatly and having no sense at all of who they were.

I’m touched that all of Ex 24:12 thru 31, forty days and nights, God was passing on His vision to Moses, and it was full of beauty and dignity and heaven. But when Moses came down, the people, whom God had included dearly and intricately in His plans, were sinning, unrestrained,  like they were trash. #startingamovement #buildingheritage

·        Ex 34  Here God just got through saying he wouldn’t go with Israel because He’d smite them because they’re so stiff necked. Yet He goes on to say He’s about to do things they’ve never heard of from any nation. He’s about to fight for them and utterly kick out the Hittites, etc. He tells them this so they won’t make peace with these enemies.

No peace, only utter expulsion/extinction. #natureofgod #takingover

·        Ex 35:22 They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart…

·        Ex 35:26 The children of Israel brought a free will offering to the Lord, as many as had a willing heart.

#startingamovement #buildingheritage

March 13, 2017

·        Num 11:25-29 Seventy elders gathered at the tent and God put His spirit on them and they prophesied. Two, however, were not at the tent but in the camp, yet they received the spirit and prophesied.  Moses said, “I wish all the people of Yahweh were prophets- that Yahweh would put His spirit on them.”

I like this for its epoch prophetic-ness. Moses carried God’s own heart here. God would indeed do this in the age of the church. #natureofgod

·        Num 12:1-4 Aaron and Miriam say “Has God only spoken through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard it. He called all three to the tabernacle and said, “If there is a prophet, Yahweh will speak to Him in a vision or a dream. Not so with Moses. With him, I speak face to face, plainly. And God struck Miriam with leprosy.”  

The spirit of prophecy Moses hoped for all (in Num 11), was indeed NOT upon Miriam. She and Aaron were rejecting God’s anointed one. They failed to recognize just how set apart by God and for God Moses was. God straightened them out on that matter. #badassjesus

·        Num 12:14  Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days after that.

Instructive example regarding restoration following offense. It’s not always forgive and forget. She had committed a great offense and required time to consider her offense. #adultintheroom

·        Num 13:26- Num 14 Fruitful land, but oh the sons of Anak! The giants. And the sons of Hebron- the Hittites!  We were grasshoppers. Please don’t make us go! Don’t make us fail! We will die!

I confess I sound like this most of the time. God, I’m not the man. I don’t want to fail! You’re so wrong about me. But rise up man of God. Be strong and courageous. This is the message of Num 13 and 14. #manup

·        Num 14:12-16 I will smite the people for their disbelief after all they’ve seen me do for them.

Moses’ prayer here is so relatable. “Yahweh, then the Egyptians will hear of it, and the people of this land as well! That you were a God who dwelt among His people, but You could not bring them into the land You swore to them.”  This is my own fear as well in times of disbelief. “God, I believed this about You. But if I fail here, everything I believed about YOU is not true!” This often feels terminal. Helps to see Moses there too.  #manup

·        Num 14:24 God says, “My servant Caleb, who has a different spirit in him, I will bring him into the land!”

Faith is your weapon and strength for your heart. Align your spirit with what Holy Spirit is doing on the earth, then stay in faith. #manup

May 10, 2017

·        Deut 3;1,2 Then we turned and went up the way of Bashan, and Og, the king of Bashan, came out against us, to battle at Edrei.  And the Lord said unto me, ‘Fear him not, for I will deliver him and all his people, and his land into your hand.’

Og, King of Bashan, was a Giant, a mighty man of renown. You can find stories about him and his kingdom- the valley of Giants. Likely known to the people of Israel as well.

This again speaks to me of God’s personality. Og’s renown is immaterial, a non-issue. Don’t pay it any mind at all. The only thing that matters here is that I’m telling you to go in and take him down, and take his land. God is only about His own renown.

This is less about the land and more about the reputation of God. I feel this is a central part of God’s purpose in creating the earth and mankind. #takingover #natureofgod

http://bit.ly/2ubcFGY - The Giant Cities of Bashan, and Syria’s Holy Places.

July 7, 2017

·        Judges 13:5 ...for the child (Samson) shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

·        14;1,2  Samson told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.”

·        4 ...but it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines.

Samson goes on to do mischief, kill and taunt the Philistines like crazy. He was a firebrand and was let loose on them. He killed men and stripped their clothing, he set fire to their fields using 300 foxes, he killed a thousand with the jawbone of a donkey, and finally pulled down their temple and killed more in his death than in his life.  He wreaked some serious havoc on the Philistines.  God’s angel said Samson would be made for this.

Look at the person of God in this plan, in this man.  He loves to wreak havoc upon the enemy.  This is the man he used to begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines- a work continued by Jonathan and finally completed by David.  #wreakinghavoc  

 

Mountain of God

 

Mark 9:9  “And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

In tears I say this, I’ve been to the mountain, and fearfully, I’ve taken some ground there. And the Son of Man has risen from the dead, and I will tell you what I’ve seen there. 

For five years I’ve seen a homeless man receive the covering of God, and provision for his sorry state.

And His Father is my Father and He is good to His own. He has surely rendered goodness out of this dry land and given it to His child. And I am one of those. And so is this man who God sees and loves and has loved in a way that I recognize.  We have talked about it together, and together we have seen and shared in the protection and Love of the Lion of righteousness who guards over us with a vengeance and with vigilant eyes to do us good.

There is no man or demon who will stand against Him and His fiery goodness because He is our rescuer and redeemer.  He truly has a place in the world for the outcast.  Because there is no outcast in God. The whole world doesn’t know what to do with them, and I know that very well, but God has good and kind intentions for their tender lives.   He is a consuming fire that will not be quenched until He has rendered goodness to those He loves. It’s a fearful thing to be close to that fire. In the words of the great Jess Ray, “I was a fool to think your fire would only warm me.” It will consume you and your selfish heart will gratefully melt away as you become a vessel for His ministry.

These are only some of the things I’ve seen on the mountain of God. And it’s merciful to me to see them in the eternal sense. Although at the same time awesome to me.

 

 

Being Quiet

"Yahweh will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."
                                         -Zeph_3:17  


Your mind is full of plans and concerns and hopes and people....
You're quite wrapped up in the fury of it all.
Jesus walks into the room and says, "Son..."

"...
"Stop... just for a moment..."
"Put all those thoughts away right now and be quiet."

Your response is, "What... what do you want to say to me?"

You're not quiet yet.

Quiet means you have no questions, you put them away for the moment, along with all the juggling balls in your mind.
He's not saying be quiet so I can talk to you.
He's just saying be quiet in His presence. No questions, no plans, worries or people.
You alone and still, with Him.
No words. Just still with Him.

That is a place the Holy Spirit brought me to the other day as I was just sinning away- blurting out my worthless opinions about everything and everyone... I was a mess of error and bad behavior.  Nothing in my mind or heart was giving my heavenly Father any room to speak or instruct, or move, or... anything.  I was, in fact, missing my true place- the place I was made to live in... and find real life, with God.

In truth, I had hurt someone, and woke up the next day with a deep conviction of the Holy Spirit, and was ashamed.
In that conviction He led me to a place that put to rest everything that cluttered my mind and heart.
Stop... all your thoughts, just stop... you haven't left any place for Me. There's no room in this mess.
My thoughts all deflated like lawn ornaments as I agreed and wanted to go with Him.
I'm returning to that place often these days.


"My people will abide in... quiet resting places."
                                  - Isaiah 32:18  

The Earth's Changing Climate- part II

I like letting data speak for itself and, oh my gosh, look at the North Atlantic Sea Temperature rise!  The earth is heating up!

Oh, wait a minute... that's just the small, rising part of a 60 year cycle in ocean temperature.  Here's data since 1850 instead.

Sorry to toy with your emotions, but doesn't it feel familiar?  I'm afraid we've all been toyed with over our lifetimes.  It's tragic.  So let me jump to the happy ending. 

We are much healthier and more resilient than we've been led to believe. 

Who cares if people have chosen to show tidbits of the whole picture?  So what if nations have implemented "Carbon Taxes" and sent billions to the UN so they can save us all!  It's utter fraud.  For those of us who haven't bought it, and have sought out historical data, we can see its all been a scam. 

The earth is just fine.  We've just completed a wonderful period of global greening over the past 70 years, and we can be thankful for this historically huge amount of heat coming from the sun.  Now, and over the coming 30-60 years, we can expect not as crop-friendly solar activity, and we might consider preparing for it.

How? How about growing micro-greens in your kitchen? Or starting a greenhouse and growing hydroponic veggies to feed your family? With your new self-sufficiency, you'll feel great about yourself!

We are much healthier and more resilient than we've been led to believe.  

Happy Independence Day!

The Earth's Changing Climate

Where is the earth's climate headed?  My view is that the single largest input of energy into the earth system is The Sun.  How have we missed including that as part of the discussion?  I think the Sun's energy output is most relevant to the question.

The chart is showing sunspot activity going back to 1700 (click on the chart to see a more readable display).  That's a very significant data set.  The number of sun spots in a given year is directly related to the amount of energy coming from the sun (measured in Watts per square meter) but it's easiest to plot sunspot count. Now, they say that one climate data point gathers the previous 30 years worth of data. So I did that, and that is the top chart.

On the 30-year average chart, each data point is the average number of sun spots over the previous 30 years.  I've added a green and blue band and some recognizable historical events to give a reference. 


Conclusions:

You can see that since 1950, we have been in an ongoing period of the highest amount of energy coming from the sun in history. This has produced a wonderful period of good crops worldwide. You could call it global greening!

You can also see that we are now heading into a period of reduced energy coming from the sun. Don't say 'ice age'.  It is more likely going to be a period with weather patterns like we saw in the 30's. Long harsh winters and reduced crop yields. We are already seeing very long and harsh winter weather conditions in the northern latitudes. Expect that to continue for the next thirty years!  

No, there's nothing you can do to change it. It's The Sun stupid!






.

Martin Luther and me

I think Martin Luther was like me. 

He had the same understanding of God's personality, and the nature of the battle we're in.

His song - A Mighty Fortress -  isn't about our needing protection... 

It's about Jesus winning our battle, and that our lives are the instrument through which God's truth prevails, and how the devil will fail miserably, so stand without fear and forsake everything to live for Jesus.

So, here is my interpretation of A MIGHTY FORTRESS as a blog post:

God is the most solid, reliable protection we will ever have.  

He prevails on our behalf, against the flood of deadly assaults we face over the course of our lives. 

Assaults from whom? You ask.  

Well since that first day in the garden, until just this morning, our greatest enemy is seeking to trap us and destroy us.

He spends all day and all night, every day and night, scheming and colluding with all the powerful elements in this world, to bring all his cruel hatred to bear upon us. There is no one who compares with him in his hatred of us, or in the resources at his disposal.

Standing against him on our own, we could fight with all our strength, and we would lose - every single day.  

That is, unless we had the right man to fight for us!  A man chosen by God. Ha!

Who is that man? You ask.

It is the man Christ Jesus. Lord of the Sabbath. Steadfast, immovable, undefeated and undefeatable.

And He will win this battle!

This whole world, aligned with that great hater, threatens to take apart our faith, our dreams, and our families.

But we will not fear.  

Because this is God's will - awesome and unstoppable:

That our very lives will be the instrument through which God's truth prevails, and through which that hater is thrown down and defeated.  That's a powerful statement, right there.

That devil, he's the ugly prince of darkness. And though he threatens, we are not afraid of him.  We can stand in the midst of his raging. 

How can we stand? You ask.  

Because his future is over. His future is that he doesn't have one. 

You will see One Word spoken, and it will end for him.

What word is that? You ask.

Ha!  It is the word that abides forever.  It is the word that is above all those in earthly power, though they reject it.

Dear brethren, this is the blessedness of our lives in Christ Jesus.  

The Holy Spirit has been given to us. 

And the gifts of the Spirit have been given to us - through Christ Jesus.

So, I say, let nothing on earth keep you from Him!  Let no affection draw you away from Him!

Not your pursuits in this life, not even your family!  

Because, even if they kill you, and they will, God's truth remains forever. And His kingdom is forever.

---

A mighty fortress is our God, 

a bulwark never failing;

our helper he amid the flood

of mortal ills prevailing.

For still our ancient foe

doth seek to work us woe;

his craft and power are great,

and armed with cruel hate,

on earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,

our striving would be losing,

were not the right man on our side,

the man of God's own choosing.

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is he;

Lord Sabaoth, his name,

from age to age the same,

and he must win the battle. 

And though this world, with devils filled, 

should threaten to undo us, 

we will not fear, for God hath willed 

his truth to triumph through us. 

The Prince of Darkness grim, 

we tremble not for him; 

his rage we can endure, 

for lo, his doom is sure; 

one little word shall fell him. 

That word above all earthly powers, 

no thanks to them, abideth; 

the Spirit and the gifts are ours, 

thru him who with us sideth. 

Let goods and kindred go, 

this mortal life also; 

the body they may kill; 

God's truth abideth still; 

his kingdom is forever.