Tuesday, November 26, 2024

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In this blog, I provide encouragement and biblical teaching on for believers in Jesus Christ that there is a treasure within us and God is forming something which is more precious than anything we could desire on earth.

As the Scripture says:

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Mt 6:20)

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luk 12:34)

Paul spoke of Jesus Christ, in whom "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col 2:3)

Some of the topics covered include hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge, Christ in us the hope of glory, the Lord's handiwork that is being woven in our lives, the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant by Ron Wyatt, and the higher value of that which man considers less.  I hope this will be an edifying and encouraging experience for you that will help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.

Hidden Treasures Resurrection Outworking in Us Mining for Gold
Divine Tapestry Ark of the Covenant Found - Part 1 Ark of the Covenant Found - Part 2 
Better a Little Job Diamonds The Crown of the Disciple

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Please read Opportunities to Serve the Body of Christ.  You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

The Crown of the Disciple

One of the glorious treasures awaiting each of us in heaven as faithful disciples of Christ is a crown. Let's open the Word together and see what it has to say about this glorious reward reserved for the faithful.

A Singular Crown
Many people teach that there are five different crowns and go into detail about each one as if they were all completely separate. But there is no such declaration in the Bible that says the disciple will be crowned with many crowns. 

Our Lord Jesus alone is the only one described in Scripture as being crowned with many crowns. It says:

"His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself." (Rev 19:12)

Therefore, as we study about the crown of the disciple in Scripture, we should not read into the text something that isn't there, so as to assume there are multiple crowns for the disciple, and instead understand that it is a single crown. No doubt, the crowns of some disciples will be more glorious than the crowns of others, and will have certain distinguishing features, such as more or different jewels, in order to signify the honor bestowed upon them for their service to the King during their earthly lifetime. However, the Scripture actually speaks of the crown of the disciple as being singular.

The apostle Paul said, "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1Co 9:25)

Here we see that it is a single crown, not multiple crowns, which we receive. The apostle is here contrasting the crown that athletes receive with the crown that disciples receive. Consider how strictly those athletes train for the games in order to win such a crown. They rise early, put their bodies through enormous strain, experiencing pain and tears, pushing themselves beyond the normal limits, all in order to win a crown that will not even last. In his day it was a wreath that faded and whose leaves eventually crumbled into dust. Today the crown is replaced with a medal of gold, bronze, or silver, or even a trophy to put on display. But even these metal ones are no less temporary, because one day the fire of God will melt them all with fervent heat. However, the crown that the disciple receives in heaven will last forever. That is one way in which our Lord rewards us for all our sacrifice, suffering and tears that we endure for His sake and for the gospel.

The Lord Himself affirms that it is a singular crown, when He says: "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown." (Rev 3:11)

He also implies that it can be taken away from you, if you are not careful. Therefore, some disciples will not receive one, since they failed to ensure that no one would take it. His admonition to hold onto what you have is followed by the expression "so that", indicating that this is the cause that produces the effect whereby no one will take your crown. There is a responsibility on your part in order to keep your crown.

Since the Scriptures refer to the crown as singular, then we understand that any adjectives used in conjunction with the word "crown" are simply describing its attributes. The fact that different adjectives are used in different passages does not mean these are different crowns, but different characteristics of the crown.

Crown of Righteousness
One expression used for the crown of the disciple is "the crown of righteousness." Paul said: 

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." (2Ti 4:8).

Notice that this crown is not only for Paul but for all who long for the Lord's appearing.

Crown of Life
Another expression used for the crown of the disciple is "the crown of life." James said:

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." (Jas 1:12)

How happy is the one who endures all things, for he will receive the crown of life that never fades. This crown of life is what Jesus promised the Church of Smyrna and all who would be faithful to Him, even to the point of death. He said:

"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev 2:10 NASB)

He was letting them know in advance what the devil planned to do to them, which included temporary imprisonment, and that they may even have to die for Christ, but that they should always remember that it is just a test, and that if they would be faithful unto death, He would give them a crown up in glory.

Crown of Glory
The apostle Peter used the expression "crown of glory" for this same crown saying:

"And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."(1Pe 5:4).

Truly it is a glorious crown, and how unworthy we are to receive it, especially when we consider that our Lord who is truly worthy wore a painful crown of thorns for us.

Crown of Gold
We do not know from Scripture what each and every disciple's crown will look like, but we do know a little bit about what the crowns of the elders around the throne in heaven look like, because the Bible tells us that they are golden.

"Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads." (Rev 4:4 NASB)

And what's so beautiful is how the elders all cast their crowns before the throne at the Lord's feet when they worship Him, humbly signifying that only He is worthy of all honor (Rev 4:10). I think this practice is probably observed by all disciples in heaven who have crowns.

Soul Winning Crown
The Scripture says that he who wins souls is wise (Prov 11:30). And since our Lord commanded us to go and preach the gospel to all nations, making disciples of all nations, teaching them to do all that He commanded (Mat 28:19-20; Mk 16:15), then this is something we should all be involved in doing. Surely there is a great reward in store for all who do so, and Paul knew this when he referred to his disciples as his crown. He saw the importance of these souls, whom God loved so dearly, as Paul himself did also. He said to the Philippians:

"Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!" (Php 4:1)

These people who were so dear to him, in whom he had invested himself, were his joy and his crown. They would be an eternal joy and crown for him in heaven to have brought them to the Lord, so that they could be with Him forever. He says the same to the Thessalonians:

"For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?" (1Th 2:19)

Winning a Crown the Lord's Way
Once again Paul compares the disciple's crown to an athlete's crown saying:

"Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor's crown except by competing according to the rules." (2Ti 2:5)

In saying this, Paul indicates that if you want to receive the crown that the Lord has in store for you in heaven, you have to live according to His ways, just as the athlete who competes for a crown receives one only if he does so according to the rules of the game.

Putting it All Together
As we have just read in Scripture, the crown of the disciple is referred to interchangeably as a crown of glory, a crown of life, and a crown of righteousness, but it is a singular crown. And let us not forget that is given only to those who believe in Jesus, follow Him, and live according to His Word, doing the will of the Father who is in heaven (Mat 7:21). I hope this has encouraged you to put your faith in Christ, follow Him, put His words into practice, hold onto what you have, persevere under trial, and be faithful to the end, even unto death. If you do, then when the Chief Shepherd appears, you too will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Where noted other Scriptures taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright The Lockman Foundation, used by permission. "Thou Art Worthy" artwork is by my daughter Charity Lacroix, and is a depiction of me holding my crown before the Lord in worship.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.  

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Job Diamonds

I had a dream recently in which I heard someone say, "That's a Job diamond," or "That's a real Job diamond!" I had never heard this expression before, but I understood what it meant after considering it.

You know the true story of Job, who was a man who lived a blameless life before God, yet satan attacked him and made him suffer great loss. Job suffered the loss of his children and his own health. Many calamities befell this godly man who had once been very wealthy, and he became so afflicted that he wished he had never been born. The very thing he feared came upon him, and what he dreaded happened to him. Even his own wife advised him to curse God and die.

However, in all of this, Job did not sin in what he said. He didn't charge God with wrongdoing, but kept his faith in God. In the end, God healed Job and made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. Here is the account of his restoration in Scripture:

"After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job's daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years." (Job 42:10-17)

I have had my own Job experiences. I have been through a tragic loss that made me cry pools of tears, and experienced fiery trials during times of desperate hardship that tested my faith. But the Lord brought me through it all, for which I give Him all the glory, honor, and praise.

Fiery trials are allowed by the providence of God for the purifying and perfecting of His people. As Job said during his trial, "But He [the Lord] knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10). We see this same truth all throughout Scripture.

In Proverbs, it says: "Blows and wounds scrub away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being." (Pro 20:30)

In Daniel, it says regarding the saints during the end times: "Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time." (Dan 11:33-35)

James wrote: "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." (Jas 1:12). James even referred to Job saying, "Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." (Jas 5:10-11)

The apostle Peter taught about the value of trials when he wrote: "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." (1Pe 1:6-7)

Peter also taught that suffering in the body helps set us free from sin, when he wrote: "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin." (1Pe 4:1)

He said that such suffering would bring glory to God through our lives: "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1Pe 4:12-13)

Putting it All Together
So what then is a Job diamond? Well, diamonds are formed under enormous pressure, and as we can see from Scripture, there are many ways the Lord brings forth diamonds through the "Job experiences" we each go through in life. In the case of Job, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. So there were the natural blessings. But he personally was a better man as well, because his character was purified, and he came forth as gold. The Lord allows these things to refine his saints, purify us, and make us spotless. It serves to prove our faith to be genuine, which will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Those who participate in the sufferings of Christ and endure to the end will be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. Those are the Job diamonds the Lord desires to produce in our lives.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image of diamond from Pixabay.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. 

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Better a Little

As I was reading the Word today, I realized there is a great nugget of wisdom in the phrase, "Better a little." So I did some digging for that phrase and others like it, and I was enriched by what I discovered.  I found the following passages, which I hope will make you wealthy also.


"Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it." (Pro 15:16)

"Better is a dish of vegetables where love is Than a fattened ox served with hatred." (Pro 15:17)

"Better is a little with righteousness Than great income with injustice." (Pro 16:8)

"Better is the little of the righteous Than the abundance of many wicked." (Psa 37:16)

"Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant Than he who honors himself and lacks bread." (Pro 12:9)

"Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife." (Pro 17:1)

"Better is the poor who walks in his integrity Than he who is crooked though he be rich." (Pro 28:6)

"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool." (Pro 19:1)

“Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.” (Ecc 4:6)

“Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,” (Pro 30:8)

"If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit." (Pr 25:16)

I think the same could be said of money in that too much of it is not good for you and can cause many griefs.

“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1Ti 6:10)

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’" (Heb 13:5)

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psa 84:10)

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Mat 19:21)

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Mar 10:21)

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Luk 18:22)

"Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luk 12:33-34)

"And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mat 13:22)

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Mat 6:24)

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."(Luk 16:13)

I hope you will choose the better way with a little and yet having great treasure in heaven.

No Greater Thing Than Knowing Jesus
There is no greater thing than knowing Jesus! The apostle Paul counted everything else a loss compared to knowing Him.  In fact, he said he considered it all rubbish, so that he could gain Christ.

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ," (Php 3:7-8)

As the song, Above All, says, the Lord Jesus is "above all wealth and treasures of the earth.  There's no way to measure" what He's worth. If we really truly knew how awesome and wonderful Jesus is, we would consider Him greater than anything or anyone else in this world.

I'd Rather Have Jesus 
Allow me to share with you the lyrics to this great old song written by Rhea F. Miller in 1922:

    I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
    I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
    I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
    I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand


        Refrain:
        Than to be the king of a vast domain
        Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
        I’d rather have Jesus than anything
        This world affords today.


    I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
    I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
    I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
    I’d rather be true to His holy name


    He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
    He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb;
    He’s all that my hungering spirit needs;
    I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead



Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel? and the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Ark of the Covenant Has Been Found - Part 2

Artist's Rendition of the Ark of the Covenant
On August 11, 2012, I first watched the video by Ron Wyatt about the discovery of the ark of the covenant (see here).  I was so excited about this discovery that I posted a blog about it (see here).  But two days later, I called and spoke to the president of Wyatt Archeological Research, Richard Rives. 

Richard Rives told me that Ron believed he had discovered the ark, but that he (Richard) had not been able to verify any of Ron’s claims. He said, "Ron Wyatt did say he found the ark of the covenant, and he did believe that he found it.  But I have been back to that site and done more excavation there since 2003.  And I’ve been unable to find any cave under it." He stated that he has used subsurface radar to search for any cave that could even be possibly filled in, and he could find nothing.  He went on to say, "I'm not saying Ron didn't find it. I'm just saying that we could not confirm it."  He pointed out that they do have Ron's testimony posted on their site at Wyatt Museum.

However, he emphasized that they have a caveat statement posted there that states: "At this time, Wyatt Archeological Research can provide no conclusive evidence regarding the discovery of the ark of the covenant.” Needless to say, this was a very disappointing conversation. 

Ron Wyatt
Therefore, I determined that I needed to find out what kind of character Ron had.  Could I trust the claims that he made?  Soon after this I did some research to try and determine the character of Ron Wyatt from people who knew him.  I had seen a Prophecy Club video on You Tube featuring Michael Rood, who vouched for Ron’s character.  Michael said he had seen a video about Ron Wyatt’s discovery of the ark that amazed him.  And then he subsequently spent a weekend with Henry Gruver, a man who has worked and ministered for the Lord in over 70 countries around the world, and who knew Ron Wyatt.  Henry’s testimony about Ron Wyatt persuaded Michael that he had to meet Ron in person.  He had to know if Ron was a liar or a man who tells the truth.  So he sold the last of his worldly possessions, in order to make the trip to visit Ron at his home, and spent a week with him.  This is how Michael could personally vouch for Ron’s character. 

So I decided to call Henry Gruver myself, and left a message for him.  However, I saw on his website that he had just left for a missions trip to Japan.  So in my message, I asked that he call me when he returned from Japan. But as months went by, I was busy with my own ministry, so I forgot about Henry Gruver and the message I had left for him.

On November 27, 2012, I felt led to try and reach Henry Gruver again.  So I called him and I introduced myself.  He did not recall getting my message, but he was very kind and said he was available to speak with me now.  I asked about his trip to Japan, and he said he had only returned from that trip two days ago, and he was still overcoming jet lag.  So the Holy Spirit had led me to call him back at just the right time.

After brief introductions, I explained why I was calling.  I said that I had been so excited when I saw the videos of Ron’s testimony about discovering the ark of the covenant, but that when I had subsequently spoken to Richard Rives, the new head of the Wyatt Archeological Research, I was disappointed when he told me he could not confirm the ark discovery.  I mentioned to Henry what Richard had told me about his core drilling on top of the mount, and his use of sub surface radar to try and find any cave beneath the three cross holes where Ron Wyatt claimed he found the ark.  I wanted to know what he could tell me about Ron Wyatt with respect to his character and integrity.  We were on the phone for 49 minutes, and he shared his testimony about Ron. Here is Henry’s testimony:

Testimony of Henry Gruver

Judith and Henry Gruver
Around 1990 in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship (FGBMF), Southwest Regional Convention, I was at the table when Demos Shakarian, founder of the FGBMF.  Demos had assembled a special meeting with Ron Wyatt. An attorney and a document specialist were present. The purpose of the meeting was to validate the certificates he had received from the laboratories, proving the authenticity of the samples taken from his discoveries.

Ron had with him a blue, three-ring binder containing those certificates in plastic document protectors. It included certificates from six labs – three in the USA, one in Jerusalem, one in Germany, and other certificates of his lab testing throughout the years.

One of the lab result certificates pertained to the chromosomes of the dried blood Ron discovered in the cave beneath the cross holes that had flowed down onto the ark of the covenant.  Another lab result pertained to Ron’s discovery of Noah’s ark, and confirmed that the specimen was in fact a piece of “petrified, laminated wood” with “rosins” in between, which are “presently unknown to man.”

When Ron opened his blue, three-ring binder, the document specialist asked for permission to remove the certificates from their plastic folders. Ron reluctantly granted permission to remove them from the document protectors, as long as he didn’t tamper with the documents or perform ink tests on the signatures. 

The man removed them from the plastic and looked at each certificate carefully. He had a very large, thick book with him that was eight by eleven inches and about six inches thick.  In it he had brought with him the names and data for all the labs in the countries where Ron had lab tests done.  He was able to look up each lab in his book, as well as the record numbers. He had all the signatures in his book, and compared them with the ones on the certificates. He was also able to validate the record numbers from each certificate.  He looked at each signature with a magnifying glass like a jeweler uses. 

When he finished examining each one carefully, he said, “I would verify the authenticity of these documents to the top court in this land.” And he was a registered document specialist in the nation at that time.

Demos Shakarian just smiled when he heard that, and then he invited Ron to be the keynote speaker at the upcoming meeting of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship. But Demos wanted me to give my testimony of meeting Ron Wyatt for the first time in Jerusalem, and then introduce Mr. Wyatt at the convention.

I got to know Ron over the years. In fact, I traveled with him in Turkey, the Middle East, and the United States.  Ron would never take any of the credit for his amazing discoveries.  He always gave all the credit to Jesus Christ.

Ron once said, “If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can’t be saved.” He was not a Seventh Day Adventist, but he did adopt Friday night Shabbat services.

He was a thorough man. For example, one time in Kaddesh-barnea, it had just rained, and Ron discovered a stone the size of a goose egg, which had carvings in it. He told me to hold it, so I did. Ron then pulled out of the ground a stone that was smaller than a basketball, but bigger than a soccer ball. With his finger he cleared the dirt out an eyelet in the round stone.

He asked me if I knew what I was holding, and I could only guess it might be a boat anchor.  Then Ron told me to observe the cuttings in the stone. They were the same as the one I had in my hand, except mine was smaller.

Ron explained that it was a tent anchor carved by the Hebrews during their 40 years journey in the wilderness. He said, “This helps me track the wandering of the Hebrew people through the wilderness.”  He then noted the date and exact time he found the tent anchors, the longitude and the latitude where they were standing, and a description of the stones. He was very thorough, and he was consistently like that all the time.

He had earned the respect of the Israeli Antiquities department. In 1984, after all the digging he did, he was only able to peer into the cave and see the ark, but was not yet able to go in. In 1985 his excavation permit expired, but he needed to renew it, so that he could continue the archeological dig, and get into the room containing the ark. When his permit had expired, he took his crew to Ashkelon swimming.

In the water, Ron stepped on a smooth object. So he went under the water and pulled it up.  It was a vase! So he went back under the water and discovered many other vases. He registered this discovery with the Antiquities department. When they looked into it, they found that this was the ancient burial site of the Philistine fish god. This fish god had the head of a fish and the body of a man.  And the vases contained bones and artifacts that verified the time of the dynasty of the Philistines.

The head of the Antiquities department had these examined, and due to this miraculous discovery, Ron was given a permit to continue the dig for ark.  He was able to get into the cave, where he discovered the ark.  Up until then, Ron had only peered into the room.

I once personally asked Richard Rives, “Where is the three-ring folder of all the certificates.” Richard said he’d seen it. I said, “Ron carried it with him in a briefcase everywhere he went.” Richard admitted he’d seen the blue folder once. But he doesn’t know where it is now.

I have no doubt Ron discovered the ark, and that it’s down there. I have Ron on video telling the details of the ark discovery. In fact, I have around 40 videos of him. In fact, the Lord spoke to me in prayer years ago about this through Psalm 85. He said, “Truth shall spring out of the earth.” In God’s timing, that ark will be found again.

Henry Gruver

[end of Henry Gruver’s testimony]

Putting it All Together
There will always be those who try to discredit godly men. They did that to Jesus, and they are still doing it today.  But after speaking with Henry Gruver, and listening to his testimony about Ron Wyatt, I am convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that Ron’s discoveries are authentic. Henry’s testimony about Ron is consistent with that of Dr. Kent Hovind (see here) and Michael Rood, who have personally met Ron and spoken with him about this discovery.  But Henry’s testimony is even more significant, because of how he traveled with Ron extensively and grew to know Ron.

Ron had an anointing from God for making significant biblical, archeological discoveries.  He was a man of prayer, who heard from the Lord, and was guided by God’s voice during his expeditions.  He was a thorough man that documented everything accurately and meticulously.  He earned the respect of the Israeli Department of Antiquities. Yet he was a humble man, who shunned the limelight and never took any credit for his amazing discoveries, which many others across the world have sought to find at the risk of their lives. He always gave all the glory to Jesus Christ. And he proclaimed that it is impossible to be saved, unless you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  It’s easy to see why God chose him to make this significant discovery, and many other important ones, too.

Ron did find the ark of the covenant beneath the cross holes on top of the mount where Jesus was crucified. His discovery scientifically verifies the biblical account of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which was God’s atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The discovery of the ark verifies that Jesus is the Son of God, and that His sinless blood has been applied to the mercy seat atop the ark of the covenant. That blood was scientifically analyzed*, and the amazing results were lab certified.

The lab certificates were authenticated by a certified document specialist in America in the presence of an attorney and other credible witnesses, including Henry Gruver. This verifies that the Bible is true when it teaches us that only the blood of Jesus has the power to save you from sin. He is the Lamb of God that was slain, who takes away the sins of the world!  He is risen from the dead!  He sits at God’s right hand and lives forever. He loves you and wants you to have a relationship with Him, and to live forever with Him in His glorious heaven.

If you have not already done so, please read "Ark of the Covenant Has Been Found - Part 1".  Another excellent article to read is "Who is Ron Wyatt?" by Kevin Fisher. 

Also see these videos:
Ron Wyatt Against Accusations by Israeli Antiquity

"Ron Wyatt’s Character"

"Blood of Yeshua HaMashiach Recovered"


"Ron Wyatt Speaks on The Blood of Jesus"

*Note: Somatids are the tiniest life form.  They are visible in living human blood, as well as reconstituted dried blood. When healthy blood is viewed in an electron microscope, somatids appear as little dots of light, which seem to dance around the motionless red blood cells. They are living and indestructible, which means they cannot be killed either by heat or by any chemical product.

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Ark of the Covenant Has Been Found - Part 1

Artist's depiction of the ark of the covenant
Did you know that the ark of the covenant was found in 1982? I came to know Christ in 1986 and just now discovered this!!  It's amazing how the news of this great discovery has not spread throughout the entire Church.  I think this is probably the greatest archeological discovery of all time.

Ron Wyatt and his team found the ark of the covenant.  He was walking outside Jerusalem with a Jewish archeologist, and wondered about a garbage dump that he saw.  Suddenly his hand pointed to it and his mouth said, “That’s Jeremiah’s grotto and the ark of the covenant is in there.”  The man with him suggested they go dig it out, but Ron wasn’t sure it could be possible according to Scripture for the ark to be located there.  He wanted to go back and search the Scriptures first to see if it could be possible. 

Ron Wyatt
Ron later came to the conclusion that during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the king had built a catapult to strike the Babylonians, since he wasn’t obeying God and surrendering.  Therefore the Babylonians built a second wall around Jerusalem, just outside the range of the catapult.  The area between the wall of Jerusalem and this siege wall is no man’s land.  He thinks that Jeremiah took the ark out to this no man’s land at night and hid the ark and some other important temple furniture in a cave, then built a false wall in front of it.  And perhaps he either never told anyone where he hid it, or the information was lost and it was never found.

So they spent years digging it out.  During that time, he found a place atop Mount Moriah, where there were holes in the rock that had plugs in them made of stone shaped like a truncated pyramid.  They were square holes about two feet deep.  He found four of these and surmised that they were the holes used to insert the bottom of crosses during crucifixion.  They were set up to perform a maximum of four crucifixions at once.  He surmised that this was the real Golgotha where our Lord Jesus was crucified.  It is located at the highest point on Mount Moriah, perhaps the same spot where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac.

After much searching through a honeycomb of caves and tunnels, he found a tiny hole covered by a stalactite.  At first, his assistant, a man with a small frame, was able to squeeze through the hole.  But as soon as he got into the room, he came right back out with eyes full of terror.  He asked, "What's in that room?  What's in that room?"  And although he did not see anything, he refused to ever go back into it.  In fact, he left the entire cave system and never returned.

So left to himself, Ron widened the hole enough to get through it himself, and found a room.  He squeezed through it and with his flashlight he saw something gold glittering. So he removed the rocks, dry-rotted timbers and animal skins that covered it, and discovered what he believed was the table of showbread.  He then saw a large stone case with a stone lid on it.  But the lid was too close to the ceiling of the room for him to see what was inside it.  Then he saw that the lid had a crack in it.  Above the crack was a crack in the ceiling.  And when they did measurements, they determined that this was directly beneath the crack he had found by the foot of cross base atop Mount Moriah.  He saw that there was black stuff on the crack in the ceiling and black stuff on the cover of the lid over the stone box.

He took samples to the hospital and had it tested at a reliable lab.  They said it was very old human blood, but it only contained 24 chromosomes.  There were 23 from the mother and one Y chromosome.  According to Genetics Home Reference, “Chromosomes are thread-like strands of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that carry the genes and transmit heredity information. A human being normally has 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) in all but the sex cells. Half of each chromosomal pair is inherited from the mother's egg; the other half, from the father's sperm. When the sperm and egg unite in fertilization, they create a single cell, or zygote, with 46 chromosomes. When cell division occurs (called mitosis), the 46 chromosomes are duplicated. This process is repeated billions of times over, with each of the cells containing the identical set of chromosomes.”

When the lab technicians reconstituted the blood in a growth medium, to their surprise they discovered that the blood was live! So they asked Ron Wyatt whose blood this was, and he said with great emotion, "It's the blood of your Messiah." Therefore, the blood of Jesus Christ only had Mary’s chromosomes, since there was no man involved in his conception, and the one Y chromosome from Yahweh.

Ron Wyatt eventually got the lid off the box.  He was able to look down inside of it and see the ark.  Above it were the cherubim above the mercy seat with their wings touching.  He wasn’t sure he should touch it, but then took stock in the fact that he was a blood-bought Christian.  He touched it and saw the Ten Commandments inside.  The rod of Aaron and the jar of manna were not there.  He surmised that when Christ died, and the stones were split, these rocks cracked and the blood of Jesus ran down through the cracks and onto the mercy seat atop the ark of the covenant. 

I cannot really do the story justice here.  You need to hear it for yourself.  I encourage you to watch Ron give his testimony about it online in the video below and don't miss my conclusion at the end of this article.

Video Testimony of Ron Wyatt




Video of First Hand Witnesses Who Knew Ron Wyatt
Many damaging things have been said about Ron Wyatt, attempting to discredit him.  However, before you listen to any of those slanderous accusations, let me encourage you to listen to those who knew him.  He was a very humble man of prayer and deep conviction.  His heart was to help people get to heaven, and he had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

A good place to begin is with the following video that contains the testimony of Kent Hovind, who personally spoke to Ron Wyatt about this.




My Conclusions
After listening to Ron Wyatt's own testimony and that of people who knew him, it does not seem likely to me that this man lied about this discovery.  I mean, he brought a blood sample to a hospital lab for analysis and received the findings that are reported above.  That alone would be a major lie.  If he did not discover the ark, then how could he have gotten such a lab result from Jewish technicians who did not even know what they were testing until they reported the results to him? I find it harder to believe that Ron lied about this whole thing than to believe that he actually discovered the ark.

This discovery confirms the actual location of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, where the blood flowed down from the cross and fell upon the mercy seat of the ark hidden in a cave inside the hill beneath the cross.

I also encourage you to go to www.wyattmuseum.com, where you can see the many other major discoveries made by Ron Wyatt, including Noah's ark and the Red Sea Crossing site.

Author's Note: Please see "Ark of the Covenant Has Been Found - Part 2." For further research, you may also read excerpts of the written account of this discovered on the Wyatt Museum website (see here). Another excellent article to read is "Who is Ron Wyatt?" by Kevin Fisher.  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory. You may find a complete collection of my blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.