Dear Family,

Today is Monday, May 12, 2025. This is Day 2 of Week 5 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 30th day of Counting.

During this week of Water from the Rock we find Israel without water. Looking at this situation through human eyes, we can easily understand that such circumstances could easily end in a physical disaster for the group.

H2O is required to sustain life (as we know it) on this planet. God made all humans to need an adequate amount of water on a regular basis. What humanity needs to understand about this scenario is that when God creates a need, He intends to fill it. He receives glory from doing so. God even takes care of the plants and animals on this planet. And, humans are of MUCH MORE VALUE than animals and grass. Jesus talked of this marvelous phenomena in His sermons.

The book of Psalms tells us God even created our desires, and He satisfies them.

Psalm 145:16 Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

God’s creation of us with these built-in needs is an important part of His Master Plan to seat us eternally with Him. Clearly, God wants us to be dependent on Him and trust Him for the absolute basic necessities of our existence. As we do this, we come to understand and know that He will never fail those who trust in Him.

Here are a FEW of the promises God binds Himself to do when His people truly trust in Him.

Psalm 2:12b … Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.

Psalm 18:30b … He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him.

Psalm 32:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.

Psalm 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of His servants: and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate.

Psalm 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

The Word of God is full of such promises, made by the Being Who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). When there was no water at Rephidim, God was just giving Israel a chance to trust Him and receive an even greater blessing than just physical water. God promises many, many types of blessings for those who simply trust in Him. Even though Israel did not trust Him, He gave them ample water. God is good, all the time!

May God grant us grace to always trust in Him. Real WATER is on the way!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Sunday, May 11, 2025. This is Day 1 of Week 5 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 29th day of Counting. This week is often referred to as the Week of Water from the Rock.

Exodus 17:1-7 (1) And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. (2) Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said; Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? (3) And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said; Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? (4) And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying; What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me. (5) And the LORD said unto Moses; Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. (6) Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (7) And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying; Is the LORD among us, or not?

As we see in verse 1, there was NO water for Israel to drink, not even bitter water as at Marah. We may wonder why it did not immediately occur to ancient Israel that God was going to do another marvelous work, a supernatural intervention. After all, that’s what He had done for the past several weeks every time they met a new danger or challenge. Also, let’s remember that Israel was enjoying FOOD every day. Their food represented an on going miracle, because God had already started supernaturally providing the bread from heaven as He had promised. Obviously, Who and What God is was NOT at the center of their thoughts. They rebelled in their thinking, then in their hearts, and in their words, and behavior.

Psalm 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Isaiah 65:2 I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;

The mistakes made by ancient Israel are utterly clear to us in hindsight. Let’s be sure we keep God and His marvelous works in the forefront of our thinking and deep within our hearts, so our words and actions will be pleasing to Him.

God bless us all toward this endeavor of keeping Him always in our thoughts!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Saturday, May 10, 2025. This is Day 7 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is a Sabbath, and it is our 28th day of Counting.

On this wonderful Sabbath, let us consider the important truth of how God freed Israel from bondage, setting them apart as a people for Himself. Consider how He claimed them! He intended that they be HOLY as He is HOLY.

Leviticus 11:45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I Am Holy.

To this end, He gave them many blessings, including the blessing of the 6-day work week and the rest of the HOLY Sabbath. It was an important physical type, foreshadowing how God deals with His Church today.

It is far more incumbent upon us today that we become HOLY because our Savior and our Father are HOLY. We, too, have been delivered from bondage for PURPOSE, HOLY PURPOSE. Our Messiah has made us FREE and intends that we never again by entangled with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

God has claimed us, adopted us while we are human, begotten us by His Spirit, and will finally deliver us from our flesh (also a type of bondage), bringing us to full term birth as Spirit-born, eternal, Sons of God with His divine, spiritual DNA.

Romans 8:15, 21 (15) For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (21) Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

God’s Word tells us how to cooperate as God creates and perfects His holiness in us. We yield to His righteousness and cleanse ourselves.

Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

We are of the HOLY HOUSEHOLD of the HOLY GOD. Let us honor our God on this Sabbath and every day of our lives by allowing God to perfect His HOLINESS in us!

Psalm 93:5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh Thine house, O LORD, for ever.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Friday, May 9, 2025. This is Day 6 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 27th day of Counting. This is the preparation day for the Sabbath.

In Exodus 16 the LORD went to quite an extensive explanation of which day He had set apart as the Sabbath. There is obvious importance God placed on the weekly cycle and especially the seventh day. Throughout the Bible we see the Sabbath emphasized over and over. However, today we realize that many who say they teach the “whole” gospel and believe themselves to be followers of God’s Messiah have not paid close attention to the details God provides for us in the Bible regarding the Sabbath.

Here are a few common erroneous approaches and explanations regarding the Sabbath.

1. The Sabbath was changed to Sunday to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ
2. The Sabbath was “nailed to the cross”
3. Just keep any day as the Sabbath. Just keep one in seven
4. Just give God the glory for everything and don’t worry about keeping the Sabbath
5. Keeping the Sabbath is pure “legalism”
6. Jesus is our Rest so we no longer need the weekly Sabbath rest

There are other incorrect approaches, of course, yet they all have in common one thing: ignoring the Word of God. Israel ran into trouble time after time for Sabbath breaking. Not only was Israel to recognize the Sabbath day God had so carefully pointed out in Exodus 16, but their deeds, their thoughts, and their emotions were also to be aligned with God. They were to PREPARE (deeds) for the Sabbath. Preparation took THOUGHT. And, they were to count the Sabbath as a DELIGHT (emotion/heart).

Isaiah 58:13 If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on My Holy Day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s Holy Day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

As we approach the Sabbath that arrives at sunset this evening, let us be thankful that God has opened our minds and hearts to understand and appreciate the beauty and holiness of the Sabbath. It is a day of special communion with God. It is a day to be in God’s presence and in the presence of others He has called to the same fellowship.

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

May God bless us in this preparation day and in the Holy Sabbath.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

PS If you would like a Biblical explanation addressing the incorrect approaches to the Sabbath mentioned above, please return an email requesting it.

Dear Family,

Today is Thursday, May 8, 2025. This is Day 5 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 26th day of Counting.

Today, let us consider the fantastic miracle that occurred every day for 40 years as God fed Israel with bread from heaven. It was a supernatural intervention by God to feed a huge array of people. The manna appeared suddenly, continued to appear for the first 6 days out of every week for 40 years, and then abruptly stopped. Then, it would appear again the next day. There are certainly lessons the ancient Israelites were to learn.

Unlike God’s bread from heaven, the food we know about comes from the earth. And, everyone has to eat. We are dependent upon the earth for physical food. And, there are lessons God wants us to learn from that, also.

Psalm 104:14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

Ecclesiastes 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

God set the laws in action that control all harvests. For millennia farmers had to study and understand what affected harvest yields like seed type and quality, timing for planting and harvesting, cycles of weather, signs of impending bad weather, insect attacks, etc.

For thousands of years, every harvest has had a great potential to remind food gatherers how dependent on God we really are. Today, our ways of farming and securing food have drastically changed how we obtain the food we eat, and therefore, it has also changed how we feel about our food. We have lost the direct and easy way to learn valuable lessons about life principles and about God the Great Giver.

God successfully fed ancient Israel with very special food they did not have to plant, protect, or worry over until harvest time. Yet, they missed their lessons. Let us not miss the lessons God wants us to receive every time we harvest, every time we eat.

Many Jews remind themselves at every meal about this great miracle of how our food comes directly from the earth. They bless the Lord saying; “Blessed art Thou O Lord, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.”

May we realize God’s immense blessing every time we eat and Bless Him for each morsel of physical and spiritual food He provides. He will never fail to feed the righteous.

Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Wednesday, May 7, 2025. This is Day 4 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 25th day of Counting.

Considering all the miraculous events of Israel’s past month, Moses made a very interesting statement to Israel in Exodus 16:6. To answer their murmuring and complaining, Moses told them God was going to make them know “that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt.” Did they really not understand that they had ONLY been released from Egyptian bondage by the supernatural intervention of the LORD? Maybe not.

It is an interesting quirk of human nature that sometimes we will give credit to anything EXCEPT God for something God has done. Some people will look for any OTHER possible explanation. And, then ONLY if they can not explain it in ANY OTHER WAY will they acknowledge that God has intervened.

It is also an interesting quirk of human nature to realize that sometimes people are far more ready to credit hardship, evil, or other negative things to God than they are to give Him credit for the good they experience. Ancient Israel did that also. Notice in Exodus 16 in the middle of verse 3, they allowed themselves to think of God as One Who would kill them. They said, “…Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt…”

Now, notice an interesting thing (not a “quirk” by any stretch of the imagination) about God. God did not answer Israel’s griping and complaining with severe discipline. Instead, He was more generous than they could have imagined.

Exodus 16:10-13 (10) And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. (11) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying; (12) I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying; At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. (13) And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

Did you catch that? God gave Israel “bread” for the mornings AND “flesh” in the evenings. Yes, God sent bread for the morning and quail in the evening for Israel to eat. In the face of criticism, God was amazingly generous! He is truly THAT AWESOME!

May God bless us with the heart to give Him all the credit He is due. Let us acknowledge with great thanksgiving that God is GOOD in the ultimate sense of the word!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Tuesday, May 6, 2025. This is Day 3 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 24th day of Counting.

Although this week is often referred to as the week of manna, we find that it is during this week that God began to redefine, reestablish, and revalidate the Sabbath to ancient Israel. The pattern of 6 days of labor followed by God’s Sabbath of rest was reinforced. God made it plain to Israel not “just any ol’ day” would do. God created the 7-day cycle, and He has never lost His Count. It is a very specific day in a predetermined cycle God Himself initiated by resting.

It is quite likely that ancient Israel had lost this basic pattern God instituted at the creation of man and the recreation or refurbishing of the earth in Genesis. Israel’s slave masters likely forced labor each and every day they desired. It would have been very easy for tired, over-worked slaves to forget that God had ever given them a day of rest at the end of every week.

Through the details of how Israel was told to collect and handle the manna, God showed emphatically which day was His Sabbath. It was clear that a miracle occurred each and every day when the sweet bread came down from heaven. It remained on the ground for such a short time and had to be collected quickly. Another miracle occurred each week when the manna turned inedible when kept over during the common week days, but was fresh each Sabbath when it was held over from preparation day. There was no mistaking the marking of the exact day of the Sabbath. And, there was no mistaking the emphasis God was placing on doing things exactly as He commanded.

Exodus 16:4-31 (4) Then said the LORD unto Moses; Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. (5) And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. (6) And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel; At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt: (7) And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that He heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? (8) And Moses said; This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD. (9) And Moses spake unto Aaron; Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel; Come near before the LORD: for He hath heard your murmurings. (10) And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. (11) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying; (12) I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying; At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. (13) And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. (14) And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. (15) And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another; It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them; This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. (16) This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded; Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. (17) And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. (18) And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. (19) And Moses said; Let no man leave of it till the morning. (20) Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. (21) And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. (22) And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. (23) And he said unto them; This is that which the LORD hath said; Tomorrow is the rest of the Holy Sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. (24) And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. (25) And Moses said; Eat that today; for today is a Sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. (26) Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. (27) And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. (28) And the LORD said unto Moses; How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? (29) See, for that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. (30) So the people rested on the seventh day. (31) And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

May God bless us as we follow His patterns, His cycles, and His way of Counting things.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Monday, May 5, 2025. This is Day 2 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 23rd day of Counting.

Israel packed up and moved out of Elim during this week. They moved toward the Wilderness of Sin. Some Bible scholars call this area the Wilderness of Zin. There is no consensus on just where this wilderness is, other than that it lies somewhere between Elim and Mt. Sinai. Most scholars do agree, however, that the name “Wilderness of Sin” has nothing to do with Israel’s rebellion here. Actually, the area already had that name. And, most scholars agree that it may have been named after a local pagan god.

Once in the wilderness Israel quickly began to grumble and complain about their lack of food. The wilderness presented quite a contrast after their experience at the lush oasis of Elim. They began to turn both their hearts and minds back to the “good” things they could remember in Egypt. Their words were filled with dreadful accusation, “…you have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

How soon they forgot! After all the miracles and the daily presence of God in the cloud and fire, they still were without the “fear of the Lord.” Instead of being humble and thankful for what they had and how they had been redeemed, they griped and accused God and Moses in a very provocative way.

Exodus 16:2-3 (2) And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: (3) And the children of Israel said unto them; Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Still, God was gentle and merciful. How like God that is! He is patience and kind, not easily provoked. This is an amazing aspect of Who and What God is: that He loves us and does so much for us. Scripture tells us that our Savior died for us WHILE WE WERE YET GOD’S ENEMIES!

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

If God had dealt with Israel according to their sins, they would have ceased to exist. And, some of us today who are direct blood-line-descendants of those Israelites would also NOT exist.

May our loving God bless us all with the ability to see His grace, His patience, His mercies, and His kindness to us; and, cause us to truly bask in His love for us moment-by-moment!

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Sunday, May 4, 2025. This is Day 1 of Week 4 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 22nd day of Counting.

This begins the week of the manna that fell down upon them from heaven in the desert (Exodus 16:4-36). Actually, this was a very full week for Israel. There are many lessons to be drawn from their experiences.

To help us understand the chronology of the journey, God inspired Moses to write down each of the camps the Israelites made following the cloud by day and the fire by night. We find a summary of their camping sites in Numbers 33. Just prior to the 50th day, they were camped in the area of Mt. Sinai. Here is an overview of their travels and camping.

Numbers 33:1-15 (1) These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. (2) And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. (3) And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the Passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. (4) For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments. (5) And the children of Israel removed from Rameses, and pitched in Succoth. (6) And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness. (7) And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol. (8) And they departed from before Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days ‘journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah. (9) And they removed from Marah, and came unto Elim: and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees; and they pitched there. (10) And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea. (11) And they removed from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin. (12) And they took their journey out of the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. (13) And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush. (14) And they removed from Alush, and encamped at Rephidim, where was no water for the people to drink. (15) And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.

It is important to remember that the camp of Israel moved when the cloud moved and they camped when the cloud rested. We learn of this principle of moving and resting in the book of Numbers.

Numbers 9:18 At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

The journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai was difficult for this large group of people; however, it was God Who was leading them; and, it was God Who had delivered them.

It was God Who knew everything they would face at each step of the journey. It was God Who was proving their hearts to see whether or not they would follow His commands.

Exodus 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses; Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no.

In this Church age we see God following the same kind of process. He is still in charge, knowing all that we must go through as part of His process of salvation for each of us. And, He is invested in this process at an extreme level. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that He has made available to us through our Savior, Messiah, and Lord.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God

Dear Family,

Today is Sabbath, Saturday, May 3, 2025. This is Day 7 of Week 3 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 21st day of Counting.

The victory God gave to Israel over Egypt, its mighty armies, and its Pharaoh in the Red Sea on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread has great symbolic significance in our lives. Without the sacrifice of the Passover and the blood smeared above the door posts of the houses of believers, the Exodus would not have occurred. And, an added benefit to Israel was that their firstborn survived while the firstborn of Egypt all died.

Today, we know that the Passover lamb was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of our Savior. The meaning of the blood of the sacrifice is clear to us today. Yet, some of the other symbolism may not be so clear.

There are some Bible readers who teach that the wave sheaf does not symbolize Jesus Christ. There is basically no focus upon the RESURRECTION of our Savior for many bible teachers who are Sabbath keepers. Many have certainly not plumbed the depths of the significance of His RESURRECTION.

When our Savior died, He said I have finished the work you gave me to do (John 17:4). What was left of the necessary miracle to perfect God’s plan of salvation took the Almighty God our Father to complete. He (the Father) resurrected our Lord and Master. He resurrected Him, accepted that aspect of the Savior’s part of salvation’s work! He gave our Savior eternal life, full-born Sonship. He gave Him power and dominion because what had been accomplished legally NOW opened the way for the god of this world (Satan) to be dethroned and his works destroyed.

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (14) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (15) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

True Believers who are cooperating in God’s Plan are SAVED BY HIS LIFE (HIS RESURRECTION).

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

God (both Father and Son) had successfully broken the hold and the sway the devil had held over mankind! They AUTHORED our salvation through these events. They had made the way clear for our FREEDOM.

Now, the devil would like that piece of truth to be deeply submerged in the darkness of his many lies about God, His divine nature, and God’s Plan of salvation. However, the TRUTH is, WE CAN BE FREE from the devil. He has NO authority over us. He can only work in our lives as we believe his lies.

The RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ to eternal life proves He is MESSIAH; our deliverer and savior! He, as the accepted WAVESHEAF, the first of the firstfruits, illustrates and provides absolute evidence about what God is now doing in the lives of those who cooperate with Him as He calls, chooses, and makes us faithful firstfruits.

Think about the symbolism. What God (Father and Son) was doing through the symbolism of the Exodus events shows that the devil is defeated AFTER the completion of the entire process legally necessary to do it. The WAVESHEAF had to be RESURRECTED and ACCEPTED before Pharaoh (symbolic of Satan) was destroyed in the Sea. Every detail of the Exodus event is significant in showing God’s Plan!

Brethren, we are free! Do we believe it? The devil can still only hold sway where he is allowed to continue to deceive. Yet, we can walk in light. We have it available. We have to choose it! Have we let the truth about God’s Plan really soak into our beings?

May God bless us as we uncover more and more of His truth and dwell in the freedom He has purchased for us all.

Ben Faulkner, Pastor
© Copyright 2025, Church of the Sovereign God