The Change-Up

And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:

1st Chronicles 3:5

The change-up, or flea-flicker here we are talking about trick plays. A flea flicker is considered an unorthodox play, often called a “trick play”, in football which is designed to fool the defensive team into thinking that a play is a run instead of a pass. This will develop into a whole though, but not at this moment. We need first to take a step back to build the foundation.

I love the word of God. Scripture says the word is alive. (John 6:63) I love to read elsewhere from the word of God though. I wouldn’t consider myself a voracious reader, but I do love to read. I love a good suspense story, something that will “keep you at the edge of your seat.” I love stories that end in major plot twists that leave me jaw dropped trying to wrap my brain around everything that has transpired. I even love nonfiction. I love to learn about historic events, and real accounts or first hand accounts of history. I love all of these things, but no book moves me the way the word of God does. I also take delight in Jewish writing, and their approach to the word of God. They have had this word much longer than we. They also understand the foundational traditions much more than we do. Take for instance Matthew chapter fiver verse eighteen which says, “For verily I say unto you, Till. heaven and earth pass, one jot or one. tittle shall in no wise pass from. the law, till all be fulfilled.” To an English speaker with 26 letters in their alphabet including vowels, which the Hebrew alphabet does not have. The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, not including vowels. Because they have no vowels, and in order to have more complex grammar, they put marks around the letter, think of it like a clock. The marking, or the jot and tittle would be the smallest marks within the entire Hebrew bible. It is even said in Luke this way, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” (Luke 16:17).

Everything within the word of God has relevance. The writer even penned it this way, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2nd Timothy 3:16). People say sometimes the four gospels contradict one another, and that they are irrelevant to add within the word. I think of it like this. Genesis talks about a river coming out of Eden, and that it sepearated into four heads. (Genesis 2:10). We see this four head theme a few times throughout the word of God. One time in the Bible it mentions seraphims, each had six wings. 800 hundred years later, Ezekiel says, “ And they had the hands of a man under the wings. Each had a different faces or heads.” John says more about the four faces in Revelation chapter four, “Lion, calf, man, eagle.” These are the same beings. These four faces I believe how the gospels are approached. Each account is writen give us different perspectives of Jesus. These four examples are as follows: 1. Mark, is the ox. Israel were farmers, and it teaches animately that Jesus was a servant. 2. Luke account was the man. He was gentile, and his accent contains more miracles than any other book. Luke, was one of main writers of the New Testament. There are six miracles, nineteen parables noted in Luke not found in any other account. Luke is attempting to show the humanity of Jesus. 3. John is the eagle. His gospel starts with, “In the beginning was the word.” John was proving the Fully God portion of Jesus. 4. Matthew was written to a Jewish crowd. He was the lion out of the four. He was proving that Jesus was the Lion of the tribe of Judah, or that he was messiah.

The Bible never contradicts itself, but digging through the Bible I found what I thought to be a discrepancy. There are two genealogies of Jesus recorded in the gospels. Matthew chapter one verse eighteen takes the lineage of Jesus all the way back. Luke chapter three verse twenty-three says, “Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph.” Why are there two genealogies?

If you are familiar with the Hebrew bible, it is the Old Testament, but it doesn’t end the same way as our arranged bible. Ours ends with Malachi, which ends with a curse. (Malachi 4:6). The Hebrew bible ends with Chronicles. They did it, partially because they didn’t want their bible to end with a curse. Their bible ends with The Chronicles of the Kings the first nine chapters, which are just family trees and genealogies. Earlier mentioned, the word of God was alive. Here is a moment, of which many will lose interest. We can all agree that the Bible is an amazing book, but like many I have been weighed down by the genealogy scriptures. I mean I’m sure we all do it, but it is the word of God and it is placed there for a reason. The jews were in Babylonian captivity for 70 years, a lifetime. All the family albums were gone. When the Jews were taken into captivity, they lost their family mementos. When something happens that separates a family from their land and homes when they can come back, they tried pricing back together what was lost. In 2016, my grandmother was one of over one thousand homes hit by a major flood in North East Louisiana. Amid this natural disaster, she grabbed family pictures. The first thing she grabbed was family pictures. Unfortunately, she passed in 2017 following the flood. Looking at the pictures, she went after the flood and marked on the back of the photographs who these people were, how they were connected to the family, and when they passed she was trying for the same reason Ezra did. In the book of Ezra, a scribe is doing his best to put 70 years of family trees back together. Ezra was trying to figure out who was who. Ezra is trying to figure out who the lineage of messiah will be. The bible says, “It was trodden under to foot of the gentiles.” If you read the list of names from Ezras list of chronicles, the lists are incomplete, but to understand you have to be a student of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 22 talks about Coniah. Jeremiah 22:28, “Write this name childless.” Jeremiah said the family tree stops with you. No one from your family shall reign on the throne. There’s a major problem with that, though because you can trace his lineage back to David. The king after God’s own heart as scripture says. The issue with the lineage being cut off is listed in 2nd Samuel chapter seven, Isaiah eleven, and Jeremiah chapter twenty-three. All three accounts mentions the messiah coming from the house of David. It was at this moment the enemy really thought he had won.

“Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:48). The statement is so powerful because it confirms that this man knows Jesus is Messiah. Matthew’s book is so important because he is saying that the line is still intact. But how can it be intact if Jeremiah says his lineage stops here? Matthew chapter one verse eight mentions a name “Ozias.” There are three kings between Joram and Ozias, but these guys are so horrible they were deleted from the list. Ahaziah, the son of Ahab and Jezebel, and was killed by Jahu. Joash, son of Ahaziah, survived the massacre issued by his grandmother. His reign began at age 7 and lasted 40 years. In the end, he was murdered by his servants. Amaziah was so terrible the entire city of Jerusalem stoned him to death. These three guys were descendants of Jehoram and Athalia. Athalia tried to kill all the male descendants, so she could be on the throne. Her mom was Jezebel. Even though Jehoram was included Chronicles mentions, his bowels fell out of his body, and the people didn’t celebrate his life like his fathers. Luke’s listed lineage includes all men, but Matthew gives five women one is Mary Tamar’s wife. Then Rahab the harlot in Jerusalem that was the one to assist the Israelites in capturing the city of Jericho. The last one listed is Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. This is why 1st Chronicles chapter three verse five was mentioned earlier. “Four of Bathsheba,” the Scripture says. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba she gets pregnant, but the boy dies. Most people don’t realize David has five sons with Bathsheba. The first son to live is Solomon. The second son was Shimeah which means can you hear the voice. Third, Shobab, which means backsliding. The last son’s name was Nathan. Nathan is the name of the prophet that confronted David in his sin. He’s the one that says, “You're the man.” These backslidden people have been embarrassed by him in front of the country, but also Nathan is the one that opens the door for them to be saved. This shows where the heart of David was. Instead of being bitter, he names his final son after him. Condemnation says, “You’re too far, you can’t come back.” Conviction says, “You’re too far you must come back!” The two genealogies in Matthew and Luke are both very important. The one in Luke 23 says, “Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph.” Joseph is in both of them. Matthew 1:16 says, “and Jacob begat Joseph”, and Luke says,” as was supposed which was the son of Heli.” Somethings going on here, these men aren’t the same men. Joseph was the supposed son of Heli which means he was the son in law. Luke 3:31,” Which was the son of Nathan.” There’s two lineages. One tracks the lineage of Jesus all the way to David, and even Abraham. When you read Matthew it takes lineage of Solomon. When you read Luke, Solomon isn’t mentioned because it is Nathan, Solomons brother. The lineage of Solomon ended in Jekiniah in Jeremiah, but Luke gives us another lineage, of Joseph’s father in law. The lineage of Matthew takes us through Solomon, Luke takes us through Nathan. While Satan is pouring all his focus into Solomon’s line, and the prophet said, “Your line stops here.” Satan then celebrates because he thinks he has one. Your Messiah is a legitimate son of David, but he came thorough Nathan, not Solomon.

Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:8

This is the flea flicker. In chapter three of Acts, it says “Peter and John, ” but of course Luke was there. It says, “Immediately his ankles gained strength, ” only a doctor would’ve seen it. Following this, the enemy gets the apostles thrown in prison. (Acts 4:3). In Acts chapter four verse four 5,000 men received the Holy Ghost while in there. When the guy was healed, they are sent to prison the enemy says, “We got em.” God says, "Yeah watch this 5000 men got the HG.” The enemy says, “Okay watch this, so he convinces Anninias to lie about their offering. In Acts five verse five it says, “Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost:” Following this Great fear came upon all the church, and the disciples are multiplied. The enemy puts them back in prison, and what does God do? He sends an angel that leads them out of the jail, and what does the enemy do? He makes Jealousy spread in the widows. Then God said, “Okay here’s seven Greek elders that will share the responsibility.” (Acts 6:3). Later on, it says a great company of priests came into the church, so in chapter six Steven and the church is scattered.

Because of the church being scattered, Phillip goes down to Samaria, and revival is broken out. What does the enemy do, a sorcerer by the name of Simon comes into the scene to try to destroy the revival. (Acts 8:9-25). Then Philip is called out of the middle of nowhere to be at the crossroads when an Ethiopian solider rides by reading Isaiah. (Acts 8:26-27). He baptized the Eunuch, which is the one to go back to Ethiopia where a great revival breaks out. Recently, the University of Minnesota excavated a place that had a tabernacle in Ethiopia. Was this the queen of Sheba, or was it the Ethiopian Eunuch? Do you understand what is happening? The enemy dispatches Saul to kill the people in Damascus, but Jesus touched and changed Saul into Paul. The enemy then tries to kill Saul, but they let him down in a basket. (Acts 9:25). What then did God do? The angel then instructs Cornelius to send the men of his household to Joppa, where they will find Simon Peter, who is residing with a tanner by the name of Simon. (Acts 10:5). Later we see more being baptized the scripture says, “Which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?” (Acts 10:47). The elders get mad at him. (Acts 11:2). Following these things, James the brother of John gets his head cut off by Herod and would’ve to Peter too, but Peter is miraculously delivered from prison. Worms eat up Herod in Acts chapter twelve verses twenty through twenty-three. What does the enemy do? They raise up a man called Elymas. Paul ends up with Barnabus in chapter thirteen. The enemy causes a persecution, so what happens? The enemy caused a persecution and expulsion of the Jews with John Mark, so they shake the dust off their feet. What does the enemy do? They raise up unbelieving Jews in Listra. When Paul and Barnabas came into Listra, the people worshiped them as God. The same people Stoned Paul, and there he got the vision. He climbed out of the rock pile, and the next day he walks eighteen miles to Derby to start a church and have a great revival. Paul then says I think we will go back to the place that just stoned me. Paul said, “Let’s retrace our steps, or go back to Listra.” Because of the trip back through Listra, a young kid by the name of Timothy went, “I want to be like him.” Timothy is won, and turns out to be a huge minister. There are pages and pages of the enemy going, “Oh yeah.” And then God says, "Ah too late.” Scripture notes in John twelve verse thirty-two, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. (Hebrews 9:17). They raised Jesus up on the cross, and The Lord goes watch this. The lineage was supposed to stop at Jekenias, but there’s a whole other limb on the tree. That is the “Flea Flicker, ” or the “Change up.”

Meret, a girl who attends the Pentecostals of Zürich, was born and raised in Switzerland. She wanted to see the world and applied for a scholarship in Australia. God planted her in an Apostolic pastors home. Then she went from Australia back through Switzerland, to Chicago. She was only five minutes away from an Apostolic church. We may think we are planning for ourselves, but God will place us in positions to see his Glory and foreknowledge. God can turn your test into a testimony, a mess into a message. God will turn your fourth down into a touchdown with this Flea-flicker. Just as primates line up picking through the other’s hair, grabbing the fleas from the hair. They crush the fleas and eat them causing no harm. That is the same way God will deal with the enemy in your life. Not only will this change up confuse the enemy, but he will take you and give you the power to tread on his head.

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