tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25109084287008268862024-03-11T12:11:21.193-04:00The Faith of Jesusbrucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.comBlogger942125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-13945107009093588132024-03-11T12:10:00.001-04:002024-03-11T12:10:33.140-04:00 SET THE TRUMPET TO YOUR MOUTH<p><span style="font-family: arial;">God is going to judge America and the Christian nations for its violence, its crimes,
it's backsliding, it's murdering of millions of babies, it's flaunting of
homosexuality and sadomasochism, it's corruption, its drunkenness and drug
abuse, it's form of godliness without power, it's lukewarmness toward the Messiah,
it's rampant divorce and adultery, it's lewd pornography, its child molestations,
it's cheatings, it's robbing’s, it's dirty movies, and its occult practices.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Judgment is at the door! Our days are numbered! The church
is asleep, the congregations are at ease, and the shepherd’s slumber. How they
will scoff and laugh at this message. Theologians will reject it because they
can’t fit it into their doctrine. The pillow prophets of peace and prosperity
will publicly denounce it. I no longer care. God has made my face like flint
and put steel in my backbone. I am blowing the trumpet with all my might. Let
the whole world and all the churches call me crazy, but I must blow the trumpet
and awaken God’s people. America is about to be shaken and set aside by
horrible judgments.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
Many praying believers who have been shut in with God are hearing the very same message; “Judgment is at the door! Prepare, awaken!” Before the great holocaust, there will be smaller holocausts; the oil fields of the Middle East will be ablaze, and the smoke will rise night and day as a warning of the greater holocaust yet to come. There will be bombs falling on oil fields, shipping docks, and storage tanks. There will be panic among all oil producers, and shippers, and upon all nations dependent on that oil. (Note the 1985 publication date, several years before the first Gulf War when the Kuwait oil field went up in flames.)<div><br /></div><div>Soon, very soon, an economic nightmare will explode into reality. America is about to face a time of mass hysteria, as banks close, financial institutions crumble and our economy spins totally out of control. Gold and silver will lose their value. The chaos that is coming cannot be stopped by our government. The great holocaust follows an economic collapse in America. The enemy will make its move when we are weak and helpless. God did not keep the three Hebrew children from the fire; He delivered them in it.
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Psalm 19:1-2: The heavens declare the glory of
God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and
night unto night shows knowledge</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For generations, our forefathers sat at the door of their
tents on the fertile plains of the Mideast. Under starlit skies they retold the
story of Adam’s fall and the redeemer to come, the story passed down to them
from the lips of the ancient prophets and patriarchs. The story was recorded in
the ancient names and in pictures painted by the constellations that witnessed
to them night after night, the story of the redemption of mankind. The greatest
handiwork of God is his plan and execution of man’s redemption from the
dominion of Satan. From the beginning, God’s prophetic timepiece of the stars
in their courses, has told the story of the coming redeemer. Modern man has
all but lost their true significance. Current astrological interpretations of
the heavenly signs have no correlation to their original declaration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">T<b>he heavens declare the glory of God</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The redeemer of
mankind is pictured in the constellation of Orion “The Heroic One.” Orion’s
heel is bruised by the serpent at his feet, but the serpent's head is finally
crushed in destruction as the redeemer conquers and reigns. What was told from
the pages of the heavens, is recorded in the pages of Genesis: Genesis 3:15,
And I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman (Eve), and
between your seed and her seed (the Messiah); it (he) shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel. <b>E.W. Bullinger detailed the ancient Hebrew names
and meanings of the stars in their courses in his book, “The Witness of the
Stars.”</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the book,<b> “Voice Crying in the Heavens,”</b> Robert
Wadsworth (who I respectfully refer to as “The Star...”) detailed the incredible
astronomical display that signals the impending war in heaven when Satan is
cast down to the earth, and the return of the Messiah to establish his throne
on earth. The “Voice Crying in the Heavens” was louder during the last half of
the 1990s than it has ever been or will ever be in the astronomically
foreseeable future. These are indeed the last days, of which the prophets
spoke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During a recent lecture in 1996, Wadsworth projected
several constellations on the viewing screen. I nearly leaped from my chair
when he projected the constellations of Perseus and Andromeda. There, in the
heavens, I saw the exact picture that Paul had painted of the day of the Lord
as he revealed it to the Thessalonian church: I Thessalonians 1:6-10, ... It is
a righteous act for God to recompense tribulation to those that tribulate you;
And you who are now tribulated with us, rest when the lord Jesus - Yehoshua shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance
on them that do not know God, and on those that do not obey the gospel of our lord
Yehoshua the Messiah... ON THAT DAY.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The word rest is in the Greek ανεσιν (anacin), from whence
is derived the brand name of a famous pain reliever. Ανεσιν is to be suddenly
loosed of the tightly stretched cords, suddenly relieved of the strain and
pain. The picture the word anacin paints in this context is a person bound and
being afflicted by the enemy. The chains holding the body in tension are as
tight as a violin string. At the point of losing consciousness, when there
seems to be no hope, the avenger breaks through the door, slashes the chains
that bind, and destroys those who have been torturing his beloved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the Day of the Lord<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For thousands of years, the voice of the stars has cried out
from the heavens declaring the redemption of mankind. The ancient names and
pictures of the constellations of Perseus, which is in the Hebrew language,
“The Breaker”, and Andromeda, “The Bound and Chained”, have been spoken from
the portals of heaven. They speak of the time that the bridegroom will deliver
his bride from the chains and strains of a world in rebellion against him. “The
Breaker” of our bondage, our deliverer, Jesus - Yehoshua the Messiah, will sever the
painful straining bonds of this earth and take his bride to the marriage supper
that he has been preparing. At that feast, Jesus - Yehoshua will taste the fruit of the
vine for the first time since he told his beloved that he would not touch a
drop again until he drank it with us in his Father’s kingdom. “The Bound and
Chained” bride will be released when the captain of our salvation breaks
through in all of his glory and takes vengeance on those who have caused his
bride pain. While all the world denies his existence and rejects his authority,
she has not.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the darkest hour when there seems to be no hope, the
deliverer will burst through the heavens and rescue his bride, who has dressed in white and waits expectantly for his return... ...If someone wrote a
play just to glorify what’s stronger than hate. Would they not arrange the
stage to look as if the hero came too late? It’s almost in defeat. It’s looking
like the evil side will win. So, on the edge of every seat, from the moment
that the whole thing begins... Now the stage is set. You feel your own heart
beating in your chest. This life’s not over yet. So, we get up on our feet to do our best and play against the fear. We play against the reasons not to try.
We’re playing for the tears burning in the happy angel’s eyes. For it’s love
who mixed the mortar. And it’s love who stacked these stones. And it’s love who
made the stage here, though it looks like we’re alone. This scene is set in
shadows like the night is here to stay.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is evil cast around us, but it is love who wrote the
play. For in this darkness, love will show the way. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">From the song, Show the Way, by David Wilcox.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by David Wilkerson, 1985, edited by Bruce Lyon</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-34637998536407056872024-03-11T11:46:00.006-04:002024-03-11T11:46:56.180-04:00 A WORM ON THE CROSS<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As touching nature, I am a
worm of this earth,<br />
and yet a subject of this commonwealth; but as<br />
touching the office wherein it has pleased God to<br />
place me, I am a watchman. For that reason, I am<br />
bound in conscience to blow the trumpet publicly.<br />
<b><i>John Knox</i></b> [1514-1572]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">**************************</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial;">David's Psalm & Isaac's Hymn</span></i></b></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was an Italian poet and
philosopher who wrote the <i>Divine Comedy</i>, which many believe to be
one of the most important works of the Middle Ages. In one part of that work,
he issued a challenge to mankind's tendency toward arrogance and
self-exaltation, saying that a truer self-evaluation is to regard ourselves as
"insects." He asked, "Why do<span lang="EN-US">es </span>your mind take such an exalted pose? Do
you not perceive that we are worms?"</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like the comment by Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) on
this: "We are all worms, but I believe that I am a glow-worm." Yes,
there are times in life when, for various reasons, we may feel rather
worm-like; little more than a creeping insect. David prophetically writes about
how Jesus felt on the stake: "But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by
men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults,
shaking their heads" (Psalm 22:6-7). We see from this that Jesus felt
helpless and worthless; he felt loathed, and not loved. Bildad said to Job<span lang="EN-US">:</span> "How can one born of woman be
pure?" (Job 25:4), for man "is but a maggot, ... only a worm"
(vs. 6). Yet, God has not abandoned the "worms" of this world; He is there
for us! To Jacob/Israel <span lang="EN-US">Yehovah</span>
declared, "Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself
will help you!" (Isaiah 41:14).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I find it rather interesting that Psalm 22, which was
written by David during a time of personal distress, is nevertheless one of the
more powerful and memorable <i>Messianic</i> passion psalms. In fact,
while on the cross, Jesus referred to the opening words of this psalm of David.
"And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,
'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' -- that is, 'My God, My God, why ha<span lang="EN-US">ve</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span>you
forsaken Me?'" (Mark 15:34; <i>cf</i>. Matthew 27:46). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This entire psalm is filled with prophetic statements
about the future passion of the Anointed One of God. David speaks of
the sneering and mocking of men (vs. 7). He writes, "They pierced my hands
and my feet" (vs. 16). "They divide my garments among them, and for
my clothing, they cast lots" (vs. 18). Some scholars have suggested that
the "worm" reference in this Davidic psalm may be applied to the
suffering Savior as <span lang="EN-US">h</span>e hung
upon the cross. As one being despised and rejected by men, he was less than
a <i>worm</i> in their sight. When suffering and feeling rejected, it
is not uncommon for men to feel "less than a man; a mere worm." What
an insight into what our <span lang="EN-US">l</span>ord
suffered for our sake!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I love the thoughts of Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), the
English <i>Baptist</i> pastor and author, on this text (Psalm 22:6)
as it applied to Jesus. He wrote, "This verse is a miracle in language.
Jesus felt himself to be comparable to a helpless, powerless, down-trodden
worm, passive while crushed, and unnoticed and despised by those who trod upon <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im. He selects the weakest of
creatures, which is all flesh; and becomes, when trodden upon, writhing,
quivering flesh, utterly devoid of any might except strength to suffer. This
was a true likeness of <span lang="EN-US">h</span>imself
when <span lang="EN-US">h</span>is body had become a mass
of misery - the very essence of agony - in the dying pangs of crucifixion. Man
by nature is but a worm; but our <span lang="EN-US">l</span>ord puts
<span lang="EN-US">h</span>imself <span lang="EN-US">b</span>eneath man, on account of the scorn
which was heaped upon <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im and
the weakness which <span lang="EN-US">h</span>e felt,
and therefore <span lang="EN-US">h</span>e says, 'I am a
worm, <i>and not a man</i>'" [<i>Treasury of David</i>, e-Sword].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another English <i>Baptist</i> pastor and author,
John Gill (1697-1771), wrote, "<span lang="EN-US">The
Messiah</span> calls <span lang="EN-US">h</span>imself a
worm ... on account of the opinion that men of the world had of <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im. The Jews esteemed <span lang="EN-US">the Messiah</span> as a worm, and treated <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im as such; He was loathsome to them
and hated by them; everyone trampled upon <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im and trod <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im underfoot as men do worms; such a
phrase is used of <span lang="EN-US">h</span>im in
Hebrews 10:29<span lang="EN-US">:</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span>those <span lang="EN-US">“</span>'who ha<span lang="EN-US">ve</span> trodden under foot the Son of
God'" [<i>Exposition of the Old Testament</i>, e-Sword].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"<span lang="EN-US">The
Messiah Jesus</span> may be said to have been a worm concerning the mean
and poor condition in which <span lang="EN-US">h</span>e lived;
but especially to that kind of death to which <span lang="EN-US">h</span>e suffered; for <span lang="EN-US">h</span>e was stripped of <span lang="EN-US">h</span>is clothes, and fixed upon the cross,
naked as a worm of the earth" [Dr. Joseph Benson, <i>Commentary of
the Old and New Testaments</i>, e-Sword].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The ancient Greek poet Homer (born c. 8th century B.C.)
spoke of "a man of inferior consequence" as being "a worm"
[<i>The Iliad</i>]. Like Homer, "biblical authors used the worm as a
symbol of something humble, worthless, and useless" [<i>Eerdmans
Dictionary of the Bible</i>, p. 1389]. It was an "expression of
deprecation," for "the Hebrews seem to have viewed the worm as the
lowest form of created life," with humanity being the highest [<i>The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia</i>, vol. 4, p. 1117]. First
Maccabees 2:62 states<span lang="EN-US">:</span>
"Do not fear the words of a sinner, for his splendor will turn into dung
and worms." Worms writhing in excrement! It's hard to get much lower than
that! Yet, this is how many viewed Jesus; it was also how some viewed David and
was even how David had come to view himself. "The first step in a downward
spiral is to sink in the estimation of others; the next and more fatal one is
to sink in our own estimation. Pungent and continued suffering depresses the mind
and fills it with gloomy and but half-comprehended thoughts, and the sufferer
is tempted to depreciate himself and all his doings;" regarding his
existence as <i>nothingness</i> [<i>The Preacher's Homiletic
Commentary</i>, e-Sword].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore, David penned the following from the depths of
his personal despair, and prophetically of the despair of the lord Jesus,
"Look at me now; I am like a woeful worm, crushed, and I'm bleeding
crimson. I don't even look like a man anymore. I've been abused, despised, and
scorned by everyone!" (Psalm 22:6, <i>The Passion Translation</i>).
David "expresses his feeling of being less than human. The sense of human
dignity is lost when it seems that God is absent and that people reject him.
... The psalmist is the object of scorn and reviling. Unwanted, alone, and full
of anguish, he cannot enjoy the presence of his fellowmen, who do not
understand his situation. Out of sheer disregard for his feelings, they apply
their 'theological' measuring sticks to his situation and conclude that if he
truly were to trust God, he would not suffer. They mock him, shaking their
heads out of shock and misunderstanding" [<i>The Expositor's Bible
Commentary</i>, vol. 5, p. 202].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus, being the Son of God, perceived the ultimate
purpose, and thus appreciated the significance, of <span lang="EN-US">h</span>is suffering; David, however, did not
have that advantage, and neither do most of us when we're feeling more
worm-like than human. Indeed, at times we feel that perhaps God <i>has</i> forsaken
us; that maybe we are <i>not</i> worthy of His love and care.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of our beloved hymns in the church expresses this very
thought. It is the hymn: "<b>Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed</b>"
(sometimes known as "<b>At the Cross</b>" - the original title was:
"<i>Godly Sorrow Arising from the Sufferings of Christ</i>"). It was
written in 1707 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), who was a most interesting
character, as well as a somewhat controversial one. Later, during our own <i>Revolutionary
War</i>, copies of this man's hymns would actually play a significant role in
one of the battles fought with the British, where the battle cry of the
Minutemen in the <i>Battle of Springfield</i> became, "Give 'em
Watts, boys! Give 'em Watts!"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Returning to the above-mentioned hymn, however, notice the
first stanza:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Alas! and did my Savior bleed,<br />
and did my Sovereign die?<br />
Would </b><b><span lang="EN-US">h</span></b><b>e devote
that sacred head<br />
for such <i>a worm</i> as I?<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isaac Watts, to the discomfort of many, has stated the
obvious: when compared with the majesty and holiness of our Sovereign God<span lang="EN-US"> Yehovah</span>, we are <i>by comparison
</i>far lesser creatures - little more than <i>worms</i>, figuratively
speaking. The harsh reality is, that we "<i>all</i> have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The apostle Paul, during a time
of intense self-examination, could only conclude: "What a wretched man I
am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24). He could
just as easily have stated it in the wording of David - "What a <i>worm</i> I
am!" What hope is there for those in such a state of moral and spiritual worthlessness?
Who in their right mind, would risk their own life to save an earthworm? The
answer is: JESUS<span lang="EN-US"> - YEHOSHUA</span>! In the
words of another old hymn of the church: "There was One who was willing to
die in my stead, that a soul <b><i>so unworthy</i></b> might
live" ["<b><i>Nailed to the Cross</i></b>," written by Carrie
Ellis Breck in 1899]. Like Paul, and also like each of us (if we are honest
with ourselves), Isaac Watts recognized his unworthiness to stand in the
presence of a holy God, and his utter inability to redeem himself from that wretched
state of being.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yet, none of us relish the idea of being a lowly <i>worm</i>.
It is a blow to our self-esteem and our human nature rebels against the
thought. I can still remember, as a young child, hearing my dad's response to
Isaac Watts' hymn every time it was sung in an assembly. He would refuse to
sing that hymn, declaring, "I am NOT a WORM!" And, in fact, he was
not alone in that sentiment. In several later versions of that hymn, the
wording has been changed in our hymnals to "for <i>sinners</i> such
as I" and "for such <i>a one</i> as I." Nevertheless,
in the wording of one of the stanzas of Watts' hymn, "When <span lang="EN-US">the Messiah</span>, <span lang="EN-US">our</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US">savior</span> died, for man, the creature's
sin" - our <span lang="EN-US">l</span>ord did
indeed shed <span lang="EN-US">h</span>is precious blood for
the <i>unworthy worms</i> of this world!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Was it for crimes that I had done<br />
He groaned upon the tree?<br />
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!<br />
And love beyond degree!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The love of our God and of His Son is amazing; it is love, mercy, and grace hard to fathom.</b> Watts put that truth into
several stirring stanzas, and that hymn has touched countless "worms"
for centuries. Notice one such individual whose life was transformed by this
hymn: "In the Fall of 1850, at the age of thirty, <b>Fanny J. Crosby</b> went
to the altar at the <i>Thirtieth Street Methodist Church</i> in New
York City. She had been to the altar twice before, but she had not received the
peace she sought. While at the altar on this occasion, the congregation was
singing the hymn, '<i>Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed</i>,' according to her own
testimony, and in her own words she says, '...it seemed to me that the light
must indeed come then or never; and so, I arose and went to the altar alone.
After a prayer was offered, they began to sing the grand old consecration hymn,
"Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed, And Did My Sovereign Die?" And when
they reached the third line of the fourth stanza, "Here <span lang="EN-US">l</span>ord, I give myself away," my very
soul was flooded with celestial light. I sprang to my feet, shouting
"Hallelujah," and then for the first time I realized that I had been
trying to hold the world in one hand and the <span lang="EN-US">l</span>ord in the other'" [C. W.
Kerns, <i>The Story Behind the Song - Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed</i>,
an article appearing on <a href="https://churchchoirmusic.com/"><b><span style="color: blue;">Church
Choir Music</span></b></a>]. Kerns ended the article, as will I, with this insight
and challenge: "The only appropriate response to the realization that such
selfless sacrifice on the part of a perfect <span lang="EN-US">sinless man</span> was for the sake of the
imperfect, selfish creatures we know ourselves to be is <i>total surrender</i>.
We know we can never repay our debt of gratitude, so we sing:"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>But drops of grief can ne'er repay<br />
The debt of love I owe:<br />
Here, </b><b><span lang="EN-US">l</span></b><b>ord, I
give myself away,<br />
'Tis all that I can do.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by Al
Maxey and edited by Bruce Lyon</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-74513243691638699942024-03-11T11:14:00.002-04:002024-03-11T11:14:43.546-04:00 THE CRUCIAL MESSAGE<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Repent and get
yourselves ready to enter the Kingdom. That is the crucial message! This is the
motive for one’s ethical moral living. The motive is to become like the lord
Messiah Jesus as we allow him to live his life through us by his spirit. We must
obey the words that God – Yehovah gave to His son Jesus to give to us and do so
to prepare ourselves to enter his soon-coming kingdom.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We anticipate the
kingdom of God that will be brought about by His agency soon. I believe that we
are very close to the end of this age. We need to prepare ourselves for the
advent of the kingdom. God has placed His spirit and the spirit of the lord
Messiah Jesus in us which is a down payment of what we will receive when we are
resurrected as glorified immortal men and women to meet the lord Messiah Jesus
in the clouds. We are to use this gift of His spirit and the spirit of His son
Jesus to battle Satan and his angels and human agents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus has given us the
means to prepare for entrance to the kingdom through the narrow gate by
enabling us by his spirit to understand the beatitudes and parables. Jesus'
entire ministry was centered on proclaiming the coming kingdom of God and how
to prepare to enter that kingdom when it is instituted here on the earth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Christendom does not
seem to consider the message Jesus spent his entire ministry proclaiming as
very important today. In fact, anyone who attends church services regularly
should ask themselves when is the last time they have heard a sermon about the soon-coming kingdom of God. Probably never.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We can trust
permanently in the love of God – Yehovah with good conscience only if we desire
with all our heart, mind, being, and strength, to become members of the
community of the kingdom of God that Jesus will establish when God – Yehovah
sends him down to take his place on the throne of David at Zion, at the end of
this age.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How do we know that we
will be there? Jesus says: “Lo, I am with you to the end of this age.” IF we,
enabled by his spirit, hold fast to serving him and obey the words his Father
gave to him to give to us, we will be ready to enter the kingdom. Our God and
Father Yehovah never ever asks us to do anything that He does not provide us
with His enabling spirit to carry out His will. It is all of Him and all we
must do is walk before Him in faith-obedience, which means to be totally
committed to doing His will in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What is His will? To
love Him with all our hearts, minds, beings, and strength and to love our
neighbors as ourselves which we can only do with His enabling spirit working in
us and through us. It is all of Him and nothing of us, and yet in His amazing grace
and love when we carry out His will enabled to do so by His spirit, then He
rewards us in amazing, wonderful ways! God – Yehovah is love, truly!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How was all this
made possible?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus regarded his
death as a “sin-offering sacrifice” which would ransom the people from the
second death that will take place at the White Throne Judgement. What must be
done now is that Jesus has become a “sin-offering sacrifice”, who became sin for
us, who knew no sin, thereby reconciling all mankind to his God and Father
Yehovah. People who have come to realize that Jesus is the one whom God –
Yehovah has sent for their salvation - deliverance and must repent and be
baptized, thus becoming new creations in the lord Jesus. receiving the
indwelling power of God’s spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If people reject the
one whom God – Yehovah has sent for their salvation - deliverance the result
for them will be destruction in the Lake of Fire at the White Throne Judgement,
experiencing the second death. Their names will not be found in the Book of
Life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What a motivation to
strive to become one who believes in the one whom God – Yehovah has sent and
obey all the words his God and Father Yehovah gave him to give to the world! If
you follow the creed of the lord Messiah Jesus given in Mark 12:28-32 you will
become a glorified immortal man/woman and co-rule with the Messiah over the
nations during his 1,000-year rule, when he establishes the Theocratic World
Government at Jerusalem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Note: The creed of the
lord Messiah Jesus is to love God – Yehovah with all your heart, mind, being, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now you have a job to
do. Search the scriptures to see if what I have said is in fact true. There is
an awesome future awaiting all those who come to believe in the one whom God –
Yehovah has sent and obey his creed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-56614938351515193772024-03-11T10:44:00.000-04:002024-03-11T10:44:04.683-04:00 IT IS FINISHED<p><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Jesus spoke
the words, “It is finished” he was announcing the completion of the most
stupendous undertaking the universe has ever seen, witnessed by the angels of
God - Yehovah from above. Those words expressed the perfect demonstration of
God’s – Yehovah’s love for mankind. It is the shout of the conqueror over the
battle won!</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In all this, what
a disclosure of love comes forth! He loved me, a wretch like me, a repentant,
pardoned sinner says, “he loved me and gave himself as a sin-offering
sacrifice, for me.” This love of the Messiah Jesus is the love of the man, the
son of God – Jesus, showing forth the lover of the eternal God – Yehovah who is
revealed in him and through him. He now sits at the right hand of his God and
Father Yehovah, who has made him lord over all His creation and Messiah.
Angels, authorities, and powers are being made subject to him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He has saved us
from the bondage of sin and introduced us to the glorious liberty as the
children of God – Yehovah. Because of his sin-offering sin that reconciled
mankind to his God and Father Yehovah we upon repentance, give up being
independent beings and becoming totally dependent on serving God – Yehovah and
His uniquely begotten son Jesus. When we are baptized, we die to self and rise
in newness of life as new creations in the lord Messiah Jesus. We become the
righteousness of God – Yehovah in him and are grafted into the Israel of God
and by the spirit of adoption placed as sons/daughters of God in His household.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not only that, but
we will at the resurrection become co-rulers with the lord Messiah over the
nations during the 1,000-year rule when God – Yehovah sends the lord Jesus down
to take his place on the throne of David at Zion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With all these truths
set forth before people, why would anyone not want to have a place of service in
the 1000-year rule of the lord Messiah Jesus and do so as new creations in him?
For people to want to make that decision they need to hear the message of the
good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus. That is where we who
obey the lord Jesus do what he has commissioned us to do, which is to preach,
publish and spread the message of the kingdom of God to the nations. Then
people will have the decision to either choose life or choose death. It is
God’s – Yehovah‘s desire that all men/women be saved, but He knows that most
people will reject His message of salvation to their eventual destruction in
the Lake of Fire at the White Throne Judgement. </span></span></b>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-86738529872497383152024-03-11T10:39:00.001-04:002024-03-11T10:39:23.891-04:00 MEETING WITH OUR GOD AND FATHER YEHOVAH<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Jeremiah 10:23-24 (NASB) “I know, O Yehovah, that a man’s
way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O Yehovah, but with justice; Not with Your anger, or You will bring
me to nothing.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke
11:1). They would not have asked unless they had wanted to learn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We are commanded: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ... Therefore, take up the
whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, ... And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God” (Ephesians 6:11, 13, 17).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice ... and
they follow me” (John 10:27). Are we listening?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The ultimate, or final, prayer, the one that will
move mountains [major problems]. It was simply this: “Nevertheless, not as I
will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the rest that remains for God’s people today, the
rest referred to in Hebrews 4. It is to come into the blessed promise of the
New Covenant, in which God declares to us, “I will be a Father to you, and you
will be My child.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Secret Prayer Closet<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To have a “secret closet” means simply to be shut in with
God anywhere, anytime; giving quality, chosen time to seek Him and call on His
name [Yehovah].<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you have a closet of prayer? Do you have a habit of
shutting yourself in with God?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Do you have a daily practice of getting alone with God?
That is what the prayer closet is all about, practice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, and when you
have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place” (Matthew
6:6). In other words, when you go into your closet, don't start praying until
you shut the door!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This means, don't talk to your Father with a cluttered
mind. Shut out all the thoughts that keep you drifting away from Him. Be awake,
focused, not wasting words, not thinking of something else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When you come into the presence of the King, the Bible
says, “He sees in secret!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If we are to meet with God and be heard by Him, then we
have to be where He is, in secret! “Your Father who sees in secret will reward
you openly” (Matthew 6:6). God has invited you to come confidently to His
throne of grace; and it is behind closed doors!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The day you learn to be specific in your
prayer, that is the day you will discover power.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Scripture makes it clear that the answer to everything in
our lives is prayer mixed with faith. The apostle Paul writes: “Be anxious for
nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Paul is telling us,
“Seek our God and Father Yehovah about every area of your life and thank Him
ahead of time for hearing you!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul emphasizes that we are always to pray first and not as
a last resort, going to our friends first, then to a pastor or counselor, and
finally ending up on our knees. Jesus tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew
6:33). <b>We are to go to our God and Father Yehovah first!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God hears the cries of His children and answers them with
tender love.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The eyes of Yehovah are on the righteous, And His ears are
open to their cry.” (Psalms 34:15).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The righteous cry out, and Yehovah hears, and delivers
them out of all their troubles” (verse 17).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">“This is the confidence that we have in Him,
that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">. And
if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These promises are overwhelming evidence of the love that
God has for those who come to Him in faith.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The two main subjects of our intercession are our own
spiritual growth and the needs of our brothers and sisters in the lord and our families
and friends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We cannot neglect praying seriously for the dire needs all
around us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is
plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord [Yehovah] of
the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’” (Matthew 9:37-38)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Take the following steps to guard your prayer time to be
able to withstand all the pressures of this world and the unseen pressures of
Satanic influence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Make communion with your God and Father Yehovah your
primary goal in life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Only when prayer becomes important enough will you make the
time to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The truth is, it is impossible to waste time when you are
in prayer, seeking your God and Father Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The most effective work for God - Yehovah we'll ever do is to
come to Him in prayer. The praying
Christian is hard at work moving kingdoms, shattering strongholds, and, in the
process, becoming a true son/daughter of God - Yehovah!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. You must consider your appointments with God more sacred
than any appointments with people!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Communion in prayer and study in God's word
cannot be optional.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Job declared, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more
than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. You must reject every interruption to your prayer time
or study of the word of God that is within your power. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Be aware that Satanic powers conspire to interrupt you in
supernatural ways when you have committed yourself to prayer and seeking the
study of Yehovah’s word!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CONCLUSION<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were made for fellowship with our God and Father
Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Does your heart cry out, “Yehovah, you are my Father, you
are my everything. You are my entire being’s great pleasure, and I love talking
to you!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are many times during the day when the Spirit of God
will motivate you to communicate with him about something you have seen, read,
thought, or heard. Start by praising Him with thanksgiving and seek His
guidance on what you seen, read, thought, or heard. It will happen often when
you allow yourself to be led by His Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is not a problem that our God and Father Yehovah
cannot solve through prayer. People who truly pray do not stay confused. People
who pray get guidance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God’s first answer to our every prayer and heart cry is His
peace! All praying people have this one thing in common: No matter how bad they
feel going into their secret closet of prayer, they come out filled with His
peace!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-72317214868053843082024-03-09T22:15:00.000-05:002024-03-09T22:15:37.569-05:00THE BEATITUDES<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for </span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">righteousness, for they will be satisfied.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">6.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they will see God.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">7.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18.35pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">8.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">“Blessed
are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of God - Yehovah. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute
you say every evil against you on my account. “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for your reward is great in the heavens; for so they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.”</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now the first
three Beatitudes are concerned with our need, our consciousness of need; poor
in spirit, mourning because of our sinfulness, meek as the result of a true
understanding of the nature of self and its egocentricity, that has ruined the
whole of life. These first three beatitudes emphasize the vital importance of a
deep awareness of need.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then comes the
great statement of satisfaction of the need, God's provision for it: `Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled.'<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having realized
the need, we hunger and thirst, and then God comes with His wondrous answer
that we will be filled, fully satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">From that point
we are looking at the result of that satisfaction, the result of being filled.
We become merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After that, there
is the outcome of all of doing this, `persecuted for righteousness' sake'.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It seems to me
that the three beatitudes which follow the central statement in verse six
correspond to the first three that lead up to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The merciful are
those who realize their poverty of spirit; they realize that they have nothing
in themselves at all. As we have seen, that is the most essential step to
becoming merciful. It is only when a man/woman has reached that view of himself/herself
that he/she will have the right view of others. So, we find that the man/woman
who realizes he/she is poor in spirit and who is utterly dependent upon God - Yehovah is the man/woman who is merciful to others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It follows from
that, that this second statement which says, `Blessed are the pure in heart',
also corresponds to the second statement in the first group, which was,
`Blessed are they that mourn'.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What did they
mourn about? We saw that they were mourning about the state of their hearts;
they were mourning about their sinfulness; they were mourning, not only because
they did sinful things, but still more because they ever wanted to do
what was sinful. They realized the central perversion in their character and
personality; it was that which caused them to mourn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Very well then;
here is something which corresponds to that: 'Blessed are the pure in heart.'
Who are the pure in heart? They are those who are mourning the impurity of
their hearts. The only way to have a pure heart is to realize you have
an impure heart and to mourn about it to such an extent that you do that which
alone can lead to cleansing and purity.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the same way,
when we look at `peacemakers' we shall find that the peacemakers are those who
are meek. If a person is not meek, he is not likely to be a peacemaker.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The order in
which Jesus expresses the beatitudes is a way to discover what underlies their
precise arrangement which the lord adopted. We take the three steps in order of
need; then we come to the satisfaction; then we look at the results that follow
and find that they correspond precisely to the three that lead up to it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This means that this amazing and glorious statement: `Blessed are the pure in heart: for
they shall see God' comes at this point. The emphasis is on the purity of the heart and not on the promise. If we look at it from that viewpoint, it will
enable us to see why our lord set out this precise order.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He puts his
emphasis upon the heart: 'Blessed are the pure in heart.' God's interest is in our
hearts. In other words, we realize that our faith is not just a matter of our
understanding of the word of God, but most important the condition of our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To be a follower
of the lord Jesus is not just a matter of conduct and external behavior. It
starts for all of us with this question: What is the state of our hearts?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The heart is the
center of our personality. It is not just the seat of our affections and
emotions. It is the center of our being and personality. It is the font out of
which everything thing else comes. It includes the mind; the will; and the
heart. It is the total man, and that is what our lord emphasizes. `Blessed are
the pure in heart'; blessed are those who are pure, not merely on the surface
but in the center of their being.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All our troubles
arise out of the heart which, we are told by Jeremiah, is `deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?' indeed, mankind’s troubles originate
at the very center of their being.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The problem is at
the center of our being. The trouble is what is in the heart, and the heart is
desperately wicked and deceitful. That is the problem. What can change the
hearts of men and women?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What the gospel
message proposes is to raise us up from our deceitful and wicked heart
condition to become dead to self, as new creations in the lord Messiah Jesus,
with newness of life, freed from the bondage of sin and enabled by his spirit
to overcome the deceitfulness and wickedness of the heart! To become pure in
heart means to become like the lord Jesus the Messiah, `who did not sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth' He was perfect and spotless and pure and
entire. We can become like the lord Messiah Jesus by the enabling power of his
spirit working in us and through us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Note:</b> It says the
pure in heart will see God – Yehovah. When will the pure in heart see God –
Yehovah? It will be after the earth has been cleansed by fire and then
recreated by Yehovah. The heavens will also be recreated. This will occur after
the White Throne Judgment has taken place. Only those who are immortal, glorified
men and women [the new humanity] will be able to enter the newly created earth.
At that time the New Jerusalem [whose measurements are amazing] will descend
from where it has been created in the heavens and God – Yehovah will come down
to dwell with the lord Messiah Jesus at Zion in the Tempe, and we will see Him
at that time face to face. Glorious time indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Note: </b>The new
earth and the new heavens are depicted on the last great day, the eighth day of
the Feast of Tabernacles. In the feasts of God – Yehovah we see His overall
plan that consists of 7,000 years for mankind to see if they can be totally
committed to following Him and fails to do so, as we see at the last rebellion
of mankind against His son the Messiah Jesus and those who with him in
Jerusalem at the end of his 1,000-year rule. The 8th day of the Feast of Tabernacles depicts when the
New Humanity that God – Yehovah has been creating since Adam's fall will enter
into the newly created earth and heavens to live as glorified men and women for
all time surrounding God – Yehovah and His son at Zion. The New Humanity will
be able to enjoy the newly created earth and heaven for all time. What a great reward
for those who hold fast to the end of their lives or this age!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul's confidence
is also mine when he says: `<b>He who has begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus the Messiah'.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We who are new
creations in the Messiah are in God’s – Yehovah’s hands, and God’s – Yehovah’s salvation
process is ongoing. God is dealing with us, and our hearts are being cleansed.
We are His workmanship. God has set His hand to this task, and I know, because
of that, that a day is coming when all those in the Messiah shall be faultless
and blameless, without spot or wrinkle, without any defilement. We shall be
able to enter the gate of the holy city, leaving everything that is unclean
outside, solely because He has brought us there. It is all of Him and nothing
of us!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If there is
anyone who disagrees with what I have written, I will be glad to hear your
proof from the scriptures as to where I am w</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">r</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ong. Bruce Lyon </span><span style="font-family: Arial Black, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-30728807812838580582024-02-21T19:26:00.002-05:002024-02-22T22:45:23.064-05:00 SWEET LITTLE BABY TAMMUZ<p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the book of Ezekiel, we
read how an angel exposed the religious perversions that were being covertly
conducted in the Temple.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The angel brought me to
the gate of the house of Yehovah and I beheld women weeping for Tammuz. Then
said he unto me, you shalt see greater abominations. And he brought me into the
inner court where about twenty-five men had their backs toward the Temple, and
they faced the east and worshipped the sun (Ezekiel 8:14-16).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Worship of the sun and of
Tammuz started in ancient Babylon. Nimrod built a city as the epicenter of his
world government. It was there in Babylon that Nimrod was worshipped as “god.”
He bore totalitarian rule over the people, reducing them to slaves in his
political, economic, and religious systems. According to ancient Jewish
tradition, it was Noah’s righteous, eldest son Shem who slew Nimrod and
scattered his body parts throughout the land of Shinar.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That should have
effectively ended the worship of Nimrod, but his devoted followers erected a
tower that reached into the heavens—a huge obelisk just like the ones we see in
Washington D.C., Heliopolis (Egypt), Rome, London, Paris, New York City, and
around the globe. These obelisks are images of the uncircumcised penis of
Nimrod, the father of Babylonian sun god worship. The Creator calls this
obelisk, “the image of jealousy” and an “abomination.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A previously broken-down
ancient Roman obelisk was re-erected in Israel in the summer of 2001.
Coincidently, a homosexual perversion pride parade in Tel Aviv seemingly
inaugurated its erection ... and in the month of Tammuz, no less!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nimrod’s widow, Beltis
(also known as Semiramus), would not willingly let the kingdom slip through her
fingers when her husband was killed. She proclaimed that Nimrod did not die,
but that he had ascended into the heavens and was now the sun god. He later
impregnated her with the rays of the sun. (At least, that was his widow’s
excuse.) She delivered that illegitimate child on the day of the rebirth of the
sun, the Winter Solstice ... which, on the ancient Babylonian calendar (before
the procession of the equinoxes), fell on December 25<sup>th</sup>; the day
that Nimrod, the sun god, was reborn as Tammuz.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF DECEMBER 25<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The December 25th
birthdate of Tammuz, the Babylonian sun god, comes as a shock to some in the
West but is common knowledge among Jewish scholars and historians. The Jews
were taken captive in Babylon for their disobedience concerning sun worship,
even though they staunchly maintained, “That’s not what ‘Tammuz’s birthday’
means to us.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They had also been
captives in Egypt, where they took on the worship of Ra, the Egyptian sun god
who was born on ... December 25th.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 168 B.C., the
Syrian/Greek General Antiochus Epiphanes occupied Jerusalem and set up a statue
of Zeus in the Temple and proclaimed that Zeus was god ... on Zeus’ birthday,
December 25th.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Rome conquered
Persia, the Roman Army adopted the worship of Mithra, the Persian version of
Babylonian Tammuz. The symbol of Mithra was the same as the symbol of Tammuz:
The Babylonian “Tau,” or “cross.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Rome conquered
Jerusalem, they hung Jewish patriots on the cross of Mithra as sacrifices to
the Roman sun god who was born on ... you guessed it ... December 25th.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The confusion of languages
at the Tower of Babel scattered the heathen into the far corners of the Earth
and confused the names of their gods, but the rituals of worship remained much
the same wherever they went. Many significant historical events concerning
pagan worship occurred on December 25th; but of this one thing I can absolutely
assure you that <b>Yeshua - Jesus of Nazareth was not born on ... December 25th.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But who was?
Little baby Tammuz: the “reincarnated” Nimrod.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">FORTY DAYS OF
WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> [during the
time we refer to as lent]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tammuz, so the story goes,
was gored to death by a wild boar in a hunting accident when he was 40 years
old. Hence, 40 days of weeping for Tammuz was instituted: one day for each year
of his life. During that time, sun god worshipers would deny themselves a
pleasure in this life, for the sake of Tammuz’ pleasure in the afterlife.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sound
familiar? It gets better!<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>EASTER
RECONSIDERED</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Nimrod’s
wife, Tammuz’s mother, died many years later, the exalted “Queen of Heaven” was
sent back to earth by the gods on the first S-U-N Day after the Vernal Equinox.
She arrived in a giant egg, which landed in the Euphrates River and broke open
to allow her to emerge, reincarnated as the bare-breasted goddess of fertility
and sexual desire. Her new name? Ishtar - Easter. To proclaim her divinity,
Easter changed a bird into an egg-laying rabbit. On the western slope of the
Hinnom valley in Jerusalem, in the dingy depths of the Canaanite caves
designated for the worship of Easter and her son Tammuz, the priests of Easter
would impregnate virgins on the altar of Easter at the Easter sunrise service.
One year later the priests would sacrifice those three-month-old infants on the
same altar, and dye Easter eggs in the blood of those sacrificed babies. To
this very day, one denomination allows their Easter eggs to be dyed only one
color: blood red! When you ask them why, they have no idea how the tradition started
or what it rehearses ... but now you know!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Easter Sun day
(the day set aside for sun god worship) is the day that concludes the 40 days
of weeping for Tammuz; called by many “Lent.” From the time of its inception in
Nimrod’s Babylon until this very day, this 40-day pagan festival climaxes as
the sun god worshippers kill “the wild boar that killed Tammuz” and eat “ham”
after the Easter sunrise orgy and child sacrifice service. There is one day
that I can assure you that Yeshua – Jesus did not rise from the grave ...
Easter sun day! And He never participated in “Lent!” WWJD? He would never, ever
celebrate “Easter!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frequently,
Easter and Passover are an entire month apart. Why? They represent the worship
of two different gods. Easter is celebrated according to a pagan sun calendar
developed in Babylon in accordance with the worship of Nimrod. Passover is
celebrated according to the observance of the biblical new moon and the ripening of
the barley in the land of Israel. Yeshua - Jesus kept the Feast of Passover.
All of the rehearsals that were embedded in that feast were fulfilled in the year
of his resurrection. On the other hand, Easter is the rehearsal of child
sacrifice and fertility rites of the pagan sun god worshippers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>MAKE YOUR
CHOICE CAREFULLY!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which
celebration should you keep? It depends entirely upon which GOD you serve; it’s
your choice. Now you understand why the Holy One instructed us, “Do not learn
the way of the Heathen and how they worship their gods, and then do the same to
me – it is an abomination.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Christmas and
Easter are not celebrations of the birth and resurrection of Yeshua Jesus of
Nazareth, but the continuation of child sacrifice festivals that were hatched
in Babylon two thousand years before His birth!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We all
recognize that the pagan calendar, which has been adopted by the Christian
world, names every day of the week and nearly every month of the year after a
pagan god or fallen angel. But many are surprised to note that the fourth month
on the modern Jewish calendar is named after the pagan god Tammuz, in direct
violation of the Torah, which states, “You shall not allow the names of other
gods to come out of your mouth” (Exodus 23:12-14). I only speak the names of
pagan gods for the same reason that the prophets of Israel spoke their names:
to expose the perverted traditions that we have inherited from our disobedient
ancestors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>COMING OUT OF
BABYLON</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Almighty
called Abraham to come out of Babylon by crossing over the Euphrates River and
entering into a place where his offspring would be given a parcel of land
“flowing with milk and honey,” and a job to do. Abraham’s descendants were to
purge the land of every last vestige of the pagan sun god worship, and then they
were to be YHWH’s [Yehovah’s] priests to the entire Earth. They were to be a
nation of prophets who would make known the ways of the true GOD and call all
nations to repentance. Israel was not obedient to the command to cleanse the
land of paganism, but rather, they adopted the practices of the heathen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The church was
given a commission by the lord Messiah Jesus to spread the word of the coming Kingdom [Kingship] of God –
Yehovah to all the nations of the world. They were to keep the creed of the
lord Messiah Jesus as outlined in Mark 12:28-32. They were to love God –
Yehovah with all their heart, mind, being, and strength and to love their
neighbors as themselves enabled to do so by the power of the Spirit of God
which they received when they were baptized, becoming new creations in the lord
Messiah, and slaves bought and paid for by his shed blood when he presented
himself to his God and Father Yehovah as a sin-offering sacrifice on the stake,
reconciling humanity to Him!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The church has failed to do what they were
commissioned to do, so much so that Jesus makes an amazing statement when he
says: when the Son of Man returns to this earth will he find faith? <b>Luke 18:8:
“</b></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>When the Son of Man comes, will he find
the faith on the earth?”</b></span></span><b><span face=""Arial Black",sans-serif" style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Torah [God's instruction] reminds us, “Do not learn the way of the heathen, how they worship and serve their gods, and then do the same and say that you are doing it for me, it is an abomination” (Deuteronomy 12:30-31). Just as the Almighty told Abraham in Genesis, He also, in the book of Revelation, tells those living at the end of the age to “come out of Babylon.”</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Now the question is: "Will you come out of Babylon?"</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><b><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-65944362574570173972024-01-23T21:01:00.000-05:002024-01-23T21:01:12.868-05:00THREE KINDS OF SUFFERING<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Paul says, “through many tribulations, we must enter</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the kingdom of God.”</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">The lord Jesus says the same: When the
seed is sown, three</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">things
will happen as described by the following three words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The first word is “tribulation,” and the second is
“persecution.”</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Both words appear in
Matthew 13:21 and Mark 4:17. The third</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is
“temptation,” it appears in Luke 8:13.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">We now examine</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">these three things:</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">tribulation,</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecution, and temptation.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Each will put tremendous pressure on you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Tribulation (pressure)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In fact, the Greek word for “tribulation” (thlipsis) means</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">pressure (cf. CSB). To be in tribulation
means to be</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">under pressure. This is
true not only in terms of definition, but also</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in
the practical realities of the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Christian
life. This Greek word</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is
also used in Acts 14:22: “through many tribulations we must</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">enter the kingdom of God”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">You are going to be under pressure all the time. That is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">what</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the
word “tribulation” means. I am sure that those who just got</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">baptized are already beginning to discover
some pressure,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">right? If you haven’t
yet felt the pressure,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">it
will probably come</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">soon.
But if it doesn’t come soon, I worry for you as to whether</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">you know what it is to be a Christian.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">But what is the attitude of a true Christian? What does
Paul</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">say in Romans 5:3–5? You need to keep his
words in mind if</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">you
are going to be a true Christian:</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">More
than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">character,
and character produces hope, and hope does</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">not</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">disappoint us, because God’s love has been
poured into our</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">hearts
through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">(Romans 5:3–5, RSV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Notice that “we rejoice in our sufferings.” The Greek</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">word</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> “</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">thlipsis</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">”</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> here translated “sufferings” is the same
word translated</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">“tribulation”
elsewhere. The phrase means “we rejoice in being</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">under
pressure.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Does that reflect your thinking? Today the church is full
of</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">people who become Christians to collect
lollipops or have a</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">good
life. No wonder this kind of Christian will start grumbling</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">as soon as the pressures come. When the
weight begins to crush</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">on
them, they will say, “What’s going on?” Well, what’s going</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">on is that you have become a Christian. If
a preacher doesn’t</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tell
you that you are going to be under pressure the moment</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">you become a Christian, he shouldn’t be
preaching the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Evangelists who seek numbers and decisions give me</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">much</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">trouble.
After getting decisions from the people, they have no</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">more concern for them. That is where
pastors have to take over</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and
sort out the mess. What happens is that people come to me</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and say, “Why is everything around me
going wrong? My</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">father
got sick, my mother got into financial trouble, and my</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> b</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">usiness is not doing well. I have problems
here and there.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> Wha</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">t’s
going on?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you knew what it is to be a Christian, you would rejoice</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">with Paul who says, “More than that, we
rejoice in our</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tribulations!” You
might wonder what’s happening with</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Paul?</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Is he asking for trouble? No, he
understands what</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the
Christian</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">life is like: being
under pressure all the time. Remember that</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> y</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ou are called to suffer! And thank God for
that pressure. Learn</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to say
with Paul, “I rejoice!” We rejoice in the suffering and the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">pressures we have to bear.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Persecution<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The second word is “persecution” (diōgmos). You</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">wouldn’t be</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">much
of a Christian if you have never endured some persecution, the worst of which
is persecution from fellow Christians.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Don’t
be upset when</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">those who persecute you
are the religious</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Christians.
I have constantly pointed out that those who</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecutedthe lord Jesus the most were the Pharisees, the most</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">religious
of the Jews; and the scribes, who are the theologians;</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and the chief priests, who are the
religious leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">John Wesley, a mighty servant of God, was persecuted</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">by his</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">fellow
Christians. To be sure, he was also</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecuted
by nonChristians, but it was the Christians who persecuted him the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">most. He was thrown out of the Church of
England, of which</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">he was
a member. He was not allowed to preach in any Church</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of England because he preached holiness,
and the Church</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">didn’t want to hear any
of that. Wesley had to preach on the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">streets
because he was not allowed to preach in any church. But</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">thanks be to God, it was through Wesley
that a mighty revival</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">came
to England, and left its mark in history in a way that no</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">other revival did. Wesley knew he was
going to be persecuted,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">yet he
bore no ill will against those who persecuted him. Today</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the Church of England regrets what they
had done to John</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Wesley,
and are trying to get the Methodist Church back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Remember this:</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Those
who serve God will face</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecution.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you are faithful to the gospel, you
will face persecution from</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">fellow
Christians as well as from</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">non-Christians.
You will</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">sometimes wonder to yourself, “How come
the whole world is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">my
enemy?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Paul says to Timothy:</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Now you have observed my</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">teaching, my conduct, my aim</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in life, my faith, my patience, my love,
my steadfastness, my</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecutions,
my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Iconium,
and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">from
them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">live a godly life in </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">the Messiah</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Jesus will be persecuted. (2
Tim</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">othy </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">3:10–12, RSV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">When you become a Christian, understand that you are going</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to suffer persecution. If you don’t want
to suffer, don’t be a</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><b>Christian
in the first place.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Temptation: testing, temptation to sin<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The third word is “temptation,” which we see in Luke 8:13.
The</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Greek word peirasmos, which generally</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">means temptation, has</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">two meanings. The first is to be under
God’s testing or trial(sometimes it may be God</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">who
is testing you). The same Greek</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">word
is used in 1 Peter 4:12 in this sense of testing:</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you,</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">which comes upon you for your
testing, as though some</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">strange
thing were happening to you.</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> (NASB)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In verse 14, Peter says</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">: </span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you are reproached for the</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">name of </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">Jesus the Messiah</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">, you are</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">blessed, because the spirit of
glory and of God rests upon</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">you.</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> (RSV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The Greek word oneidizō here translated “reproached”
means,in this context, being tested through the suffering</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of reproach</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">for
the sake of </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">the Messiah</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">. The
word “testing”—being under</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">pressure,
being tried in fire by God as it were</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">;
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is
very much a</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">part of the Christian
life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">You will be tested</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The second meaning of "peirasmos" (“temptation”) is to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">be</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tempted
to sin. It comes directly from Satan’s</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">involvement
and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">activity. He entices you to sin, and shows
you the pleasures of</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">sin.
In Luke 4:13, Satan tries to tempt the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord Jesus to sin and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">turn away from God, so that he may fall:</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">And when the devil had ended every
temptation, he</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">departed from him until
an opportune</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">time. (ESV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">From the three words that Jesus uses</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">; </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tribulation,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecution,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">temptation</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">; </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">we can see why those sown on the rocky
ground</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">collapsed. It also shows that suffering is
inseparable from the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Christian
life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In the parable, when the sun came out, those in the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">rocky</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ground
withered because they had no root and were unable to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">draw in moisture. The sun is compared</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to suffering. The sun</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">can either destroy or cause growth. This
point is crucial to an</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">understanding
of this parable. On the one hand, the sun is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">essential
for plants to grow and bring forth fruit. On the other</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">hand, the sun destroys those plants which
have no roots.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Tribulation,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">persecution and testing are like the sun.
They will</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">either deepen you
spiritually or destroy you, depend</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">s</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> on
the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">kind of Christian you are.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by Eric Chang. This
small portion is taken from Eric Chang’s book: The Parables of Jesus in the
Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You can download this book at
the website listed below:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2510908428700826886/5885000432026969828"><span style="color: blue;">https://christiandiscipleschurch.org/sites/default/files/bookstore/books/Matthew_Parables_Volume1.pdf</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I cannot
urge you strongly enough to read this book written by Eric Chang! His message
is directed to all those who claim to be Christians, such as myself.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-58850004320269698282024-01-23T10:50:00.001-05:002024-01-23T10:50:56.306-05:00HOW TO BE WISE<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">H</span></b><b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">OW TO BE WISE, WITH A LIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">James
2:8</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">: </span><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">If you really fulfill the
royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself,” you do well</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 25.68px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> R-O-Y-A-L</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">R is for repentance<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">How do we exchange what we cannot keep for what we cannot</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">lose? The </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord Jesus tells us how to do this because
he doesn’t</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">want to keep us in the
dark. Yesterday I talked about the royal</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">law.
The word “royal” consist of five letters, r-o-y-a-l, each of</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">which stands for something significant for
our present topic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The first step in the royal law, or the law of the king, is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">repentance. You learned about repentance
in Sunday school,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">but do
you know what</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">repentance really is?
One of the great</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">difficulties
in teaching is dealing with those who think they</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">know
something when they really don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Everyone says, “Oh, I</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">know
what repentance is,” yet does not begin to understand</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">what repentance is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In Matthew 4:17, the very first word that the Lord Jesus</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">preached was “repent”. <b>Why repent?</b>
Because God’s kingship is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">about
to be implemented. God is about to reign as King upon</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">this earth. The Bible does not teach that
God is King only in</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">heaven.
The point of Jesus’ message is that God is going to reign</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">here in Melbourne; God is going to reign
as King on this earth.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">And
Jesus is saying that because God is going to reign soon,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">you had better repent. You need to repent
in order to enter into</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a
living relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Repentance is not just saying “sorry” and then</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">repeating</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">your
sin the next time. That is not repentance. Repentance in</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the Bible means that your whole direction
of life has changed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">To use Jim Elliot’s statement, the true
substance of repentance</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">is to
give what I cannot keep to gain what I cannot lose. It is a</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">complete change of direction
in life.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I can expound each of</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">these
points with a whole message, but I am just touching on</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">them and moving on to the important last
part of this</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">message.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">O is for Obedience<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The second thing is obedience. If you want to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">know the living</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">God, you must learn obedience. In the
Bible, obedience does</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">not
mean obeying with a long face, but obeying joyfully, as we</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">read in</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Hebrews
10:7</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">:</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> “I
have come to do your will, O God.” If</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">you
tell me with a long face, “From now on, I will obey God,” I</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">will say, “Forget it.” But if you say, <b>“Can
I have the privilege of</b></span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">living
in obedience to God?”</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> I will see that you are beginning</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to understand the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The gospel as preached in the churches today is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">some kind</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of
intellectual exercise: believe and you will be saved. Yet the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">gospel is not just to be believed, but
obeyed, as we read in John</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">3:36;
1 Peter 4:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 3:1; 1 John 5:2.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Y is for Yoked<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The third point is yoked. To be yoked means to be</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">joined to</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> the Messiah</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">. Those who are going to be
baptized today will be yoked</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">to </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">the Messiah </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">through baptism as new people,
just like two persons</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">getting
married will be yoked to each</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">other,
bound to each</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">other, through
marriage. So </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> w</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">e have the sweetness of
communion with </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">the Messiah</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">, and
through him with God, because now</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">we</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">have “commitment,” a term we use often.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Yoked means commitment: I am committed to </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">the Messiah</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">, he is committed to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">And this yoke is most important because it is the source of
our</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">strength. In a marriage, when one</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">person is weak, the other will</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">support him or her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">What is the point of getting married? Is it to come</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">home for</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a
good quarrel after a whole day’s work? Is it to throw plates at</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">each other as some kind of physical
exercise? What is the point</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of
getting yoked together? When two animals are yoked</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">together in a farm, they both carry the
load. Likewise when two</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">people
are yoked together, they carry the load together instead</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">of working individually.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">But in many marriages today, there is a brake on</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the yoke</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">such
that one is trying to go forward, and the other is trying to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">go backward. It reminds me of cars for
driving schools where</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the
instructor has a brake on his side and the student driver has</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">one on his side. When the student steps on
the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">accelerator and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the car doesn’t move, it is because the
instructor is stepping on</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the
brakes on his side. That’s how it is with many marriages</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Those of us in pastoral work have to counsel people with</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">marriage problems, and you wonder why they
got married in</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">the first place. Maybe
they got married because they enjoy kung</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">fu or
boxing, and had no one to fight. Let me assure you that</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">God does not want us to get baptized and
yoked to Christ so</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">that
we fight him every day. The </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord
Jesus has better things to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">do
than that. God wants us to be bound with </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">the Messiah</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> so that in</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">him we can walk forward hand in hand in
sweet fellowship and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">encouragement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A is for All, Absolute<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The next letter is a, which stands for “all” or</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">“absolute.” This</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">part is very important in the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord Jesus’ teaching, yet it is on</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">this point that most Christians are stuck.
I don’t know how</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">many
endless hours of counseling that I, not to mention all our</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">coworkers, have spent with people who
don’t understand this</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">basic
principle of how much one ought to be committed to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">God. The person may say, “I am 75%
committed to God, so can</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">I be
baptized?” and we say, “No, that’s not enough.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">75%
will not</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">do.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“80%?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“No.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“85%?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“No.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">It is like bargaining at a Hong Kong market. They</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">don’t understand that <b>God requires all
or nothing</b>.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">That
is the Scriptural</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">teaching,
not</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">something we invented. Those of you who
have</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">gone through Commitment Training would
know this, so</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">I</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">don’t need to spend time on this point.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">You must love the </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">Lord </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">your God with all y</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">o</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">ur heart, with all your </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">being</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">, with all your</span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">mind, with all your strength.
You are to love Him with all</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">
- </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">with everything</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> - </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">you have.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The words in Luke 14:33 are even more</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">uncompromising:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“He who does not forsake all that he has cannot
be my disciple.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">This does not mean that you go sell your car and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">house, and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">sleep
on the streets. What it means is that from now on you will</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">say, “God, You have redeemed me with the
blood of Jesus. I</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">belong
to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">You, and everything I have is Yours.” It
is just like</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">in</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">a marriage. Everything I possess,
including this beautiful jacket,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">belongs
to my wife. I gave up everything when I married her</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">under this yoke. If she wants my wallet,
she can have it. I would</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">never
say, “Don’t touch it, it belongs to me,” about anything I</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">own. When I married her, I forsook myself;
everything is hers,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">and
she is mine. So why do we find it so terrible that the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Jesus
says<b>, “Unless a man forsake all that he has, he cannot be</b></span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">my disciple”?</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">L is for Launch out<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">L is for launch out. One of the reasons Christians</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">do not enter</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">into
a deep relationship with God is that they are cowards.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Many people are eager to get married, yet
do not understand</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">that
it takes a lot of courage to get married. If you have never</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">been married, you wouldn’t understand this
whole problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">You are going to give your life to someone for the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"> n</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ext 50
years,</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">or however long you will be</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">together. Yet it takes even more</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">courage to be a</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">Christian. The problem with many </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">C</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">hristians</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">is
they don’t have the courage to launch out into something</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">new. Marriage is something new, but
becoming a Christian is</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">something
even newer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">America became great because of its pioneering spirit: Go</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">west, young man! Launch out into the
unknown! That is the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">kind
of attitude you see in Peter. In Luke 5:4, the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord Jesus</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">tested
Peter by saying, “Take the boat and launch out into the</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">deep.” In Luke 8:22, Jesus told his
disciples to launch out and</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">cross
over to the other side of Galilee. But they launched out</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">straight into a storm! The </span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">l</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">ord Jesus knew that the storm was</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">coming, yet he said to them, “Take the
boat out into the lake.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Becoming a Christian is not for cowards, for it takes
courage to</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;">launch out into
something new. And <b>it takes great courage to</b></span><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> </span></b><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">give up what you cannot keep
to gain what you cannot lose</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by Eric Chang.
This small portion is taken from Eric Chang’s book: The Parables of Jesus in
the Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You can download this
book at the website listed below:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://christiandiscipleschurch.org/sites/default/files/bookstore/books/Matthew_Parables_Volume1.pdf"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;">https://christiandiscipleschurch.org/sites/default/files/bookstore/books/Matthew_Parables_Volume1.pdf</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I cannot urge you
strongly enough to read this book written by Eric Chang! His message is
directed to all those who claim to be Christians, such as myself.</span></span>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-15020122882970043912024-01-01T13:14:00.008-05:002024-02-14T13:05:05.280-05:00PAUL'S CHARGE IN PHILIPPIANS 1:28<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Antonin Scalia (1936-2016)
served twenty-nine years as an Associate Justice of the <i>Supreme Court
of the United States</i>. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, Scalia became
distinguished as a man of strong character and unwavering devotion to both God
and Country! In an article titled "Supreme Confidence: The Jurisprudence
of Justice Antonin Scalia" (<i>The New Yorker</i>, March 28, 2005),
Margaret Talbot wrote, <b>"Scalia considers himself an interloper in the
sophisticated world - a blunt-spoken, rules-are-rules jurist and traditional
Catholic in a secular world made wobbly by moral relativism."</b> This was
illustrated time and again in his writings, his rulings from the bench, and his speeches. A good example of this can be seen in his address to the <i>Knights
of Columbus Council 969</i> at the Holiday Inn in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
in January 2005.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>To a gathering of his fellow Catholics, Scalia said:</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">"God assumed from the
beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools ... and He
has not been disappointed. ...<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">My message is this:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">“Have the courage to have your
wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for the Messiah Jesus. And have the
courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">I can't help but think of the
words of Paul to the Corinthians: "For the word of the cross is folly to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the discernment
of the discerning I will thwart.' Where is the one who is wise? Where is the
scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom
of the world?" (1 Corinthians 1:18-20). "For the foolishness of God
is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (vs. 25).<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus declared: "Let not
your hearts be troubled" (John 14:1). "In the world, you will have
tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Adolf Hitler noted, that one of the best weapons employed by the forces
of evil in their effort to overcome all that is good and wholesome and
reasonable is great <i>terror</i> in association with great <i>force</i>.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many disciples of the Messiah
Jesus have fallen victim to that terror and have perished as a result. Winston
Churchill, in response to the terror befalling his nation from the forces of
evil led by Hitler, declared in his first statement as Prime Minister before
the <i>House of Commons</i> on May 13, 1940, <b>"Victory at all
costs, victory <i>in spite of all terror</i>, victory however long and
hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival."</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The English novelist Robert
Smith Surtees (1805-1864) summed it up this way: <b>"Better to be killed than
frightened to death."</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To die while bravely fighting
the good fight is far nobler than dying while fleeing in fright from the forces
arrayed against us! <b>The Scriptures repeatedly urge the people of God to
"fear not," for after all, "Greater is He that is in you, than
he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4)</b>. Like Jesus’ disciples who found
themselves in the midst of a raging storm at sea, and who were terrified at the
prospect of perishing due to the powerful forces pounding down upon them, we
too, as his faithful disciples, quite often find ourselves facing a monstrous
storm sent forth by the world about us which seeks to destroy us, and we, like
those early disciples, too often find ourselves in the depths of despair over
the mighty terrors that surround us. The words of Jesus to <i>them</i> that
day are equally applicable to <i>us</i>: <b>"O you of little faith; why
are you afraid?!"</b> (Matthew 8:26). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>We should begin each new day
with the powerful promise of the Messiah Jesus in our hearts and
minds: "Fear not, for I am with you!"</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the apostle Paul penned the
last of his four "Prison Epistles" to the brethren in the city of
Philippi, he sought to comfort them and encourage them in their daily walk with
the lord Jesus. He did not want them to be discouraged by his own
circumstances, nor by the various trials they faced as a result of their
commitment to Jesus and his message of the coming Kingdom of God. He wanted
their hearts to be filled with <i>joy</i> rather than <i>fear</i>,
and for them to live and serve <i>courageously</i>, rather than <i>cowering</i> in
the face of the worldly forces arrayed against them. <b>He also urged them to
remain united in the Faith and in their love for one another, for a body of
believers at odds with one another is easy prey for our enemy</b>. <b>Thus, Paul wrote
to them saying that he hoped to receive word "that you are standing firm
in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel [the
message of the kingdom of God]; in no way alarmed by your opponents; which is a
sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from
God"</b> (Philippians 1:27b-28, <i>NASB</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Paul always sought in his
teachings to stress the importance of our unity and harmony in the One Body –
the called-out Assembly of God - Yehovah, which is the body of the lord Messiah Jesus,
and to warn of the dire consequences of allowing diversity within the body to
distract and divide us.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>If we stand <i>together</i> against
the forces of evil, we can endure; if we strive <i>against</i> one
another, we will not long survive the storm that <i>will</i> come
upon us. As Jesus said: A house divided against itself cannot stand [Matthew 12:25].
A people divided will fall.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Verse 28</b> in the above statement
by Paul to the assembly in Philippi is an interesting one in many ways, and also
a surprising one, for Paul uses some unusual language in the original. He
begins by pointing out that Christians, as disciples of Jesus and ambassadors
of his gospel message, will have "opponents." No surprise here, for
<b>the lord Jesus made it clear time and again that if we choose to follow him, we
will experience trials and tribulation, and we will share in his sufferings he faced.</b> The Greek word Paul uses is "</span><b style="font-family: arial;"><i>antikeimai</i></b><span style="font-family: arial;">," which
means "to oppose, be adverse or averse to, to stand against; to occupy an
opposite position." In our text, it appears as a </span><i style="font-family: arial;">present participle</i><span style="font-family: arial;">.
"In addition to its legal sense it signifies 'to withstand'; the present
participle of the verb with the article (Philippians 1:28), which is equivalent
to a noun, signifies 'an adversary'" [Dr. James Strong, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The New
Strong's Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words</i><span style="font-family: arial;">, p. 963]. Paul uses the same
word when he writes to the church in Corinth, saying, "A wide door for
effective service has opened to me, and there are many </span><i style="font-family: arial;">adversaries</i><span style="font-family: arial;">"
(1 Corinthians 16:9).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Whenever and wherever we seek to
faithfully serve the lord Jesus, we will be opposed; the enemy is always near
and ready to pounce. We must expect it, and we must be ready and fearless
always realizing that when we do hold our ground, our God and Father Yehovah
will always provide us the enabling power of His spirit to be able to do so!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At this point, the question
naturally arises: <i>Who</i> are these "opponents" and
"adversaries" the brethren in Philippi faced, and <i>what</i> exactly
is the nature of their opposition? "Various forms of '<i>antikeimai</i>'
('<i>to oppose</i>') are used in the NT to denote opposers of the Christian
faith, including opponents of Jesus, as well as adversaries of the called-out
Assembly of God, both Jewish and Gentile" [<i>The Expositor's Bible
Commentary</i>, vol. 11, p. 120]. "Who were these opponents? We read about how hostile Jews often dogged Paul's steps and caused trouble in the assemblies he
founded. Such was the case in other Macedonian churches (<i>i.e.</i>,
Thessalonica and Berea). In light of Paul's discussion in Philippians 3:2-6, it
seems clear that Jewish hostility was present. But there is nothing in
Philippians 1:28 that restricts the reference to Jewish opponents. What is
virtually certain is that these were external foes, not false teachers within
the assemblies. It is most likely that Paul was speaking generally of
adversaries of the assemblies of whatever kind. Whether Jewish or pagan, they
usually employed the same tactics, and thus the need for unity and courage
among believers was crucial" [<i>ibid</i>, p. 119].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. W. Robertson Nicoll, the
noted NT Greek scholar, concurs: "Paul probably thinks chiefly of their
heathen antagonists ... who would struggle hard against a faith which condemned
all idol worship. ... At the same time, we cannot exclude the possibility that
he had non-Christian Jews in his mind as well" [<i>The Expositor's Greek
Testament</i>, vol. 3, p. 431]. "By virtue of their having embraced
Christianity, they were looked upon by their neighbors as aliens, as followers
after strange gods, and they were hated accordingly" [Dr. Paul E.
Kretzmann, <i>Popular Commentary of the Bible</i> - the NT, vol. 2,
p. 300].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"It was a foregone
certainty that Satan would use every device to induce Christians to waver or
defect. The world at that time, as it always has been and is more so today, was
a hostile environment for Christianity. The Christian life could be lived
successfully only by those who were determined to fight with all of their
strength enabled by the spirit of God to maintain their integrity. It
is clear here that Paul expected the Philippians to do just that" </b>[Dr.
James Burton Coffman, <i>Commentary on Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians</i>, p. 273].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although the nature of the
"issues" that constitute challenges and oppositions to the Faith and
our devotion to the lord Jesus today may be different than those faced in
ancient Philippi, they are no less real and no less dangerous! <b>Our adversaries
today are just as determined as the adversaries the early saints – holy ones
faced, and they are just as committed to destroying both us and the cause of the
Messiah Jesus. Thus, we must be just as courageous!</b> "What are the social
and political issues to which the church must speak if she is faithful to the
Messiah Jesus which may bring forth adversaries?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The rights of women and
children; violence in the home; the cheapening of human life by easy abortion;
inattention to the elderly, the poor, and the homeless; outrage against the rising
crime rate that makes us calloused to persons caught in a cycle of living outside
the law; etc.<b> It may be that the assemblies can measure the effectiveness of
her prophetic ministry by the adversaries who emerge to question and challenge
her gospel"</b> [Dr. Maxie D. Dunnam, <i>The Communicator's Commentary:
Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon</i>, p. 273].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Fellow believers (and fellow Americans... as well as fellow citizens of this planet), we need to
open our eyes spiritually to some very harsh realities that face us right now!! As we begin
this new year (2024), the forces of evil and tyranny are gaining ground in their
opposition to goodness, righteousness, and sanity. Satan is unleashed and he is
wreaking havoc across our nation and around the globe. I am witnessing things
that, quite frankly, I never would have believed I would ever see in my beloved
country. Good is called evil, and evil is called good; our leaders have not
only abandoned all common sense and decency, but they have also abandoned us!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>I personally have no doubt
whatsoever that we are in the last days of which the Bible speaks: that time of
ghastly, godless chaos that will reign until our God and Father Yehovah sends the lord Messiah Jesus down to take his place on the throne of David at Zion at the
end of this age. The last years of this age are going to be very intense for the
people of God. We have got to set aside sectarian squabbles and unite as one
body in the Messiah Jesus, for the battle being waged against us is intense.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>It is time to stand together as one
body in the Messiah Jesus as we experience this last great engagement with EVIL
that is taking place all around us. It is going to get uglier and uglier as the
months go by, and we will witness and experience unimaginable things!!
We must be ready to fight the good fight ... even to the point of death. The
ultimate victory is assured for the people of God, as is the ultimate
destruction of those who oppose our God, but the battle is going to be brutal,
and it will test our resolve and our faith. We must not waver! We must as Paul
says: “hold fast”</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Notice:</b> <b>Philippians 2:12-16:</b><span style="background-color: white;">So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, <b>work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; </b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.</b></span></span><b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><sup class="BookPage_verseNumber__UUa-O" style="color: var(--verse-number-color);"> </sup>Do everything without grumbling and disputing, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God blameless in a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">holding fast to the word of life, so that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">As Winston Churchill urged the
British, so we need to urge one another, to fight on "at all costs, despite all terror, however long and hard the road may be."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The apostle Paul stated it this
way to the brethren in Philippi, <b>"Do not be frightened in any way by those
who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that
you will be saved - and that by God"</b> (Philippians 1:28, <i>NIV</i>).
<b>Our salvation, as well as the final destruction of all those opposing God, is
assured. It is coming, and it will be accomplished by Him.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Our challenge is to remain
faithful to the point of death, to stand in brave opposition to all the
insanity around us, and stay united in love with all other believers, as
that day draws ever closer. Although the end is certain, the present battle is
going to be unimaginable, for EVIL knows few limitations when it is unleashed in
its fullness. And we are seeing and experiencing this right now!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>If you are a believer who takes
seriously the call to "walk in a manner worthy" of that calling in
your daily life, you are going to be opposed ... and it is going to get more
and more brutal.</b> Thus, Paul warned the disciples
then, and he warns us now: <b>"Do not be <i>frightened</i> in
any way by those who oppose you." </b>That Greek word he uses here in this
verse is found nowhere else in the NT writings! It is the word "<b><i>pturo</i></b>,"
The word used by Paul in verse 28 means "to frighten, startle, scare; to
be terrified." Other translations of the text (in different versions of
the Bible) are affrighted, alarmed, intimidated, afraid, terrified, and paralyzed.
It is easy to see how one could be intimidated and paralyzed with fear; that is
a rather common human response to something so evil that it staggers the mind.
However, it must <i>not</i> be the response of those in whom the
Spirit of God dwells and in whom we have unwavering trust! Yehovah <i>will</i> prevail
and provide us by His indwelling presence to prevail, therefore we <i>will
not</i> despair. <b>If our God and Father Yehovah and His son the lord
Messiah Jesus are for us, who can stand against us!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are many words Paul could
have chosen to convey the idea of not being "frightened." So <i>why</i> did
he select <i>this</i> one? After all, it appears nowhere else in his
writings, and nowhere else in the NT writings. The word is unique in that it
has reference primarily to <b><i>horses</i></b>. It speaks of the reaction
of a horse to being "spooked" or "startled unexpectedly"
(taken by surprise). It is also unique in that "it is almost always <i>passive</i>"
voice in the Greek [Drs. Arndt & Gingrich, <i>A Greek-English Lexicon
of the NT and Other Early Christian Literature</i>, p. 727] - that is: one
"<b><i>lets oneself be</i></b> intimidated" or terrified [<i>ibid</i>].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The original word used by
Paul is strong - literally, '<i>scared</i>,' - flinching like a frightened
horse" [<i>The Pulpit Commentary</i>, Vol. 20 - Philippians, p. 7, 49].
"Literally - said of horses or other animals startled or suddenly scared;
so, of sudden consternation in general" [Drs. Jamieson,
Fausset, Brown, <i>Commentary Practical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible</i>,
p. 1304]. "From a word used of the terror of a startled horse" [Dr.
Kenneth S. Wuest, <i>Word Studies from the Greek New Testament</i>, vol.
2, p. 53]. "Only here in the New Testament; properly of the terror of a
startled horse" [Dr. Marvin R. Vincent, <i>Word Studies in the New
Testament</i>, vol. 3, p. 427].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>You and I, equipped with the
full armor of God - Yehovah (Ephesians 6:11f), must "be strong in the lord Messiah
Jesus and in the strength of his might" (vs. 10), and thus not flinch or
falter or flee in fear before the enemy!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul also points out another
great benefit of this unflinching faith - it is <i>evidentiary</i> in
nature, both to the lost (our enemies) as well as to the saved (ourselves and
our fellow believers). <b>"The courage of God's saints amid
dangers is a proof of His presence and favor; a token of final victory"</b> [<i>The
Pulpit Commentary</i>, vol. 20 - Philippians, p. 7]. Paul makes this connection
in 2 Thessalonians 1 also. Speaking of the "steadfastness and faith"
of the brethren there "in all your persecutions and the afflictions that
you are enduring" (vs. 4), he states that "This is evidence of the
righteous judgment of God" (vs. 5). Specifically, that God would avenge
the afflicted and destroy those who were afflicting them, thus manifesting to
all concerned those who were worthy of life and those who were worthy of death
(vs. 5-10).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This fearlessness in the face of
unimaginable evil speaks volumes <i>to both sides</i>. <b>We fear no evil,
for you our God and Father Yehovah are with us!! </b>"The courage and heroism
of God's witnesses was a sign of coming victory and salvation. It was also a
sign of defeat and doom to their adversaries. A triumphant spirit often carries
the day against fearful odds. God gives His people the assurance of victory and then makes that assurance a most powerful element in the issue. The
dauntless is carried through discouragement to triumph" [<i>The Pulpit
Commentary</i>, vol. 20 - Philippians, p. 25]. <b>"Failure of the church to
be intimidated by enemies was a token of the ultimate failure of the enemies of
God. The adversaries may not have recognized this, but it was nonetheless a
sign that their attacks were futile and that the church would prevail"</b> [<i>The
Expositor's Bible Commentary</i>, vol. 11, p. 119].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">David Lipscomb (1831-1917), a
leader in the early <i>American Restoration Movement</i>, wrote, <b>"The
undaunted bearing of the Philippian Christians in the face of opposition and
persecution was a token of destruction to their adversaries. It showed that
their persecutors were powerless to thwart God's work and that their
resistance to it was working their own spiritual ruin; that they were fighting
against God, which could mean only their destruction"</b> [<i>A Commentary on
the NT Epistles</i>, vol. 4, p. 174].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I want to close with the
following thoughts penned by Dr. Paul E. Kretzmann (1883-1965), an American
Lutheran pastor and seminary president, who issues this powerful plea to the
people of God in light of Paul's words to the brethren in Philippi:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"That is the spirit which
is needed in our days also: the feeling of solidarity, the consciousness of
being one with all believers in the Messiah Jesus, ... the spirit which makes
for true unity and union and stands firmly against all attacks for the faith
once delivered to the saints. ... Not in a single point of their faith, not in
a single principle upheld by the Bible, should the Christians be overcome by
terror and thus give way. <b>Though the adversaries are strong and full of guile,
they cannot and should not be able to strike terror into the hearts of the
Christians. And the fact that the believers battle so valiantly and are not
terrified is to their adversaries a token, an indication, of perdition,
indicating that the victory must finally be on the side of the Christians. The
latter, a poor small crew, standing up valiantly against a world of unbelievers
without the sign of a tremor, is a token of their eventual victory over their
many enemies. They will receive salvation in the fullest and deepest sense, the
last great healing, the final glory. And all this from God, who alone is the
Author and Finisher of our salvation</b>" [<i>Popular Commentary of the Bible</i> -
the NT, vol. 2, p. 301]. To this, I say, AMEN!! Come, Lord Jesus!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Note:</b> I cannot emphasize strongly enough that we can only
withstand all evil and persecution as we are enabled to do so, by the spirit of our God
and Father Yehovah and the spirit of His son Jesus. We of and by ourselves are
completely helpless to stand fast without the indwelling presence of our God
and Father Yehovah and the spirit of His son enabling us to go forward relying
and trusting in our God - Yehovah and His son Jesus to be with us to the end of our lives
or the end of this age when we will experience rising up to meet the lord
Messiah Jesus in the air as glorified and immortal men and women!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>It is really all of our God and
Father Yehovah and nothing of us, but to trust in Him! We are His workmanship!
We are His slaves bought and paid for by the blood of the lord Messiah Jesus.
We are His sons and daughters by the spirit of adoption that He has placed in
His household. WE are all of those things according to His amazing grace that
has saved us; whom He foreknew from before the foundation of the world; those
who would be companions of His son Jesus in the New Age that will appear after
the White Throne Judgment takes place, and this earth is cleansed by fire.</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-88496917321632843852023-12-08T16:01:00.003-05:002023-12-08T16:01:47.687-05:00 THE SUFFERING SERVANT<p><span style="font-family: arial;">The fifty-third chapter of the Book of Isaiah is
generally called the Fourth Servant Song the first three of which are found in
chapter 42, chapter 49, and chapter 50.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The importance of the passage before us can
scarcely be exaggerated. From the earliest times Christian writers have found
here a detailed description of the sufferings and death of Jesus the Messiah
and in this they clearly follow the New Testament.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>First:</b> we will look at the context in which the
passage is set and show its importance in the light of the New Testament
teaching about the content of the gospel and then we will attempt a brief
exposition of the whole passage concentrating on those verses which explain the
meaning of the Servant's death, bringing out significant New Testament passages
as we go. </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>CONTEXT AND STRUCTURE</b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In his book, "What Saint Paul really
said," Tom Wright points out that Christians have generally failed to
understand what the Bible means by "Gospel" and
"Justification" simply because they have not grasped the background to
these terms in the thinking of Paul. The same can be said of Isaiah 53. To
grasp its meaning, we must fit it into its literary and prophetic context. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the greatest failings of historic
Christianity has been its failure to recognize the importance of eschatology in
its proclamation of what it calls its "gospel". </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The message preached is usually only a message
about the death of Jesus and in such expositions, Isaiah 53 will be generously
quoted. But its setting, that of chapters 40-66 will be ignored. We will now
attempt an outline of the message of these chapters and examine the setting in
which Isaiah 53 appears. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The following is a summary of the main features of
the second half of Isaiah. </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because of its sins, the people of Israel have been
taken into captivity. Many find themselves in prison. Others have been
scattered throughout many nations and live in conditions of utter misery. The
persecuting power is explicitly identified as Babylon (Isaiah 43:14, 46, 47,) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sometime during this period of captivity, a group
of people appeared bringing a message of good news of deliverance to Israel and
restoration to their land, forgiveness of sins and the appearance of a
deliverer sometimes said to be God Himself, and later identified with a person
known as the Servant of Yehovah. The Servant himself is the bringer of the
gospel in Isaiah 61. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The task of the Servant is to restore Israel and
bring light and salvation to the surrounding nations. A time of prosperity and
spiritual blessings ensued, called the Millenium, the 1,000-year rule of the
Messiah Jesus over the nations. God's Spirit will be poured out freely. Israel
will send emissaries to their former captors and the world will unite in
universal worship of God - Yehovah. Those who refuse to submit will be dealt
with severely and the book closes with a somber view of Gehenna [the Lake of
Fire], where the wicked will be destroyed. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now let us take a closer look at the more immediate
context of Isaiah 53. Chapter 52 contains a prophecy of the preaching of the
gospel. Isaiah 52:7 shows that it is a message concerning the Reign of God, in
New Testament language, the Kingdom of God. The following verse describes the
ending of the captivity when "all the earth shall see the salvation of our
God." A striking feature of this entire section is that Paul quotes from
it directly no less than four times in the letter to the Romans. Isaiah 52:5 is
quoted in Romans 2:24. "My name is blasphemed continually every day."
Isaiah 52:7 appears in Romans 10:15 to prove that God has sent
messengers to preach the gospel. He quotes Isaiah 52:25 in Romans 15:21 and
finally, Isaiah 53:1 is quoted in Romans 10:16. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Romans opens with Paul's introduction to the
subject of the gospel which he says "was promised before through His
prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning His Son Jesus the Messiah our Lord
who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the
Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the Resurrection
from among the dead." Although other prophets do predict the preaching of
the gospel, Isaiah has more to say about that than any other. Paul is here identifying
his message with Isaiah 40, 52, 61, and other passages. Clearly, the prophet
Isaiah is for him supremely important. And Paul's teaching on the sacrificial
sin-offering death of the Messiah can only be derived from Isaiah 53. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It should be clear from what we have said that we
believe that what has come to be called the futurist view of prophecy is the
correct way to interpret Isaiah. New Testament fulfillments do not exhaust the
meaning of any of these passages. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The passage we are considering is divided into five
stanzas consisting of three verses each. The first is found in Isaiah 52:13-15,
the second in Isaiah 53:1-3, the third in Isaiah 53:4-6, the froth in Isaiah
53:7-9 and the last in Isaiah 53:10-12. </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>EXPOSITION</b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>THE MESSIAH AND HIS SUFFERINGS
REVEALED TO THE NATIONS</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first stanza in verses 13-15 of Isaiah 52 forms
a summary of what follows in Isaiah 53. The servant is introduced with the
words "Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently." The word translated
"deal prudently" primarily means to "act wisely" and also
"prosperously" because prosperity is the result of acting wisely. The
exaltation of the Servant predicted in the second half of the verse has been
taken by some to refer to the resurrection and ascension of the Messiah but is
more likely referring to his Second Advent. He is not now exalted as far as the
kings of the earth are concerned; indeed the world generally despises the
things of the Messiah but the thrust of this passage is that the leaders of the
earth will come to acknowledge him. We may note here the passage in Philippians
in which Paul speaks of the Messiah receiving a "name which is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven and
of those on earth and of those under the earth and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father
(Philippians 2:9-11).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Isaiah 52:14: gives us a summary of the sufferings;
sufferings which cause astonishment to many. The verb which is translated as "astonished" means to be desolate or waste, to be thrown by anything
into a desolate or bereaved condition; to be startled, confused as it was
petrified by paralyzing astonishment. Many will realize then for the first time
the extent of his sufferings as he is openly revealed in the sight of the
nations. His sufferings were greater than that of any man and were not simply
physical. Many men have undergone intense physical pain and even died heroic deaths,
but the death of God's servant was more than just a physical death, as the next
chapter will bring out. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The sprinkling of many nations in Isaiah 52:15 has
overtones of the sacrificial system the sprinkling of blood with the finger
on the mercy seat and the altar of incense on the Day of Atonement. It is
also used for sprinkling the water of purification on a leper
(Leviticus 14:7) and of the ashes of the red heifer on those defiled by a
corpse. (Numbers 19:18). It is the Servant himself who sprinkles the nations, a
hint of his priestly functions fully explained in the epistle to the Hebrews.
Many have sought to render the word translated "sprinkle" as
"startle" and this is reflected in some translations such as the RSV.
Other scholars reject this opinion. Peake's commentary says that the word
sprinkle "despite many contrary opinions, ought not to be excluded on
grammatical grounds and in fact anticipates the central theme of the
song." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The kings of the nations so sprinkled will have
nothing to say reminding us of Habakkuk 2:20, "But Yehovah is in His holy
temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him." The last part of
Isaiah 52:15 is a sober reminder of the ignorance that will exist at the time
of the Messiah's Second Coming. This is also mentioned in Isaiah 61:1-2
"Arise shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord Yehovah has risen upon you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness
the people: but Yehovah shall arise upon you and His glory shall be seen upon
you." </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>THE MESSIAH'S RECEPTION</b><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second stanza contained in Isaiah 53:1-3
continues and expands on the theme of ignorance and unbelief summarized in
Isaiah 52:15. Isaiah 53:1 is quoted in John 12:38. Paul quotes the same passage
in the same sense in Romans 10:16 where it forms part of his explanation of why
Israel has apparently not believed the gospel. The unbelief with which the Lord
[Jesus] has been received down through the ages is something foreseen long ago
and is part of the purposes of God. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As early as the time of Moses Scripture declares
that " Yehovah has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and
ears to hear, to this very day." (Deuteronomy 29:4) Isaiah was told to
proclaim the spiritual blindness and deafness of the people of Israel (Isaiah
6:9-10). He was told that this condition would last "Until the cities are
laid waste and without inhabitant, the houses are without a man, the land is
utterly desolate, Yehovah has removed men far away and the forsaken places are
many in the midst of the land." (Isaiah 6:11; 12). This plainly refers to
a captivity that has not yet taken place for the blindness of Israel and the nation, in general, continues to this day. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The speakers in verse one of chapter 53 are a group
of believers at that time and what follows represents their confession as they
look back at the sufferings of the Messiah now made plain to them for the first
time. This is the time described in Zechariah 12:10-14 when Israel will look on
him whom they have pierced and there will be a great mourning for him because
their descendants reject him as their Messiah 2,000 years before. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The "arm of Yehovah" is a reference to
divine power. The arm of Yehovah is mentioned as part of the great promise of
deliverance in Isaiah 40. The remnant of Israel prays for it to be manifested
in chapter 51:9. "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Yehovah; awake
as in the ancient days in the generations of old. Isaiah 52:10 says
"Yehovah hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations. and
all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Servant of Yehovah is therefore the arm of Yehovah
manifesting God's power in deliverance and salvation. The Messiah stands as it
were in the place of God, acting as His vice-regent. In Isaiah 4:2; 11:1,10;
Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15 the Messiah is referred to as a Branch. These terms refer
to the origin of the Servant in the House of David, in the land of Israel
characterized by barrenness whose people despise him seeing nothing of beauty
in him. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The gospels amply testify to the truth of verse
three. Jesus was despised by the leaders of the people and Jews have
consistently down through the centuries considered that Jesus was an apostate
who was smitten by God. The Christian Jewish writer David Baron has this to say
about Jewish reaction to Jesus: "No person in the history of the Jews has
provoked such deep-seated abhorrence as He who came only to bless them, and who
even on the cross prayed, "Father, forgive them for they know not what
they do." When on earth, at the end of His three-and-a-half years of
ministry among them, they finally rejected him. Their hatred was intense and
mysterious. "Away with this man; release unto us Barabbas ...Crucify him,
crucify him" was their cry. And all through the centuries no name has
provoked such intense abhorrence among the Jews as the name of Jesus. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"I have known personally most amiable, and as
men, lovable characters among the Jews; but immediately that Jesus was
mentioned, a change came over their countenances and they would fall into a
passion of anger. In the course of my missionary experiences these past thirty-five
or forty years, how often has it been my lot to witness some of my people
almost mad with rage - clenching their fists, gnashing their teeth, and spitting
on the ground at the very mention of the name which to the believer "is as
ointment poured forth!" </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is likely that the term "rejected of
men" has particular reference to men of high rank, leaders of the people
rather than the generality of mankind. Paul can say that not many of the
world's mighty men or nobility have believed; God has rather chosen people who
are generally despised by the world's intelligentsia with the ultimate aim of
shaming the so-called wise amongst men. "Have any of the rulers believed
on him, or of the Pharisees," was the contemptuous sneer of the leaders of
the Jews and it remains the attitude of the majority of opinion formers in our
world today, many of whom are deliberately reviving ancient pagan beliefs under
the guise of scholarship while they are at the same time attacking the Bible. </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">THE SIN-BEARER<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isaiah 53:4-6: forms the middle section of this
chapter and of the entire prophecy. Its teaching is of central importance as it
sets out the reasons for the sufferings of the Servant. David Baron translates
verse four literally as follows "Verily they were our griefs (or
sicknesses) which he bore, and our sorrows (or pains) with which he burdened
himself, but we regarded him as one stricken smitten of God and afflicted." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Baron goes on to state that "No plainer or
stronger words could be used to express the thought of vicarious suffering than
those employed in the original of this verse." Here we confront the
important issue of what has come to be called "penal substitutionary
atonement." That means in plain language that the Messiah was punished for
our sins and took our place so that by his sin-offering sacrifice
which he gave on the cross, God may forgive us our sins. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The idea of bearing sin or bearing iniquity occurs
quite frequently throughout the Old Testament and it always means to be
punished for the iniquity. It is used in this sense in Numbers 14:34 when
Israel was told by God that they would bear their iniquity for 40 years. That
is, their punishment for their unbelief would last for that period of time.
Aaron was to "bear the iniquity of the holy things "(Exodus 28:38,43)
meaning that he would be punished for any sin committed concerning the
tabernacle ritual. A person would "bear his iniquity" if he witnessed
an offense and refused to disclose it under oath. (Leviticus 5:1) The idea of
bearing iniquities occurs in Isaiah 53:4, 6,11, and 12 of this chapter. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If to bear sin means to be punished for the sin,
then it is clear that for the Servant to bear the sins of others means that he
was punished for their sins. There seems to be no way of avoiding the
conclusion that the Messiah died as a substitute for our sins. The
Substitutionary language of this passage is well recognized even by those who
do not accept the idea of substitution. The apostle Peter quotes the fifth
verse in I Peter 2:24 saying plainly "He bore our sins in his own body on
the tree." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Further evidence for substitution if found in
Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45. This important statement by Jesus reflects the
language of Isaiah 53:11. Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." The
substitutionary preposition anti is translated "for" in this passage.
It is used in other passages in such a way as to indicate that its meaning is
"instead of" or "in place of". Thus, Archelaus reigned over
Judea in place of (anti) his father Herod." (Matthew 2:22) Jesus asked,
"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of (Anti)
a fish give him a serpent?" (Luke 11:11). </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another Greek preposition that is relevant to our
subject is huper. This word can have several meanings and can often be rendered
"on behalf of". In some passages, however, such as 2 Corinthians 5:14
and Galatians 3:13 it clearly has the meaning "instead of". This last
passage is one of a number where a substitutionary interpretation is obvious
even in English translations. Those who are of the works of the law are under a
curse, but the Messiah has taken the curse upon himself so that the covenant
promises to Abraham might come upon us. Another passage in 2 Corinthians 5:14
is likewise explicitly substitutionary. "If one died for all, then all
died; and he died for all, that those who live should live no longer for
themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The word translated "smitten" or
"stricken" at the end of verse four is used in 2 Kings 15:5 where it
is stated that King Uzziah was stricken with leprosy by God for his presumption
in entering the Temple. Because of this connection some Rabbis in ancient times
called the Messiah "the leprous one". There is certainly no
need to follow this interpretation, but a problem does arise in this verse in
connection with disease and the Messiah. The words translated
"griefs" and "sorrows" are the ordinary Hebrew terms for
sicknesses and disease. Matthew quotes this verse in this connection to prove
its fulfillment by Jesus in His healing miracles. (Matthew 8:17) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Two different errors have arisen from a
misunderstanding of these terms. One error following the Rabbis mentioned
earlier sees the Messiah Himself as actually suffering from some unspecified
diseases. According to this view, Jesus not only bore sin, but also was
afflicted with the disease himself. Luke 4:23 has been quoted in support. Jesus
said to the synagogue audience, "You will surely say unto me,' Physician
heal yourself'." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A more common error is the belief that since
believers can expect forgiveness of sins because Jesus has borne them, they
can also expect divine healing of all their illnesses because Jesus has borne
them too. Healing is therefore as much a part of the atonement as is
forgiveness of sins. Since is it obvious that believers do suffer illnesses and
die, implicit in this view is that such people are lacking in faith to be
healed. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is therefore essential to understand why
sicknesses and diseases are used here. Throughout the Old Testament disease is
often used as a synonym for sin. One of the best examples is found in Isaiah
1:4: "Alas, sinful nation a people laden with iniquity, a brood of
evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken Yehovah, They have
provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. Why
should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is
sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head
there is no soundness in it but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they
have not been closed or bound up or soothed with ointment." (verses 4-6) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is obvious from the context here that literal
diseases are not in view since the subject matter concerns the body politic of
the whole nation. David also in some of the Psalms speaks of his sins as if
they were diseases. In the great penitential Psalm 51:8; he refers to God
having broken his bones something that literally did not happen. Healing is
sometimes used as a synonym for forgiveness (Isaiah 57:19) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">David Baron has this to say about the miracles of
healing. "The miracles of healing not only served to certify him as the
Redeemer, and as "signs" of the spiritual healing which he came to
bring, but were, so to say pledges also of the ultimate full deliverance of the
redeemed, not only from sin but from every evil consequence of it in body as
well as in soul. Hence our full salvation included not only the perfecting of
our spirits but the "fashioning anew of the body of our humiliation that
it may be conformed to the body of his glory." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second half of verse four graphically describes
the terrible suffering as the believing remnant continues to look back at the
sufferings of the Messiah. The word "nagua" means one stricken or
smitten with a dreadful shocking disease and is particularly applicable to
leprosy as we noted earlier. He was "smitten by God" and afflicted,
i.e. He is one bowed down by suffering. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That Jesus was so punished is true but the
punishment was for our sins and not for his own. Yet the Jewish people, in
striking fulfillment of this prophecy, have taught for centuries that Jesus
deserved to die the death he did. They have called him Poshe - the transgressor
- who well deserved the violent death he suffered. The Talmud puts Jesus in
hell along with Titus and Balaam. Imagine how they will answer to him at the
Judgement Seat. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those who adhere to more modern versions of the
view that Jesus deserved to die should consider carefully what they are
teaching in the light of this passage. It is contrary to the whole thrust of
this passage to claim, as do the Christadelphians that the Messiah dies for his
inherent sin nature. They have God punishing Jesus for something inherent within himself. Talk of a "sin-nature" in the Messiah is
foreign to this and all other scriptures. Isaiah 53:5 again re-iterates the
substitutionary nature of the Messiah's sufferings. It was for "our
transgressions", "our iniquities". The chastisement, which
resulted in our peace, was upon Him. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We note here the important word "peace",
a common theme in this section of Isaiah. "There is no peace to the
wicked." is the message of Isaiah 48:22 and Isaiah 57:21. Isaiah 57
foresees times when God will speak peace "to him who is far off and to him
who is near". Paul refers to this verse in Ephesians chapter 2 when he
explains that God has made Jews and Gentiles part of the one body of the
Messiah through the cross. Surely Isaiah 53:5 is at the forefront of his thinking
here. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isaiah 53:6 shows the necessity of the vicarious
sufferings of the Messiah. Mankind in general, both Jew and Gentile have become
totally alienated from God - Yehovah. There is no thought here or elsewhere
that man by his own efforts can turn back to God - Yehovah of his own accord.
The image of a flock of sheep without a shepherd graphically illustrates what
men have done concerning the things of God. Sheep will wander all over the
place without a shepherd to guide them and such has been the experience firstly
of the Jews, but also of Gentile so-called believers. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of these iniquities have been "laid on
him" by God - Yehovah. The term "laid on him" is more literally
rendered "caused to alight on him" and is in Hebrew a term of some
violence. It is used in I Samuel 1:15 "Go near and fall upon him; and he
smote him that he died." B.W.Newton comments on this expression, "In
other passages, our iniquity is spoken of as resting on the Holy One, and He
bore it. Here it is spoken of as coming upon him like a destroying foe and
overwhelming him with the wrath that it brought with it." The word avon
rendered "iniquity" denotes firstly the transgression itself,
secondarily the guilt which arises as a result and thirdly to the punishment
which it incurs. </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">THE MESSIAH'S GENTLENESS, DEATH,
AND BURIAL</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isaiah 53:7-9 sets forth the attitude of the Messiah
towards his sufferings stressing the voluntary nature of them and describes the
judicial process by which He was executed and the nature of his burial. It is
the passage that the Ethiopian eunuch was reading when Philip was directed to
join him and from which he preached the gospel. The New Testament always
applies this chapter to Jesus something which modern liberal commentators are
loath to do.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Isaiah 53:7 and 8 are beset with translation
difficulties beginning with the first part of verse 7. The Hebrew term niggas
(rendered "he was oppressed") sometimes means the rigorous exaction
of debts. It is used in this sense in Deuteronomy 15:2,3. "Every creditor
that lendeth aught to his neighbor shall (on the seventh year) release it; he
shall not exact it of his neighbor or his brother, because Yehovah's release
has been proclaimed. Of a foreigner, you mayest exact it again." The word
is also used of the Egyptian taskmasters exacting the full quota of bricks from
the Israelites. (Exodus 3 and 4) The oppression then is oppression of a
judicial nature and was amply fulfilled in the trials of Jesus before Caiaphas
and Pilate. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of this suffering was entered into voluntarily
by the Messiah emphasized by the second half of Isaiah 53:7 "Yet he opened
not his mouth." The gospels record that Jesus did not make any replies in
his defense and only responded to the High Priest's questions when he was put
under oath to do so. He was completely non-resistant. We should point out that
the apostle Peter clearly brings out the non-resisting character of the Lord
Jesus and urges Christians to follow the same example (I Peter 2:21-25) Suffering
and persecution should be borne patiently following the Messiah's own example.
The Sermon on the Mount enjoins the same attitude on disciples (Matthew
5:38-42) as does the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:17-21. A violent Christian is a
contradiction in terms. We simply must not offer violence or hostility of any
kind when we meet with persecution. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Commentators emphasize the difficulties of
translating Isaiah 53:8, which reads in the KJV, "He was taken from prison
and from judgment." The NASB reads ""By oppression and judgment
he was taken away" while the NEB has "Without protection, without
justice, he was taken away." The same version adds a footnote, "After
arrest and sentence, he was taken away." David Baron comments: "The
idea that is most prominent in the word luqqach ("taken away"), is
that of being snatched or hurried away. The word otser (rendered
"prison") primarily means a violent constraint Here, as in Psalm
107:39, it signifies a persecuting treatment which restrains by outward force,
such as that of prison or bonds...The word mishpat (judgment) refers to the
judicial proceedings, in which he was put upon his trial, accused, and convicted
as worthy of death - in other words, to his unjust judgment... Hostile
oppression and judicial persecution were the circumstances out of which He was
carried away by death."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The phrase "and who will declare his
generation?" is also difficult and is variously rendered by different
translations. The NASB renders this "And as for his generation, who
considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the
transgression of my people to whom the stoke was due." The word translated
"generation" usually means "an age" or "the men living
in a particular age" and by extension a group of people bound together by
similarity of circumstances or moral character. In this latter sense, a
generation can be coeval with the present evil age. Baron points out that the
words rendered "declare" in the KJV can also mean to speak to
complain or lament and is also used in a few passages to describe prayer (Psalm
55:17). He suggests that the meaning of this passage is "As for His
generation - who (among them) poured out a complaint" (i.e. at his
treatment); or "who among them uttered a prayer?" (i.e. on His
behalf.) This could be an allusion to a Jewish custom in capital trials of
calling upon all who had anything to say on behalf of the accused to come
forward and "declare it" or "plead" on his behalf. If this
is the case, it means that no one was called upon to speak for Jesus at His
trial as would normally be the case, and ties in well with the first part of the
verse. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The substitutionary nature of his death is again
mentioned at the end of the verse. The stroke that was properly due to the
people fell on him. To be cut off is a biblical expression meaning to be
executed. It is found in Daniel 9:26 where it is again used for the cutting off
of the Messiah. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The burial of the Messiah is the subject of the
first part of Isaiah 53:9. The word "grave" here is not the Hebrew
word "sheol" meaning the general grave of mankind but rather refers
to a sepulcher or tomb. It was the custom of the Jews to give criminals an
ignominious burial as Josephus records. "He that blasphemes God - Yehovah
let him be stoned and let him hang upon a tree all that day and let him be
buried in an ignominious and obscure manner." Since the Jews
condemned Jesus as a blasphemer this would no doubt have been His fate had not
God miraculously intervened. The time of the Messiah's humiliation and
sacrifice was now over, and God honored his Son by providing a rich man, Joseph
of Arimathea to arrange for His burial in his own new tomb. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The sinless nature of the Messiah is the subject of
the last part of Isaiah 53:9. Peter quotes this verse giving it a different
rendering. "Because he had done to violence, for was any deceit in his
mouth" becomes in I Peter 2: 22 "Who committed no sin, nor was guile
found in his mouth." </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>THE MESSIAH'S EXALTATION</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The last section of this great prophecy begins with
a review of his sufferings and sacrifice. The word translated
"bruise" means literally "to crush". "He has put Him
to grief" means to afflict with sickness and reminds us again of verse 4.
Two translations of the phrase "When you shall make his soul an offering
for sin" are possible. The first is to translate as above and take the
phrase as a statement made to God. The second view renders it as "When his
soul shall make an offering". The NASB prefers this rendering and in
addition, takes the word "soul" as equivalent to the personal pronoun
"himself". Members of this audience will not need to be reminded that
this is a legitimate and common use of the word "nephesh" throughout
the Old Testament. Nephesh refers to the whole person and not to a supposed
immortal substance that survives in a conscious state after death. It is
closely connected with the blood in Leviticus 17:11 and verse 10 links the idea
of the blood of the sacrificial animals with the common New Testament
references to "the blood of the Messiah." The offering for sin
referred to here is the trespass offering, the asham, the law concerning which
is found in Leviticus 5:1-13 and Leviticus 7:1-10. The verse provides the
important basis for the common New Testament doctrine that the Messiah was a
sin-offering sacrifice. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"He shall see His seed", has been taken
by some Jewish interpreters in its natural sense of posterity or offspring and
used to refute the idea that it is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth who had no
natural offspring. This section of Isaiah, however, recognizes the important
theological concept of the seed of Abraham (41:8,43:5, 44:3, 48:19), and the
fulfillment of the covenant blessings. Paul shows in Romans 9 that Abraham's
seed does not mean descendants according to the flesh; rather those who have
the faith of Abraham are the children or seed of Abraham. The Messiah himself
is the seed as stated by Paul in Galatians 3:16, a truth which is also found in
the Old Testament. Psalm 72 applies the wording of the Abrahamic covenant to
the Messiah (verse 17). Those who have been baptized into the Messiah are the
seed of Abraham. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seeing his seed occurs after he became a
sin-offering, in other words after his death. The seed then does not refer to
literal descendants but to the spiritual seed of Abraham. Psalm 22:30 is
parallel with this verse in describing his seed as one of the blessings
following his sufferings and death. The last part of verse 10 could only refer
to the resurrection. It is reminiscent of Psalm 16 and Psalm 21:4, "He
asked life from you and you gave it to him, length of days forever and
ever." Jewish writers have commented that the phrase length of days refers
to the life of the age to come. Following his resurrection God's will will
prosper in his hands. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Jewish commentator Abrabanel paraphrases the
first part of verse 11 thus. "He shall see the travail of his soul, i.e.
his seed; he shall be satisfied, i.e. with length of days." One of the
results of his travail is found in the second part of verse 11. David Baron
translates this as follows, "By his knowledge shall make righteous (or,
bring righteousness) the Righteous One (My Servant) many." It is possible
to take "his knowledge" in both the subjective sense of the knowledge
that he has, or in the objective sense of the knowledge of Him on the
part of others. If the former is correct then it could well mean that those who
are made righteous, are made so through the knowledge that Jesus himself had,
in other words, they will believe what He believed. This seems incorrect,
however, and more likely refers to the fact that the righteous must know him.
Knowledge then would be synonymous with faith, a meaning which it seems to have
in several passages. (Hosea 4:6, John 17:3) The construction of "the Righteous
One, my servant" is unusual in placing the adjective before the noun
contrary to normal Hebrew practice. The definite article is also omitted from
both words, the whole construction emphasizing the unique character of the
Servant. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have already referred to Baron's translation of
Isaiah 53:11. Contrary to the impression given in most translations,
justification is not the subject here. It is the righteousness that springs
from that justification and forgiveness which is being spoken of. The Bible
requires that God's people are actively righteous. Indeed as Paul says in
Romans 8:4 it is in them alone that the righteousness of the Law can be
fulfilled. It is clear that this verse was in Paul's mind as he was writing
Romans as he virtually quotes it in Romans 5:19." For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will
be made righteous." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The "many" referred to here are the mass
of mankind and not just the Jews. We encountered this word in chapter 52:14,15
and it appears in significant New Testament passages bearing on the atonement.
The Lord Jesus uses in Matthew 20:28 in what is really a commentary on this
passage and Paul uses it extensively in Romans 5:12-21. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The word "many" occurs again in the
Hebrew of verse 12 where it is rendered "great" in English
translations. They are those who share with him in his inheritance as described
in Psalm 2. "Ask of me and I will give you the nations for your
inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall break them
with a rod of iron you shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel."
The application to the Messiah is clear but he makes this same promise
to those who overcome. (Revelation 2:27) They will be partners with him in the
glory of the Kingdom of God. This is because "He poured out his soul unto
death and bore the sins of many." The blessings of the Kingdom would be
impossible without the death of the Messiah as our sin-offering sacrifice. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The final statement of the chapter returns to the
priestly theme hinted at in chapter 52. There the Messiah sprinkled all
nations. Now he makes intercession for transgressors, standing between them and
God. The priestly function of the Messiah is mentioned also in Psalm 110:4 and
Zechariah 6:13 and is fully developed in the letter to the Hebrews. </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>SUMMARY</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In conclusion, the Message of this chapter is
closely intertwined with the gospel of the Kingdom. A summary of the gospel
preached by the apostolic church is given in Acts 8:12 and Acts 28:23,31 as the
Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus the Messiah. We could paraphrase this as
"The Kingdom and the Cross". This must be the message that we preach to
the world, for until the sin question is dealt with, none of God's blessings
are remotely possible. Only the sin-offering sacrifice of the Messiah can deal
with sinfulness and give us a right standing with God so that we can
inherit the blessings of the Kingdom.</span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-4135774542950574552023-12-02T22:47:00.002-05:002023-12-02T22:47:59.844-05:00 THE CHRISTIAN HOPE<p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Life in the land of the promise
made to Abraham</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In one of the most solemn declarations of all time, Yehovah
promised to give to Abraham an entire country. On a mountaintop somewhere
between Bethel and Ai, in the land of Canaan, God commanded "the Father of
the faithful" (Romans 4:16) to "look from the place where you
are, <b>northward, southward, eastward and westward</b>: For the entire
land you are looking at I will give to you and to your descendants forever" (Genesis 13:14, 15). As an additional assurance of God's gift to
him, God then instructed Abraham to "arise, walk through the length and
breadth of the land, for I will give it to you" (Genesis 13:17).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Abraham's conception of the ultimate reward of
faith was firmly linked to the earth. As he looked northward Abraham would have
seen the hills of Judea marking the border with Samaria. Towards the south, the
view extended to Hebron where later the Patriarchs were to be buried in the
only piece of the land ever owned by Abraham. To the east lay the mountains of
Moab and to the west the Mediterranean Sea. God’s oath guaranteed to Abraham
perpetual ownership of a large portion of the earth. Later the promise was
repeated and made the basis of a solemn covenant:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between
your offspring after you, throughout their generations as an everlasting
covenant to be as God for you and to your offspring after you. And I will
give to you and to your offspring after you the land in which you are living as
an alien, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting property. And I will
be to them as God" (Genesis
17:7, 8).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Traditional Christian theology
has almost no interest in the land promised to Abraham</b>, as can be
seen by inspecting the indexes of standard systematic theologies, Bible
dictionaries, and commentaries. And yet, as Gerhard von Rad says, in the first
six books of the Bible "There is probably no more important idea than that
expressed in terms of the land promised and later granted by Yehovah." <b>The
promise is unique</b>. "Among all the traditions of the world, this is the only
one that tells of a promise of land to a people.” Because the land is
promised on oath Davies suggests that it might more properly be called <b>"The
sworn Land."</b> So compelling was the promise of land to Abraham
that it became "a living power in the life of Israel.” “The promise to
Abraham becomes a ground for ultimate hope.... There is a gospel for Israel in
the Abrahamic covenant." (Cp. Paul's statement that "the gospel
was preached in advance to Abraham," Galatians 3:8) W.D. Davies points out
that large sections of the law make "the divine promise to Abraham the
bedrock on which all the subsequent history rests." Von Rad maintains
that "the whole of the Hexateuch [Genesis to Joshua] in all its vast
complexity was governed by the theme of the fulfillment of the promise to
Abraham in the settlement in Canaan." We might add that the Abrahamic
covenant permeates the whole of Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That the patriarchs expected to inherit a portion
of this planet is obvious not only from Yehovah’s promises made to them but
also from their zeal to be buried in the land of Israel (Genesis 50:5). The
land promise to Abraham and his offspring runs like a golden thread throughout
the book of Genesis. The key words in the following passages are
"land" "give," "possess," "heir,"
"covenant."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>The Promise
to Abraham</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Go to the land I will show you (Genesis
12:1). All the land which you see I will give to you and your offspring forever
(Genesis 13:17). A son coming from your own body will be your heir (Genesis
15:4). I am Yehovah who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees to give you this
land to take possession of it (Genesis 15:7). On that day Yehovah made a
covenant with Abram and said, to your descendants I give this land (Genesis
15:18). I will make nations of you and kings will come from you. I will
establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your
descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after
you. The whole land of Canaan where you are now an alien, I will give as an
everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you and I will be
their God (Genesis 17:6-8). Abraham will surely become a great and powerful
nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen
him... (Genesis 18:18, 19). Your descendants will take possession of the cities
of their enemies (Genesis 22:17). God promised me on oath, saying, 'to your
offspring, I will give this land' (Genesis 24:7). <b>{Abraham] is a prophet</b>"
(Genesis 20:7).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Isaac</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"I will establish my covenant with him as an
everlasting covenant for his descendants after him... My covenant I will
establish with Isaac (Genesis 17:19, 21). Through Isaac, your offspring will be
reckoned (Genesis 21:12). To you and your descendants, I will give all these
lands and will confirm the oath which I swore to your father Abraham (Genesis
26:3).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Jacob</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"May God give you and your descendants the
blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where
you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham (Genesis 28:4). I will
give you the land on which you are lying.... I will bring you back to this land
(Genesis 28:13, 15). ...the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to
you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you" (Genesis
35:12).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>The Twelve
Tribes</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"God will surely come to your aid and take you
up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob" (Genesis 50:24).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The promise to the nation of Israel received a
primary fulfillment under Joshua's leadership (Joshua 21:45). Long after the
death of the patriarchs, both the Law and the writings of the prophets of
Israel express the conviction that Israel's settlement of the land under Joshua
was only an incomplete fulfillment of the covenant made with Abraham. It was
clear that the patriarchs had never gained possession of the land. A further
and final fulfillment was to be expected. The point is a simple one with
momentous implications for New Testament Christians who become heirs to the
Abrahamic covenant. Von Rad points out that<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Promises which have been fulfilled in history
are not thereby exhausted of their content but remain as promises on a
different level...." "The tradition, however, changed, continued
to contain <i>the hope of life in the land</i>. Deuteronomy makes it clear
that there is still a future to look forward to: the land has to achieve rest
and peace.... The land looks forward to a future blessing." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus, in the Old Testament the hope of an ultimate
and permanent settlement in the land, accompanied by peace, remains in view:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"My people shall live in peaceful dwelling
places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest" (Isaiah 32:18).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"...descendants from Jacob and Judah...will
possess My mountains [i.e., the land]; My chosen people will inherit them and
there will My servants live" (Isaiah 65:9).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Then all your people will be righteous, and
they will inherit the land forever" (Isaiah 60:21).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Israel will possess a double portion in their
land; everlasting joy will be theirs" (Isaiah 61:7).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Thus, they shall inherit the land a second
time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads" (Isaiah 61:7, LXX).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"But the man who makes me his refuge will
inherit the land and possess my holy mountain" (Isaiah 57:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The righteous shall never be removed: but the
wicked will not inherit the land" (Proverbs 10:30).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Dwell in the land and enjoy safe
pasture.... <b>The meek will inherit the </b>land and enjoy great
peace... The inheritance of the blameless will endure forever.... Those Yehovah
blesses will inherit the land... Turn from evil and do good, then you will
dwell in the land forever... <b>The righteous will inherit the land and
dwell in it forever... God will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked
are cut off you will see it...</b> [Note carefully that the righteous should
not expect to inherit the land before the wicked are cut off. There is a
caution for dominion and reconstructionist theologies here!] There is a future
for the man of peace" (Psalm 37:3, 11, 18, 22, 27, 29, 34, 37).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The days are coming, declares Yehovah, when I
will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to
the land, I gave their forefathers to possess" (Jeremiah 30:3).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The integrity of Yehovah's word is at stake in this
question of the future of the promised land. It was obvious to all that Abraham
had never received the fulfillment of the covenant promise that he would
possess the land. Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land and Israel
was eventually expelled from her homeland.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Based on the Abrahamic covenant,
however, the faithful in Israel clung with passionate tenacity to the
expectation that the land of Israel would indeed become the scene of ultimate
salvation. That hope remained as the beacon light not only of the prophets but
also of the original Christian faith as preached by Jesus and the Apostles; until
it was extinguished by the intrusion of a non-territorial hope; "heaven
when you die."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A non-biblical view of the future, divorced from
the land and the earth, was promoted by Gentiles unsympathetic to the heritage
of Israel, for whom the promise of the land to Abraham was the foundation of
the nation’s deepest aspirations. <b>In direct contradiction of Jesus, the
pagan-influenced Gentile church father’s Christianity has substituted
"heaven at</b> <b>death" for the biblical promise of life in the
land God promised Abraham. The message of Jesus' famous beatitude,
"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the land" (Matthew 5:5)
can no longer be heard above the din of endless funeral sermons announcing that
the dead have gone to heaven!<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gentile antipathy to the covenant made with Abraham
has rendered large parts of the Old Testament meaningless to churchgoers. Worse
still, it has put the New Testament under a fog of confusion, since the New
relies for its basic understanding of the Christian faith on the promises of
God given to Israel through Abraham. <b>All the major doctrines of the faith
are adversely affected when the Abrahamic Covenant is disregarded or
misinterpreted.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The "murder of the [Old Testament biblical]
text" by critical scholarship was later equally responsible for the
suppression of the biblical hope of "life in the land" based on the
promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, promises which according to Paul,
Jesus came to "confirm" or "guarantee" (Romans 15:7). Fragmenting
the Old Testament text in the interests of a theory of composition, scholarship
lost sight of what James Dunn calls the Pauline presupposition about the
authority of Scripture, "that a single mind and purpose (God's) inspired
the several writings [the Scriptures]."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">After nearly two thousand years
of uncomprehending Gentile commentary, the promise to Abraham of progeny,
blessing <i>and land</i> must be reinstated as the coherent and
unifying theme of New Testament faith in God and the Messiah and the essential
core of the Christian Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel rests on the
promise to Abraham that in the Messiah all the faithful will possess the land
forever (Matthew 5:5, Revelation 5:10). Not only will they possess the land,
but that "future inhabited earth" will be under the authority of the
Messiah and the saints (Hebrews2:5). This concept is what the writer to the
Hebrews calls the "greatness" or "importance" of salvation
which we ought not to neglect:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"How shall we escape if we disregard so great
a salvation.... For God did not put the coming society on earth under the
authority of angels but the Son of Man" (Hebrews 2:5ff.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The results of the inexorable process of
dismantling the divine Revelation to Abraham can be seen in the comments of
the <i>Pulpit Commentary</i> on Genesis 13:14, 15. The problem for
the commentator (who sees no relevance in the land promises for Christians) is
to reconcile God's declaration, "I will give the land to you
[Abraham]" with the assertion made by Stephen some two thousand years
later <b>that God "<i>did not give Abraham any inheritance</i> [in
the land of Palestine]; not even a square foot of land</b>, but he promised to
give it to him as a possession [kataschesis; cp. LXX Gen. 17:8, 'everlasting
possession'] and to his descendants with him." How is the apparent
contradiction to be resolved? <i>The Pulpit Commentary</i> offers two
solutions. Firstly a retranslation so that the promise of Genesis 13:15 reads:
"To you I will give the land, that is to say, to your descendants."
In this way the failure of Abraham to receive the land personally will be
explained: God promised it only to his descendants and they received it under
Joshua. But this is no solution at all. <b>Throughout God's dealings with
Abraham, the promise of land to the Patriarch himself is repeatedly made.</b> Genesis
13:17 reads: "Walk through the length and breadth of the land; to you I
will give it." Abraham would have every right to complain if this were to
mean that he personally should not expect to inherit the promised land!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The commentary offers a second way around the
difficulty. It maintains that the land did in fact belong to Abraham during his
lifetime. "The land was really given to Abram as a nomadic chief, in the
sense that he peacefully lived for many years, grew old, and died within its
borders." However, this is to contradict the emphatic biblical
assertions that Abraham definitely did not possess the land. Genesis 17:8
specifically reports that God said to Abraham:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"And I will establish my covenant between me
and you and your descendants after you in their generations to be a God to you
and your seed after you. And I will give <i>to you</i> and to your
seed after you the land in which you are a stranger-all the land of Canaan for
an everlasting possession" (Genesis 17: 7, 8).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>These, then, are the biblical
premises:</b>
Abraham is to possess the land forever. He lived out his life as a stranger
owning none of the land (except for a small piece of property bought from the
Hittites as a burial site for Sarah, Genesis 23:3-20). Abraham himself
confessed to the Hittite inhabitants of Canaan: "I am an alien and a
stranger among you" (Genesis 23:4). As the New Testament witnesses:
"God gave Abraham no inheritance here [in Palestine], not even a foot of
ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would
possess the land" (Acts 7:5, NIV).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How then is the covenant grant of land to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob to be fulfilled? The answer to the problem throws a flood of light on
the Christianity of the New Testament. <b>There is only one way in which
the Covenant can be realized: <i>by the future resurrection of Abraham,
enabling him to inherit the promised land forever. To Abraham and his descendants,
the land belongs forever by covenant-oath. Abraham died. Abraham must
therefore rise from the dead to receive the "land of the promise,"
which is Canaan, the land to which he ventured forth from Babylon and in which
he lived as a foreigner</i>.</b> The promise to Abraham will be fulfilled,
as Jesus said, when "...many will come from the east and the west and will
take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the
prophets in the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 8:11 and Luke 13:28, 29).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The absolute necessity for resurrection in the
divine plan was the point of Jesus' important interchange with the Sadducees,
who did not believe in any resurrection and thus denied the covenant hope of
life in the land for the Patriarchs and all the faithful. Jesus' response to
their inadequate understanding of eschatology and consequent failure to believe
in the future resurrection of the faithful to inherit the land involved a stern
rebuke that they had departed from God's revelation:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">"You are in error because
you do not know the Scripture or the power of God. At the resurrection people
will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in
heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead; have you not read what God said
to you: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is
not the God of the dead but of the living" (Matthew 22:29-32).<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The logic of Jesus' argument was
simply that, since Abraham Isaac and Jacob were then dead, they must live
again through resurrection in the future so that their relationship with the
living God could be restored and they could receive what the covenant had
guaranteed them.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Hebrews</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Book of Hebrews expounds the drama of Abraham's
faith in the great promises of God making a future resurrection the only
solution to the mystery of Abraham's failure as yet ever to own the land.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"By faith Abraham when called to go to <i>a
place</i> he would later receive as <i>his inheritance</i>..." (Hebrews
8:11).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, the story begins. Abraham's inheritance, we
observe, is to be the "place to which he was called," i.e., the land
of Canaan. This is exactly what the Genesis account describes. That very land
Abraham was destined to receive "later," but how much later we are
not yet told. The writer continues: "By faith, Abraham made his home <b>in
the land of the promise</b> like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived
in tents as did Isaac and Jacob who were heirs with him of the same
promise" (Hebrews 11:8, 9). Abraham, Isaac Jacob and other heroes of
faith "died in faith not having received the things promised; they only
saw them and welcomed them from a distance and admitted that they were aliens
and strangers <i>in the land</i> (v. 13). Note that the wrong idea is
suggested by our versions when they translate "in the land" as
"on the earth," giving the impression that the Patriarchs were
expecting to go to heaven! However, the point is that people who say they are
aliens in the land "show that they are looking for a country of their
own" (Hebrews 11:13, 14), i.e., the same land renewed under the promised
government of the Messiah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The important truth about the
land promise has been rescued by George Wesley Buchanan:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"This promise-rest-inheritance was
inextricably tied to the land of Canaan, which is the place where the
Patriarchs wandered as sojourners (Hebrews 11:13). <b>It was called the
land of the promise (Hebrews 11:9) and the heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) ...</b>.
This does not mean that it is not on earth any more than the sharers in the
heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1) who had tasted the heavenly gift (Hebrews 6:4)
were not those who lived on earth. Indeed, it was the very land on which the
patriarchs dwelt as 'strangers and wanderers' (Hebrews 11:13).<b> ['Heavenly']
means that it is a divine land which God himself has promised.</b>" <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>"Heaven"
will be on earth.</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is important to note the evasion by popular
Christianity of the implications of Hebrews 11:8, 9. To preserve the
tradition that heaven is the reward of the faithful, it is argued that the
geographical land of Canaan is a type of "heaven" to be gained at
death. However, this New Testament passage specifically says that Abraham
actually lived in the place designated as his future inheritance. "He made
his home in the promised land" (Hebrews 11:9, NIV) and this was on the
earth! "<b>Heaven," therefore, in the Bible is to be a place on this
planet, our own earth renewed and restored.</b> The promised land in this
New Testament comment on the Old is still the geographical Canaan and it is
precisely that territory which Abraham died without receiving. Resurrection in
the future is the only path by which the Patriarch can achieve his goal and
possess the land which he has never owned. Indeed, as Hebrews emphasizes, none
of the distinguished faithful "received what had been promised"-the
inheritance of the promised land (Hebrews 11:13, 39). They died in faith fully
expecting later to receive their promised possession of the land. This is a
very far cry from the idea, which so many have accepted under the pressure of
post-biblical tradition, that the Patriarchs have already gone to their reward
in heaven. Such a theory invites the rebuke of Paul who complained that some
had "wandered away from the truth" by saying that "the
resurrection has taken place already" (2 Timothy 2:18). <b>The loss of
faith in the future resurrection destroys the fabric of biblical faith.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Paul and
Abraham</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul treats the story of Abraham as the model of
Christian faith with no hint that Abraham's inheritance is different from that
of every Christian believer. In fact, the very opposite is true: Abraham is
"the father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11) Abraham demonstrated
Christian faith by believing in God's plan to grant him land, progeny, and
blessing forever. Abraham's faith was demonstrated in his willingness to
respond to the divine initiative; to believe God's declaration of His plan to give
Abraham and his descendants the land forever. This is the essence of biblical
faith. Justification means believing like Abraham in what God has promised to
do (Romans 4:3, 13). This entails more than the death and resurrection of
Jesus. Apostolic faith requires belief in the ongoing divine plan in history,
including the divinely revealed <i>future</i>. Grasping what God is doing
in world history enables a man to attune his life to God in the Messiah. A
Christian according to Paul is one who "follows in the footsteps of the
faith of our father Abraham" (Romans 3:12). Abraham's faith "was
characterized by (or based on) a hope which was determined solely by the
promise of God... Abraham's faith was firm confidence in God as the one who
determines the future according to what he has promised." So Jesus
summons us to faith, first of all, in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mark
1:14, 15; cp. Acts 8:12) which is to be nothing less than the final fulfillment
of the covenant made with Abraham and his (spiritual) offspring. Paul defines
the promise. It was that Abraham should be "heir of the world" (Romans
4:13). As James Dunn says:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The idea of 'inheritance' was a fundamental
part of the Jewish understanding of their covenant relationship with God, above
all, indeed almost exclusively, in connection <i>with the land; </i>the
land of Canaan theirs by right of inheritance as promised to Abraham... [This
is] one of the most emotive themes in Jewish national self-identity.... Central
to Jewish self-understanding was the conviction that Israel was Yehovah's inheritance…
<b>Integral to the national faith was the conviction that God had given Israel
the inheritance of Palestine, the promised land. It is this axiom, which Paul
evokes <i>and refers to the new Christian movement as a whole</i>,
Gentiles as well as Jews. <i>They</i> are the heirs of God. Israel's
special relationship with God has been extended to all in the Messiah. And the
promise of the land has been transformed into the promise of the Kingdom...
That inheritance of the Kingdom, full citizenship under the rule of God alone,
is something still awaited by believers.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul links the Christian faith
directly to the promise made to Abraham. As Dunn says:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The degree to which Paul's argument is
determined by the current self-understanding of his own people is clearly
indicated by his careful wording which picks up four key elements in that
self-understanding: the covenant promise to Abraham and his seed, <i>the
inheritance of the land as its central element</i>.... <b>It had become
almost a commonplace of Jewish teaching that the covenant promised that
Abraham's seed would inherit the earth</b>.... The promise thus interpreted was
fundamental to Israel's self-consciousness as God's covenant people: It was the
reason why God had chosen them in the first place from among all the nations of
the earth, the justification for holding themselves distinct from other
nations, and the comforting hope that made their current national humiliation
endurable...." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Dunn goes on:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"...Paul's case...reveals the strong
continuity he saw between his faith and the fundamental promise of his people's
Scriptures... <b>Paul had no doubt that the Gospel he proclaimed was a
continuation and fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham.</b> But he was
equally clear that the heirs of Abraham's promise were no longer to be
identified in terms of the law. Genesis 15:6 showed with sufficient clarity
that the promise was given and accepted through faith, quite apart from the law
in whole or in part." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The point to be grasped is that Paul does not
question the content of the promise. How could he without overthrowing the
whole revelation given by the Bible? The territorial promise was clearly and
repeatedly spelled out in the Genesis account and was his people's most
cherished national treasure: To faithful Israel, represented first by Abraham,
God had given assurance that they would inherit the land. <b>Paul
introduces a revolutionary new fact- that this grand promise is open to all who
believe in the Messiah as the seed of Abraham. For it was to Messiah, as Abraham's
seed, that the promises were made, as well as to Abraham himself.</b> Gentile
Christians, if they believe the promise of the Messiah, may claim a full share in
the same promised inheritance. Paul reaches a triumphant moment in his argument
when he declares to his Gentile readers that "if you are in the
Messiah then you count as Abraham's descendants and are heirs [of the world,
Romans 4:13] according to the promise [made to Abraham]" (Genesis 3:29).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The promises, however, are certain only, as Paul says,
to "those who are of the faith of Abraham" (Romans 4:16), i.e., those
whose faith is of the same type as his, resting on the same promises. Hence
Paul speaks of the need for Christians to be "sons of Abraham" (Galatians
3:7), "seed of Abraham" (Galatians 3:29, Romans 4:16), and to reckon
Abraham as their father (Romans 4:11), to walk in his steps (Romans 4:12) and
consider him the model of Christian faith (Galatians 3:9), because the Gospel
had been preached to him in advance (Galatians 3:8). But how much do we now
hear about the Gospel about the coming Kingdom of God as defined by the
promises made to Abraham? The "blessing given to Abraham" (Galatians
3:14) which is now available to both Jews and Gentiles in the Messiah is
described by Genesis 28:4. It is to "take possession of the land, where
you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." <b>Speaking
to Gentile Christians, Paul states that "the blessing given to
Abraham" (exactly the phrase found in Genesis 28:4) has now come to the
believers in the Messiah (Galatians 3:14).</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We mustn't add alien material
to Paul's exposition of God's salvation plan. The promise to Abraham and to his
offspring is that he and they are to be <b>"heir of the world"</b> (Romans
4:13). Paul has not abandoned the account in Genesis from which he quotes
explicitly (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6 from Genesis 15:9). Since the promised
land of Canaan would be the center of the Messianic government it was obvious
that inheritance of the land implied inheritance of the world. <b>But the
promise remains geographical and territorial corresponding exactly with Jesus'
promise to the meek that they would "inherit the land/earth" (Matthew
5:5), His belief that Jerusalem would be the city of the Great King (Matthew
5:35), and that believers would administer a New World Order with Him (Matthew
19:28; Luke 22:28-30; Revelation 2:26, 3:21, 5:10, 20:1-6). In</b> <b>short,
the promise of the land, which is fundamental to the Christian Gospel, is now
the promise of the Kingdom of God; the renewed "inhabited earth of the
future" (Hebrews 2:5), which is not to be subject to angels but to the
Messiah and the saints, the "Israel of God" (Galatians 6:16) who are
heirs of the covenant.</b> Such a hope corresponds exactly with the hope
of the Hebrew prophets. J. Skinner observes that "the main point [of
Jeremiah's hope for the future] is that in some sense a restoration of the
Israelite nationality was the form in which he conceived the Kingdom of
God." Paul in Romans 11:25, 26 expected a collective conversion of the
nation of Israel at the Second Coming. The Church, however, in Paul's thinking,
would be leaders in the Messianic Kingdom (I Corinthians 6:2, 2 Timothy 2:12).
In this way the Abrahamic Covenant guarantees a part in the Messianic Kingdom
for all who now believe the Gospel and it assures us that there will be a
collective return to the Messiah on the part of a remnant of the nation of
Israel (Romans 11:25-27). This hope is seen clearly in Acts 1:6, where the
Apostles asked when the promised restoration of Israel might be expected. Since
they were hoping to be kings in the Kingdom, and the holy spirit (Acts 1:5) was
the special endowment of kings, they naturally expected an immediate advent of
the Kingdom. In His mercy, God has extended the period of repentance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Worldwide
Inheritance</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was common to Jewish thinking and Paul, as well
as to the whole New Testament that the whole world was involved in the promise
made to Abraham that he would inherit "the land of the promise." This
is seen in biblical and extra-biblical texts:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Psalm 2:6: "I have installed my King on
Zion... Ask of Me [God] and I will make the nations your [Messiah's]
inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule then with
an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery" (See Revelation
12:5 and 2:26, 27-the latter passage includes the Christians in the same
promise).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jubilees 22:14: "May [God] strengthen you, and
may you <b>inherit all the earth</b>."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jubilees 32:19: "And there will be kings from
you [Jacob]. <b>They will rule everywhere that the tracks of mankind have
been trod. And I will give your seed all the land under heaven,</b> and
they will rule in all nations as they have desired."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I Enoch 5:7: "But to the elect, there shall be
light, joy, and peace, and they shall inherit the earth."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 Ezra 6:59: <b>"If the world has indeed
been created for us, why do we not possess our world as an inheritance. How
long will this be so?"</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 Baruch 14:12, 13: "The righteous...are
confident of the world which you have promised to them with an expectation full
of joy."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 Baruch 51:3: "[The righteous] will receive
the world which is promised to them."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul's definition of the promise to Abraham that he
"would be heir to the world" (Romans 4:13) fits naturally into texts
such as these and is implied by the covenant made with Abraham. Henry Alford
comments on the connection between Paul's view of the future and Jewish hopes:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The Rabbis already had seen, and Paul who had
been brought up in their learning, held fast to the truth, that much more was
intended in the words 'in you, or in your seed shall all the families of the
earth be blessed,' than the mere possession of Canaan. <b>They distinctly trace</b> <b>the
gift of the world to this promise. The</b> <b>inheritance of the world... is
that ultimate lordship over the whole world which Abraham, as the father of the
faithful in all peoples, and Christ, as the Seed of promise, shall possess</b>...."
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">H.A.W. Meyer notes that to be the "seed of
Abraham" meant that one was destined to have <b>"dominion over
the world,"</b> based on Genesis 22:17ff: "Your descendants
shall gain possession of the gates [i.e., towns] of their enemies." With
this promise in mind, Jesus envisages the faithful assuming authority over
urban populations (Luke 19:17, 19).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The <i>International Critical Commentary</i> on
Romans 4:13 speaks of the promise that Abraham's seed [in Christ]
should <b>"enjoy worldwide dominion” "the right to universal
dominion which will belong to the Messiah and His people," and "the
promise made to Abraham and his descendants of worldwide Messianic rule."</b> Something
of the fervor of Israel for the land may be seen in the 14th and 18th
Benedictions repeated in the Synagogue since AD 70:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Be merciful, O Lord our God, in your great
mercy towards Israel Your people and towards Jerusalem, and towards Zion the
abiding place of your glory, and towards your temple and your habitation, and
towards the kingdom of the house of David, thy righteous anointed one. Blessed
are you, O lord God of David, the builder of Jerusalem your city."
"Bestow your peace upon Israel your people and upon Thy city and upon your
inheritance, and bless us, all of us together. Blessed are you, O Lord, who makes
peace."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even where the land is not mentioned directly, the
land is implied in the city and the Temple which became the quintessence of the
hope for salvation. Exactly the same hope is reflected in the New
Testament:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The Lord [Yehovah] God will give [Jesus] the
throne of His father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his
Kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:32)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"[God] has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as He
said to our fathers" (Luke 1:55).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"[God] has raised up a horn [political
dominion] in the house of His servant David...to show mercy to our fathers and
to remember his holy covenant, the oath He swore to our father Abraham"
(Luke 1:69, 72, 73).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"[Simeon] was waiting for the consolation of
Israel" (Luke 2:25).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"[Anna] gave thanks to God and spoke about the
child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem"
(Luke 2:38).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father
David" (Mark 11:10).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Joseph of Arimathea [a disciple of Jesus
i.e., a follower of Jesus, Matthew 27:57], a prominent member of the
Council..., was himself waiting for the Kingdom of God" (Mark 15:43).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"We [disciples of Jesus] had hoped that
[Jesus] was the one who was going to redeem Israel" (Luke 24:21).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Apostles asked: "Is this the time that you
are going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"It is because of <i>my hope in what God
has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our
twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and
night</i>" (Acts 26:6,7).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Bible does not for a moment
abandon or replace these hopes based on the great covenant made with Abraham.</b> The
disciples closest to Jesus, who were the products of his careful tuition over
several years and for six weeks after the resurrection (Acts 1:3), obviously
look forward the "restoration of the Kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6).
It had not entered their heads to abandon the territorial hopes of the prophets.
Paul insists that he is on trial "because of my hope in what <i>God
has promised our fathers</i>. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping
to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night" (Acts 26:6).
The nature of this hope is expressed in a Rabbinical saying of the third
century reflecting the ancient expectation of life in the land held in common
with the New Testament:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"Why did the patriarchs
long for burial in the land of Israel? Because the dead of the land of Israel
will be the first to be resurrected in the days of Messiah and to enjoy the
years of Messiah"</b> (<i>Gen. Rabbah</i>, 96:5)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul's statement in Acts 26:6,7 (above) expressly
defines the Apostolic Christian hope as the same as the hope held by the
ancient synagogue -- the prospect of worldwide dominion for the faithful in the
Messiah's kingdom. New Testament Christianity confirms this interest in the
unfulfilled promises to the patriarchs with its expectation of a restoration of
the Kingdom to Israel. Jesus promises the land to the meek (Matthew 5:5) and
locates the Kingdom of the future "on the earth" or perhaps "in
the land" (Revelation 5:10). It makes little difference whether we render
"<i>epi tes gys</i>" "in the land" or "on the
earth," because the Kingdom is destined to extend to the "uttermost
parts of the earth" (Psalm 2:8). The promise to Abraham is to be fulfilled
in the Messiah when the latter is invited to "Ask of me [God] and I will
make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession"
(Psalm 2:7, 8). All these blessings are contained in Paul's phrase
"inheritance of the world" (Romans 4:13) which he sees as the essence
of the promise made to Abraham-the promise to which Gentile believers should
cling since in Christ they are equally entitled to it:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"If you are the Messiah's, then you are
Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>"Heaven"</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">References in the New Testament to
"heaven" are limited to contexts in which the future reward of
believers is said to be preserved now as treasure with God in heaven.
"Heaven" as a place removed from the earth is, however, never the destination
of the believer in the Bible; neither at death nor at the resurrection.
Christians must now identify with their reward, at present stored up in heaven
for them, so that they may receive it when Jesus brings it to the earth at His
Second Coming (Colossians 1:5, I Peter 1;4, 5). That reward was made known to
the converts when the Christian Gospel of the Kingdom of God was preached to
them (Matthew 1:14, 15; Luke 4:43; Acts 8:12, 19:8, 20:25, 28:23,31). <b>Belief
in the Gospel in Apostolic times was not confined to belief in the death and
resurrection of Jesus but included the whole invitation to prepare for a place
in Messiah's worldwide dominion to be realized on earth.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The situation is very different today when little
or nothing is preached about inheriting the earth with Jesus. There is an
urgent need for believers to heed Paul's warning not to be "moved away
from the hope held out in the Gospel" (Colossians 1:23). The loss of the
Kingdom in the Gospel is symptomatic of the loss of the roots of Christianity in
the Old Testament.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Faith in
God's World Plan</i></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nonsense is made of the New Testament scheme, and
God's plan in world history, when it is proposed that the Christian destiny is
to be enjoyed in a location removed from the earth. This destroys at a blow the
promises made to Abraham and his descendants (i.e., the Messiah and the
faithful) that they are to inherit the land and the world. The
substitution of "heaven" at death for the reward of inheriting the
earth nullifies the covenant made with Abraham. That covenant is the foundation
of the New Testament faith. The repeated offer of "heaven" in popular
preaching renders meaningless the whole hope of the prophets (based on the
Abrahamic promise) that the world is going to enjoy an unparalleled era of
blessing and peace under the just rule of the Messiah and the resurrected
faithful-those who believe in "the Kingdom of God and the name [i.e., the
Messiahship and all that this entails] of Jesus," and who are baptized in
response to that early creed in Acts 8:12:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"When they believed Philip
as he proclaimed the Gospel about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus the
Messiah, they were being baptized both men and women."</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This text remains a model for evangelism and calls
the contemporary church back to its roots in the Covenant made with "the
father of the faithful" which can be fulfilled only in Messiah Jesus. For
the fulfillment of that plan, we are to pray, "Your Kingdom come,"
and strive to conduct ourselves "worthy of God who is calling us into His
Kingdom and glory" (I Thessalonians 2:12). The truth about our Christian
destiny will be reinstated when we return to the biblical language about
"entering the Kingdom," "inheriting the earth" (Matthew
5:5), and ruling on earth (Revelation 5:10 The way will then be open for us to
understand that Christianity is a call to Kingship and that a saint – holy one
is one appointed to rule on the earth in the coming Kingdom of the Messiah, as
a co-ruler with him. (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The general tenor of prophecy and the analogy
of the divine dealings <b>point unmistakably to this earth, purified and
renewed, and not to the heavens</b> in any ordinary sense of the term, as
the eternal habitation of the blessed." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"May God give you the blessing of Abraham my
father, to you and to your seed with you-the inheritance of the land in which
you now reside as a foreigner, the land which God gave to Abraham"
(Jacob).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The blessing of Abraham [will come] to the
Gentiles in the Messiah."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The above article was taken from:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://focusonthekingdom.org/articles/christianhope.htm"><span style="color: #0066a7;">http://focusonthekingdom.org/articles/christianhope.htm</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(<span style="color: #de7008;">This article appeared in <i>A Journal from the
Radical Reformation</i></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">,
Vol. 2, No. 4.)</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-58924783429821378032023-12-02T20:25:00.002-05:002023-12-02T20:25:21.024-05:00 THE JEWISH LAW OF AGENCY<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Hebrew thought, the first
cause or ultimate cause is not always distinguished from secondary or proximate
causes. That is to say, the principal is not always clearly distinguished from
the agent (the one commissioned to carry out an act on behalf of another).
Sometimes the agent standing for the principal is treated as if he were the
principal himself, though this is not literally so. The principal and agent
remain two distinct persons. The agent acting and speaking for the principal is
the principal by proxy (a person authorized to act for another).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #262626; line-height: 107%;">The entire
concept of agency is rooted in the word “shalach” (שָׁלַח – St. 7971) which
means “to send”. We’ve talked about this word before about the
apostles who were sent out by Yeshua to teach the gospel of the Kingdom. We
referred to them as “shaliach” or “shaliah”, and even though the scriptures
never use the term “sent one”, there are numerous examples of individuals who
were “sent” by God: Joseph (</span></i><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Gen.%2045%3A7/" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Genesis 45:7</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; color: #262626; line-height: 107%;">), Moses (</span></i><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Ex.%203%3A12/" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Exodus 3:12</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; color: #262626; line-height: 107%;">), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), and Jeremiah (</span></i><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Jer.%201%3A7/" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; line-height: 107%; padding: 0cm;">Jeremiah 1:7</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; color: #262626; line-height: 107%;">) to name a few. The literal meaning of
“shalach” is “to send”, or to “send away”, but when used in the context of a
person being sent on a mission (like Moses), or with a message (like the prophets),
it implies even more, for when you are sent with a purpose, you now become a
“shaliah”… we can in some ways equate it to the term “power of attorney”. In
our culture, a person with “power of attorney” has the authority to make
binding legal decisions on behalf of another.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Again, the Hebrew term for an agent or legal
emissary is <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Shaliach </span></i>which is comparable
to the Greek world <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Apostolos </span></i>and
the English word Apostle. An apostle is an agent commissioned by a principal.
We read in </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Hebrews%203%3A1-2/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Hebrews
3:1-2</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, that Jesus is the apostle and high
priest of our confession and was faithful to Him who appointed him, just as
Moses was also faithful in all God’s house.</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Here are several references where Jesus is
identified as one “sent” (a <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Shaliach</span></i>):</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“The Spirit of the Lord [Yehovah] is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovering of sight to the blind, set at liberty those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s [Yehovah’s] favor.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%204%3A18-19/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke 4:18-19</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God
to the other towns as well; for <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I was sent</span></b> for
this purpose.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%204%3A43/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke 4:43</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who
rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Him who sent me</span></b>.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%2010%3A16/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke
10:16</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“God, having raised up His servant, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent him</span></b> to you first, to bless you by turning
every one of you from your wickedness.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%203%3A26/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts
3:26</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“But when the fullness of time had come, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God sent</span></b> forth His Son, born of woman, born under
the law” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Galatians%204%3A4/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Galatians 4:4</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;"> </span><span style="color: #262626;">“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him
who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> and to accomplish His work.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%204%3A34/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 4:34</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge,
and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will but the will of Him
who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b>.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%205%3A30/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 5:30</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but
His who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b>.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%207%3A16/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 7:16</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“I have not come of my own accord. He who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> is true, and Him you do not know.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%207%3A28/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 7:28</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for
it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your Law, it
is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears
witness about myself, and the Father who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> bears
witness about me.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%208%3A16-18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 8:16-18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the
Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own
authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And He who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> is with me. He has not left me alone, for
I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%208%3A28-29/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 8:28-29</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you
would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord,
but <b>H<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">e sent me</span></b>.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%208%3A42/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
8:42</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Do you say of him whom the Father consecrated
and <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent into the world</span></b>, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I
said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A36/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 10:36</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the
Father who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> has Himself given me a
commandment; what to say and what to speak.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2012%3A49/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
12:49</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b>.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2014%3A24/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 14:24</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the
only true God, and Jesus the Messiah whom <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">you have sent</span></b>. I
glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A3-4/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 17:3-4</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“As you <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">sent me</span></b> into
the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 17:18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l5 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Agent</span></i></b><b>, Encyclopedia of the Jewish
Religion, R.J.Z Werblowski, G Wigoder, 1986, p. 15.</b><b> </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Agent (Hebrew. Shaliach); The main point of the
Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum: “A person’s agent is regarded
as the person himself” (Ned. 72B; Kidd, 41b) Therefore, any act committed by a
duly appointed agent is regarded as having been committed by the principal, who
therefore bears full responsibility for it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h3 style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">R.A.
Johnson, <em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The One and the Many in the
Israelite Conception of God</span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> </span></h3>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a specialized sense when the
patriarch as lord of his household deputized his trusted servant as his <em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">malak</span></em> (his messenger or
angel) the man was endowed with the authority and resources of his lord to
represent him fully and transact business in his name. In Semitic thought this
messenger-representative was conceived of as being personally; and in his very
words; the presence of the sender.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<h3 style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">“Origin
& Early History of the Apostolic Office,” T. Korteweg, in <em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">The Apostolic Age in Patristic Thought</span></em>,
ed. Hilhorst, p 6f.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> </span></h3>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The origin of the apostolic
office lies… for example in Mishnah Berakhot 5.5: ‘a man’s agent is like to
himself.’ the nucleus not only of the Jewish designation of <em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">shaliach</span></em>, but also of the
Christian apostolate as we find it in the NT…the specific Semitic and the Jewish
concept of representative authority which is implied in the designation of
shaliach…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Paul’s letters are the only early
document from which a reconstruction of apostolic self-consciousness seems at
all possible [i.e.,] God or the Messiah is speaking through his mouth [</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1Thess%202.13/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1Thessalonians
2.13</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">; </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2Cor%205.20%3B%2013.3/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">2Corinthians
5.20; 13.3</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">], like the prophet Jeremiah he is given authority to build up
and destroy [</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2Cor%2010.8%3B%2013.10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">2Corinthians
10.8; 13.10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">; and </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Gal%204.14/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Galatians
4.14</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">]. Of course, this is reminiscent of [</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Matt%2010.40/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Matthew
10.40</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">; </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%2010.16/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Luke
10.16</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[In the OT] the Hebrew verb
shalach is regularly used for the sending of prophets and the normal rendering
of shalach in the Septuagint is apostellein [cp. Matthew 23:4ff.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<h3 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Dictionary of the Later New Testament
& Its Developments, eds. Martin, Davids, “Christianity and Judaism:
Partings of The Ways”, 3.2. Johannine Christology.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Johannine Christology appears to
have been fashioned from Jewish wisdom ideas and the related concept of the
shaliach (lit. “one who is sent” from heaven; shaliach in Hebrew, Apostolos in
Greek). Shaliach and wisdom ideas were easily exploited by first-century
Christians who were trying to explain to themselves and to others who Jesus was
and what was the nature of his relationship to God. In the Fourth, Gospel Jesus
is presented as the word that became flesh (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Jn%201%3A1%2C%2014/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John
1:1, 14</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">; Genesis 3:15</span></span><span style="color: #262626;">). The
function of the Johannine “word” (logos) approximates that of Wisdom, which in
biblical and post-biblical traditions is sometimes personified (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Prov%208%3A1%E2%80%939%3A6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Proverbs
8:1–9:6</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">; Sir 24:1–34)”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<h3 style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Hebrews
3:1-2 (ESV), Jesus the apostle (<em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">shaliach)</span></em> and
high priest of our confession <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;"> </span></h3>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Therefore, holy brothers, you who
share in a heavenly calling, consider </span><strong><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">Jesus,
the apostle </span></strong><span style="color: #262626;">and high priest of our confession, </span><strong><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">who
was faithful to Him who appointed him</span></strong><span style="color: #262626;">, just as Moses also was
faithful in all God’s house.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Proximate and ultimate causation<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">proximate cause</span></b> is
an event that is closest to, or immediately responsible for causing some observed result. This exists in contrast to a higher-level <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">ultimate cause</span></b> which is usually thought of as the
“real” reason something occurred.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Let’s take the example of </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2%20Samuel%203%3A18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Samuel
3:18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;"> below. Yehovah (the
principal) is the <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">first/ultimate </span></i>cause of
salvation while David is the secondary/proximate cause as it says, “By the hand
of my servant David I will save my people Israel.” Both God and David are
saviors regarding Israel. Now God has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus as he
promised (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%2013%3A23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts 13:23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">).</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>2 Samuel 3:18 (ESV), “By the
hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel.”</b><b> </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now then bring it about, for Yehovah has promised
David, saying, ‘<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel from the hand of the Philistines</span></b>, and from the hand of
all their enemies.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 13:22-23 (ESV), God has
brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus as He promised.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">And when He had removed him, He raised up David to
be their king, of whom He testified and said, <b>‘I have found in David the son
of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’</b> <b>Of this
man’s offspring <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus</span></b>,<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> as He promised</span></b>.</span><span style="color: #262626;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">God works through agents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Below are examples of how God works through agents.
Moses and Aaron did as Yehovah commanded. Aaron lifted up the staff and struck
the water. In him doing this act, Yehovah strikes the water of the Nile and
turned it into blood. Aaron is the proximate cause (agent) and Yehovah is the
ultimate cause (principle) of the act.</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">In </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Exodus%2023/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Exodus 23</span></a><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">:</span><span style="color: #262626;"> Yehovah
sends an angel before Israel and instructs them to be attentive and obey His
voice; ” for my name [Yehovah] is in him.” Here God is using an agent to serve His
purposes and has given this agent the authority to operate in His name. Obeying
the voice of the angel = doing all that God says. And when it says that
“Jacob wrestled with God” he was actually striving with an angel of Yehovah.
Again </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2%20Samuel%203%3A18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Samuel
3:18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, indicates that both Yehovah
God and David are saviors with respect to Israel. Jesus is also a servant of
God that He raised up (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%203%3A26/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts 3:26</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and God exalted him at His right hand as leader
and savior. The works and actions of the agents of God are the works and
actions of God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 7:17-20 (ESV), Aaron
striking the water = YEHOVAH striking the water</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus says Yehovah, “By this you shall know that I
am Yehovah: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water
that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. The fish in the Nile
shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of
drinking water from the Nile.”’” <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And Yehovah said to Moses, “Say
to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt,
over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water,
so that they may become blood</span></b>, and there shall be blood throughout
all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Moses and Aaron did as Yehovah commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh
and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in
the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 23:20-25 (ESV), Obeying
the voice of my messenger = obeying all that I (Yehovah) say:</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Behold, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I send an angel before you</span></b> to
guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay
careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he
will not pardon your transgression, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">for my name [Yehovah] is in him</span></b>. “But <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say</span></b>,
then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When
my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and
the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot
them out, you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as
they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in
pieces. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">You shall serve Yehovah your God</span></b>, and he will bless
your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hosea 12:2-4 (ESV) Jacob strove
with the angel = Jacob strove with God</b><b> </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yehovah has an indictment against Judah and will
punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his
deeds. In the womb, he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he strove with God</span></b>. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">He strove with the angel and
prevailed</span></b>; he wept and sought his favor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>2 Samuel 3:18 (ESV), “By the
hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now then bring it about, for Yehovah has promised
David, saying, ‘<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">By the hand of my servant David I will save my
people Israel from the hand of the Philistines</span></b>, and from the hand of
all their enemies.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 3:26 (ESV), “God raised up His
servant.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">God, having raised up his servant</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning
every one of you from your wickedness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 5:30-31 (ESV), The God of
our fathers raised Jesus – God exalted him as leader and Savior.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">The God of our fathers raised Jesus</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior</span></b>,
to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins</span><span style="color: #262626;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Agents of God were called “God [Elohim]”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus made direct reference to </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Psalms%2082%3A6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Psalms
82:6</span></a><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">;</span><span style="color: #262626;"> when clarifying that those to whom the word of God comes are
called God and that he was only claiming to be the Son of God in doing the
works of his Father. In </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Psalms%2045%3A2-7/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Psalms
45:2-7</span></a><span style="color: #262626;"> the Son of Man is called
“God [Elohim]” on account of the blessing and majesty that God will give him.
In other cases, Moses was made God [Elohim] to Pharaoh and the Judges within
Exodus were referred to as God (Elohim). Quotations are from the English
Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise indicated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 10:34-37, Jesus makes
direct reference to those to whom the word of God came were called gods
[Elohim]</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus answered them, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Is it not written in your Law,
‘I said, you are gods</span>’?</b> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">If he called them gods to whom
the word of God came; and Scripture cannot be broken;</span></b> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the
world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’</span></b>? If
I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Psalms 82:6-7, men were called
gods [Elohim]</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I said, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">You are gods, sons of the
Most High, all of you</span></b>; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">nevertheless, like men you
shall die</span></b>, and fall like any prince.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Psalms 45:2-7, The Messiah is
referred to as God [Elohim] for being anointed by God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">You are the most handsome of the sons of men</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">; grace is poured upon your lips; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">therefore, God has blessed you forever</span></b>. Gird your
sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! I<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">n your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and
meekness and righteousness</span></b>; let your right hand teach you awesome
deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the
people fall under you. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Your throne, O God [Elohim], is
forever and ever</span></b>. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of
uprightness; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">you have loved righteousness and hated
wickedness</span></b>. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Therefore God, your God, has
anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 4:14-16, Moses was as God
[Elohim] to Aaron.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the anger of Yehovah was kindled against Moses
and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can
speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will
be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his
mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both
what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your
mouth, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">and you shall be as God [Elohim] to him</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 7:1, Moses was God
[Elohim] to Pharaoh.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And Yehovah said to Moses, “See,<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> I have made you God [Elohim] to Pharaoh</span></b>, and
your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 21:6, Judges of Israel
were called God [Elohim]</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">…then his master shall bring him to God</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, and he shall bring him to the door or the
doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall
be his slave forever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 22:8-9, Judges of Israel
were called God [Elohim]</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If the thief is not found, the owner of the
house <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">shall come near to God [Elohim]</span></b> to show whether or
not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. For every breach of
trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for
any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">This is it,’ the case of both
parties shall come before God [Elohim]. The one whom God [Elohim] condemns
shall pay double to his neighbor</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 22:28, Judges of Israel
were called God [Elohim].</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">You shall not revile God, nor
curse a ruler of your people</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #162521;">Messengers of God speak and are spoken to as if they are God.</span></b><b><span style="color: #162521;"> </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whatever angels of God say, what is said is
regarded as if it came from God Himself. This is the Jewish law of agency. This
doctrine is demonstrated throughout the Tanakh (Old Testament). Many agents of
God appear to be God [Elohim] but are not literally so. In the case where there
are two beings and one speaks for another, yet they are distinct, it is
universally assumed in the Talmud, the Targums, and the volume of Jewish
interpretation, that it is the case of an agent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 31:11-13 (ESV), The
angel of God speaks in the first person as God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the angel of God said</span></b> to
me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ And he said, ‘Lift up
your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted,
and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I am the God [Elohim] of Bethel</span></b>, where you anointed a
pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land, and return to
the land of your kindred.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 3:2-6 (ESV), The angel of
Yehovah speaks and is spoken to as God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">And <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the angel of Yehovah appeared
to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush</span></b>. He looked, and
behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I
will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When
Yehovah saw that he turned aside to see, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God called to him out of the
bush, “Moses, Moses</span></b>!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said,
“Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you
are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I am the God of your father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his
face, for he was afraid to look at God</span></b></span><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;"> </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">W</span><span style="color: #262626;">hen Moses
is said to have hidden his face because he was afraid to look at God, we know this
is the angel of Yehovah in the bush.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Exodus%203%3A2/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Exodus 3:2</span></a><u><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">:</span></u><span style="color: #262626;"> says it is the angel of Yehovah<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;">Heaven cannot contain God (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Kings%208%3A27/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1 Kings 8:27</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;">No one has actually seen God at any time (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20John%204%3A12/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1 John 4:12</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;">God dwells in unapproachable light (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Tim%206%3A16/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1 Timothy 6:16</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;">The Most high does not dwell in houses made by
hands (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%207%3A48-50/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Acts 7:48-50</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 120.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l3 level2 lfo3; tab-stops: list 72.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">§<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;">God reveals himself through his messengers (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Heb%201%3A1-2/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Hebrews 1:1-2</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Deuteronomy 5:22 (ESV), God
spoke to Moses but is said to have spoken to all the assembly.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“These words <b>Yehovah<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> spoke to all your assembly at
the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness</span></b>,
with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of
stone and gave them to me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Deuteronomy 11:13-15 (LSV),
Moses Speaks in the first person as God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“And it has been, if you listen diligently to My
commands which I am commanding you today, to love your God Yehovah - YHWH, and
to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I</span></b> have given the rain of your land in its season; autumn
rain and spring rain; and you have gathered your grain, and your new wine, and
your oil, and <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I</span></b> have given
herbs in your field for your livestock, and you have eaten and been satisfied.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Judges 6:11-14 (ESV), the angel
of Yehovah is referred to as Yehovah and speaks for Yehovah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now the <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">angel of Yehovah</span></b> came
and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite,
while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the
Midianites. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And the angel of Yehovah appeared to him and
said to him, “Yehovah is with you</span></b>, O mighty man of valor.” And
Gideon said to him, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Please, my Lord, if Yehovah is with us, why
then has all this happened to us</span></b>? And where are all his wonderful
deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yehovah bring us up
from Egypt?’ But now Yehovah has forsaken us and given us into the hand of
Midian.” <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And Yehovah turned to him and said</span></b>, “Go in this might
of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Zechariah 3:6-7 (ESV), The angle
of Yehovah delivers Yehovah’s message.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And the <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">angel of Yehovah</span></b> solemnly
assured Joshua, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Thus says Yehovah of hosts</span></b>: If you
will walk in my ways and keep my charge, then you shall rule my house and have
charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who
are standing here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Zechariah 4:6 (ESV), “But by my
Spirit, says Yehovah of hosts.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then he said to me, “This is the word of Yehovah to
Zerubbabel: <b>Not by might, nor by power, but <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">by my Spirit, says Yehovah of
hosts</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Haggai 1:13 (ESV), Haggai, the
prophet is an angel Yehovah, who speaks in the first person as God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">13</span></sup><span style="color: #262626;"> Then Haggai, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the messenger of Yehovah</span></b>,
spoke to the people with Yehovah’s message, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I am with you, declares Yehovah</span></b>.”</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Concept of the angel of Yehovah (Malach of YHWH)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Angel of Yehovah is a necessary consequence of
God not being able to be contained by time or space. Not a city, or a body, or
a temple. For this reason, God sends messengers to communicate with humans. What
an angel does is relay God’s will. The Hebrew word malach literally means
messenger. Again, God uses messengers to speak on his behalf. Messengers often
speak in the first person as if they are God from whom the message comes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>1 Kings 8:27 (ESV), Heaven
cannot contain God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Behold, heaven, and the highest heaven cannot contain you</span></b>;
how much less this house that I have built!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Haggai 1:13 (ESV), Haggai, the
prophet is an angel of Yehovah, who speaks in the first person as God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">13</span></sup><span style="color: #262626;"> Then Haggai, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the messenger of Yehovah</span></b>,
spoke to the people with Yehovah’s message, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I am with you, declares Yehovah</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Haggai 1:13 (LSV), Haggai the
prophet is malach of YHWH (angel of Yehovah)</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And Haggai, messenger of Yehovah - YHWH, in
messages of Yehovah - YHWH, speaks to the people, saying, “I [am] with you, a
declaration of Yehovah - YHWH.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Malachi 2:7 (ESV), Priests are
also called malach (messengers) of Yehovah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge,
and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the messenger of Yehovah of hosts</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Agents of God, including the angel of Yehovah, are
not literally God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">References above illustrate how agents of God are
not literally God. There is no place in the Bible where people are commanded to
worship the Angel of the Lord. The fact that the Angel of Yehovah is not
literally Yehovah (YHWH) is further demonstrated by the fact that the Angel of Yehovah
(YHWH) is given instructions from the LORD (YHWH) and is comforted by Yehovah
(YHWH). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>2 Samuel 24:16-17 (ESV), God
instructed the angel of Yehovah to relent.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And when the angel stretched out his hand toward
Jerusalem to destroy it, Yehovah relented from the calamity and said to the
angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay
your hand.” And the angel of Yehovah was by the threshing floor of Araunah the
Jebusite. Then David spoke to Yehovah when he saw the angel who was
striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done
wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against
me and against my father’s house.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Zechariah 1:12-13 (ESV), God
spoke words to comfort the angel of Yehovah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the angel of Yehovah said, ‘O Yehovah of
hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah,
against which you have been angry these seventy years?’ And Yehovah
answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Messiah of prophecy is an agent of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament
(Tanakh) describe the coming son of man as an agent of God through whom God
will establish an everlasting priesthood and kingdom. Quotations are from the
English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise indicated. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deuteronomy 18:15-19, “God will raise up for you a
prophet; I will put my words in his mouth.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #262626;">“Yehovah<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> your God will raise up for you
a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers; it is to him you shall
listen; </span></span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> just as you desired of
Yehovah your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me
not hear again the voice of Yehovah my God or see this great fire any more,
lest I die.’ And Yehovah said to me, ‘They are right in what they have
spoken. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their
brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all
that I command him.</span></b> And whoever will not listen to my words
that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Psalms 110:1-6, “Yehovah says to my Adoni.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">Yehovah says to my Lord [Adoni]: “Sit at my
right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">.” Yehovah sends forth from Zion your mighty
scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer
themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of
the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. Yehovah has sworn and
will not change his mind, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">You are a priest forever </span></b>after
the order of Melchizedek.” Yehovah is at your right hand; He will shatter
kings on the day of His wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses; He will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Psalms 8:4-6, “You have given him dominion over the
works of your hands.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What is man that you are mindful of him, and<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> the son of man</span></b> that you care for
him Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and
crowned him with glory and honor. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">You have given him dominion
over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet</span></b>,<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Psalms 110:1 (LSV), Yehovah YHWH to my Lord [Adoni]<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">A PSALM OF DAVID. A declaration of<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> Yehovah - YHWH to my Lord [adoni]</span></b>: “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Sit at My right hand</span></b>, until I make Your enemies Your
footstool.” <b>Isaiah 9:6-7, “To us a child is born, to us a son is given.”</b></span><b><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">For to us a child is born, to
us a son is given</span></b>; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God [Hero],
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and
of peace, there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to
establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this
time forth and forevermore. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The zeal of Yehovah of hosts
will do this</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isaiah 52:13, “My servant shall act wisely.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Behold, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">my servant</span></b> shall
act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Isaiah 53:10-12: “By His knowledge shall the
righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">Yet it was the will of Yehovah to crush him</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he has put him to
grief; when his soul makes an offering [a sin-offering] for guilt</span></b>,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the will of Yehovah shall prosper in his hand</span></b>. Out
of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make
many to be accounted righteous</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">and he shall bear their
iniquities</span></b>. Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the
many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">because he poured out his soul to death </span></b>and was
numbered with the transgressors; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">yet he bore the sin of many and
makes intercession for the transgressors</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus is an agent of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Throughout the New Testament, Jesus identifies
himself as and is identified by others as an agent of God. Bible quotations are
from the ESV.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Matthew 12:18, Behold my servant
whom I have chosen.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> “Behold, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">my servant whom I have chosen</span></b>,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I will put my Spirit upon
him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Luke 4:8, “You shall worship the
Lord [Yehovah] your God, and Him only shall you serve.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">You shall worship the Lord [Yehovah] your God, and Him only shall
you serve</span></b>.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Luke 4:16-21, “The Spirit of the
Lord [Yehovah] is upon me because He has anointed me.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought
up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he
stood up to read. <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">17</span></sup> And the
scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found
the place where it was written, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The Spirit of the Lord
[Yehovah] is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of
sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">to proclaim the year of the Lord’s [Yehovah’s] favor</span></b>.” He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the
eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to
them, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing</span></b>.”<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Luke 9:35, “This is my Son, my
chosen one.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><sup><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">35</span></sup><span style="color: #262626;"> And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">This is my Son, my Chosen One</span></b>; listen to him!” [the
word listen used here is a command to listen to the words which Jesus spoke,
because they were the words God gave him to speak]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Luke 22:42, “Not my will but
yours, be done.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">saying, “Father if you are willing, remove this cup
from me. Nevertheless, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">not my will, but yours, be done</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">Acts
2:22-24, A man delivered up according to the plan and foreknowledge of God.</span></b><b> </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of
Nazareth,<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> a man attested to you by God</span></b> with mighty
works and wonders and signs<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> that God did through
him </span></b>in your midst, as you yourselves know; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and
foreknowledge of God,</span></b> you crucified and killed by the hands of
lawless men. God raised him up, losing the pangs of death, because he couldn't be held by it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 2:36, “God has made him
both Lord [over all His creation] and Messiah, this Jesus.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let all the house of Israel therefore know for
certain that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God has made him both Lord and Messiah</span></b>,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 3:13, God… glorified his
servant Jesus.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, the God of our fathers, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">glorified his servant Jesus</span></b>,
whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate when he had
decided to release him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 3:19-26, God raised up his
servant.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may
be blotted out, <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">20</span></sup> that times of refreshing
may come from the presence of the Lord [Yehovah], and that He may send the Messiah
appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for
restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy
prophets long ago. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Moses said, ‘The Lord God
[Yehovah] will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers</span></b>.
<b>You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that
every soul who does not listen to <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">that prophet</span> shall
be destroyed from the people.</b>’ And all the prophets who have spoken,
from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">2</span></sup>You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant
that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring
shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God, having raised up his servant</span></b>, sent him to you
first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 4:24-30, Believers pray
about “your holy servant Jesus.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">… they lifted their voices together <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">to God and said, “Sovereign Lord [Yehovah], who made the heaven
and the earth and the sea and everything in them</span></b>, who through
the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did
the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">, </span></b>against
the Lord [Yehovah]<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> and against His Anointed</span></b>’; <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">for truly in this city there were gathered together against your
holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along
with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined [marked out
beforehand] to take place</span></b>. And now, Lord [Yehovah], look upon
their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with
all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and
wonders are performed through <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the name of your holy servant
Jesus</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 5:30-32: God exalted him at
his right hand as Lord and Savior.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you
killed by hanging him on a tree</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God exalted him at His right hand as Lord and Savior, to give
repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins</span></b>. a<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">nd we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, which
God has given to those who obey Him</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 10:37-43, He is the one appointed
by God to Judge.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You yourselves know what happened throughout all
Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John
proclaimed: how <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with power</span></b>. He went about doing good and
healing all who were oppressed by the devil, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">for God was with him</span></b>. And
we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in
Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God raised him on the third day</span></b> and made him to appear, not
to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate
and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to
preach to the people and to testify that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he is the one appointed by God
to be judge of the living and the dead</span></b>. To him, all the prophets
bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins
through his name.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 17:30-31, “A man whom He
has appointed.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he
commands all people everywhere to repent, <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">31</span> because he has
fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">by a man whom he has appointed</span></b>; and of this, he has
given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 4:34, “My food is to do the
will of Him who sent me.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus said to them, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">My food is to do the will of Him
who sent me and to accomplish His work</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 5:30, “I seek not my own
will but the will of Him who sent me.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge,
and my judgment is just, because<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> I seek not my own will
but the will of Him who sent me</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 7:16-18, “My teaching is
not mine, but His who sent me.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, Jesus answered them, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me</span></b>. If anyone
will be to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or
whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own
authority seeks his own glory, but <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the one who seeks the glory of Him
who sent him is true</span></b>, and in him there is no falsehood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 8:26-29, “I do nothing on
my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I have much to say about you and much to
judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">what I have heard from Him</span></b>.” They did not
understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. So,
Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know
that I am he, and that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I do nothing on my own
authority</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">but speak just as the Father
taught me</span></b>. And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me
alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 8:40: “Me, a man who has
told you the truth that I heard from God.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But now you seek to kill me, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God</span></b>.
This is not what Abraham did.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 12:49-50: “The Father who
sent me has Himself given me a commandment; what to say and what to speak.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I have not spoken on my own
authority, but the Father who sent me has Himself given me a commandment; what
to say and what to speak</span></b>. And I know that His commandment is
eternal life. What I say, therefore, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I say as the Father has told me</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 14:24: “The word that you
hear is not mine but the Father’s.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whoever does not love me does not keep my
word. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s</span></b> who
sent me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 15:10: “I have kept my
Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my
love, just as<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Galatians 1:3-5: Jesus gave
himself according to the will of God the Father.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus the Messiah, <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">4</span></sup> who gave
himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">according to the will of our God and Father</span></b>, to
whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Philippians 2:8-11: He humbled
himself by becoming obedient to death.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And being found in human form, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross</span></b>. Therefore, God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">1</span></sup>so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and <b>every tongue confess
that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>1 Timothy 2:5-6: There is one
God and one mediator.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">there is one God, and there is
one mediator between God and men</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the man the Messiah Jesus</span></b>, who
gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper
time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>1 Peter 2:23: He entrusted
himself to Him who judges justly.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When he was reviled, he did not revile in return;
when he suffered, he did not threaten, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">but continued entrusting
himself to Him who judges justly</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hebrews 4:15; 5:6: Every high priest
appointed to act on behalf of men concerning God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect
has been tempted as we are, yet without sin</span></b>. Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Every high priest chosen
from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men concerning God</span></b>,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the
ignorant and wayward since he is beset with weakness. because of
this, he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for
those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only
when called by God, just as Aaron was. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">So also the Messiah did not
exalt himself to be made a high priest</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">but was appointed by Him who said to him</span></b>, “You are my
Son, today I have begotten you”; <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">6</span></sup> as he says
also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of
Melchizedek.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hebrews 5:8-10: Jesus has been
designated by God a high priest.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although he was a son, he learned obedience through
what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation to all who obey him, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">being designated by God a high
priest</span></b> after the order of Melchizedek.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hebrews 9:24: The Messiah
entered heaven to appear in the presence of God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #262626;">For the Messiah<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> has entered</span></span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, not into holy places made with hands, which are
copies of the true things, but <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God on our behalf</span></b>.</span><b><span style="color: #421622;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus is not God in a literal ontological sense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although Jesus is a servant of God that can be
regarded as God based on the concept of Agency, it is clear by the following
witness that he is not God in a literal ontological sense. Bible references are
in the ESV.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 8:54: “it is my Father who
glorifies me.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Jesus answered, “<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">If I glorify myself, my glory
is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God</span></b>.’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 10:17: “For this reason the
Father loves me”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">For this reason,</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the Father loves me, because I lay down my life</span></b> so that
I may take it up again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 10:29: “My Father is
greater than all.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 My Father,<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> who has given them to me</span></b>,<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> is greater than all</span></b>, and no one is able to snatch
them out of the Father’s hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 14:28:
“<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The Father is greater than I</span>”</b><b> </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I
will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 17:1-3: you, the only true God,
and Jesus the Messiah whom you have sent.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Jesus spoke these words, he lifted up his
eyes to heaven, and said, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">“Father</span></b>, the hour
has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal
life to all whom you have given him</span></b>. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And this
is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus the Messiah
whom you have sent</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 20:17: “I ascend to my God
and your God.”</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I have not yet ascended to the Father</span></b>; but go to my
brothers and say to them, ‘<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I am ascending to my Father and
your Father, to my God and your God</span></b>.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>1 Corinthians 8:4-6: There is
one God the Father, and one Lord Jesus the Messiah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“… there is no God but one.” <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">5</span></sup> For although there may be so-called gods in
heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”; yet <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">for us there is one God, the Father</span></b>, from whom are all
things and for whom we exist, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">and one Lord, Jesus the
Messiah,</span></b> through whom are all things and through whom we exist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 2:36: God has made him both
Lord and Messiah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let all the house of Israel therefore know for
certain that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God has made him both Lord and Messiah</span></b>,
this Jesus whom you crucified.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 3:13: God glorified his
servant Jesus.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, whom you delivered over and denied in the
presence of Pilate when he had decided to release him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 3:18: God foretold that his
anointed one, [Messiah] would suffer.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But what <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God</span></b> foretold by
the mouth of all the prophets, that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">his anointed one [Messiah] would
suffer, he thus fulfilled</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 4:26: against the Lord
[Yehovah] and against His Anointed.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The kings of the earth set themselves, and the
rulers were gathered together, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">against the Lord [Yehovah] and
against his Anointed</span></b>’—<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts 5:30-31: God exalted him at
his right hand as Lord and Savior</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">The God of our fathers raised Jesus, </span></b><span style="color: #262626;">whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">31</span></sup> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God exalted him at his right
hand as Lord and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins</span></b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Philippians 2:8-11: God has
highly exalted him and bestowed on him.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And being found in human form, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross</span></b>. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Therefore, God has highly
exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name</span></b>, so
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> every tongue confess that
Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Galatians 1:3-5: Jesus gave
himself according to the will of God the Father.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grace to you and peace <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Messiah</span></b>, who
gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">according to the will of our God and Father</span></b>, to
whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>1 Timothy 2:5-6: There is one
God and one mediator.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">there is one God, and there is
one mediator between God and men</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the man the Messiah Jesus</span></b>, who
gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper
time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>1 Corinthians 11:3: the head of the
Messiah is God</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But I want you to understand that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the head of every man is the Messiah</span></b>, the head of a
wife is her husband, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">and the head of the Messiah is
God</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>2 Corinthians 1:2-3: the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus the Messiah. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Colossians 1:3: God, the Father
of our Lord Jesus the Messiah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We always thank <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus the Messiah</span></b>, when we pray for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hebrews 4:15-5:1: Every high priest
appointed to act on behalf of men concerning God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">For <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect
has been tempted as we are, yet without sin</span></b>. Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">For every high priest chosen
from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men concerning God</span></b>,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hebrews 5:5-10: The Messiah was
appointed by God; being designated by God a high priest.</b><b> </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">So also, the Messiah did not exalt himself to be
made a high priest</span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">but was appointed by Him who said to him, </span></b>“You are
my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You
are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of his
flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears,
to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his
reverence. Although he was a son, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he learned obedience through
what he suffered</span></b>. And being made perfect, he became the source
of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> designated by God a high
priest</span></b> after the order of Melchizedek.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hebrews 9:24: The Messiah
entered heaven to appear in the presence of God.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #262626;">For the Messiah<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> has entered</span></span></b><span style="color: #262626;">, not into holy places made with hands, which are
copies of the true things, but <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">into heaven itself, now to appear
in the presence of God on our behalf</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Revelation 11:15: the kingdom of our
Lord [Yehovah] and of His Messiah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there
were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the kingdom of our Lord [Yehovah] and of his Messiah</span></b>,
and he shall reign forever and ever.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Revelation 12:10: the kingdom of our
God and the authority of his Messiah</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now
the salvation and the power and <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the kingdom of our God and the
authority of his Messiah</span></b> have come, for the accuser of our
brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Revelation 20:6: Priests of God
and of the Messiah.</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first
resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">priests of God and of the Messiah</span></b>, and they will reign
with him for a thousand years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The LORD [Yehovah – YHWH], who alone is God, is the
one who raised up His servant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Jewish concept of agency is that the person’s
agent is regarded as the person himself. God uses agents who are
representatives and messengers who communicate the word and intentions of God.
God’s anointed one, Jesus, clearly fits within the model of an agent. He being
the Messiah that all the prophets bear witness of is the principal servant of
God through whom all the nations of the earth will be blessed. In Hebrews,
Jesus is referred to as both our apostle and high priest of our confession.
These terms are synonymous with that of a messenger (Malach) and agent
(Shaliach). References are in the ESV unless stated otherwise. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deuteronomy 6:4-5:, Yehovah our God, Yehovah is
One.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Hear, O Israel: <b>Yehovah<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> our God, Yehovah is one</span></b>. You shall love Yehovah
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deuteronomy 4:35: Besides Yehovah - YHWH, there is
no other God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> To you it was shown, that you might know<b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> that Yehovah is God; there is no other besides him</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deuteronomy 18:15-19: Moses declares that Yehovah -
YHWH your God will raise up a prophet like me from among you<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<b>Yehovah<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> your God will raise up for you
a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers; </span></b>to him, you
shall listen; just as you desired of Yehovah your God at Horeb on the day
of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of Yehovah my
God or see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’ And Yehovah said to me,
‘They are right in what they have spoken. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">I will
raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put
my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him</span></b>. <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">19</span></sup> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">And whoever will not listen to
my words that he shall speak in my name</span></b>, I will require it of
him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Acts 3:19-26: As Moses and the prophets proclaimed,
God raised up his servant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may
be blotted out, <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">20</span></sup> that times of refreshing
may come from the presence of the Lord, and that <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he may send the Messiah appointed for you, Jesus</span></b>, whom
heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God
spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Moses said, ‘Yehovah God will raise up for you a prophet like me
from your brothers</span></b>. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells
you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">that prophet</span></b> shall be destroyed from the
people.’ And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those
who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the
prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to
Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be
blessed.’ <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God, having raised up his servant</span></b>,
sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your
wickedness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hebrews 3:1-2: Jesus the apostle (shaliach) and
high priest of our confession.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a
heavenly calling, consider <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Jesus, the apostle and high
priest of our confession</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">who was faithful to Him who
appointed him</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">just as Moses also was faithful
in all God’s house</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Malachi 2:7: Priests are called malach (messengers)
of Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge,
and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the messenger of Yehovah of hosts</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In conclusion, Jesus is the apostle and high priest
of our confession.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus is the human Messiah. Yet as an agent of God,
he is referred to as God in some places. However, this is consistent with the
law of agency, that this is not to indicate that Jesus is God in a literal
ontological sense. Although he spoke the words of the Father and did as the
Father commanded him, he and the Father are distinct persons, and he is rather
the servant of God that God raised up to be his Messiah. Jesus, the apostle (<i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Shaliach)</span></i> and high priest of our confession was
faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses was also faithful in all God’s
house. The references provided below further attest to this. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hebrews 1:1-4: (ESV), God has spoken to us by His
Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Long ago, at many times and in many ways, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">God spoke to our fathers by the prophets</span></b>, <sup><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">2</span></sup> but in these last days, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">he has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the heir of all
things</span></b>, through whom also he created the world. He is the
radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he
upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">having become as much superior to angels as</span></b> <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs</span></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><b><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hebrews 3:1-2: (ESV), Jesus the apostle and high
priest of our confession.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a
heavenly calling, consider <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Jesus, the apostle and high
priest of our confession</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">who was faithful to Him who
appointed him</span></b>, <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">just as Moses also was faithful
in all God’s house</span></b>.</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">The IVP Bible Background Commentary New
Testament</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #262626;">, Craig S. Keener on John 5:30.</span></b><b><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Jesus is thus a faithful <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">shaliach</span></i>, or <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">agent</span></i>; Jewish law
taught that the man’s agent was as a man himself (backed by his full
authority), to the extent that the agent faithfully represented him. Moses and
the Old Testament prophets were sometimes viewed as God’s agents.”</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #262626; padding: 0cm;">Dictionary of the Later New Testament &
Its Developments</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #262626;">, eds.
Martin, Davids, “Christianity and Judaism: Partings of The Ways”, 3.2.
Johannine Christology.</span></b><b><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">“Johannine Christology appears to have been
fashioned from Jewish wisdom ideas and the related concept of the <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">shaliach</span></i> (lit. “one who is sent” from
heaven; <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">shaliach</span></i> in Hebrew, <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Apostolos</span></i> in Greek). <i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Shaliach</span></i> and wisdom ideas were easily exploited by
first-century Christians who were trying to explain to themselves and to others
who Jesus was and what was the nature of his relationship to God. In the Fourth
Gospel Jesus is presented as the Word that became flesh (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Jn%201%3A1%2C%2014/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 1:1, 14</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). The function of the Johannine “Word” (logos)
approximates that of Wisdom, which in biblical and postbiblical traditions is
sometimes personified (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Prov%208%3A1%E2%80%939%3A6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">Proverbs 8:1–9:6</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">; Sir 24:1–34; one should note that in Sir 24:3,
Wisdom is identified as the word that proceeds from God’s mouth).</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In three passages Jesus is accused of blaspheming
for claiming divine privilege and prerogatives. In the first passage, Jesus
supposedly breaks the sabbath by healing a man and then intensifies the ensuing
controversy by referring to God as his Father. Jesus’ critics infer from this
claim that Jesus has made himself “equal with God.” The second passage is
similar. In it Jesus affirms, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). His
critics take up stones to stone him, because although only a human, Jesus has
made himself God. But the meaning here is probably not that Jesus has literally
claimed to be God. <b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">The claim to be one with God
probably relates to the shaliach concept</span></b>. <b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0cm;">As God’s representative, sent to do God’s work, Jesus can claim
that he is “one” with the Father.”</span></b></span></span><span style="color: #303030; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-87022239208469027002023-12-02T17:19:00.005-05:002023-12-02T17:19:59.715-05:00WITHOUT THE CAMP<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>"Let us go </i></b><b>forth <i>therefore </i>unto <i>Him,
without the camp, bearing His </i>reproach" (Hebrew 13:13).</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In
these words, the writer to the Hebrews reaches the climax of his epistle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There
is in reality a double climax in this letter. One is reached in chapter 10, and
we find ourselves within the veil (vs. 19-22); the other is in the verse quoted
above, and we find ourselves outside the camp. The one position corresponds
with the other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>In verses 12 and 13 of our chapter, we find two expressions:
"without the gate," and "without the camp."</b> <b>It is necessary to
notice the distinction, to grasp the meaning of the change.</b> <b>"Without
the gate" signifies rather the geographical position, though we do not
limit it to this, but "without the camp" has a moral and religious,
as well as spiritual signification</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let
us consider first what the writer of the epistle intended the Hebrews to
understand by the exhortation; and, secondly, what bearing, if any, it has
today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">To gather up and present the full implication of this exhortation, let us
notice: Three Old Testament Scriptures:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The first is Exodus 33: 1-7:</b> Here we learn that, in consequence of Israel's
apostasy (see chapter 32), God refused to go up in their midst. We read: <b>"And
Moses took the Tabernacle, and pitched it <i>without the camp . . . </i>And
it came to pass that every one which sought Yehovah went out unto the Tabernacle
. . . without the camp" (v. 7).<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The second is in Numbers 11:</b> God had told Moses to gather unto him seventy
men of the elders of Israel and to <i>bring them unto the Tabernacle of
the congregation, </i>and God said He would take of the spirit which was
upon Moses and put it upon them. We find, however, that two men, Eldad and
Meded, did not go out to the Tabernacle, but <i>remained in the
camp. </i>Nevertheless, we are told, "the Spirit rested upon them,
and they prophesied in the camp" (v. 26). Great indignation is aroused,
and Joshua calls upon Moses to forbid them. Moses however refuses to forbid
them, though he refrains from commending them. "Would God that all the
Lord's people were prophets," he exclaims, "and that the Lord would
put His Spirit upon them!" We shall have occasion to return to this again.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The third Scripture is. Leviticus 16: 27:</b> regarding what
occurred on the Day of Atonement:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">"And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering,
whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry
forth <i>without the camp</i>, and they shall burn in the fire their
skins, and their flesh, and their dung."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">All
these Scriptures throw light upon the passage we are considering. The camp was
connected with a religious system on earth. A system established by God
Himself. Normally it should have been His dwelling place. But apostasy, in the
form of a system of idolatry, was set up, which forced God to forsake it. He
did not altogether forsake His people, but He refused to go up in their midst.
The Tabernacle, His dwelling place, was pitched outside.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The
Epistle to the Hebrews is written because of another apostasy. According to the
parable uttered by our Lord, God had sent His uniquely begotten Son, and the
husbandmen, the Jews had said: <b>"This is the heir, come let us kill Him
and let us seize on His inheritance."</b> <b>The Messiah "suffered outside
the gate."</b> The camp order of things is set aside, and another order of
things is established. This is why the apostle says, "We (disciples) have
an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle,"
The Tabernacle order and Christianity do not subsist together. Thus, the
exhortation, <b>"Let us go forth therefore unto Him outside the camp,
bearing his reproach."<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those
early followers of the Lord Messiah Jesus were called to go outside a religious
system on earth [Christendom], and to feed upon the Messiah's death in a
spiritual way (the altar) in his company, inside the veil, the one ripped in
two at the death of Jesus, giving the followers of the Lord Messiah Jesus access
to the Holy of Holies, direct access to the throne of our God and Father Yehovah!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">While
the camp order of Israel existed, the way into the Holy of Holies was not made
manifest. What is to be set aside is foretold in John 10. It is remarkable how
much the epistle to the Hebrews seems like a dissertation on our Lord's
words as recorded in this chapter. We are told, "He that enters in by the
door is the Shepherd of the sheep. To him, the porter opens, and the sheep hear
his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name <i>and leadeth them </i>out.
And when he puts forth his own sheep, <i>he goes before </i>them"
(vs. 2-4).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This
is a parable of what really happened. The Messiah entered by his birth the
Jewish fold, to bear witness and testimony about the Kingship and Kingdom of
God, and those who accepted that message would become members of his body, new
creations in him, his sheep. To do this, He went before them as
the pioneer of their salvation, and deliverance. This He did when He "suffered
without the gate [was crucified]," as Hebrews 13 states. "Wherefore
Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people [those who believe he was the one
God had sent] with His own blood, suffered without the gate." How
powerful, then, the exhortation, <b>"Let us go forth therefore unto Him
without the camp, bearing His reproach."<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There
had been a witness to this truth through centuries of Jewish ritual, in the
fact that the carcass of the sin offering, where the blood was brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin, was burned outside the camp. The comment
in Leviticus 4:12 is "unto a clean place." There was no clean place
inside the camp. Man, after the flesh, however religious, will not do for God.
In the carcass burnt in the ashes, outside the camp, we see the end of the
flesh, and of a religious system suited to it. But the Messiah's death for sin,
outside the gate, has opened the way into the Holy of Holies, God’s throne. The
one speaks of distance, the other of nearness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus,
we can understand the force of this appeal to the Hebrews. They were called to
leave the camp, to leave Judaism. They were called to an outside place on
earth; but, at the same time, to know their place within the veil, the Holy of
Holies, God’s throne. If identified with a rejected Messiah on earth, they knew
what it meant to be identified with him before God and to <i>draw near.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But
a further question arises, and one more closely affects us. Has this
exhortation any force at the present time and how does it apply to us? There
can be only one answer to this question. And for this reason. The camp order of
things is around us on every side today. Christendom has returned to the camp.
Once more a religious system has been established on earth. Has it ever
occurred to the reader that Christendom, i.e., all that is outwardly connected
with the Messiah's name on earth, that which passes before men's eyes under the
designation, Church; that this system possesses the features of Judaism concerning its order and services, it's ministry and ritual, far more than it
is characterized by what is distinctively Christian?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">What are the distinctive features of true Christianity?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>All believers are
priests.</b>
The apostle Peter so designates them, for he says, they "are built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices" (1
Peter 2: 5). But today, not only has priesthood become a caste, but we have a
so-called sacrificing priesthood, more after the model of the Levitical
priesthood than any other, a priesthood that professes to occupy a place
between the believer and God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>In connection with the
new dispensation, there was to be neither temple nor any prescribed material
building, because all disciples are individual temples in which the Spirit of
God resides, and collectively the called-out Assembly is a temple of God.</b> The words have just
been quoted, "spiritual house", words which refer to believers, not
materials such as brick and stone. (See also Hebrew 3: 6; Ephesians 2: 21, 22;
1 Corinthians 3: 9, 16). Not only are there material buildings on every side of
us today, but many of them are not even Christian in their conception. A
barrier is sometimes placed across one part as if it were holier than another.
How wrong to pretend that a place on earth can be holier than the holiest! The
proof that there has been a return to the camp is that all the sense of liberty
to enter the holiest has, practically speaking, been lost. The moment the camp
order of things is revived, the other can no longer be enjoyed. You cannot have
the two.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>How little is known in
Christendom today of worship in spirit and in truth.</b> Music, ritual, ornate
services, the observance of days, all these abound. But all this partakes more
of Judaism than of Christianity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>The truth of Pentecost,
the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is the greatest outstanding feature of
this dispensation, is little remembered and recognized, much less acted upon.</b> Organization and
outward forms have been substituted. A living force no longer operates. The
whole character 1<sup>st</sup> century Christianity has been changed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus we see the very truths that characterize
Christianity, the priesthood of all believers; worship of our God and Father Yehovah
in spirit and in truth; liberty to enter the Holy of Holies – God’s throne; a
perfect sin-offering sacrifice once offered; the presence of the Holy Spirit,
and all that flows from it, have been to a large extent lost sight of, and
instead we have a visible religious system on earth, with forms and ceremonies
revived, in other words, a camp.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">This being the case, the words, "Let us go
forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing His reproach" have
their application today, and not merely to a bygone age.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it may be said, 'Are there not many good
people in these systems, and gifted servants of the Messiah, who are far beyond
the systems they are in?' Yes. And this is where the lesson in Numbers 11 comes
in. Eldad and Medad were gifted, and no doubt in themselves good men, they were
numbered amongst the seventy. They seem to have prophesied equally with the
rest, "and the Spirit rested upon them." Nevertheless, they were in
the wrong place. And the indignation of Joshua was not altogether unjustified,
though Moses declined to act upon his advice. There can be no doubt that
outside the camp, and round about the Tabernacle, was the right place, and
although Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp in due course,
which was a necessity, God did not return, and neither did the Tabernacle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, this solemn exhortation applies as much to
us today as to the Hebrew Christians. What will enable us to respond?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>First</b>, an apprehension of the greatness and
worthiness of him who suffered without the gate for us. We are called to go
forth "unto him." It is to a Person, and not merely to some doctrine
or rite or system.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">How great He is we learn from one statement
concerning him in the very chapter we are considering, "Jesus the Messiah
(is) the same yesterday, and today, and forever." What was he yesterday?
God's Son, because of whom He made the worlds. Heir of all things. The
brightness of God's glory and the expressed image of His being. (See chapter 1).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What He was yesterday, He is today. And He is forever.
For today he sits at God's right hand, our Intercessor and Advocate, the
revealer of the Father, and the leader of our worship. And "forever"
he is the same as to the glory of his Person, the efficacy of his work, and the
fullness and unchangeableness of his love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Is He not sufficient for us? Shall we fear to
go forth to such a One? Can we lack anything or fear anything in such a company?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Second</b>. Not only is there all the glory of his person but there is also the attractiveness of his grace. "It is a good thing that
the heart be established with grace," vs. 9 tells us. This is contrasted
with "divers and strange doctrines" on the one hand, and
"meats" on the other; neither of which can profit, for the one appeals
only to the intellect, and the other to the senses. Rationalism and ritualism
are both insufficient. Grace alone touches the heart and satisfies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is the attractive power of grace which draws
us to the Messiah, outside all religious systems. For he is outside such
systems, as Revelation 3: 20 clearly indicates. And this accounts for all the
darkness and uncertainty in Christendom today. The Messiah is not in the
midst, he has taken an outside place and we with him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The grace that draws us to himself is seen in
all its attraction in the place he took on our account. At his resurrection God
made him Lord over all His creation [only Himself excluded], so he is now above
all, and entitled to all, and who possesses all as the Son of God who,
"suffered without the gate." If this does not attract us to him, what
can?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, may the writer to the Hebrews say, <b>"We
have an altar."</b> We eat of the sacrifice and are partakers of the
altar. We find "pasture." The perfection of the Messiah, and the love
of his heart, is our food. A love displayed in death; a goodness that never fails;
is what we feed upon. And as we feed, we shall be prepared to leave all and to
follow him "without the camp."</span><o:p></o:p></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-44051491568344835672023-12-02T15:21:00.002-05:002023-12-02T15:21:37.867-05:00THE SENT ONE<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">At that time the
Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was
walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the Jews
gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in
suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>This dialog
with the Jewish leaders of the day took place just a few months before Yeshua
was arrested and put to death. It continues in John 10, verse 25 …</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background: white;">John 10:25-38: </span></b><span style="background: white;">Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do
not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about
me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my
flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I
give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them
out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father
are one." The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus
answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for
which of them are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered him,
"It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy,
because you, being a man, make yourself God." Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'? If he called
them gods to whom the word of God came; and Scripture cannot be
broken; do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into
the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of
God'? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe
me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the
works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in
the Father.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">During His brief
3 ½ year ministry, Yeshua was attacked by the leaders of His day with various
false charges which included breaking the Sabbath, casting out demons by the
Canaanite gods, and even impersonating a prophet. Each time Yeshua
answered their charge they went away knowing He had won the debate, but the
charge that finally got Him killed was that of blasphemy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The English word
“blasphemy” comes from the Greek word “blasphemia” (St. 988) and is rooted in
the concept of “hurting one’s fame”. The Jew's accusation against Yeshua was
that he was hurting God’s fame because He implied that He was the “son of God”
and was equal to Him. Yeshua answered their charge in His usual way; He asked
them a question based on an excerpt of scripture. He quoted a portion of Psalm
82:6 knowing that they would know, or at least should know the rest of the
scripture as well as its context. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Psalm 82:6 says:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Psalm
82:6: </b>I said,
"You are gods, And all of you are children
(sons) of the Most High.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The context of
this passage is an indictment against those Israelites who were in a position
to judge others. This would of course include the Jewish leaders that
were currently surrounding Yeshua. The prophecy states that those who judge
unrighteously will walk in darkness and die like men. It then closes by saying:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Psalm 82:8:</b> Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you
shall inherit all nations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being that God
(Yehovah) cannot inherit what is already His, Yeshua was indicating that he; as a
righteous judge; would inherit all nations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">This of course
enraged his accusers even more, so Yeshua slipped away to await another day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">This story,
which is set in the context of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, showed that the
Jewish leaders were not really “dedicated” to the revealing of the Messiah; the
King of Israel, but were instead “dedicated” to their own greed and power. If
they were truly looking for the coming Messiah, they would have recognized him
by his works, or more correctly; the works of the Father (vs.25). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">But there’s even
more to this story; a point that a person is likely to miss unless that person
reads through the lens of the Hebrew culture. We know that the leaders of
the 1st-century Jewish people <u>did</u> know that Yeshua was an
emissary sent from God:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 3:1-2</b> There was a man of the Pharisees named
Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said
to Him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one
can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">con't: and since they
knew he was sent by God, they would have also known that he could be considered
to represent God. Why? Because of the ancient Hebrew custom of “agency”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this study, I
want to explain the concept of “agency”, an understanding that helps unlock
more of the words of Messiah Yeshua. We will:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Discover what
agency is all about<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. See examples of
agency in the scriptures<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. See how this
understanding will help us grow in the knowledge of the Messiah<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">With this
information, we will be able to see that Yeshua had every right to claim
“oneness” with God, and what’s more; we’ll see that the Jewish leaders of his
day knew it too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before we get
started, I want to acknowledge one of my sources because I’m going to be
referencing it and because it sheds a lot of light on this understanding. That
source is a well-documented article written by a man named Raymond James Essoe
and called “Shaliah – An Introduction to the Law of Agency”. You can find
the article on the
internet:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.christianmonotheism.com/media/text/Raymond%20Essoe%20--%20Shaliah.pdf<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #3e82a5; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The
Shaliah</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The entire
concept of agency is rooted in the word “shalach” (שָׁלַח – St. 7971)
which means “to send”. We’ve talked about this word before about the
apostles who were sent out by Yeshua to teach the gospel of
the Kingdom. We referred to them as “shaliach” or “shaliah”, and
even though the scriptures never use the term “sent one”, there are numerous
examples of individuals who were “sent” by God: Joseph (Genesis 45:7), Moses
(Exodus 3:12), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:7) to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The literal
meaning of “shalach” is “to send”, or to “send away”, but when used in the
context of a person being sent on a mission (like Moses), or with a message
(like the prophets), it implies even more, for when you are sent with a
purpose, you now become a “shaliah”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">So what is a
shaliah? It’s not hard to understand, and to give us a broad understanding of
the concept we can in some ways equate it to the term “power of
attorney”. In our culture, a person with “power of attorney” has the authority to make binding legal decisions on behalf
of another. Wikipedia defines it this way:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">“A power of
attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization
to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some
other legal matter, sometimes against the wishes of the other. The person
authorizing the other to act is the principal, grantor,
or donor (of the power). The one authorized to act is the agent …”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whereas a “power
of attorney” is a legal document that gives a person, the “agent”, the
authority to act on behalf of another, the “shaliah” is the
agent. The Jewish Encyclopedia online version explains the shaliah this
way<span style="color: blue;"><b>:</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The Law of
Agency deals with the status of a person (known as the agent) acting by
direction of another (the principal), and thereby legally binding the principal
in his connection with a third person. The person who binds a principal in this
manner is his <b>agent</b>, known in Jewish law as shelua or shelia (one
that is sent): the relation of the former to the latter is known as <b>agency</b> (sheli'ut).
The general principle is enunciated thus: <b>A man's agent is like himself</b> (Kid.
41b)” (emphasis mine)</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">In other words,
the shaliah, when acting within the parameters given to him, has the authority to
bind the one who had sent him. Though similar to the agent in a “power of
attorney”, the agent in a “power of attorney” is never considered to be equal to
the one who granted him that power, but in the Hebrew sense, the agent (or
“shaliah”) is considered to be the image of the one who sent him. It’s as
if the sender had actually spoken the words or signed the document
himself. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Essoe states
that:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<b>All Old
Testament scholars and commentators recognize that in Jewish custom whenever a
superior commissioned an agent to act on his behalf, the agent was regarded as
the person himself.</b> This is well expressed in The Encyclopedia of the
Jewish Religion: Agent (Hebrew Shalih): The main point of
the Jewish law of agency is expressed in the dictum, “<b>A person’s agent is
regarded as the person himself</b>” (Ned. 72B; Kidd, 41b). <b>Therefore
any act committed by a duly appointed agent is regarded as having been
committed by the principal, </b>who therefore bears full responsibility
for it with consequent complete absence of liability on the part of the agent.”</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">So not only is
the shaliah the “image” of the person, but according to Jewish understanding, a
man’s agent is as himself. To verify Essoe’s statement, let’s look as the
words straight out of the Talmud. We’ll go to the above-referenced
passage, Tractate Nedarim 72b of the Babylonian Talmud. The context of
the discussion is if according to Numbers 30, a man designated by a husband can
disannul the vows of the husband’s wife while the husband is away from the home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Come and hear:
If one says to a guardian, 'Annul all the vows which my wife may make between
now and my return from such and such a place', and he does so: I might think
that they are void, therefore Scripture teaches, her husband may establish it,
or her husband may make it void. This is the view of R. Josiah. Said R.
Jonathan to him: <b>But we find in the whole Torah that a man's agent is
as himself!</b> Now, even R. Josiah ruled thus only because it is a
Scriptural decree, 'her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it
void': <b>but both agree that a man's agent is as himself</b>; but
he [the husband] did not hear the vows!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seems pretty
clear. As far as the Jewish people were - and still are concerned, if a
man designates another as his agent when the agent acts, it’s as if the man
acted himself. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now you might
think, “The Jews pulled this out of thin air”, but that’s not the case. In
fact, we have numerous examples of the agency concept in the scriptures. Let’s
look at a few starting with Eliezer’s role in securing a bride for Isaac.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #3e82a5; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Eliezer
of Damascus</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the clearest examples of the shaliah is that of Eliezer, the servant of Abraham.
Abraham was getting old. and being that he and Isaac were living in the land of
Canaan, he feared that his son might marry a Canaanite woman. This prompted
him to begin the process of finding a wife for his son, and he hoped to find
one from his own kin in the city of Nahor, his brother. Being unable to
go to Nahor himself, Abraham commissioned by oath his oldest servant, Eliezer, to go for him. He instructed Eliezer to:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 24:4</b> " … go to my country and to my
family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Abraham’s only
other instruction was that Eliezer not take Isaac back to the land from which
he (Abraham) came. So Eliezer set out. When it appeared that he had
found the correct woman, Eliezer performed the betrothal on behalf of his
master Abraham, then said to Rebecca’s father and brother:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 24:47</b> "Then I asked her, and said,
'Whose daughter are you?' And she said, 'The daughter of Bethuel,
Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.' So I put the nose ring on her nose and
the bracelets on her wrists.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">At this point,
Isaac was betrothed to Rebecca, even though he had never met her. What’s
more, Abraham, should he determine that Rebecca was not fit to be Isaac’s
wife, could not annul what Eliezer had done. Thankfully, Eliezer followed
Abraham’s instructions perfectly. He never wavered in his determination
to fulfill the oath he had made and he spoke the words of Abraham to Rebecca’s
father. When he had secured her hand, he, along with Isaac’s bride, returned to
Canaan.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">To summarize the
example of Eliezer:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">he was sent on a
mission<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">he spoke the
words and performed the deeds for which he was sent<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">he returned with
that which he was sent to obtain<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">he was a clear
representation of Abraham in regard to his mission<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s now turn
to another example, a clear example of one, or in this case “ones” who were
sent:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #3e82a5; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The
Angels at Sodom</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">YHVH - Yehovah had sent
two angels to warn Lot of the eminent destruction of Sodom. When they
arrived at the city, they appeared to Lot at the city gate in the form of men:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 19:1-5:</b> Now the two angels came to Sodom in
the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot
saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face
toward the ground. And he said, "Here now, my
lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash
your feet … Now before they lay down, the men of the
city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter,
surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and
said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">We can see from
the narrative that the people of Sodom saw these two angels as men as
well. After a brief conflict
with the men of the city, these two “angelic” men informed Lot of their mission
-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 19:13</b> "… <b>we</b> will
destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the
face of Yehovah, and Yehovah<b> has sent us to destroy</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s clear that
these two sent ones were both “shaliah” and their mission was to destroy the
city of Sodom; in fact, they stated it twice “We will destroy this
place”. Destroying the city was their mission, their purpose for going to
Sodom . . . the narrative provides no other purpose than to do what they were
sent to do. Nevertheless, Lot; when conveying this information to his
sons-in-law, stated that <u>YHVH - Yehovah </u>, not the two angels, was going to
destroy Sodom -<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 19:14:</b> So Lot went out and spoke to his
sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, "Get up, get out of
this place; for Yehovah will destroy this city!" …<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">And indeed the
city was destroyed, just as the angels had warned:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 19:24-25</b> Then Yehovah rained
brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from Yehovah out of the
heavens. So <b>He </b>overthrew those cities,
all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Did YHVH - Yehovah destroy
the city or did the two “shaliah”? If YHVH - Yehovah was going to destroy the city
Himself, why did He send the “shaliah”? In the context of the shaliah,
the answer is clear. The two shaliah destroyed the city, but they did so
on behalf of YHVH - Yehovah. They were the agents that did the work, but it was as
if YHVH - Yehovah did it Himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #3e82a5; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The
Angel of YHVH - Yehovah</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Moses’ encounter
with God began at the burning bush. Moses was tending Jethro’s flock on
the side of Mt. Sinai when he saw a bush burning - yet it never seemed to burn
up. A casual reading of the narrative would leave one thinking that the
voice that came out of the bush was YHVH’s - Yehovah's, but is that the case? Let’s
look at the text:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 3:1-6:</b> Now Moses was tending the flock of
Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the
back of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And
the <b>Angel of Yehovah</b> appeared to him in a flame of fire from
the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire,
but the bush was not consumed. Then
Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush
does not burn." <b>So when Yehovah saw that
he turned aside</b> to look, <b>God called to him from the midst of
the bush</b> and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I
am." Then He said, "Do not draw near
this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you
stand is holy ground." <b>Moreover, He said, "I am the God of your father; the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.</b>" And Moses hid his face, for <b>he
was afraid to look upon God</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first thing
we see is that it was not YHVH - Yehovah by name that appeared in the bush, but rather,
it was the angel or messenger of YHVH - Yehovah. Then it says that when YHVH - Yehovah saw
that Moses turned to looked, God called to him. The text seems to indicate that
Moses had seen the bush from a distance, and when he noticed that it was not
burning up, he departed from where he was tending the flock and began to
approach the bush. When he did, he looked. Notice that it does not say that YHVH - Yehovah called to him, but that God
called to him. That same God later referred to Himself as the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Then finally, we see that Moses hid his face
because he was afraid to look upon the face of God, who we saw at the
beginning, was the angel of YHVH - Yehovah. So it appears that YHVH - Yehovah sent the angel
of God to speak to Moses out of the burning bush. Fifteen hundred years
later, Stephen confirmed that this was indeed the case in his defense before
the Sanhedrin saying:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts
7:30:</b> "And
when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord (Yehovah) appeared to him in a flame of
fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stephen went on
to say:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Acts
7:35: </b>"This
Moses whom they rejected, saying: 'Who made you a ruler and a judge?' is the
one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer <b>by the hand of the
Angel who appeared to him in the bush</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Exodus
account shows, and Stephen confirms, that it was not YHVH - Yehovah who actually delivered
Israel, but it was through His angel that YHVH - Yehovah delivered Israel. What’s
more, the angel that spoke out of the bush, the emissary sent by God, was
considered to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #3e82a5; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Moses
and Aaron</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s no
question that Moses was sent by God to deliver the children of Israel out of
Egypt. He was clearly a shaliah, and the text confirms it:-<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 3:11-12:</b> But Moses said to God,
"Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring
the children of Israel out of Egypt?" So He said,
"I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you
that I have <b>sent</b> you: When you have brought the people out of
Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">And when Moses
balked, claiming he was not able to vocalize the message, YHVH - Yehovah replied:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 4:12</b> "Now therefore, go, and I will be
with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here we see that
Moses was to be the “mouth of God” . . . the words that YHVH - Yehovah was going to say
were going to be said through Moses. But God didn’t leave it at that, not
only was YHVH - Yehovah going to speak through Moses, but He was going to elevate Moses to the
position of god (Elohim) to Pharaoh:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 6:28-30; 7:1-2: </b> And it came to
pass, on the day Yehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, that Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying: "I am" Yehovah. Speak to
Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you." But
Moses said before Yehovah, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips,
and how shall Pharaoh heed me?" <b>Exodus 7:1-2:</b> So Yehovah said to Moses: "See, I have made you "as" God to
Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. "You
shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall speak to
Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Notice that in
the text “as” is italicized indicating that it is not a part of the Hebrew
text. Thus for all practical purposes, Moses is in the role of God when
it came to Pharoah. He (Moses) became the human representation of the God
of Israel, complete with his own prophet, Aaron. From this point on,
whatever Moses did or said to Pharaoh, it was as if YHVH - Yehovah did or said it
himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Continuing on,
we find YHVH making this statement:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 7:17:</b> 'Thus says Yehovah: "By this you
shall know that I am Yehovah. Behold, I will strike the waters
which are in the river with the <u>rod that is in my
hand</u>, and they shall be turned to blood.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this passage,
YHVH - Yehovah declared that it would be Himself who would strike the waters of the Nile and that by so doing, Pharaoh would know that YHVH - Yehovah is for real. But
keep in mind, YHVH - Yehovah had just made Moses as God to Pharaoh, so if Moses is “God”,
who would then have to strike the water in order to make an impact on
Pharaoh? It would have to be Moses . . . but that’s not what
happened. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Exodus 7:19:</b> Then Yehovah spoke to Moses,
"Say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of
Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all
their pools of water, that they may become blood.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead of Moses
striking the water, Aaron struck the water. Moses, the prophet of God, who was fulfilling the role
of God to Pharaoh, instructed his prophet Aaron; who was
acting on behalf of Moses, to strike the water in his stead. In fact,
Aaron acted on behalf of Moses throughout most of the plagues. YHVH - Yehovah didn’t actually strike the water, but because His shaliah did, YHVH - Yehovah is given the credit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">So in this one
story, we see Moses acting on behalf of YHVH - Yehovah as “God”, and we see Moses
performing actions attributed to God, but through Moses’ own prophet, Aaron.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #3e82a5; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Joseph
– the Shaliah of Pharaoh</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are
numerous other examples in the Tanakh where an action or manifestation of YHVH - Yehovah is later attributed to a lesser being, as well as examples of the actions of
“the angel of YHVH - Yehovah” being attributed to YHVH - Yehovah, but that will have to wait for
another study. Let’s turn now to an example of a shaliah who was given
the position of the supreme authority of his kingdom. This person was Joseph.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Joseph was sent
to Egypt for one purpose;– to preserve the Hebrew people. This is clearly
shown in his statement to his brothers:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis
45:4-7:</b> And
Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came
near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold
into Egypt. "But now, do not therefore be
grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me
before you to preserve life. "For these two
years, the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which
there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. "And
God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to
save your lives by a great deliverance.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">But in order to
preserve the lives of the Hebrew people, what did YHVH - Yehovah do with Joseph?
Quite simply, He gave him practically all the power and authority of Egypt in which the Israelites would dwell.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Genesis 41:39-44: </b>Then Pharaoh said
to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is no
one as discerning and wise as you. "You
shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your
word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than
you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See,
I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then
Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and he
clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his
neck. . . . So he set him over all the land of
Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, 'I am Pharaoh, and without your consent, no man may lift his hand
or foot in all the land of Egypt."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">What we learn
from this passage is that for all practical purposes, Joseph became the
representation of Pharaoh on that day. Though he was still second to
Pharaoh, he was in charge of all of Pharaoh’s kingdom. With Pharaoh’s signet
ring on his hand, Joseph could make laws, judgments, treaties, or any
other decision concerning the kingdom, and they would all be attributed to
Pharaoh himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Conclusion</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Suffice it to
say, there are so many examples of the shaliah in the scripture that it would
be beyond reason to believe that the Jews in the first century did not
understand that concept or that they would not see that Yeshua was a shaliah
Himself. They would also know that as a shaliah, Yeshua would be
able to speak words in YHVH’s - Yehovah's name, heal the sick in His name, cast out demons
in His name, and even forgive their sins in His name. All they had
to do is recognize His words and see His actions to know He was indeed sent by
God, which, based on the statement by Nicodemus, they did. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s again
notice the John 10 passage:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John 10:32-33:</b> Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from
the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" The
Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone
you but for blasphemy…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s clear, the
Jewish leaders in his day had no problem with Yeshua’s works. They even
referred to them as “good works”. What’s more, when Yeshua claimed
that He and God were one based on the fact that His sheep were God’s sheep and
that His sheep could not be taken from him just as God’s sheep could not be
taken from God, the Jewish leaders; based on the concept of agency; should
have understood exactly what he was saying, and would have thus had no basis
for a charge of blasphemy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let’s begin to
wrap this up by reviewing what we’ve seen:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jewish law
regards the shaliah, the sent one as if he were the person who sent him<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Scripture
clearly shows that Moses was considered by YHVH - Yehovah to be God to Pharaoh<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">The “angel of
YHVH - Yehovah” was a representation of YHVH - Yehovah and thus had the authority to make
statements accredited to YHVH - Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Yeshua was
recognized by many of the Jews of His day as the shaliah of YHVH - Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus when he
spoke on behalf of YHVH - Yehovah, it was as if YHVH - Yehovah were speaking Himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus in the
mindset of many of the Jews, Yeshua and YVHV were for all practical purposes ONE [in mind and purpose, united].<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those Jews who
would try to convince you that Yeshua was not Messiah understand the law of agency; it’s
part of their religious documents and a part of their civil law. hey
also know that most Christians don't understand it. Thus
they, like the Jews in the 1<sup>st</sup> century, are able to
attack Yeshua and throw stumbling blocks in the path of believers by quoting
scriptures from the New Testament that appear to be in conflict with those in
the Tnakh, scriptures such as:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Isaiah 43:11: </b> I, even I, am Yehovah, and besides me there is no savior.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">compared with:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Luke 2:11: </b>"For there is born to you
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah. and Lord [or the Lord Messiah, the one who at his resurrection God made him to be Lord over all His creation and Messiah].<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Or these
scriptures:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Isaiah 43:15-25:</b> I am Yehovah, your
Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King." I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my
own sake; And I will not remember your sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">compared with:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>John
1:29:</b> The
next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world! [How? by the sin-offering sacrifice he made to his God and Father Yehovah on the cross]<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now that we are
armed with that same understanding we can diffuse those arguments and not be
swayed by those who would attack our Hebraic faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Shalom Alecheim!</span><o:p></o:p></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-73603162686016581222023-12-02T13:44:00.002-05:002023-12-02T13:45:36.582-05:00THE NEW CREATION IN THE MESSIAH - CHOSEN “IN HIM”<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;">The central purpose of God's plan of salvation was to
create for Himself "a people"; children of His very own; who would
share in the blessings of His goodness and bring forth the fruits of their
relationship with Him "to the praise of His glory."</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">This plan of God was "purposed" in the Messiah
(Ephesian 1:9) before the creation of the world and "accomplished" in
time through the Messiah's redemptive work for the elect (Ephesians 3:11).
The central focus of this plan is clearly outlined in Paul's Letter to the
Ephesians: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who
has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in the
Messiah. For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and
blameless in His sight. In love He predestined [marked out beforehand] us to
be adopted as His sons through Jesus the Messiah, in accordance with His
pleasure and will; to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely
given us in the one he loves (Ephesians 1:3-6).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">God's choice to have a people as new creations in the Messiah was conceived
in His love "before the creation of the world," it was worked out
"in history" through God's choice of Abraham and his seed; Israel, to
be the vehicle of bringing the blessings of His salvation to "all
nations" of the world. This is explicitly recorded in the Book of Genesis:
Then Yehovah said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham
will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations will be blessed
through him. For I have chosen him so that he will direct his children and his
household after him to keep the way of Yehovah by doing what is right and just
so that Yehoah will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him (Genesis
18:17-19; cf. 12:1-3; 15:1ff).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">This promise to Abraham culminates in the coming of Jesus
the Messiah from the people of Israel (Romans 9:4-5). He is the true "seed
of Abraham" (Galatians 3:16) and the "elect" or "chosen
one" of God (Isaiah 42:1-4; Luke 3:22, 9:35). He is, in fact, the
representative leader, the federal head of the people of God (Daniel 7:13ff.);
indeed, he is in a sense the ideal "Israel" (Matthew 2:15; Hosea
11:1; Isaiah 49:3); embodying in himself God's purposes and destiny for the people of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Andrew Lincoln, in his commentary on Ephesians, explains God's election of a people and the fulfillment of His purposes "in the
Messiah": God's purpose in choosing out a people for himself is, of course, a familiar idea in the OT (e.g., Deuteronomy 7:6-8; 14:2), which witnesses to
Israel's consciousness of God's choice of her in the twists and
turns in her historical fortunes. <b>God had chosen Abraham so that in him the
nations of the earth would be blessed, and Israel's election was not for her
own self-indulgence but for the blessing of the nations: it was a privilege but
also a summons to service. </b>Christian believers also had this consciousness
of being chosen to be the people of God. The new element was the [in the
Messiah] phrase.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;">Their sense of God's gracious choice of them was
inextricably interwoven with their sense of belonging to the Messiah, bought and paid for by his shed blood. God's
design for them to be His people had been affected in and through the Messiah.
They saw him as God's Chosen One. Indeed, Paul in Galatians 3 treats the
Messiah as in a sense fulfilling Israel's election. The Messiah is the
offspring of Abraham par excellence (Galatians 3:16) so they too, because
they are the Messiah's, are Abraham's offspring (Galatians 3:29: </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Galatians/chapter3/29" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: white; color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|48|3|29" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">Now if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed; <em>and</em> heirs of what was promised</span></a></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">). The notion of
being chosen in the Messiah here in Ephesians is likely to include the idea of
incorporation into the Messiah as the representative on whom God's gracious
decision was focused [WBC, Ephesians, p. 23]. Thus, it is "in the Messiah"
that all of God's purposes for His people; as well as for His creation; are
brought to fulfillment (Galatians 3:16-29; Ephesians 1:3-14).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">The phrase "in the Messiah" therefore sets forth
a key concept that ties together the Old Testament and the New Testament and that
provides the basis for the life of all Christian believers. In fact, the
"in the Messiah" concept is the key to both the continuity; as well
as the discontinuity; which the NT people of God have in relationship to the OT
people of God, Israel. As for continuity, NT scholar F.F. Bruce states, that Jesus
provides in himself the vital continuity between the old Israel and the new,
and his faithful followers were both the righteous remnant of the old and the
nucleus of the new (The Origin of the Bible, p.12, Tyndale Pub., emphasis
mine). It is "in the Messiah" that new covenant believers
"participate" in the "body" and "blood of the Messiah";
a truth that is so vividly symbolized in the Lord's supper (I Corinthians
10:15-17).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Jesus called out and chose his twelve apostles from the
nation of Israel to be the leaders of the called-out Assembly of God. It was specifically "for
them" (i.e., "for you" Luke 22:19-20); the representatives of
the new covenant people of God; that Jesus' body was "broken" and
Jesus' blood was "poured out, as a sin-offering sacrifice". And so,
through the apostles, the Messiah established with the called-out Assembly
"the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:14-20, cf. I Corinthians 11).
Thus, the continuity between the Old and the New Covenant people is established
"in the Messian." But it is also "in the Messiah" that the
discontinuity between the Old and the New takes place, for the new covenant
people of God no longer consist of just "Israel according to the
flesh" (I Corinthians 10:18) because all those in the Messiah have been grafted into the true Israel of god (Romans 11). Instead, "in the Messiah" the
reconciliation of all mankind; both Jew and Gentile; has taken place.
Therefore, all barriers between Jew and Gentile; as well as between man and God;
have been broken down.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">The result is "one new man in the Messiah, a member of
the New Humanity." As Ephesians states, but now in the Messiah Jesus, you
who once were far away (i.e., Gentiles) have been brought near through the
blood – the sin-offering sacrifice of the Messiah. For he in our place
has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and
regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two
(Jews and Gentiles), thus making peace (Ephesians 2:13-15). Thus, via Christian
believers' incorporation "in the Messiah" direct continuity is
maintained with the Old Testament people of God; making the Old Testament the
spiritual history of the disciples' church. And yet, there is also discontinuity
in the fact that the one people of God no longer consists of only "Israel
according to the flesh" (I Corinthians 10:18) but has expanded to include
all people; both Jew and Gentile, who by faith and the Spirit are incorporated
"in the Messiah."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">It is important to understand that both
"election", "predestination [being marked out beforehand]"
and the "in the Messiah" concept are all corporate concepts in the
Bible. It is only by being incorporated into the Messiah; through faith and the
Spirit; that individual believers become part of the "elect" or
"chosen people" of God (e.g. Colossians 3:12; I Peter 1:2; 2:9). Just
as Israel as a nation was called to be the OT chosen people of God, so in the
new covenant era the people of God are the "elect" or "chosen
people" of God only as a corporate entity "in the Messiah" (Ephesians
1:4). As C.K. Barrett explains: It is important to recall here that the seed of
Abraham contracted till it became ultimately the Messiah (Galatians 3:16) and
was subsequently expanded to include those who were in the Messiah. This means
that election does not take place arbitrarily or fortuitously; it takes place
always and only in the Messiah. They are elect who are in him; they who are
elect are in him. It is failure to remember this that causes confusion over
Paul's doctrine of election and predestination (being marked out beforehand) (cf. Galatians 3:29 emphasis
mine). [Black's NT Commentaries, Romans, p. 171.].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">F.F. Bruce, then, summarizes for us the NT doctrine of
election in his commentary on Ephesians: It was in the Messiah, then, that God
chose His people "before the world's foundation." This phrase ...
denotes the divine act of election as taking place in eternity. Time belongs to
the created order: believers' present experience of the blessings bestowed by
God is the fulfillment on the temporal plane of His purpose of grace toward
them conceived in eternity. As the fulfillment is experienced "in the
Messiah," so is in him that the purpose is conceived. If, as Colossians
1:16 affirms, it was "because of him" that all things were created,
so we are assured, earlier still it was "because of him" that the
people of God were chosen. He is the Chosen of God par excellence; it is by
union with him, according to God's purpose and plan realized in time, that others
are chosen [NICNT, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, p. 254, Eerdmans).
"New Creation!" It is important to realize that the phrase "in the
Messiah" encapsulates an eschatological perspective - i.e., a perspective
that recognizes the fulfillment of God's promises, bringing "the
end" to this present age, and ushering in the age to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">This perspective was the driving force of the new covenant
believers of the first-century church. The resurrection of the Messiah and the
giving of the Spirit were clear signs to the first-century church that the end
of the present age had already begun and that the first fruits of the age to
come were already theirs. They were thus a people living "between the
times" of the old and the new creation. But, as C.K. Barrett explains, it
was only "in the Messiah" that believers now participated in this
reality. "In Messiah" is itself a Pauline phrase of central significance. It is best explained as originating in primitive Christian
eschatology. The death and resurrection of Jesus were eschatological events,
affecting the transition from this age to the age to come. Believers could take
advantage of this transition, but the transference from one age to the
other could take place only "in the Messiah" (ibid., p. 119). A key
verse in understanding this perspective is, of course, 2 Corinthians 5:17. I
quote this verse in several different versions for comparison’s sake:
<b>Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new</b> (NKJV; italicized words are not
in the underlying Greek text). T<b>herefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come</b> (NIV). So, if anyone is in the
Messiah, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see,
everything has become new! (NRSV). For anyone united to the Messiah, there is a
new creation: the old order has gone; a new order has already begun (REB). All
of these translations have their good points, but the New Geneva Study Bible
summarizes the thought behind the verse in one of its notes and points out a
key matter regarding the translation of this verse: <b>In the Messiah: Union with
Christ summarizes our experience of redemption. Believers are elected</b> (Ephesians
1:4, 11), <b>justified</b> (Romans 8:1), <b>sanctified</b> (I Corinthians 1:2), and <b>glorified</b>
(3:18) <b>"in the Messiah."</b> Here Paul focuses on the momentous
significance of the believer's union with the Savior. Because the Messiah is the
"last Adam," the One in whom humanity is recreated (I Corinthians
15:45; Galatians 6:16; Ephesians 2:10) and who inaugurates the new age of
messianic blessing (Galatians 1:4; cf. Matthew 11:2-6), the believer's
spiritual union with the Messiah is nothing less than participation in the
"new creation."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Translating "there is a new creation" instead of
"he is a new creation" draws this conclusion more clearly, but the
thought is there either way [p. 1835]. This is certainly an important point.
"<b>In the Messiah" believers have already become not just a new
creation but a part of God's entire "new creation" of the coming age.</b>
The whole outlook of Christian believers should be conditioned by this reality.
<b>Believers' lives are no longer to be "conformed to this age" but to
be "transformed by the renewing of your minds" (Romans 12:2).</b> Richard
B. Hays in his book The Moral Vision of the New Testament summarizes this NT
perspective for believers today: According to Paul, the death and resurrection
of Jesus was an apocalyptic [or, eschatological] event that signaled the end of
the old age and portended the beginning of the new. Paul's moral vision is
intelligible only when his apocalyptic perspective is kept clearly in mind: the
church is to find its identity and vocation by recognizing its role within the
cosmic drama of God's reconciliation of the world to himself. The image of
"new creation" belongs to the thought world of Jewish apocalypticism.
One of the fundamental beliefs of apocalyptic thought was its doctrine of the
"two ages": the present age of evil and suffering was to be
superseded by a glorious messianic age in which God would prevail over injustice
and establish righteousness in a restored Israel."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Paul's use of the phrase "new creation" echoes
Isaiah's prophecy of hope: For I am about to create a new heavens and a new
earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad
and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem
as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight
in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of
distress (Isaiah 65:17-19 NRSV; cp. 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21-22). When we
hear 2 Corinthians 5 in the context of Isaiah's fervent prophetic hope for the
renewal of the world, we understand that Paul is proclaiming that the church
has already entered the sphere of the eschatological age. The apocalyptic scope
of 2 Corinthians 5 was obscured by older translations that rendered the phrase
in verse 17 as "he is a new creation" (RSV) or; worse yet; "he
is a new creation" (KJV).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">Such translations seriously distort Paul's meaning by
making it appear that he is describing only the personal transformation of the
individual through conversion experience. The sentence in Greek, however, lacks
both subject and verb; a very literal translation might treat the words
"new creation" as an exclamatory interjection: "If anyone is in the
Messiah - new creation!" ... Paul is not talking about an individual's
subjective experience of renewal through conversion; rather, for Paul, ktisis
("creation") refers to the whole created order (cf. Romans 8:18-25).
He is proclaiming the apocalyptic message that through the cross God has
nullified the kosmos of sin and death and brought a new kosmos into being. That
is why Paul can describe himself and his readers as those "on whom the
ends of the ages have met" (I Corinthians 10:11). The old age is passing
away (cf. I Corinthians 7:31b), the new age has appeared in the Messiah, and
the called-out Assembly stands at the juncture between them. [The Moral Vision of
the New Testament, pp. 19-20, Harper- Collins] Whichever translation is chosen
it is this perspective that should dominate the thinking of all who are
"in the Messiah." In him "the old has gone, the new has
come." It is to participate in this "new
creation" that God has called us and chosen us to be his children; to be a people who are transformed by
the power and vision of all that we have in the Messiah. Once again, as so
often, Paul's letter to the Ephesians summarizes these great truths in God's
plan of salvation:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive in the Messiah even when we were dead in transgressions;
it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up to newness of lie,
with the Messiah and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in the Messiah
Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches
of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in the Messiah Jesus. For it is
by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are His
workmanship, created in the Messiah Jesus to do good works, which God prepared
in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is truly "amazing
grace!" May we be found worthy of such a high and holy calling.</span><o:p style="font-size: 14pt;"></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-6880872643837893122023-11-30T19:19:00.002-05:002023-11-30T19:19:17.691-05:00TO BECOME LIKE THE LORD MESSIAH JESUS<p><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Like Jesus, we are to be one with the Father</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Not only did Jesus say, <b>“I and the Father are
one”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A30/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 10:30</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">), he prayed to the Father for those that are his disciples, <b>“that
they may be one, even as we are one”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A11/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:11</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and for those who will believe through their
word, <b>“that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in
you, that they also may be in us</b>” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A21/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:21</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and, <b>“that they may be one even as we are one,
I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A22-23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:22-23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Saying <b>“I and the Father are one” is equivalent
to saying “the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A30/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 10:30</span></a><span style="color: #262626;"> + </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2014%3A10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 14:10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) While Jesus prayed for us to all be one he also prayed for us to be in
the Father saying, <b>“just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they
also may be in us.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A21/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:21</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) And, <b>“I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.”</b>
(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A22-23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:22-23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) Earlier in John, when Jesus speaks of the day
when the Holy Spirit will be given, he alludes to the same sense of oneness
when he said, <b>“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in
me, and I in you</b>.” (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2014%3A20/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 14:20</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) The concept of the Father being in us and us being in the
Father is also a major theme of the first epistle of John. The following verses
in 1 John shed further light on how the author wants us to understand this
concept of being one:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #262626;">Let what
you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning
abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1John%202%3A24/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1John 2:24</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #262626;">And now,
little children, abide in him… everyone who practices righteousness has been
born of him.</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1John%202%3A28-29/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1John 2:28-29</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #262626;">And this is
his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus the Messiah and
love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments
abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the
Spirit whom he has given us.</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1John%203%3A23-24/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1John 3:23-24</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #262626;">No one has
ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is
perfected in us.</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1John%204%3A12/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1John 4:12</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #262626;">By this we
know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1John%204%3A13/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1John 4:13</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #262626;">So, we have
come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and
whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1John%204%3A16/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">1John 4:16</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 60.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">It is in this context that we should understand
what Jesus meant in </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2014%3A9-11/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 14:9-11</span></a><span style="color: #262626;"> when he said, <b>“If you have seen me you
have seen the Father. Do you not believe that, I am in the Father and the Father
is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but
the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me.”</b> So, we see that Jesus was not claiming to be God
but was claiming to be <b>“one with the Father” as a servant and representative
of God.</b> In the same sense that Jesus was “one with the Father,” we
are to be “one with the Father”. The Father is to be in us in the same sense
that the Father was in the Messiah Jesus. We are to be in the Father in the
same sense that Jesus was in the Father. God our Father, Jesus, and us; we are
all to be in each other. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A21/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:21</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) We are all to be perfectly one. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm;">John 17:23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Like Jesus, we are sent into the world<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus referred to himself as one <b>“sent into the
world.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A36/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
10:36</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) but also said, when praying to
the Father, <b>“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the
world.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
17:18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) We understand that being sent
into the world is being raised up as a servant of God and being sent out into
ministry (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%203%3A22-26/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts
3:22-26</span></a><b><span style="color: #262626;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Like Jesus, we are not of this world<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus stated, <b>“I am not of the world”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%208%3A23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 8:23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A36/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 10:36</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) but also said of his followers, <b>“you, are not
of this world”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2015%3A19/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
15:19</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and <b>“they are not of the
world, just as I am not of the world”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A14/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 17:14</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) when praying to the Father.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Like Jesus, we may be filled with all the
fullness of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Paul wrote, <b>“in him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell”</b>
(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%201%3A19/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
1:19</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and “<b>in him, the whole
fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%202%3A9/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
2:9</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). But Paul also wrote that he
bowed his knees before the Father (in prayer) that, <b>“according to the riches
of His glory, He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit
in your inner being”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%203%3A16/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
3:16</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and <b>“to know the love of the
Messiah that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%203%3A19/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
3:19</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Like Jesus, we may become the image of God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Paul refers to the <b>“gospel of the glory of the Messiah, who is the
image of God.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2%20Cor%204%3A3-6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Corinthians
4:3-6</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). Paul also refers to
Jesus as <b>“the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”</b>
(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%201%3A15/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
1:15</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) The context of these
verses pertains to the gospel in which the Father has <b>“qualified you to
share in the inheritance of the saints in light” through which the Father has
“transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%201%3A12-15/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
1:12-15</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) The gospel thus provides the
means for us to be presented <b>“holy and blameless and above reproach before
him.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%201%3A21-22/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
1:21-22</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) Paul later says in Colossians,
<b>“When the Messiah who is your life appears, then you will also appear with
him in glory” and says to “put on the new self which is being renewed in
knowledge after the image of its creator.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%203%3A1-10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
3:1-10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) Indeed, God predestined
[marked us out beforehand] us to be <b>“conformed to the image of His Son, in
order that he might be the first born among many brothers”</b> and <b>“those
whom He justified [not guilty] He also glorified.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A29-30/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:29-30</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>“As is the man of heaven,
so also are those who are of heaven; just as we have borne the image of the man
of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Cor%2015%3A48-49/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Corinthians
15:48-49</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>“We all with unveiled
face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from one degree of glory to another.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2%20Cor%203%3A17-18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Corinthians
3:17-18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) These references reveal to us
that the <b>“gospel of the glory of the Messiah”</b> is the good news that we
can be redeemed and transformed into the same image of the Messiah, who has
been glorified and is the image of God. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Cor%204%3A3-6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Corinthians
4:3-6</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%201%3A12-15/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
1:12-15</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6. Like Jesus, we share in the glory that God had
planned from the beginning of creation<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus said, <b>“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my
Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%208%3A54/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 8:54</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and he asked of the Father, <b>“Glorify me in
your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed</b>.”
(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 17:5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) However, Jesus praying to God said, <b>“The glory
that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we
are one”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A22/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
17:22</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>“so that the world may know
that you loved them even as you loved me.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 17:23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) The suffering of this present time is not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us; the revealing of the
sons of God (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A18-19/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:18-19</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). The secret and hidden wisdom
of God is what God decreed before the ages for our glory (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Cor%202%3A6-7/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Corinthians
2:6-7</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). Those who will be saved are
vessels of mercy, which God prepared beforehand for glory (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%209%3A22-24/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
9:22-24</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>When the Messiah who is
our life appears, then we shall also appear with him in glory</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%203%3A4/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
3:4</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). In the Messiah, we have
obtained an inheritance according to God’s purpose for the fullness of time (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%201%3A11/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
1:11</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). We are created in the Messiah
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%202%3A10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
2:10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) The manifold wisdom of God is
the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God according to the eternal purpose
that he has realized in the Messiah Jesus our Lord (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%203%3A9-11/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
3:9-11</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">).<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Like Jesus, we are loved and blessed from the
foundation of the world<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus prayed, <b>“Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given
me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because
you loved me before the foundation of the world.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2017%3A24/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 17:24</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). And he also says, <b>“Come, you who are blessed
by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Matt%2025%3A34/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Matthew
25:34</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>God has not destined us for
wrath, but that we might receive adoption as sons</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Thes%205%3A9-10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Thesalonians
5:9-10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Gal%204%3A4-5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Galatians
4:4-5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>No eye has seen, nor ear
heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love
him.</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Cor%202%3A7-9/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Corinthians
2:7-9</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>All things work for good
for those who love God and are called according to his purpose</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A28-29/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:28-29</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%201%3A3-5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
1:3-5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>God saved us and called us
to a holy calling because of his purpose and grace which he gave us in the
Messiah Jesus before the ages began</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2%20Tim%201%3A8-10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Tim
1:8-10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Jesus was foreknown before
the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for our
sake</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Peter%201%3A20/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1
Peter 1:20</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>The saints are those whose
names are written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rev%2013%3A5-8/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Revelation
13:5-8</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">).<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8. Like Jesus, we are sons of God through the
resurrection<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus <b>“was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the
Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%201%3A4/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans 1:4</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%2013%3A32-35/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts
13:32-35</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) Jesus said regarding the
coming kingdom, <b>“but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age
and to the resurrection from the dead …are equal to angels and are sons of God,
being sons of the resurrection.” </b>(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%2020%3A35-36/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke
20:35-36</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>Creation waits for the
revealing of the sons of God and we groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for
adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A18-23/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:18-23</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%209%3A22-26/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
9:22-26</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Eph%201%3A3-5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Ephesians
1:3-5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>According to God’s purpose,
he predestined [marked out beforehand] the Messiahto be the firstborn among
many brothers, so that we would be conformed to the images of his Son. </b>(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A28-29/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:28-29</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Like Jesus, we are sons of God by the Spirit of
God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus considered himself to be the Son of God. In the Law, they were
called gods to whom the word of God came. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A35-36/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John
10:35-36</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). Jesus was merely claiming to
be the Son of God, although the Father sent him into the world and was doing
the works of the Father. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/John%2010%3A37/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">John 10:37</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) In a similar sense, it says in Romans, <b>“all, who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God… you have received the Spirit
of adoption as sons, by which we cry, “Abba! Father!””</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A14-15/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:14-15</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) and the Spirit <b>“bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then
heirs; heirs of God and fellow heirs with the Messiah.” </b>(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A16-17/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:16-17</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>“We know that for those
who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to His purpose.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A28/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:28</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>“For those whom He foreknew
He also predestined [marked out beforehand] to be conformed to the image of His
Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A29/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:29</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10. Like Jesus, we are anointed by the Spirit of
God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus proclaimed, <b>“The Spirit of the Lord [Yehovah] is upon me,
because he has anointed me.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%204%3A18/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke 4:18</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>Indeed, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power; he went about doing good and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him,</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%2010%3A38/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts 10:38</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) In a similar way those who come after Christ
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon them (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%201%3A8/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts 1:8</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Acts%204%3A31/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Acts 4:31</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Like Jesus, our ministry is to be attested in
power and in the Holy Spirit</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Thess%201%3A5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Thessalonians
1:5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%2015%3A19/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
15:19</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Cor%202%3A4-5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Corinthians
2:4-5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>We are anointed by God.</b>
(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/2%20Cor%201%3A21-22/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">2 Corinthians
1:21-22</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20John%202%3A20/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 John
2:20</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11. We die, are buried, and are raised with the Messiah<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">We die, are buried, and are raised with the Messiah: <b>We are to take
up our cross and follow the Messiah.</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Matthew%2016%3A24/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Matthew
16:24</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) Through repentance, we have
died to sin and self and the elemental spirits of the world. (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%202%3A20/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
2:20</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>Those of us who have been
baptized into the Messiah Jesus were baptized into his death</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%206%3A3/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans 6:3</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>We were buried with him by baptism into death,
in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might walk in
newness of life [as new creations in him].</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%206%3A4/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans 6:4</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>We believe that if we have been united with
him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his.</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%206%3A5-11/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
6:5-11</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%202%3A12-13/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
2:12-13</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">, </span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%203%3A1-4/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
3:1-4</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 18.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #162521;"><span style="font-family: arial;">12. Jesus is the firstborn of many brothers; who
will inherit the Kingdom; priests to his God and Father<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #262626;">Jesus said, <b>“My mother and my brothers are those
who hear the word of God and do it.”</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%208%3A19-21/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke
8:19-21</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>If we are in his flock, it
is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%2012%3A32-34/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke
12:32-34</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Jesus will assign his
followers a kingdom as the Father assigned to him a kingdom, that they may sit
on thrones judging the tribes.</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Luke%2022%3A28-30/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Luke
22:28-30</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">) <b>We should walk in a manner
worthy of God, who calls us into his own kingdom and glory</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/1%20Thes%202%3A12/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">1 Thessalonians
2:12</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>He foreknew and
predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might
be the firstborn among many brothers</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rom%208%3A29/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Romans
8:29</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Jesus is the firstborn of
all creation, in that God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and
transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Col%201%3A13-15/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Colossians
1:13-15</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">).</span><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #262626;">Since He who sanctifies [sets apart] and those who
are sanctified [set apart] all have one source, Jesus is not ashamed to refer
to those sons who are called to glory as brothers</span></b><span style="color: #262626;"> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Heb%202%3A11/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Hebrews
2:11</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Jesus had to be made like
his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful
high priest in service to God</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Heb%202%3A17/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Hebrews
2:17</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>God has chosen those who
are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he
has promised to those who love him</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Jam%202%3A5/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">James 2:5</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Jesus the Messiah the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, has made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father</b>
(</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rev%201%3A4-6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Revelation
1:4-6</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>He ransomed people for God
from every tribe, language, people, and nation, and made them a kingdom and
priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rev%205%3A9-10/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Revelation
5:9-10</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">). <b>Blessed and holy is the
one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no
power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with
him for a thousand years</b> (</span><a href="https://www.esv.org/verses/Rev%2020%3A6/" target="_blank"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #72abbf; padding: 0cm; text-decoration-line: none;">Revelation
20:6</span></a><span style="color: #262626;">)</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-33434117565171472852023-11-29T19:26:00.004-05:002023-11-29T19:26:46.062-05:00<p> <b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">YEHOVAH'S EIGHT COVENANTS</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 36.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"But Yehovah's faithful love for those who
fear him is from eternity and for ever; and His saving justice to their
children's children; as long as they keep His covenant, and carefully obey His
precepts"</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> [Palms 103:17-18]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span></p>
<div align="center">
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<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">COVENANT</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">SIGN</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">SCRIPTURE</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
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<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1. Adam<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">fertility<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">dominion
over the earth<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt; width: 18.0%;" width="18%">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tree of Life<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Genesis 1:28-30:<i> "God blessed
them, saying to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue
it..."</i> Genesis 2:15-17: <i>"Yehovah God took the
man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of
it..."</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2. Noah and the earth<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The earth
will never be destroyed by flood waters again (water will become a sign of
salvation)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rainbow<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Genesis 6:18; 9:9-17; Sirach 44:17-18.<i> "God
spoke as follows to Noah and his sons, 'I am now establishing (maintaining)
my covenant with you and with your descendants to come...'"</i> Genesis 9:8-9<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3. Abraham = 3-fold, (continues with Isaac,
Jacob, and descendants)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">and,
nation (descendants), and worldwide blessing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Circumcision on the 8th day<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Genesis 12:3, 15:1-18, 17: 1-27, 18:18 and
22:18, 26:3-5, 28:10-14; Exodus 2:24; Sirach 44:19-20. <i>"God
remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."</i> Exodus 2:24<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4. Moses and Israel<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sinai
Covenant law, liturgy, and an ordained Priesthood<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ark of the Covenant<br />
Tabernacle<br />
Ten Commandments<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Exodus 19-24; 34:10, 27, 28;
Deuteronomy 5:2-3. &<i>quot; “So now, if you are really prepared to
obey me and keep my covenant, you, out of all peoples, shall be my personal
possession” </i>Exodus 19:5<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">5. Aaron and Sons<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l11 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">perpetual
ministerial priesthood of the Levites<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Salt<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Exodus 40:15; Leviticus 2:13;
Numbers 18:19; Sirach 45:7; Jeremiah 33:21. <i>"Everything
the Israelites set aside for Yehovah from the holy things, I give to you
and your sons and daughters, by perpetual decree. This is a covenant of salt
for ever before Yehovah, for you and your descendants too." </i>Numbers 18:19<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">6. Phinehas<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo6; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">perpetual
priesthood in Covenant of Peace<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(prefigures Christ)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Seamless robe and miter<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Numbers 25:11-15; Sirach 45:24. <i>"To
him I grant my covenant of peace. To him and his descendants after him,
this covenant will assure the priesthood for ever.” </i>Numbers 25:12-13<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">7. David and descendants<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l12 level1 lfo7; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">dynasty
and throne forever secure<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throne / Temple<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2 Samuel 7:11-17, 23:5;
Sirach 45:25. <i>"Yes, my House stands firm with God: He has
made an eternal covenant with me..."</i> 2 Samuel 23:5<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">8. Jesus (Yahoshua/Yeshua = Yehovah saves) also
written Yehoshua = Joshua. He fulfills all previous covenants and gives the
gift of the sacraments and eternal salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Cross,<br />
the true "Tree of Life"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .75pt; padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Isaiah 55:3; Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20;
Hebrews 12:24. <i>"...This cup is the new covenant in my blood
poured out for you."</i> Luke 22:20<br />
<i>""...This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you
drink it, do this as a memorial of me."</i> 1 Corinthians 11:25,
external covenant Hebrews 13:20<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* There are many more Scripture passages referring
to Yehovah's Eight Covenants than those listed in the chart. In addition, some
covenants have stipulations and conditions while others have none.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some additional Scripture references for the
various covenants are listed below:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo8; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adam: Hosea 6:7 [can be
translated as "They have broken the covenant like Adam..". The word
"Adam" can mean the first man "Adam", or "man",
or even "ground" or "earth"]. In Genesis 6:18: the
Hebrew word "quwm" can also be translated as "restore",
"continue", or "maintain" which is why most scholars assume
the first covenant was established with Adam and then continued with Noah. If
there was no covenant there would be no covenant obligations or violations of
the covenant.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo9; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Noah: Genesis 6:18; 9:9,
11, 12 (twice), 13, 15, 16, 17; Sirach 44:17-18; Isaiah 24:5<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo10; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Abraham (and descendants):
Genesis 15:18; 17:2, 4, 7 (twice), 9, 10 (twice); 17:11, 13 (twice), 14,
19 (twice), 21: 31:44; Exodus 2:24; 6:2-5; Leviticus 26: 42-45; 2 Kings 13:23;
17:15, 35, 38; 18:12; 23:2, 3 (three times), 21; 1 Chronicle 16:15-17; Sirach
44:19-20; Psalm 105:9; Acts 3:25; 7:8<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l13 level1 lfo11; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mosaic Covenant with Israel:
Exodus 19:5; 24:7, 8; 31:16; 34:10, 27, 28; Leviticus 24:8-9; 26:9, 15, 25, 42
(3 times), 44, 45; Deuteronomy 4:13, 23, 31; 5:2-3; 7:9,12; 8:18; 9:9, 11, 15;
17:2; 29:1, 9, 12 (twice), 14, 21, 25 (twice); 31:16, 20; 33:9; Joshua 7:11,
15; 23:16; Judges 2:1, 20; 1 Kings 8:9, 21, 23; 19:10-11; 2 Chronicles 6:11,
14; 34:30, 31 (twice), 32; Psalm 105:10; 106:45; Isaiah 42:6; 54:10<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l14 level1 lfo12; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Aaron and sons: Exodus 40:15;
Leviticus 2:13; 18:19; Numbers 18:19; Nehemiah 13:25; Sirach 45:7, 15;
Jeremiah 33:21; Malachi 2:4-9<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo13; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Phinehas: Numbers 25:11-13;
Sirach 45:24; Psalm 106:30-31 (an example of righteousness for the ages)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l10 level1 lfo14; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">David: 2 Samuel 7:11-17; 23:5;
23:5 Sirach 45:25; 47:11; 2 Chronicles 7:18; 13:5; 21:7; Psalm 89:3, 28, 34,
Jeremiah 33:21<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 72.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo15; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus: Isaiah 59:20-21 [Romans
11:26-27]; Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2
Corinthians 3:6-14; Galatians 4:24; Hebrews 7:22; 8:6-13; 9:15-20; 10:14-29
(quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34); 12:24; 13:20<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 18.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-78216956329015967662023-11-29T19:21:00.007-05:002023-11-29T19:28:42.192-05:00WHICH GOSPEL? WHICH JESUS?<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">The word “gospel” bombards the American churchgoing
public from every quarter. Yet there appears to be very little analysis of what
the Bible means by the Gospel. There is no more important and urgent matter
demanding our attention than this: </span><b style="background-color: white;">to discover what Jesus and the
Apostles taught as <i>the Gospel</i>.</b><span style="background-color: white;"> Believing the Gospel
is everywhere in the New Testament directly connected to salvation. </span><span style="background: yellow;">Salvation means gaining immortality in the future
resurrection and helping to supervise a new world order, with the returned
Messiah as its governor.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There are cosmic forces at work attempting to
prevent us from understanding the vital message of salvation. In Luke 8:12
Jesus brilliantly describes what happens when some hear the biblical Gospel.
The Messiah's intelligence report lifts the lid on Satan's counter-Gospel
activity: “Then the Devil comes and snatches away the message [the Gospel of
the Kingdom, Matthew 13:19] which was sown in their hearts, <i>so that
they may not believe it [the Gospel] and be saved </i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another devastatingly destructive system, known as
ultra-dispensationalism, boldly proclaims that the Gospel of the Kingdom is not
for us today at all! It claims, contrary to the plainest biblical evidence,
that Paul introduced another and different Gospel for us now: the Gospel of
grace. Paul however makes the Gospel of the Kingdom <i>identical with</i>
the Gospel of grace. For this fact, simply read Acts 20:24, 25:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"I consider my life worth nothing to myself if only I can finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the good news of the grace of God. And now, listen, I know that you all among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom you will see my face no more...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Paul here summarizes with
crystal clarity his whole Gospel-preaching career. It was to proclaim the
Gospel of the grace of God which in the next breath he says is the preaching of
the Kingdom!</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Salvation, we learn, is gained by believing and
obeying the Gospel message. The linkage of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew
13:19) and salvation is clearly obvious. Satan's goal is to obstruct belief in
that Gospel. One strategy open to him is to remove the Gospel from the heart of
the potential believer. Another clever way of achieving his goal is by <i>distorting </i>the
message.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul warned his Corinthian converts that it is all
too easy to believe in a pseudo-Jesus, a counterfeit Jesus, and a fake Gospel:
“If he who comes preaches <i>another Jesus</i>, whom we have not
preached, or if you receive <i>another spirit</i>, which you have
not received, or a <i>different gospel</i>, which you did not receive, you
bear this beautifully!” (2 Corinthians 11:4).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Christians are to be alert and instructed. If they
are not, they will fall for “other gospels” and “other Jesus.” There are lots
around and they can be very appealing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: yellow;">“Another Jesus. Another spirit.
A different gospel.”</span> Paul
here “blows the whistle” on the Satanic methods. He unmasks the Devil's subtle
tactics. Satan's seductive plan is to “preach Jesus, Spirit and Gospel,” using
these New Testament terms as a camouflage for his own twisted message. Satan's
Gospel will sound biblical enough. The name “Jesus” will be prominent in the
message. Yet in a subtle way, this pseudo-gospel will divert its well-meaning
recipients from the real message of the real Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">According to another translation of 2 Corinthians
11:4, Satan offers “another way to be saved.” Observe that Satan's business is
“salvation.” But it is “salvation” on <i>his </i>terms. The reason
why the yet inexperienced Corinthians were, as Paul said, “putting up with the
pseudo-gospel beautifully” was that they could not see the difference between
the true and the false versions of the Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In these immensely instructive verses, Paul exposed
Satan's deceptive techniques. Paul was giving his own commentary on the warning
words of Jesus in Luke 8:12. Satan's business is to get rid of the saving
Gospel as Jesus preached it. Satan wants to destroy humanity by turning humanity
away from God and His son Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul went on to say that Satan “dresses himself up”
as an angel of light (implying that he is actually an angel of darkness) and
that he works through his ministers [false teachers], who also appear to be
ministers of light, to mislead the unwary: “And no wonder, for even Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore, it is not surprising if his
servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians
11:14, 15).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nothing alarmed or angered Paul more than the
preaching of a distorted Gospel; and with good reason. For a message of
salvation that is untrue to the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles inevitably
lulls its recipients into a false sense of security. They will think they have
“received Jesus,” <i>but the Jesus presented to them will be a cunningly
devised misrepresentation of the real Jesus who alone can save.</i> When Paul
found Satan at work among young believers whom he had reached with the true
message, he rushed to their rescue:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him
who called you by the grace of the Messiah, for a different gospel; which is
really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to
distort the Gospel of the Messiah. But even though we or an angel from heaven
[suggestive of the ‘angel of light' of 2 Corinthians 11:14] should preach to
you a gospel other than the one which we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-8).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>
Beware of a Distorted Gospel</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The reason for Paul's strong words is clear.
Acceptance of “another gospel” and “another Jesus” (the pseudo-Jesus would of
course be offered as Savior and Lord) could not possibly lead to the desired
salvation. But the victims of such preaching would be convinced that they had
come to believe God's message. They would think that they were being saved,
when in fact the genuine message of salvation had been hidden from them. They
would have fallen prey to Satan's policy of opposition by imitation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A shrewd observer of the history of religion has
observed that the fact “<span style="background: yellow;">that what any
religion <i>works </i>does not mean that it is right.</span> It
is in the nature of all religions that they should work for those who are
persuaded that they represent the determined vehicle of communication between
the Seen and the Unseen.” A faith that seems to work, and a Jesus who
seems to produce results, do not necessarily correspond with the Jesus
proclaimed by Paul and his colleague Apostles. It is essential to understand
the subtlety of Satan's strategy of deception and to realize that he conceals
himself under religious, biblical terminology.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By a subtle shift in the meaning of words, we
suggest, that the biblical Gospel message has been, in many quarters, deprived of
its principal and fundamental ingredient: <b><i>the Kingdom of God</i>.</b> This
has come about in two ways. Firstly, the content of the popular Gospel has been
derived almost exclusively from isolated verses in Paul's epistles (usually
Romans, cp. “The Roman Road”) and the gospel of John. In these writings,
because the writer and audience <i>already understood the</i> meaning of
“Gospel,” the precise terminology of the Gospel appears less often or appears
under different terms, and there is thus more room for us to misunderstand.
Paul was not writing (in Romans) to people who had never heard the Gospel. He
was not writing to make converts out of non-Christians. Paul could assume that
his audience knew what the Gospel was. This allowed him to concentrate on
certain elements of the Gospel and treat other parts of it with less detail and
clarity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The loss of a clear perception of the Gospel
message has come about because Jesus' original words describing and defining
the Gospel, recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, have been ignored or rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Jesus has been presented to the
public as one who died and rose, but not as the original and definitive <i>preacher
and teacher </i>of the saving Gospel; the Gospel about the Kingdom of God.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Almost all “Gospel talk” has
centered around the <i>person </i>of Jesus, <i>to the exclusion
of the saving message he taught.</i></b> <b>Churches speak of the
messenger, Jesus, but usually fail to tell us about the Gospel message that he
proclaimed. The preaching of that Gospel was his priority. Churches ignoring the
Gospel message of Jesus is devastating to their listeners.</b> The abundance of
talk about “Jesus” gives the impression that the Jesus of the New Testament is
being presented. What many do not notice is that there is a deafening silence
about Jesus' saving message about <i>the Kingdom, </i>is quietly
omitted!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Test the spirits,” John urged as the New Testament
period was ending (1 John 4:1). <b>Listen to the words being announced as
“gospel.”</b> <b>Do you hear the Kingdom of God as central in the Gospel
presentation? If not, beware: the voice of Jesus and his Kingdom Gospel are
absent.</b> Jesus had remarked, “My sheep know my voice” (John 10:27).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matthew, Mark, and Luke unanimously record that
Jesus and the disciples always proclaimed the <i>Gospel of the
Kingdom </i>(Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:43; Mark 1:14, 15; Luke 16:16).
Mark calls this Gospel the “Gospel of God” (Mark 1:14). It is a message sent by
God Himself through His spokesman Jesus, the promised Messiah. Once this
critically important definition of the Gospel; <i>the Gospel of the Kingdom; </i>has
been established, Matthew, Mark, and Luke refer to it by a kind of “shorthand”
as “the Word” or “the Message.” Luke makes this crucial equation in his first
volume: “He said to them, ‘I must preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to the other
cities also, <i>for I was sent for this purpose.</i>' And he kept on
preaching in the synagogues of Judea. Now it came about that while the
multitude were pressing around and listening to the <i>Word of God </i>...”
(Luke 4:43, 44; 5:1).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matthew and Mark also use the terms “Word (message)
of the Kingdom” and “the Word” respectively when they record the parable of the
Sower. This parable, of course, is the prototype of all good evangelism, though
it is seldom referred to by contemporary evangelists. The Gospel of the Kingdom
in the three versions of the same parable appears as follows: <span style="background: yellow;">“Whenever anyone hears the <i>word of the
Kingdom </i>...” (Matthew 13:19). “And they hear the <i>word”</i>
(Mark 4:16). “The seed is the <i>word of God”</i> (Luke 8:11).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>
The Gospel Fully Defined</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The “word” in question is fully defined in Luke
4:43 and Matthew 4:23 and 9:35 as <i>the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.</i>
(Note that the KJV expression “preaching the Kingdom” means in the original
“preaching the <i>Gospel </i>of the Kingdom,” as modern translations
and commentators make clear.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the resurrection of Jesus, the Apostles, in
obedience to Jesus, went out to proclaim <i>exactly the same message of
the Kingdom.</i> They added to the message, under the guidance of the spirit of
the Messiah, the new facts about Jesus' death and resurrection, of which Jesus
had said very little (and when he did he was not understood; Luke 18:31-34)
when he preached the Gospel. In Acts 8:12, therefore, we have a perfect formula
that covers the whole ground of the Gospel message. <span style="background: yellow;">There are two components in the Gospel; the Kingdom
of God and “the name of Jesus<b>”</b></span><b>: “When they believed Philip as
he proclaimed the good news [Gospel] about the Kingdom of God and the name of
Jesus, they were being baptized” (Acts 8:12).</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This comprehensive definition of the Gospel is the
one that should be constantly instilled in the minds of those who go out to
preach. The fact is, however, that this model text in Acts (repeated in Acts
19:8; 20:24, 25; 28:23, 31) is seldom, if ever, quoted. What is often quoted is
another verse from Acts: “Philip... preached the Messiah to them” (Acts 8:5).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is another of Luke's “shorthand” summaries of
the Gospel. He intends to remind us of Jesus' own preaching of the Kingdom of
God and the Apostles' preaching about the Kingdom and the name of Jesus (Acts
8:12). By itself, however, the expression “preaching the Messiah” is unclear.
Explained by Acts 8:12: <span style="background: yellow;">“the Gospel about
the Kingdom and the name of Jesus”;</span><b> </b>it is easily understood.
By forgetting Acts 8:12 evangelists almost always omit the principal subject
matter of Jesus' own preaching, the Kingdom of God! Thus, they subtract from
the message one of its two major components.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An illustration will make the matter clearer. In
Acts 15:21 James stated that “Moses has in every city those who preach him.” We
have no difficulty in seeing that “preaching Moses” means that the law of Moses
and his teaching were being proclaimed. In the same way “preaching the Messiah”
involves not only telling the facts about the person of Jesus but also giving
an accurate account of his message; what he taught.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now it would be very strange to say that
“Moses <i>is the</i> law,” unless we explained that we were using language
in a special way. Yet this sort of “Jesus is the Gospel” or “Jesus is the
Kingdom” language has been introduced and with disastrous consequences. It may
sound good to say that “Jesus <i>is the</i> Gospel,” but the objective
reality of the Kingdom as <i>the future reign of the Messiah on
earth </i>(with strong implications for the present period of preparation
for the Kingdom) has been lost from the Gospel message. Jesus' version of the
Gospel is thus eclipsed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is commonly said that Paul did not preach the
Kingdom of God, though Jesus did. Imagine the chaos into which New Testament
Christianity would be thrown if this assertion were true. If Paul did not relay
the same Gospel of the Kingdom as Jesus had preached it, he would be in
violation of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20), which is obviously
binding on all who preach. Jesus' final words were these: “Go and make
disciples and <i>baptize </i>them and teach them everything I taught
you.” It could not be clearer. Apostolic Christianity is based on the preaching
of the historical Jesus. If Jesus preached the Kingdom as the foundation of the
Gospel (and no one could argue with this fact) then the Apostles also taught
that same Kingdom Gospel, with the addition of the new facts about the death
and resurrection of Jesus. To suggest that Paul did not concentrate on the
Gospel of the Kingdom is to say that he was in direct disobedience to the Great
Commission. Paul was intent on the Messiah Jesus living in him, and the Messiah
who lived in him was the risen historical Jesus who continued to preach the
same Gospel of the Kingdom everywhere. Paul says this quite expressly: “I went
about preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom” (Acts 20:25). He makes no difference
at all between the Gospel of grace and the Gospel of the Kingdom (Acts 20:24,
25). It would be completely false to assert therefore that the Gospel of Jesus
did not continue in Acts. Luke intended that we never forget this. Acts 28:23,
31 describes the evangelistic ministry of Paul as the preaching of the Kingdom
of God, both to Jews and to Gentiles. There is no preaching of the Messiah
without the preaching of the Message of the Messiah, the Kingdom of God.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>
The Blurring of the Message</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was Origen, a philosophically minded “church
father” of the third century, who began to say that “the good things the
apostles announce in the Gospel are simply Jesus. <i>Jesus Himself
preaches good tidings of good things which are none other than Himself.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">With this kind of poetic,
allegorizing language the Kingdom was turned into “good things” and the message
about the Kingdom of God was swallowed up in the term “Jesus.” The Kingdom
disappeared behind the word “Jesus.” This trend has continued to the present
day.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Origen set a fashion of speaking
of the “Gospel” yet saying nothing about the Messianic Kingdom of the future
which was the heart of Jesus' saving message.</b> Jesus' use of the term
“Kingdom” in its Hebrew, Old Testament sense as a “concrete” reality of the
future was frittered away, dissolved into thin air. <b>The spell that was thus
cast over the churches resulted in what one contemporary writer has brought
about “the hopeless confusion of evangelicals over eschatology.”</b> Another
theologian warned of the catastrophe that occurred when the Greek
incomprehension of the Messianic Kingdom caused it to be dropped from the
Gospel message. The loss was not a legitimate transformation of the message, as
some would have us believe; it was a suppression of the apostolic <i>Gospel
of the Kingdom:</i> <b>“When the Greek mind and the Roman mind, instead of the
Hebrew mind, came to dominate the Church, there occurred a disaster from which
the Church has never recovered, either in doctrine or practice.”</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Propositions about Jesus <i>being </i>the
Kingdom or the Gospel sound plausible or “spiritual,” but they are misleading.
Jesus did not come into Galilee saying, “Repent and believe the Gospel
about <i>me </i>.” He commanded belief first and foremost in the
Gospel of the Kingdom, <i><span style="background: yellow;">God's
Gospel </span> </i>(Mark 1:14, 15). Jesus did not say that the Sower
went forth to sow himself! He went out to sow “the Message of the Kingdom”
(Matthew 13:19).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus spoke also of giving up everything for
him <i>and the Gospel (</i>Mark 8:35; 10:29). Origen: and the evangelical
world have often followed him; confused the biblical message by practically
equating Jesus with the Gospel Message, the messenger with the message. The
result was the loss of the Message about the Kingdom, of which Jesus will
become the ruler as Messiah, and into which Jesus invites his followers as
co-rulers (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30; Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 5:10; 20:4-6).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our point is well made by a commentator who
challenges the traditional idea that Jesus proclaimed himself rather than the
Kingdom of God:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Attempting to read the gospels unshackled by the
conventional wisdom or dogma of the past leads to some startling conclusions.
Nowhere is this more obvious than when we ask the central question, what was
Jesus' message? The various churches still operate on the axiom that his
message concerned Himself. Here, they say, is God-in-the-flesh, the second
Person of the Holy Trinity, walking about the Holy Land with a group of former
fishermen, proclaiming Himself as the only way of salvation. He is the content
of the message; or rather, he is the message itself…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: yellow;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“As I realized, however, the
moment I could read the New Testament with any seriousness... this is not what
the Gospels say at all. If you begin with the Gospel of St. Mark...you will
find that Jesus came preaching the ‘good news of God' and saying: ‘The time is fulfilled,
and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent [have a change of heart] and put your
trust in this good news (1:14-15)... If you take the combined witness of Mark,
Matthew, and Luke, it is obvious that Jesus came to proclaim what is translated
as the Kingdom of God or Heaven — the two are synonymous.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>
Misleading Terminology</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Preaching the Messiah,” “proclaiming Jesus,”
“receiving the Lord” and “giving your heart to the Lord” may have a religious
ring about them. But they may also be a “front” for a message that tells you
nothing about Jesus' Gospel about the Kingdom of God. Remember that throughout
the book of Acts where the indispensable information about the apostolic
presentation of the Gospel is given, <i>the Kingdom of God was still the
first item on the agenda </i>(Acts 8:12; 28:23, 31). This is true of
preaching from the beginning of Acts to the end. It is true also of the message
which was given to Jews and Gentiles alike:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“So, they [the Jews] fixed a day and came to him
[Paul] at his quarters in large numbers. <b>From morning to evening he
expounded and testified the Kingdom of God and persuaded them concerning Jesus
from the law of Moses and the prophets</b>... He stayed two whole years in his
own rented home and welcomed all who came to see him [Jews and Gentiles] <b>preaching
the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord
Jesus the Messiah</b>, with all boldness, none forbidding him” (Acts 28:23, 30,
31).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A Word from the Scholars</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A New Testament professor from Harvard has
subjected the writings of Luke in Acts to minute analysis. He reports that
what Luke says about the future Kingdom is “natural and spontaneous” and
therefore most revealing as a guide to the apostolic Gospel. Professor Cadbury
notes that Acts includes “many of the familiar elements” in New Testament
preaching. “<i>The preachers preach the Kingdom of God or the things about it</i>”
(Acts 1:3; 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31; these texts should be examined
carefully). The term “Kingdom of God appears from almost the first verse to the
last verse in the book.” “Kingdom of God” “constitutes a formula apparently
parallel to the writer's more characteristic single verb ‘evangelize.'” “Nothing<i>
obviously distinguishes the term Kingdom of God in Acts from such apocalyptic
use as it has in the synoptic gospels. For example, one enters into it [in the
future] through much tribulation </i>(Acts 14:22).” We find this
scholar in complete agreement that the Kingdom of God is everywhere in Acts the
heart and center of the Gospel. <span style="background: yellow;">And by
Kingdom of God, the Apostles do not mean a present reign of the Messiah “in the
heart” but the worldwide Kingdom of God to be inaugurated by the Second Coming
of Jesus at the end of the age and introducing a new society on earth; “the
inhabited earth of the future about which we speak” (Hebrews 2:5).</span> This
point is most essential for anyone who sets out to make converts through the
Gospel message. The Kingdom of God, as the future Kingdom, is the core of the
message. It was when potential converts expressed an understanding of and a
belief in the Kingdom of God and the things concerning the name of Jesus that
they were ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12). <b>Clearly any preaching which does
not have the Kingdom of God as a major component of its content has little
relation to the New Testament Gospel.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">No Kingdom, No Gospel<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">When in the book of Acts Luke
refers to “preaching Jesus” or “evangelizing,” both phrases must be amplified
and illuminated by the fuller description of what the Apostles were saying.
They were proclaiming the <i>Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus </i>(Acts
8:12; 28:23, 31). The loss of the facts about the Kingdom of God would amount
to a loss of a major part of the Gospel itself. A gospel without the Kingdom of
God would appear to be even “another gospel.” Even though the name “Jesus”
might still be heard, his message about the Kingdom would have disappeared. A
gospel deprived of essential information will not have the powerful converting
energy necessary to make healthy, well-instructed Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Paul preached in Ephesus, he “reasoned and
persuaded them about the Kingdom of God” for three months (Acts 19:8). He later
described his whole ministry at Ephesus as a “solemn testimony about repentance
towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). What then is Paul's
definition (not ours!) of “faith in the Lord Jesus”? Paul immediately gives us
two further clarifying descriptions of the Gospel. He equates “faith in Jesus”
with “the Gospel of the grace of God” (v. 24) or a “declaration of the whole
purpose of God” (v. 27). But none of these phrases must be divorced from verse
25. There Paul sums up his ministry as the “preaching<i> of the Kingdom </i>.”
Could contemporary evangelists so describe their own ministries when they speak
of “heaven”? Where did any New Testament preacher promise his audience that
they would “go to heaven”?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul's preaching in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and
Antioch followed the same pattern. After preaching the Gospel, he exhorted the
converts to endure trial patiently before they “enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts
14:22), i.e., at the Second Coming of Jesus. Our final glimpse of Paul is in
Rome where once again we find him “solemnly testifying <i>about the
Kingdom of God </i>and trying to persuade them about Jesus” from dawn till
dusk (Acts 28:23). Luke ends where he began in Acts with Jesus discussing the
affairs of the Kingdom of God for six weeks with the disciples (Acts 1:3). Indeed,
Luke concludes his second volume where he began his first, the gospel of Luke:
Jesus is destined to receive the Kingdom of his father David (Luke 1:32, 33)
and rule in it forever. Luke's last word is that Paul was <b>“<i>preaching
the Kingdom of God </i>and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus the Messiah”</b> (Acts
28:31).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The message is clear beyond any doubt. It is the
Good News about the Kingdom and about Jesus the Messiah that must be
proclaimed (Acts 8:12). These are distinct but closely related topics. The
great mistake is to merge them so that the Kingdom is lost!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Paul wrote to his converts, he most often
simply referred to the “Gospel” without further definition. Both the writer and
reader knew what was meant. We must be careful to go back to Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and Acts to find out exactly what that Gospel is. It is interesting to
note that Paul avoids in his epistles the full phrase “Gospel of the Kingdom.”
Talk of the “Kingdom” in opposition to Caesar could very well create
unnecessary trouble in the Roman empire. In Thessalonica, Paul was mobbed for
having dared to say that “there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:5-7). When
Paul wrote from prison, he used terms to describe the Kingdom which were less
provocative: “glory,” “age to come,” “light,” “life,” “inheritance.” But he
still mentions the Kingdom in contexts where he has just mentioned the Gospel:
“We proclaimed to you the <i>Gospel of God </i>... God calls you into
His own <i>Kingdom </i>and glory” (1 Thessalonians 2:9, 12. Cp. Mark
1:14, 15: Gospel of God = Gospel of the Kingdom). “...you may be considered
worthy of the <i>Kingdom of God </i>… Those who do not obey the <i>Gospel </i>of
our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:5, 8). “I became your father through
the <i>Gospel </i>... <i>The Kingdom of God </i>does not
consist in words, but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:15, 20). “The word of truth,
the <i>Gospel </i>... He transferred us into the <i>Kingdom</i>”
(Colossians 1:5, 13). Note: (Colossians 3:24; 1 Corinthians 15:50).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A Bible Dictionary Documents the
Loss of the Kingdom from the Message</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite the very clear evidence that the New
Testament Christians always proclaimed the Kingdom of God, both before and
after the resurrection of Jesus, <i>Unger's Bible Dictionary </i>attempts
to divide the Gospel into two <i>different </i>messages. It speaks of
“forms of the Gospel to be differentiated.” Contrary to the plain teaching
of Scripture, the article maintains that the Gospel of the Kingdom ceased to be
preached when the Jews rejected their Messiah and that a different form of the
Gospel; the Gospel of Grace; then came into force. The proclamation of the
Gospel of the Kingdom, we are told, will be resumed during the tribulation just
prior to the return of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, this is to create a distinction that is
not in the New Testament. The Gospel of the Kingdom definitely <i>did not
cease to be preached </i>when Jesus was rejected. The Kingdom of God
remained the central theme of apostolic teaching <i>after the
resurrection </i>(Acts 1:3; 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). What's more,
the Gospel of Grace is exactly the same Gospel as the Gospel of the Kingdom
(Acts 20:24, 25).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That many do try to create a distinction between
two forms of the Gospel is not disputed. The distinction, however, is based on
a man-made “dispensationalist” theory, which denies that the Gospel of the
Kingdom has always been and always will be the Christian message.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Indispensable Word of the
Kingdom</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Throughout the New Testament, the “shorthand”
expression “word” (message) stands for the “Gospel of the Kingdom and the name
of Jesus the Messiah” (Acts 8:12). Sometimes the message is simply “the truth”
(Colossians 1:6). All these abbreviated descriptions of the Gospel must be
referred back to Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom (Luke 4:43; Matthew 4:23).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If these simple principles are kept in mind,
Christians will not run the risk of losing or distorting the Gospel, which is
the greatest tragedy that could befall them (Galatians 1:7, 8). They must
insist that Jesus' own message about the Kingdom is always at the heart of
evangelism. This can be done best by maintaining a “sound pattern of words” (2
Timothy 1:13). This does not mean that preaching should be wooden or
unimaginative, controlled by a mere formula. It will mean, however, that we
will not be misled into thinking that the Messiah has been preached <i>when
nothing has been said about his Good News of the Kingdom</i>, Jesus' own
Gospel, the Gospel of salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Good News of the Kingdom has to do with God's
purpose to bring peace and international harmony to our war-torn earth by
sending Jesus to rule the world at his Second Coming. The earth is going to be
filled with the knowledge of God and the nations are going to beat their awful
weapons of mass destruction into farm implements (Isaiah 2:1-4). In preparation
for that great day, believers are to repent and believe the message (Mark 1:14,
15), be baptized, and receive the Spirit of God (Acts 2:38). Some will say:
“What good is that knowledge of the future for me <i>now?</i>” <b>The
answer is that God is intensely interested in the future of the world and the
great reversal in world politics that is going to come when Jesus returns to
institute his Kingdom</b>. If the spirit of God and the Messiah is in us, that
spirit will convey the same intense interest in the Kingdom as motivated by the
entire ministries of Jesus and the Apostles. God speaks to the present from the
future. Hope is a powerful energy. But hope is no hope unless it is given
content. That content is the Kingdom of God coming on earth and our inheritance
of the new land/earth (Matthew 5:5).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We conclude by reflecting on the strange phenomenon
that a leading writer of Bible notes quotes Matthew 24:14 and twice on the same
page (his only references) omits the words “of the Kingdom” from Matthew's (and
Jesus') prediction that the Gospel <i>of the Kingdom </i>is going to
be preached worldwide. Readers are permitted to see only that “this gospel... will
be preached.” The Kingdom, which describes the content of the Gospel, has
been dropped from the text!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another evangelical writer refers to “preaching the
Messiah” and “preaching the word,” but omits altogether Luke's illuminating
explanation of these phrases as “the Gospel of the Kingdom and the name of
Jesus” (Acts 8:12). Recently a leading spokesman for evangelicalism delivered a
lecture on the topic “What is the Gospel?” During the course of an hour, he did
not manage to mention the word “kingdom” once! Discussing Acts 20:24-27 he
referred to the “gospel of the grace of God” (v. 24) and equated it correctly
with “declaring the whole purpose of God” (v. 27). Can anyone explain why he
skipped verse 25 which tells us that it was the <i>Gospel of the Kingdom </i>which
Paul called the Gospel of Grace and the whole purpose of God? Clearly, no one is
going to understand the Gospel fully until he is instructed in the meaning of
the term Kingdom of God and invited to believe the Good News connected with
that Kingdom (Mark 1:14, 15).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To cap it all, at an international meeting of
evangelists in Lausanne in 1974 a spokesman asked: “How much have you heard
here about the Kingdom of God? Not much. <i>It is not our language. </i>But
it was Jesus' prime concern.” The next time
you hear an evangelist, in spoken word or tract, summon the public to believe
in <i>the Kingdom of God and the things concerning the name of Jesus </i>(Acts
8:12), take careful note. You will be hearing the language of Jesus and the
Apostles. If offers of salvation contain no word about the Kingdom of God,
remain suspicious; and reread 2 Corinthians 11:4 and Luke 8:12! And Mark 4:11,
12, where the intelligent reception of the Kingdom Gospel is a condition for
repentance and being forgiven.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by Anthony Buzzard and edited by Bruce Lyon</span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-87453013032582507372023-11-29T16:52:00.005-05:002023-11-29T16:52:51.989-05:00ISAAC NEWTON'S TWELVE ARTICLES ON GOD AND THE MESSIAHArticle 1. <b>There is one God the Father ever-living, omnipresent, omniscient, almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, and one Mediator between God and Man the Messiah Jesus. </b><br /><br />Article 2. The Father is the invisible God whom no eye has seen or can see, all other beings are sometimes visible. <br /><br />Article 3. <b>The Father has life in Himself and has given the son to have life in himself. </b><br /><br />Article 4. The Father is omniscient and has all knowledge originally in His own breast and communicates knowledge of future things to Jesus the Messiah and none in heaven or earth or under the earth is worthy to receive knowledge of future things immediately from the father except the Lamb. And therefore, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy and Jesus is the Word or Prophet of God. <br /><br />Article 5. The Father is immoveable no place being capable of becoming emptier or fuller of Him then it is by the eternal necessity of nature: all other being are moveable from place to place. <br /><br />Article 6. All the worship (whether of prayer praise or thanksgiving) which was due to the father before the coming of the Messiah is still due to him. The Messiah came not to diminish the worship of his Father. <br /><br />Article 7. Prayers are most prevalent when directed to the Father in the name of the son. <br /><br />Article 8. We are to return thanks to the Father alone for creating us and giving us food and raiment and other blessings of this life and whatsoever we are to thank Him for or desire that He would do for us we ask of Him immediately in the name of the Messiah. <br /><br />Article 9. <b>We need not pray to the Messiah to intercede for us. If we pray the Father aright He will intercede. </b><br /><br />Article 10. It is not necessary to salvation to direct our prayers to any other than the Father in the name of the Son. <br /><br />Article 11. To give the name of God to Angels or Kings is not against the first commandment. To give the worship of the God of the Jews to Angels or Kings is against it. The meaning of the commandment is You shalt worship no other gods but me. <br /><br />Article 12.<b> To us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we of him, and one Lord Jesus the Messiah because of whom are all things and we because of him. That is, we are to worship the Father alone as God Almighty and Jesus alone as the Lord the Messiah, the great King, the Lamb of God who was slain and has redeemed us with his blood and made us kings and Priests. </b><br /><br />© 2004 The Newton Project Canada, History of Science and Technology, University of King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 2A1, Canadabrucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-30772662418110749432023-11-29T16:46:00.003-05:002023-11-29T16:46:33.748-05:001 CORINTHIANS 8:6<p><u><span style="font-family: arial;"> <b><span style="color: #555555;"><a href="https://adonimessiah.blogspot.com/2006/08/1-cor-86-there-is-solely-one-god.html"><span style="color: #555555;">1 Corinthians 8:6: There is solely ONE GOD, YEHOVAH; and
one 'Lord', the man Jesus of Nazareth</span></a></span></b></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: #EEEEEE; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; mso-outline-level: 3;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a name="115482787899978395"></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In
scripture, many people are titled 'lord' including Jesus.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
YEHOVAH is also called "LORD", that is, the Hebrew word, <b><i>Adonai</i></b><br />
(To this day, the Jews rather call GOD by this title Adonai, rather than use His Name, Yehovah)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><b>The title Adonai belongs to Almighty GOD alone, it is His title. No man
is ever called Adonai.</b></span><br />
<br />
The expression, Adonai Yehovah appears in many places throughout our Bibles; it
is generally translated as "LORD GOD" in our English Bibles (note the
case)<br />
<br />
Hence, <b>the LORD GOD, Adonai Yehovah</b> is the LORD of Heaven & Earth<br />
[Matthew 11.25, Luke 10.21, Acts 17.24]<br />
<br />
What the LORD GOD has done, is raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead, highly
exalted him, and made him both, Lord & Messiah. Hence, <b>Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord Messiah, NOT the Lord GOD</b><br />
<br />
Psalms 110:1, the most quoted OT verse in the NT, foretold of the day, that GOD
was going to invite a special man to sit at His Right Hand. This man was to be
David's Lord! <b>(the Hebrew word, <i>adoni</i> is used to describe the
Lordship of this man - NOT <i>Adonai</i>)</b><br />
<br />
Nevertheless, by definition, no matter how high GOD has exalted Jesus the
Messiah, GOD will always be Jesus' GOD and LORD i.e. the GOD of Jesus & the
LORD over Jesus! (cf. John 20.17, Revelation 3.12, 11.15)<br />
<br />
Hence, <b>Jesus the Messiah, is second only to GOD Himself. Only GOD is
higher & greater than the Messiah Jesus</b>; such is the height and greatness of the Messiah's exaltation.<br />
<br />Paul summed it up like this ...<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->To
us, the Apostolic Church, there is solely ONE GOD, the Father.<br />
To us, the Apostolic Church, there is solely ONE Lord, Jesus the Messiah.<br />
1 Cor 8:4,6 (This in no way infringes the LORDSHIP of GOD Almighty who by the very
fact/definition that He is Almighty GOD, who is <b>the GOD, Father & LORD over Jesus the Messiah</b>)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->When
describing the 7 onenesses/unities, Paul states ...<br />
(Ephesians 4:4-6) There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one
hope of your calling; <span style="color: red;">One Lord [i.e., Jesus]</span>, one faith, one baptism, <span style="color: blue;">One God and Father of all
[i.e., YEHOVAH]</span>,
who is above all, and through all, and in you all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->One
day every knee will have to confess the Lordship of the Messiah, the Lordship that
GOD conferred upon him ... (Philippians 2:10-11) That at the name of Jesus, every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the
earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that <span style="color: red;">Jesus the Messiah is Lord</span>, <span style="color: blue;">to the glory of God the
Father.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-left: 39.75pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Nevertheless,
GOD will always be greater and higher than the Messiah.<br />
That is why Paul said ... (1 Cor 15:27-28) For he [GOD] has put all things under his [the Son's] feet.
But when he [GOD] said all things are put under him [the Son], <b>it is
manifest [it is evident, it is obvious] that He is excepted [GOD is not
included]</b>, which did put all things under him [the Son]. 28 And when all
things shall be subdued unto him [the Son], then shall the Son also himself be
subject unto Him [GOD] that put all things under him [the Son], <b>that
God may be all in all.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
One of the best analogies one could use is the example of Pharaoh & Joseph.<br />
Joseph <b>was Pharaoh</b> to all Egypt [Genesis 41.43-44] & to all
who came to Joseph, Gen 44.18 <i>for thou art even as Pharaoh.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That is, <b>Joseph totally represented Pharaoh. He was his legal agent. </b>He was, to quote Joseph: (Genesis 45:8) ... he [GOD] has made me <b>a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all </b><b>his
house, and a ruler</b><b> throughout
all the land of Egypt. </b>Pharaoh pointed out ... (Genesis 41:40) You shall be over my house, and
according <b>unto thy word</b> shall all my people be ruled: <b>only in the
throne will I be greater than you.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Joseph was
second only to Pharaoh himself!</b><br />
<br />
(This concept of agency is called by the Jews, <i>the law of agency</i>.
Examples of this are shown throughout scripture by both angels and men)<br />
<br />
So it is, with GOD & the Messiah. The Messiah Jesus totally represents Almighty GOD. He is His express image, His legal agent, His plenipotentiary. And just as Pharaoh, by definition, was greater and higher than Joseph, in like manner, <b>so is Almighty GOD, greater and higher than the Messiah Jesus. </b>[John
14.28, 10.29, 1 Corinthians 15.28]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Also, Joseph was <i>even as Pharaoh</i>, yet of course, <b>he was NOT
actually Pharaoh. They were, of course, two distinct beings. Joseph, however,
was Pharaoh's agent.</b><br />
<br />
In like manner, <b>The Lord Messiah is NOT the Lord GOD.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>He is the
LORD GOD's agent, His right-hand man [Psalm 80.17], His Messiah [Psalm 2.2],</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>His Son
[Psalm 2.7], His appointed King [Psalm 2.6], His distinct Representative.</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Therefore,
there is ONE GOD, the Father, namely, YEHOVAH, AND ONE Lord, the man Messiah Jesus, whom YEHOVAH has made Lord & Messiah! [Acts
2.36] GOD has made him, Lord of all hIS [GOD's] House [Acts 10.36]. Even GOD's angels are subject to the Lord Messiah. [1 Pet 3.22]</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Lord Messiah is second
only to YEHOVAH Himself!</span></span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-17555144292721336812023-11-29T16:17:00.002-05:002023-11-29T16:17:37.920-05:00ADONAI AND ADONI [PLALM 110:1]<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The Bible’s supreme proof text for telling
the difference,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">between the One God and the Messiah<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This verse
is referring to the Messiah by the Pharisees and by Jesus. It tells us that the
relationship between God and Jesus is that of God and His anointed one
[Messiah].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The
Messiah is called <i>Adoni</i> (my lord) and in every one of its 195
occurrences. A<i>doni </i>(my lord)<i> </i>means a superior <i>who
is not God</i></b><i>.</i> <b><i>Adonai</i> on the other hand
refers exclusively to the One God in all of its 449 occurrences.</b> <b><i>Adonai</i> is
applied exclusively to God alone, and <i>Adoni</i> is never a word
used to refer to God.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If the Messiah
were called <i>Adonai</i> this would introduce “two Gods” into the
Bible and would be polytheism. Psalm 110:1 should guard us all against
supposing that there are <i>two</i> who are God. In fact, the Messiah
is now a glorified immortal man and is an agent of the One God. Psalm 110:1 is
the Bible’s master text for defining the Son of God in relation to the One God,
his Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Why is it
that a number of commentaries misstate the facts about Psalm 110:1? They assert
that the word for the Messiah in Psalm 110:1 is <i>Adonai</i>. <b>It is
not.</b> These commentaries seem to obscure a classic text defining God in
relation to His Son. The Hebrew text assigns to the Messiah the title <i>adoni </i>which
invariably distinguishes the Messiah from the word <b>Adonia</b> which refers
exclusively to the only true God. <b>The Messiah is the supreme human lord. He
is not the Lord God</b> (cp. I Timothy 2:5; I Corinthians 8:4-6; Mark
12:28ff).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Why
is the Messiah called <i>Adoni</i> (my lord) and never <i>Adonai</i> (my
Lord God)?</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<i>Adonai</i> and <i>Adoni</i> are
variations of Masoretic pointing to distinguish reference to God from references
to humans.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Adonai</i></b> refers to God, but <b><i>Adoni</i></b> is to human superiors.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Adoni — </i></b>ref.
to men: my lord, my master [see Pslm 110:1]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Adonai</i></b> — ref. to God…Lord (Brown, Driver,
Briggs, <i>Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament</i>,
under <i>adon </i>[= lord]).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The
form <i>ADONI</i> (‘my lord’), a royal title (I Samuel 29:8), is to
be <b>carefully distinguished</b> from the title <i>ADON<u>AI</u></i> (‘my
LORD’) used of Yehovah.” “<i>ADON<u>AI</u>;</i> the special plural form
[the divine title] distinguishes it from<i> Adoni</i> [with short
vowel] = my lord<u>s</u>” (<i>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia</i>,
“Lord,” p. 157).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“LORD in the OT is used to translate <i>ADONAI</i> when applied to YEHOVAH.
The [Hebrew] word… has a suffix [with special pointing] presumably for the sake
of distinction… between divine and human appellative”<b> </b>(<i>Hastings
Dictionary of the Bible</i>, “Lord,” Vol. 3, p. 137).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">“Hebrew <i>Adonai</i> exclusively
denotes the God of Israel. It is attested about 450 times in the OT… <i>Adoni</i> [is]
is addressed to human beings (Genesis 44:7, Numbers 32:25, 2 Kings 2:19
[etc.]).</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;">“The
lengthening of the ā on Adon</span><u style="text-align: left;">ai</u><span style="text-align: left;"> [the Lord God] may be traced to the
concern of the Masoretes to mark the word as sacred by a small external sign” (</span><i style="text-align: left;">Theological
Dictionary of the OT</i><span style="text-align: left;">, “Adon,” p. 63 and </span><i style="text-align: left;">Theological Dictionary of
the NT</i><span style="text-align: left;">, III, 1060ff. n.109).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The form
‘to my lord,’ l’<i>adoni,</i> is never used in the OT as a divine
reference… the generally accepted fact that the masoretic pointing
distinguishes divine references (<i>Adon<u>ai</u>)</i> from human
references (<i>Adoni</i>)” (Wigram, <i>The Englishman’s Hebrew and Chaldee
Concordance of the OT</i>, p. 22) (Herbert Bateman, “Psalm 110:1 and the
NT,” <i>Bibliothecra Sacra</i>, Oct.- Dec. 1992, p. 438).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by
Anthony Buzzard and edited by Bruce Lyon</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-15770305103814819002023-11-29T15:36:00.004-05:002023-11-29T16:19:56.598-05:00THE SIMPLICITY OF THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The point and purpose of Christianity have been buried under a mass
of theological tradition. There is general agreement only about the ethical
demands of the present Christian life: a Christian must love and serve his
neighbor. But almost nothing at all is known of the ultimate purpose and goal
that Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, intended for those who follow him.
Contemporary religion, which claims the name of the Messiah Jesus, has abandoned
the purpose of the faith which is clearly spelled out by Jesus in his Gospel
message; the Gospel about the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43, etc.).</span></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the purpose of the faith proclaimed by Jesus lies the very
reason for our existence as individuals. The key to our personal future and
that of humanity at large is found in <b>Jesus' Gospel Message about the
Kingdom of God</b>. This is simply the Message of the Good News that God, in
the person of His Son and Agent, Jesus, the promised Messiah, intends to
establish a <i>just government and universal peace on earth</i> and
to grant immortality to those who love Him. The future of the earth, and of the
whole universe, is related to the future of the individual believer in this
way: The Kingdom which will be established <i>on earth when Jesus returns
to the earth</i> will be administered by those to whom God grants
immortality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The message of the Good News of the Kingdom is put forth
so that the mind of a child can understand it. Jesus said: "Unless you
reorient your life and become like little children, you will certainly not
enter the Kingdom of God."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To understand the message of the kingdom of God that, was Jesus'
constant message, then his words must be taken as any child would take them, in
their natural and normal sense. The Kingdom of God, about which Jesus spoke
constantly, is thus a real Kingdom, a divine government on earth, to be
administered by the Messiah and the saints, with a renewed Jerusalem as its
capital.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luke 19:11 should be taken as a key to the whole New
Testament: <b>"Because Jesus was near to Jerusalem, they thought that
the Kingdom of God was going to appear immediately." </b>This verse
gives us a clue to the meaning of the principal theme of all that Jesus
taught. He was expecting to establish the Kingdom as a worldwide rule on earth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Much of what goes by the name of theology is no more than an
exercise in the evasion of the plain meaning of the words of Jesus' message about
the kingdom of God, an excuse for unbelief. The churches have abandoned hope in
the Kingdom which Jesus promised would be inaugurated at his return. It is
obvious that the Kingdom has not yet been established. It will be manifested on
earth at the Second Coming of the Messiah Jesus in glory. Looking for this to
take place disciples of Jesus pray: "Your Kingdom <i>come</i>!"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In answer to the very reasonable question as to what his followers
might expect to receive in the Coming Age of the Kingdom, Jesus promised the
disciples positions of rulership with him in the coming Kingdom (Matthew 19:28;
Luke 22:28). This promise was extended to the whole church (1 Corinthians 6:2;
2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10; 3:21; 2:26; 20:1-4). It was the natural
confirmation and clarification of the promise made to Abraham, the father of
the faithful, that he would one day possess the world (Romans 4:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Kingdom will have Jerusalem as its capital, as foreseen by all
the Old Testament prophets, and it will be established by a spectacular divine
intervention (Psalm 2), when the process of universal disarmament (Isaiah 2)
leading to total world peace will begin. The vision of the world at peace under
the government of the Messiah is read annually at Christmas, but few believe
it. They have been persuaded that the promises of universal divine government
do not mean what they say. (See, for example, Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-9; Zechariah
14:9; Micah 4:7.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The reason for this is twofold. <b>First</b>, people have been
taught from childhood that the reward of Christianity offered in the Bible is
to depart to a realm "beyond the skies" as a disembodied soul/spirit,
“Go to heaven when you die”. Such a notion is completely without foundation in
the Scriptures and must be banished from the thinking process before any
progress in understanding the New Testament can be made. The dead according to
the Bible are at present all dead, not alive in another place! If they were in
another place, i.e., heaven there would be no need for them to be resurrected, but
in fact, they are waiting to be resurrected <i>from the dead</i>! They will
then inherit the earth, i.e., the Kingdom of God on earth (Matthew 5:5; Rev.
5:10).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Secondly</b>, it has not been realized that the "everlasting life"
promised by the New Testament properly means "the Life of the Coming
Age." This is a well-known expression used by Jesus and his
contemporaries; the restoration of this definition of the goal of Christianity
allows us to understand that the object of the Christian life is not to go to
heaven when they die. It is to participate through a future resurrection from
the dead in the <i>Future Age</i>, the Age of the establishment on earth
of the Kingdom of God. It is everywhere taught in Scripture that the faithful
dead are now "sleeping," unconscious in the grave, awaiting the
resurrection to occur at the Coming of Jesus (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28, 29). All
the faithful will then share with the Messiah Jesus in the promised Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the light of this simple plan of God, the New Testament can be
read with complete understanding, for the facts noted here represent the positions
held by the New Testament writers. The challenge to the reader is one of
belief. Jesus' first recorded utterance in Mark's Gospel is a command to repent
(i.e., reorient one's mind and life) and <i>believe</i> the Good News
about the Kingdom! (Mark 1:15) It was when potential converts believed <b>the
Good News (Gospel) Message about the Kingdom of God</b> and the name of
Jesus the Messiah [and all that name represents] that they were baptized (Acts
8:12). This is the process by which we are to be initiated into the faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Gospel of the Kingdom thus confronts each of us as individuals
at the moment he receives the proclamation of it by Jesus or the New Testament
Evangelists, or representative of Jesus. Thereafter, his/her response to the message
of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached is all-important for salvation:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A warning about the danger of ignoring the invitation to the
Kingdom of God was given by the lord Messiah Jesus: <b>"When anyone
hears the message about the Kingdom (Matthew 13:19) and does not understand it,
the devil comes and snatches away the message which was sown in his heart so
that he may not <i>believe and be saved</i>" (Luke 8:12).<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Written by Anthony Buzzard and edited by Bruce Lyon</span></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-7758372920209364862023-11-28T19:57:00.002-05:002023-11-28T19:57:15.895-05:00 JESUS OF NAZARETH: MESSIAH AND SON OF GOD<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Part
One<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">When one abandons Trinitarianism, he is
immediately confronted by the question, Who, then, is Jesus?</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> My
own experience has been a gradual shift from Trinitarianism to Arianism to
Socinianism. (I use these terms loosely, only as they pertain to the person of
the Messiah Jesus.) Having made the shift, I realize now it may be expressed in
another way: from Trinitarianism to Binitarianism to Biblical Unitarianism. I
hasten to add, however, that my conversion has not been made within the context
of dogmatics or an exploration of theological systems. It has been made within
the exegetical experiences of a pastor. And here I must mention several things,
before explaining why I believe Jesus is Messiah and Son of God, not "God
the Son."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As a pastor, most of my study time has been in the
Scriptures, not in theological textbooks, although the latter were always at
hand for reference. This is normal, I believe, to the pastoral life, and is the
way it should be if one is to obey Paul's injunction, "Preach the
word."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, I believe that the pastor's lesson or message
preparation must begin with an examination of a passage in its Hebrew or Greek
text. This is an imperative and, I feel, is mandatory, if a pastor or any
student of the Scriptures is to ascertain for himself what Scripture really
says. A door of discovery is opened, and deliverance from "translation
theology" is at hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As I look back over the years, I did not set out to study
myself out of or into a position. I believed that the so-called orthodox
theology received in seminary was true; even virtually infallible! And so, my
purpose, almost always, was simply to prepare a message or lesson for
presentation. But that is where discovery entered in; from simple attempts to
exegete a passage of Scripture, in order that I might expound it more
accurately to a congregation or class.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For these reasons, I believe my theological transition has
been providential. For these reasons, I present here primarily the
Scripture texts that have influenced me, not the polemics of theology. I
believe, therefore, that Jesus of Nazareth is God's Son and the Messiah for the
following reasons.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1. The scriptures present Jesus as one
specially created by God in the womb of Mary<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luke
1:35: And the angel [Gabriel] answered and said to
her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, also the one to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
[not God the son]</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alfred Plummer, in his commentary on Luke, points out the
parallel between Luke 1:35 and Genesis 1:2. As the Spirit of God moved upon the
waters at creation, so the creative power of God moved upon Mary. Luke 1:35: describes
the creation of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Jesus was the second man specially
created by God, Adam being the first. Both are referred to as the son of God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here, then, is the explanation of John's phrase, "uniquely
begotten Son." It must be
understood in a biological sense. Jesus was the result of a miraculous
supernatural event upon Mary. He was the uniquely begotten Son of God. Created
in the womb of Mary, he was born into the world. The first man Adam was formed
from the soil of the earth, and the second man Jesus was created by the Spirit of
God in the womb of Mary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Subsequently, Luke 2:40 and 52 present the normal human
development of Jesus, although by the word "normal" we do not rule
out the grace or favor of God being upon him and in him to the fulness of His
nature. There was a steady advance in wisdom, stature or bodily size, and favor
before God and man. Thus "Docetism" is ruled out, and here also is
the explanation of that marvelous episode which we commonly call "the boy
in the Temple." The latter is an example of the child Jesus increase in
wisdom which God would like all men to have, and which He intended the first
Adam in Eden to experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">2. The Scriptures Clearly Assert the humanity
of the Messiah Jesus</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here I must begin with a negative note. Those impressive
Greek words theanthropos and homoousios are not found in the Greek New
Testament. The adjective "theanthropic" is a part of the English
language. But this does not make it a biblical word; or add it to the text of
Scripture. So also, homoousios has become a part of our language. But the
Spirit of God has denied it access to Holy Writ. Edwin Hatch, in his book, The
Influence of Greek Ideas on Christianity, explains that homoousios first occurs
in the sphere of Gnosticism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I mention these matters because, unless we can to free
ourselves from the "pitiless iron vise" of theological formulations,
we are unable to receive the plain words of Scripture. It is with relief, then,
that we consider a small portion of the biblical evidence in favor of the above
proposition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, describes "Jesus of
Nazareth" as "a man approved of God." [Acts:2:2] The word which
Luke puts in Peter's mouth is aner which simply means a man or human being, a
male person.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Peter goes on to say that God has raised this person from
the dead, [Acts 2:24] because it was not possible for him to be held by death.
But this was because his prophesied destiny was to be raised from the dead and
sit at God's right hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1 Timothy 2:5-6: For there is ONE GOD and ONE MEDIATOR
between God and human beings, THE MAN, the Messiah Jesus, who gave himself
a ransom for all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This passage must take its place along with 1 Corinthians
8:6: “… for us there is ONE GOD, the Father, from whom are all things, and we
for Him, and there is one lord, Jesus the Messiah, because of whom are all
things, and we because of him.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ephesians 4:1-6: “Therefore I, the prisoner in the lord,
exhort you to live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were
called: with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with
one another in love, being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace; one body and one Spirit (just as also you were called with
one hope of your calling), one lord, one faith, one baptism, ONE GOD and
Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all, as a New Testament
text asserting a nontrinitarian God.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is ONE GOD [Yehovah], and there is ONE MEDIATOR. GOD
IS ONE: Deuteronomy 4:35: <span style="color: #121212;">You yourselves were shown
this wonder for you to acknowledge that Yahweh is the God; there is no other
God besides him.” There is ONE MEDIATOR, the Messiah Jesus: 1 Timothy 2:5: “For
there is one God and one mediator between God and human beings, THE MAN the
Messiah Jesus</span>.” The stress here is on the humanity of the Messiah Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We now turn to the simple and clear testimony of John in
his first Epistle. John distinguishes between the Father and the Son, and the
Son he defines as "in flesh" or a human being. [2 John 1:7: “<span style="color: #121212;">For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those
who do not confess Jesus the Messiah coming in the flesh. This person is the
deceiver and the antichrist!</span> The proper relationship between God and the
Messiah Jesus is simply that of Father and Son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is an astonishing fact of Scripture that in the
writings of John, the Messiah Jesus is never called "the true God"
or, in Greek, ho alethinos theos. This point is not refuted by such
passages as John 1:1: “<span style="color: #121212;">In the beginning was the
word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.”</span> [Genesis 1:1-3: “In
the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was
formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit
of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said [spoke
these words], “Let there be light!” And there was light.” or John 20:28: <span style="color: #121212;">Thomas answered and said to him, “My lord and my God
[Elohim is a Hebrew word that can be applied to God and to humans who who represent
God – Yehovah on earth, as the Messiah Jesus did]!”</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The word "root" is used here in the Hebrew sense
of a root or scion growing from the root. To say that our lord Jesus is
"the root and the offspring of David" is an emphatic way of
indicating his descent as a human being from David.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We are entitled here to some remarkable inferences. An
immortal glorified man who is a descendant of David, a Jew, is at God's right
hand. And as he is a human being and a descendant of David, he could not have pre-existed
his birth in Bethlehem, because in fact, he had his beginning when he was
specially created by God’s Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary [Luke 1:35].<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the risk of belaboring our point, I would point out that
Revelation 22:16 also refutes transmutation theories. In this ascension to
heaven, there is no conversion of Jesus' humanity into deity. "Jesus the
Messiah, the same yesterday, and today, and forever" must be taken in a
Jewish Messianic sense. The man of Galilee was a human being, a descendant of
David when he walked this earth. He remains the same in his exaltation and
glorification, and he will be that in his reign over the earth when every knee
will bow to him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;">3. The Mystery of the Messiah's Pre-existence
Resides in the Omniscience and Purpose of God</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Messiah is a human being; an anthropos; who first came
into existence in the womb of Mary, so that settles the question of any pre-existence.
Scripture passages that seem to indicate an actual pre-existence must be
interpreted in the light of this fact; more specifically, in the light of the witness
of Luke 1:35: And the angel answered and said to her, the Holy Spirit will come
upon you and the power of the Most He will overshadow you. Therefore, the one
to be born will be called holy, the Son of God..<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, to the traditional mind, the problem cannot be
dismissed out of hand. We must consider several significant passages of
Scripture, namely John 1:1-14, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47, Philippians 2:5-12, and
perhaps one or two others. Furthermore, this is consistent with our approach in
this article. I begin, therefore, with the opening verses of John's Gospel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The key to the introduction of John's Gospel is the phrase ‘ho
logos. It must be understood in an etymological way, not in a Gnostic, Greek,
or philosophical way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In its simplest sense, ‘logos’ means a spoken
word, a saying, a declaration, a speech, or a discourse. Here in John 1:1 ho logos
means "the spoken word" or "the declaration."<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The subject of John 1:1-5 is the spoken word of God. It was
"in [the] beginning" or "at first." All things began with
it. It was with God ‘theos’. Here theos has the force of the Hebrew Elohim
which means the putter forth of power. Certainly,
at creation, the spoken word of God was a putter forth of power! [Genesis 1:1-3]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We read in John 1:3, then, that all things were made by the
logos or spoken word, this theos or Elohim, this putter forth of power. In
English, we would say, <b>"All things were made by it</b>," not
"by him." This is confirmed by Psalm 33:6-9 which says, <b>"By
the word [Hebrew dabar] of Yehovah were the heavens made… For He spoke, and it
was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, we read in John 1:14 that "the word”; the
spoken word [Genesis 3:15]; became flesh and dwelt among us. This is in keeping
with Hebrews 1:1, 2 which tells us that in many ways God spoke of old to our
fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, He has spoken to us in the
person of a Son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I turn now to 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. Here is another
passage that is sometimes taken to indicate the deity and incarnation of the
Messiah, but which really indicates his humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In verse 45 we read: "And so it is written, the first
man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a life-giving spirit."
The question is, Does the word "spirit" indicate that the Messiah pre-existed
as a spirit being? He is called here "a life-giving spirit." The
Greek word is ‘zoopoieo’ and speaks of resurrection from the dead. In his
resurrection, our lord became a "life-giving spirit," a capacity or
ability that will be exercised to the fullest at his parousia. Hence the word
"spirit" refers to the Messiah as a glorified immortal man seated at
the right hand of his God and Father Yehovah in resurrection, not in pre-existence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1 Corinthians 15:47, we read: "The first man is of
the earth, earthy: the second man is the lord from heaven." These, of
course, are the familiar words of the King James Version. In agreement with the
textual evidence, and most modern translations, we must leave out the phrase,
"the Lord." Hence, we have: "the second man [is] from
heaven." [How? He was created by the Spirit of God in the womb of Mary and
became the second man specially created by God, Adam being the first]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first part of verse 47 obviously refers to the creation
of Adam as recorded in Genesis 2:7. The second part refers to the Messiah Jesus,
but in what way? The idea of pre-existence is eliminated by the removal of the
phrase, "the Lord." The International Critical Commentary says,
"from heaven" (ex ouranou) refers to the Second Advent. H.A.W. Meyer
says the phrase (ex ouranou) is used of "heavenly derivation" and
applies to the glorification of the body of the Messiah Jesus. This
glorification originated from heaven; it was a work wrought by God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We begin, therefore, to understand the significance of the
phrase "from heaven" or "out of heaven" (ex ouranou). It
refers to a work wrought or created by God. Jesus, therefore, is "from
heaven" or "out of heaven" in the sense that he is a work
wrought by God. He is the uniquely begotten Son, created in the womb of Mary by
the overshadowing power of the Spirit of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Also compare the reference in 2 Corinthians 5:2 to our
resurrection body. It is "from heaven" or, in Greek, (ex ouranou).
This does not mean that our resurrection body pre-exists in heaven, but simply
that it too will be a work wrought by God.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now
we must consider that crux of interpretation, Philippians 2:5-10: <span style="color: red;">"</span>Think this in yourselves, which was also in
the Messiah Jesus, who, existing in the form of God [as we all exist in the
form of God], did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped [as
Adam did], but emptied himself by taking the form of a slave, by becoming
in the likeness of people. And being found in appearance like a man, he humbled
himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, that is, death on a
cross. Therefore, also God exalted him and graciously granted him the name
above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(1) The context of Philippians 2 is about humility, and the
passage presents the humility of the Messiah Jesus in contrast with Adam's
disobedience or lack of humility, who grasped at becoming like God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(2) As the first Adam was in the form of God, so also the last
Adam was in the form of God. The word "form" must be interpreted in
its simple sense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(3) The Messiah Jesus did not consider being equal with God
something to be grasped. He resisted the blandishments of the devil in his
temptation in the wilderness. By way of contrast, Adam and Eve succumbed to the
Satanic lie, "You shall be as God," and ate the fruit of the
forbidden tree.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(4) Whereas Adam would have exalted himself, the Messiah
Jesus "made himself of no reputation." The Greek (kenoo) means to
empty, but it does not mean that he emptied himself of all self-will and self-exaltation
and was totally committed to carrying out the will of his God and Father
Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(5) In his life he assumed the role of a servant; a servant
of Yehovah; being made - created in the likeness of men. And, as a man, he
humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Consequently, God has highly exalted him, and to him, every knee shall bow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Philippians 2:5-10 does not tell of a pre-existent God who
assumed human form. It tells of the humility, obedience, death, and exaltation
of the Messiah. Jesus the Messiah lived to the fullest his own exhortation:
"For whosoever exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself
shall be exalted." He demonstrated that humility is the passport to
promotion in the Kingdom of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before bringing the discussion of our third proposition to
a close, brief reference must be made to one more subject, the fact that the
Messiah is called "the beginning" and "the beginning of the
creation of God." [This is speaking of those who have become new creations
in the lord Messiah Jesus. As a new creation in Jesus, we are members of the New
Humanity that God has been creating since Adam. All the Old Testament saints
will be members of the New Humanity in the Messiah Jesus also, and that means
Jesus is the Federal head of the New Humanity that God has and is creating now]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Greek word involved in these phrases is arche which
means beginning, origin, first cause, ruler, etc. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Colossians 1:18 we read of the Messiah as "the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence
[as the Federal head of the New Humanity]." The meaning here should be
obvious: as the firstborn from the dead, he is the beginning of the New
Humanity, the Federal head of the new order of things for the Kingdom of God.
As such, he has the pre-eminence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But in Revelation 3:14 we read: He is "the beginning
of the creation of God." It is here that a philosophical definition of
arche may enter in and the Messiah is seen as "the first cause," as
indicated by the lexicon of Arndt and Gingrich. But Arndt and Gingrich's
lexicon goes on to say that the meaning "beginning" in the sense of
first created is linguistically possible. This need not mean "first
created" in an Arian sense, but, in the light of the overall testimony of
Scripture, may mean "beginning" of God's new order by virtue of his
resurrection and glorification.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus was "foreordained before the foundation of the
world," Realize that foreordination is something quite different from
actual pre-existence. I close this discussion of our third proposition by
saying that foreordination - to be foreknown in the purpose of God - is the
only Scriptural pre-existence of our Lord.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ephesians 1: 3-114: Blessed is the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in
the heavenly places in the Messiah, just as he chose us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in
love, having marked us out beforehand to adoption through Jesus the
Messiah to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
praise of the glory of His grace that He bestowed on us in the beloved [Jesus], in
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His [God’s] grace, that He caused to abound to us in all
wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according
to His good pleasure that He purposed in him [Jesus], for the
administration of the fullness of times, to bring together all things in the
Messiah, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in
him whom we also were chosen, having been marked out beforehand according
to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His
will, that we who hoped beforehand in the Messiah should be for the praise
of His [God’] glory, in whom also you, when you heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also when you believed you were
sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the down payment of our
inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His
glory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ephesians 2:4-10: God, being rich in mercy, because of His great
love with which He loved us, and we being dead in trespasses, He made us
alive [quickened us] together with the Messiah, and raised us together and
seated us together in the heavenly places in the Messiah Jesus [when our God
and Father Yehovah look on Jesus at His right hand he sees all those that are
His in him], in order that He might show in the coming ages the surpassing
riches of His grace in kindness upon us in the Messiah Jesus. For by grace,
you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His
creation, created in the Messiah Jesus [as members of the New Humanity] for
good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we may walk in them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What glorious things our God and Father Yehovah have done
for us! In the Messiah Jesus, we are new creations in him a member of the New
Humanity of which is the beginning of the Federal Head. By the Spirit of Adoption, our God has made us members of His household as His sons and daughters! But
remember by the sin-offering sacrifice of the lord Jesus on the cross we have
been purchased with a price, his precious blood. Therefore, we are his slaves
and as he was acting as the agent of his Father, we are slaves of God also. As
slaves we are to be slaves of righteousness totally committed to following God’s
instruction, which He has given us through His son Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Notice: John 15:15: No longer do
I call you servants - slaves, for the servant-slave does not know what his
lord is doing. But I have called you friends because all that I have heard from
my Father I have made known to you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Part Two<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Part One I explained that my transition from
Trinitarianism to biblical Unitarianism was within the context of my pastoral
ministry, not theological polemics. <b>It was my hope always to exegete a
passage before teaching it, the result of my own life being the unitarian view.</b>
In that article I set forth three propositions: (I) The Scriptures Present the
Messiah's Birth and Human Development, (2) The Scriptures Clearly Assert the
Humanity of the Messiah to the Exclusion of his being God, and (3) The Mystery of
the Messiah's Pre-existence that resides in the Omniscience and Purpose of God.
4. Certain Claims of the Messiah show forth his Humanity, Not Deity<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is a need to reexamine our Lord's claims and/or titles
from a non-Trinitarian standpoint. They do not indicate membership in a Trinity
at all. The unitarian aspect of Jesus' claims and titles needs to be brought
out. I shall touch on several of them.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Jesus asked the disciples, "Who say you that I
am?" Peter replied very simply, "You are the Messiah. Luke's account
is a delightful variation but equally simple: "The Messiah of God."
The Greek text has the definite article before "God" (theou). If we
wish to be baldly literal, we could translate the sentence, "The Messiah
of the [true] God." Matthew's account adds "the Son of the living God"
to Peter's testimony. But this does not alter the simplicity of the Petrine
testimony. As indicated earlier in this article (Proposition I), the "Son of
God" needs to be understood in a biological, albeit miraculous, sense.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I fear that in today's evangelical environment, a simple
assertion of faith in Jesus' Messiahship would be deemed inadequate. But for
Peter, it earned the commendation of the Savior, and for John, it was considered
sufficient for salvation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this connection, let us consider the theology of Thomas
as indicated in his wonderful confession, "My Lord and my God [Elohim a
title of humans commissioned to do the will of God]." First, any
consideration of Thomas' theology must consider his identity and background.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">He was one of the twelve apostles, before and after Jesus'
death and resurrection. He was an Israelite, sent by the Lord Jesus to
"the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In today's parlance, he
would simply be called a Jew or an Israelite [which we who are new creations in
the Messiah are also members of the true Israel of God, having been grafted in
– Romans 11].<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Logically, then, Thomas' theology and faith would be that of
the Hebrew Scriptures. This would include the pristine doctrine of the Old
Testament, <b>"Hear, O Israel: Yehovah our God, is one Yehovah."</b>
Also, Thomas' knowledge of the Scriptures would certainly include something
else: those who represent God are sometimes called "God - Elohim."
This would include Moses, the judges of Israel, [the angels, [and more
especially the Messiah.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is common knowledge that 'Elohim is used in the Old
Testament of those who represent God. On the other hand, the singular form
'eloah’ is used especially for the God of heaven. However, it is interesting
that on a special occasion, it is used for the Messiah. <b>In Habakkuk 3:3 we
read, "God ['eloah] came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran.
Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his
praise."<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Habakkuk 3 is, I believe, a wonderful picture of the return
of the Messiah in glory. <b>It is the march to Zion </b>The lord Messiah Jesus
is<b> </b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2510908428700826886/7145068407412905702"></a>portrayed
as advancing in triumph from Teman or "the south." His glory covers
the heavens. He is "the Holy One," Yehovah's representative he is
called "God" or 'Elohim.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">What then is Thomas saying when he exclaims, "My Lord
and my God - Elohim?"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">"You are the Messiah," Thomas says in effect.
"You are the One whom the prophets said would come. As such, you are 'my
Lord.' As the One whom Yehovah has appointed to rule in the kingdom, you are
'my God - Elohim.' "<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thomas is not saying, "You are the God of heaven"
or "You are the equal of God." He does not see in the resurrected
Jesus one who was a member of a pluralistic Godhead. Such thoughts would have
been incomprehensible, even blasphemous, to Thomas. His faith existed in a
different world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">There is a brief epilogue to the confession of Thomas. That
he saw in Jesus the Messiah of Israel, the promised One of Scripture, is
confirmed by John's words which follow in verse 31: "But these [signs] are
written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God;
and that believing you might have life through his name." I look upon
John's words as being explanatory matter to Thomas' words.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The subject of the Messiah's claims or titles must include
the phrase "I am" which occurs frequently in the Gospels. It invites
exhaustive treatment, and my examination here may therefore be cursory. I
trust, however, that it will be sufficient to make my position clear. I
observed as a pastor that the phrase "I am" is to many Christians
irrefutable evidence that Jesus is claiming to be God. But is this what he is
saying?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Olivet discourse, in Mark 13:6, Jesus says, "For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Messiah; and shall deceive
many." The original Greek expression is ego eimi, "I am," and in
translating it, the translators (KJV) have rightly supplied the word
"Christ." Other translations have "I am he," but the point
is the same.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Jesus is saying in effect that in later times many will
come claiming his title and office. In doing so, they will say, "I am the
Messiah." Recognition of this sense of "I am" in Mark 13:6
indicates that it means,<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"I am the Messiah,"</b> not "I am
God."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Further evidence as to the meaning of "I am" is in
the parallel passage in Matthew 24:5. The Greek text of Matthew has the full
expression, ego eimi ho Christos, <b>"I am the Messiah."</b> Perhaps
Matthew was familiar with Mark's Gospel. It would indicate then how he
interpreted Mark's words. He took them to mean "I am the Messiah" not
"I am God."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">In Mark 14:61, 62 the high priest asked Jesus, "Are you
the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus replied simply, "I
am" (ego eimi). The context requires that we interpret his words as
meaning: "I am, indeed, the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">"I am" occurs frequently in the Gospel of John.
There too it means, "I am the Messiah." This is proven by the
familiar John 20:31 where the beloved disciple plainly says, "Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This would be true of John 18:5, 6 where Jesus said, "I
am," and those who came to arrest him went backward and fell to the
ground. For a moment, the Messianic power, and the power of God in him manifested
itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This would be true also of John 8:58 where Jesus said,
"Before Abraham was, I am" or as various translations have it,
"Before Abraham was born, I am."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is argued that Jesus is saying here that he existed
before Abraham. And, if he existed before Abraham, he must be God. Therefore,
we must understand John 8:58 to mean, "I am God."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>When he said, "Before Abraham was, I am," he
simply meant that, even then, he was in the plan and purpose of God.</b> This
kind of "being marked out beforehand," being in the plan of God,
prevails throughout the Gospel of John. <b>Abraham had seen the glory of the
Messiah and his day in prophetic vision.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The "I am" of the New Testament is often
identified with the "I AM" of Exodus 3:14 (KJV) where God spoke to
Moses from the burning bush. However, to do that, I fear, is superficial
"translation theology" based merely on an English translation, and
not on the original text.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The two expressions are not identical and differ in several
respects. The "I AM" of Exodus 3:14 is a translation of the Hebrew
verb hayah which means "become, come to pass, occur, happen, appear,"
etc. It is the Hebrew "imperfect" or future tense and literally
means, "I will become." In effect, God is saying to Moses, "I
will appear on your behalf."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The Hebrew hayah is a stronger verb than the Greek eimi
of the New Testament. Hayah's Greek equivalent would be ginomai, not eimi. This
is proven by the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, where the Hebrew hayah is
most often translated by ginomai which means "become, come into being, be
born, etc."<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is not proper therefore to identify the "I am"
of the Gospels with the "I AM" of Exodus 3:14. If the two expressions
were identical, the Greek New Testament would probably have used the verb
ginomai, not eimi.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the "I am" of the New Testament, the emphasis
is on the word "I," not "am." The "am" is simply
the copula. Thus, Jesus is saying, "I am the Messiah, not someone
else." But in the "I AM" of Exodus 3:14, the emphasis is on the
verb. No personal pronoun is present in the Hebrew text; it is simply a part of
the verb form. Thus, God is saying, "I will become" or "I will
appear."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Mention must be made of such full expressions as "I
am the bread of life," "I am the light of the world," "I am
the good shepherd," "I am the first and the last," etc. These
are glorious aspects of our Lord's being the Messiah representing his God and
Father Yehovah.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">In the Old Testament, Yehovah is called the
"Shepherd" and the "Light." So as God's representative on
earth, these titles and prerogatives are granted to the Lord Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>In the light of the foregoing evidence, it is only fair
to conclude that the phrase, "I am," when found on the lips of the
Savior, means "I am the Messiah,"</b> not "I am God." The
Scriptural evidence is against the latter interpretation. It may stem from a
desire to exalt our Lord, but it must be recognized for what it is: reading
trinitarian theology into Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, in the category of claims and titles, we have in
Jesus' own words a warning against a fulsome Christology a Christology which
attributes to Jesus more than he claimed for himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That one whom we call "the rich young ruler" came
to Jesus one day and asked him, "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?" Jesus replied, "Why call thou me good? none is good,
save one, that is God."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our lord Jesus's reply is, admittedly, difficult. His apparent
rejection of any claims to goodness of his own raises a host of questions too
numerous to mention here. I share, though, several thoughts which have been
helpful to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The word for "good" is agathos. It occurs not only
here, but also in Matthew's and Mark's accounts of the rich young ruler.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Agathos is both an adjective and a noun, and its usage is
broad in the New Testament. According to Abbott-Smith's lexicon, it properly
refers to "inner excellence." When used of God, Thayer says, it
refers to the fact that He is completely, perfectly, and essentially good.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Jesus says that only God possesses this agathos or
goodness.</b> We may identify it with His principal attribute of holiness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the practical level, it means that God cannot sin. He
could not sin, nor could he even be tempted to sin. This is confirmed by 1
Timothy 1:17 which says that God is "incorruptible." <b>The Greek
word is aphthartos which means not liable to corruption.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Here, then, is an astonishing thing. By saying what he
does to the rich young ruler, Jesus rejects for himself agathos, that inner
harmonious perfection which belongs only to God. In essence, he rejects this
divine attribute of holiness, and, on the negative side, he rejects
incorruptibility.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>This means, then, that our Lord's trials were real.</b> <b>We
think of the temptation in the wilderness, and the agony in Gethsemane. There
was on those occasions the possibility of failure to do God's will, of falling,
of sinning. He was, indeed, liable to corruption.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I must agree with William Barclay who, in discussing
Gethsemane, describes it as an "agony" for our lord, his "supreme
struggle" in submitting his will to God's will. Barclay writes. The
world's salvation hung in the balance and at that moment Jesus could have
turned back a man like all of us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The very thought makes us shudder, but it is unavoidable and
inescapable.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before we turn away from such a thought, let us consider the
other side of the matter: not only were our lord's trials real, but his
victories were also real. <b>He was truly "a lamb without blemish and
without spot." He was qualified to become "the lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world." [by his sin-offering sacrifice on the
cross] Consequently, as Paul told the elders at Ephesus, "he has purchased
[us] with his own blood," and as such we are his slaves.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our Lord did have a certain goodness, a goodness unique in
human history. It was the goodness that he acquired as he "increased
(advanced) in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." This
was a goodness in growth - the possible goodness which Adam forfeited.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>As the Captain of our salvation, he was made perfect
through suffering.</b> As our High Priest, he can be touched with the feelings
of our infirmities, for he was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. <b>As God's uniquely begotten Son, he learned obedience by the
things which he suffered. If he were God, he wouldn’t have to learn anything.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the goodness that qualified him to be "the
good shepherd" who gave his life for the sheep. The word for
"good" here in John 10:11 is not agathos, but kalos meaning morally
excellent, noble, and worthy of recognition. Certainly, this describes the lord Jesus!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">"Orthodox" theology tells us it was not
possible for Jesus to sin. But Scripture presents to us something far more
wonderful and dramatic: a victory over sin, enabled to be victorious over sin by
the indwelling power of God in him. We also can be victorious over sin enabled
by the power of the Spirit of God in us!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alfred Plummer, in his comments on the rich young ruler,
says that the title, "Good Master," was unknown among the Jews. It
was, therefore, an extraordinary address, perhaps even a "fulsome
compliment." The words of the young man may have been not only excessive
to our lord, but also offensive. His response certainly indicates that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the light of our lord's words to the young man, we must
be careful that our conception of Jesus is not fulsome! We are not honoring or
exalting him when we attribute to him what he himself rejected, and what
belongs only to his heavenly Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>5. The Ministry of the Messiah Indicates his Messiahship,
not Deity</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this division of my article, I have in mind the miracles
of the Messiah, his authority to forgive sins, given to him by his God and
Father Yehovah, his mission to "declare" God’s soon-coming Kingdom
and His present Kingship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Scriptures indicate that Jesus healed all who came to
him. I think it is safe to say that there were no exceptions and no
disappointments. What is the secret of this amazing success?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Luke tells us, "The whole multitude sought to touch
him: for there went virtue out of him and healed them all."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The Greek word for "virtue" is dunamis. In this
context, it means "power" or "energy." A special power, a
dynamic force, emanated from Jesus' person. He did not need to say anything.
His presence alone was sufficient to heal.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">In the epoch of the Book of Acts, Peter and Paul had this
same power through the indwelling power of the Spirit of God and Jesus. As
Peter walked by, people were healed. The power of the apostles was in keeping
with the promises of Mark 16:17, 18, and Acts 1:8.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is a rather common assumption that Jesus' power to heal
came from an attribute of being God. He limited himself, but when the occasion
required, he called on those powers God had given to him. Even The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, in its article "Miracle,"
says that the miracles of the Messiah are "eloquent evidence" that he
possessed powers that belonged to God Himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">If by this statement the writer meant that Jesus was God, I
must point out that Luke 6:19 gives a different reason for his healing power. <b>Jesus
healed because his Father gave him a dunamis or healing dynamic.<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Our Lord's response to the imprisoned John the Baptist
tells us that he considered his miracles to be evidence that he was the
promised Messiah of the Old Testament, the One who, if accepted, could usher in
the Messianic Era – the 1,000-year rule. Also, we must not overlook his
reliance on prayer before working a miracle. With Jesus and with us, whatever
our God and Father Yehovah asks of us He always provide the power to do what He
has commissioned us to do!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">What about Jesus' authority to forgive sins? Does that prove
him to be God? In seeking an answer to this question, we can do no better than
consider the wonderful story of the paralytic let down through the roof. In
that story, Jesus forgave the man's sins. Then, to the astonishment of the
crowd, he healed him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In Mark 2:10, 11 Jesus explains why he healed the paralytic:
"But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive
sins . . . I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into
thine house."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Power" in this passage means
"authority." And "Son of man" is equivalent to "a
human being."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here, then, is the reason our Lord healed the paralytic: to
demonstrate that a human being on earth could have the authority to forgive sins.
That human being, of course, was our lord. He was the Messiah, the one provided
by God through the virgin birth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The scribes misunderstood our Lord's motives in forgiving
the paralytic's sins. "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can
forgive sins but God only?" Like a later form of "orthodoxy,"
they read into this miracle a claim to deity. But if we read the passage
carefully, we see that our Lord is not claiming deity, he is claiming
"authority."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The healing of the paralytic demonstrates a great truth: to
a "human being," the "Son of man," God gave authority to
forgive sins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I come now to the ministry of Jesus as the one who
"declared" God. In this aspect of his ministry, we find an answer to
the question, how is Jesus the word of God?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Apostle John has written: "No man has seen God at
any time; the only uniquely begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
he hath declared him."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have considered already, under Proposition I, Jesus being
the only uniquely begotten Son. The statement that he is "in the bosom of
the Father" indicates, I believe, a favored relationship with his Father.
However, the final part of the verse tells us that Jesus is the word of God
because he "has declared" God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"Declared" is the translation of the verb
exegeomai which means "to tell, explain," or unfold in teaching.</b> <b>This is its usage in Scripture. From
exegeomai come our words "exegete" and "exegesis."</b> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The lord is the word of God because he is the exegete of
God. He has explained God. He had a "commandment" or commission from
God as to what he should say. Finally, in his "unfolding" of God, we
must include his miracles or "signs," and his life, death, and
resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our Lord is not the word of God because he was at creation.
On that occasion, God spoke directly, not "in a Son." (To speak
"in a Son" comes much later.) Finally, John 1:14 tells us that
"the word [not God] was made flesh." [Genesis 3:15]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">How is Jesus the word of God? As the only uniquely begotten
Son, he has explained God. He has unfolded Him in his life and work, and in his
redemption at Calvary.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">What now about the assertion, sometimes encountered, that
Jesus was "equal" to God? A passage sometimes cited to
"prove" this contention is John 5:18: "Therefore the Jews sought
the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath but said also
that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"Equal" is our English translation of the
little Greek word isos which means "equal, like, the same," or
"in agreement."</b> Instances of this last meaning of the word are
found in Mark 14:56 and 59 where the testimonies of those who witnessed against
Jesus "agreed not together."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thus, we have the senses of John 5:18. By saying God was his
Father, Jesus made himself in agreement with God!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In John 5:18 Jesus aspires to be like God in the latter's
will and work. As the Son of God, he chose to agree with and be identical to
his Father's will.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">That likeness with God's will and work is the meaning of
John 5:18 is indicated by the context of verses 17-31. "My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work." This involves complete submission and
identification with the Father's will (verse 19). It will even involve
"greater works": quickening the dead, judgment, etc. But in no sense
will it include an essential deity. Rather, it will always involve doing "the
will of the Father which has sent me" <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before forming our conclusion, however, one other passage
must be considered. In John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and my Father are
one." Again, the thought is "one" in purpose, will, and work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Greek word here for "one" is hen. It is a
neuter form. Marcus Dods, writing in The Expositor's Greek Testament, says that
Christ speaks here as an ambassador might speak. The ambassador is doing the
sovereign's will. He does not claim royal dignity but asserts that what he
does, the sovereign does.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">H.A.W. Meyer writes here of "dynamic fellowship"
or "unity of action."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unity of purpose and action is, indeed, the thought in our lord's
claim, "I and my Father are one<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>6. Conclusion: The Practical Value of a Biblical
Unitarian View of the Messiah</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Of what value is this view to me?" To the man or
woman in the church on Sunday morning, this is the "bottom line" of
any doctrine. Unless some intrinsic value can be demonstrated, it remains, to
all practical purposes, grist from the mills of theologians.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">To the biblical unitarian, there is a glorified immortal man,
not a glorified god, at the right hand of the Father in heaven. A victorious
anthropos is our Mediator and our Advocate (parakletos).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Where I would ask, is the victory in the essentially
Gnostic idea that a heavenly spirit assumed a human body? The humanity of the
Messiah is the common bond with our Savior. This, I believe, is theology's
"original intent."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the great story of the book of Job, Elihu comes to speak
for God. He is the mediator. In the
midst of his suffering, Job has cried out, "[God] is not a man, as I am,
that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment." But
when Elihu appears on the scene, he says, "Wherefore, Job, I pray you,
hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words. . . . Behold, I am according to your
wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay." That is to say,
"Hear my words, Job; I also am a human being!"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The above article is taken from: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://thefaithofjesus.blogspot.com/2007/08/jesus-of-nazareth-messiah-and-son-of.html"><span style="color: black;">http://thefaithofjesus.blogspot.com/2007/08/jesus-of-nazareth-messiah-and-son-of.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.abc-coggc.org/jrad/volume1/issue3/jrad_v01.3_art2.htm"><span style="color: black;">http://www.abc-coggc.org/jrad/volume1/issue3/jrad_v01.3_art2.htm</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 9.0pt; margin-top: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.abc-coggc.org/jrad/volume2/issue1/jrad_v02.1_art4.htm"><span style="color: black;">http://www.abc-coggc.org/jrad/volume2/issue1/jrad_v02.1_art4.htm</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Posted
by Adam Pastor on <a href="https://adonimessiah.blogspot.com/2007/09/jesus-of-nazareth-messiah-and-son-of.html" title="permanent link"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Thursday,
September 27, 2007</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2510908428700826886.post-81066615071898774022023-11-28T19:44:00.003-05:002023-11-28T19:44:39.493-05:00THE NEW EARTH<p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The new
earth will be the eternal home of the redeemed. God's plan of salvation
includes the transformation of heaven and earth as well as the redemption of
man. The Messiah and his glorified immortal brothers and sisters will dwell
upon this planet after it is cleansed by fire, purified, and transformed into
the paradise of God. This cleansing by fire will take place after the time of
the White Throne Judgement after all those whose names are not written in the
book of life are cast into the fire and destroyed. The last thing that is
destroyed is death and the grave.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>
The Bible contains many prophecies concerning the new heaven and a new earth
and God's plan for this planet. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no
more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:1,
2). "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former
shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and
her people a joy" (Isaiah 65:17, 18). "For as the new heavens and the
new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says Yehovah, so shall
your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new
moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to
worship before me, says Yehovah" (Isaiah 66:22, 23). "Nevertheless
we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dwells righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).</b><br />
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.4pt; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 1.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I. THE EARTH WILL ABIDE FOREVER<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Bible
pictures the earth as the future home of the glorified and immortal redeemed
and teaches that the earth will abide for eternity. God created this planet for
a specific purpose, and His plan eventually will be realized. Isaiah wrote,
"For thus says Yehovah that created the heavens; God himself that formed
the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain, He
formed it to be inhabited: I am Yehovah, and there is none else" (Isaiah
45:18). "One generation passes away, and another generation cometh: but
the earth abides forever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4). "Who laid the
foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever" (Psalm
104:5). "Your faithfulness is unto all generations: you have established
the earth, and it abides" (Psalm 119:90). According to these verses, the
earth will abide forever. This planet will be cleansed by fire, purified, and
transformed, but it will not be destroyed.<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.4pt; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 1.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2. THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In His
Word, God promises believers that they will inherit the earth. Jesus taught,
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew
5:5). "His seed shall inherit the earth" (Psalm 25:13). The major
refrain of Psalm 37 is that the wicked will be destroyed [in the Lake of Fire],
and the righteous will inherit the earth. "For evildoers shall be cut off:
but those that wait upon Yehovah, they shall inherit the earth" (Psalm
37:9). "The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in
the abundance of peace" (Psalm 37:11). "Yehovah knows the days of the
upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever" (Psalm 37:18). "For
such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of Him
shall be cut off " (Psalm 37:22). "The righteous shall inherit the land,
and dwell therein for ever" (Psalm 37:29). "Wait on Yehovah, and keep
His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut
off, you shalt see it" (Psalm 37:34). "The heaven, even the heavens,
are Yehovah's: but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalm
115:16). "The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not
inhabit the earth" (Proverbs 10:30). "Behold, the righteous shall be
recompensed in the earth" (Proverbs 11:31). Jesus taught the disciples to
pray: "Your kingdom come. You will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven" (Matthew 6:10). The Messiah's Kingdom will be on earth; the saints
will dwell in that Kingdom with the Messiah. "And the kingdom and
dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be
given to the people of the saints of the Most High [God], whose kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him" (Daniel
7:27). "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth" (Revelation 5:10).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Inheritance of the earth has been promised to believers through the Abrahamic
Covenant. God promised Abraham and his seed the land of Canaan (Genesis 13:14,
15; 17:7, 8) and the world (Romans 4:13) for an everlasting possession. The
Messiah Jesus is the one specific Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16), and through
him, the promises will be fulfilled. Through conversion to the Messiah, as new
creations in him, believers become Abraham's seed, and also during the 1000-year
rule of the Messiah Jesus become co-rulers and co-heirs of the promises with the
Messiah. "And if you be the Messiah's, then are you Abraham's seed, and
heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.4pt; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 1.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3. CHRIST'S KINGDOM WILL BE ON THE EARTH<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This
planet, earth, belongs to God. "The earth is Yehovah's, and the fulness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the
seas and established it upon the floods" (Psalm 24:1, 2). God has the
right to give the earth to whoever He desires. God has given this planet to His
only begotten Son, Jesus the lord Messiah, as his inheritance and possession.
"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the
decree: Yehovah has said unto me, you are my Son; this day have I begotten you.
Ask of me, and I shall give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for your possession" (Psalm 2:6-8). The earth
will be the inheritance of the Messiah not only because he is the Seed of
Abraham and the heir of the Abrahamic Covenant, but also because he is the Son
of God, who God has made Lord and Messiah over all His creation.<br />
<br />
The Messiah's future Kingdom will be upon earth. he will occupy David's throne
(Luke 1:32, 33; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Acts 2:30), with Jerusalem as his capital city.
(Matthew 5:35; Isaah 2:2, 3; Zechariah 14:16; Revelation 21: 2-27; 22:1-5.) The
Messiah's future Kingdom is described as being "under the whole
heaven" (Daniel 7:27) and as covering the entire earth. "And there
was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed"
(Daniel 7:14). "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our
Lord [Yehovah], and of His Messiah [His anointed one]; and he shall reign
forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). "He shall have dominion also
from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth" (Psalm
72:8; also, Zechariah 9:10). As King, the Messiah will reign on the earth for
1,000 years, and will execute judgment in the earth. "Behold, the days
come, says Yehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King
shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the
earth" (Jeremiah 23:5). Our Saviour, according to these verses and many
other texts, will reign on this planet as its Owner and King. Glorified,
immortal believers will be co-heirs with him and be co-rulers with him on
earth. (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 3:21; 5:10; 20:4, 6; 22:5.)<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.4pt; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 1.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4. THE EARTH MADE NEW<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The new
earth will be this planet which will be cleansed and transformed. The earth in
its present condition is referred to as "the first earth" (Revelation
21:1) and "the heavens and the earth, which are now" (2 Peter 3:7).
Through future divine judgment, the earth will be renewed and transformed. The
earth needs to be purified because it has been polluted and misused by sinful
mankind. Man's spiritual disruption was and is the cause of Earth's physical
disruption. We know that, because of man's sin, "the whole creation groans
and travails in pain together until now" (Romans 8:22). God's plan of
salvation, however, includes the redemption of the earth, and, eventually, this
planet will be transformed into a beautiful paradise. "For the earnest
expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. For
the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him
who has subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God" (Romans 8:19-21).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
"He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new"
(Revelation 21:5). Note that God said, <b>"I make all things new."</b>
He did not say that He will make all <i>new things</i>, but all <i>things
new</i>. The earth will not be annihilated; it will be renewed. God will not
burn up this planet, remove the ashes from this spot in the solar system, and
then put a different planet in its place. God will not make a new planet; He
will make this planet new. In redemption, God will take the things that man
has misused, perverted, and twisted, and make them new. God will take this
planet and will purify and transform it.<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 14.4pt; mso-outline-level: 2; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="color: #4a4a4a; letter-spacing: 1.5pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5. GOD'S GLORY IN THE NEW EARTH<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The new
earth will be the setting for the eternal revelation of Yehovah’s glory. This
planet, which was a scene of paradise lost, is destined to be the scene of
paradise restored. Earth will be made heavenly; it will be pervaded through and
through with glory. Unbelievers complain that Bible prophecies make <i>heaven
earthly</i>; according to Yehovah- God's plan, however, He will make <i>earth
heavenly</i>. These persons assert that these prophecies make <i>glorious
things materialistic</i>; God's word teaches, however, that someday He will
make <i>material things glorious.</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As sinners,
saved by the blood of the Lamb, will be testimonies of God's amazing grace (Ephesians
2:7) through ages of eternity, so this planet, purified and transformed into
the paradise of God, will be the "theater of the universe," the
setting or scene for the revelation of His eternal glory.<br />
<br />
God promised, "But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with
the glory of Yehovah" (Numbers 14:21). Habakkuk, the prophet, predicted,
"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yehovah,
as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14). After describing the glory
of the Messiah's future Kingdom, David, the psalmist, exclaimed: "Blessed
be Yehovah God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things. And blessed
be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with His
glory; Amen, and Amen" (Psalm 72:18, 19).<span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Summary</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Some people think that the New Age refers to the 1,000 rule of the lord Messiah Jesus. however, that is not true. the New Age comes after the White Throne Judgement after the earth has been cleansed by fire that the apostle Peter mentions. After the earth has been cleansed then Yehovah will renew the earth so it will be an amazing Paradise and the heavens will also go through a renewal as well. The only ones who will enter the New Age will be those glorified immortal men and women who are Yehovah's own purchased by the sin-offering sacrifice of the lord Messiah Jesus. At that time the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven and Yehovah God will descend and take His place at Zion with the Messiah Jesus at His side.</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Revelation 21:</b></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/1" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more.</a><br /></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|2" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.</span><br /></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, “Look! The tabernacle of God is with man, and he will live with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them, <em>and be</em> their God,</a> </b><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|4" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><b>and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, nor <em>will there be</em> mourning, nor crying, nor pain, anymore; the former things have passed away.</b>”</span><br /></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A<a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/5" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">nd He who sits on the throne said, “Look! I make all things new.” And he said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”</a></b><br /></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">And h<a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/6" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">e said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts <em>a drink</em> from the spring of the water of life freely.</a><br /></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|7" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Who so overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.</span></span></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|7" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|7" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> </b></span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|8" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">But for the cowardly, unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and the sexually immoral, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their place <em>will be</em> in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”</span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; vertical-align: top;"><span class="heading" style="display: block; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a id="head_c21_v9" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: #2d7bff; cursor: pointer;"></a>The New Jerusalem </span></span><span class="heading" style="display: block; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 0.2em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An<a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/9" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">d one of the seven angels came; one of those who had the seven bowls full with the seven last plagues; and he spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”</a></span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="vspc" style="display: block; height: 0.3em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">And he<a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/10" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"> carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,</a> <span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|11" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">having the glory of God, her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal, </span><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|12" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on it, which are <em>the names</em> of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.</span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|13" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the east were three gates, and on the north three gates, and on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.</span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/14" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/15" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">And he who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, and its gates, and its wall.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/16" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">The city is laid out like a square, and its length was as great as its width, and he measured the city with the rod, <em>about</em> 1,380 miles, </a> <a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/16" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="color: black;">length and the width and the height of it are equal.</span></a></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|17" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And he measured the wall of it, about 200 feet,<sup class="fnmark" id="ftb66_c21_1" style="color: #999999; cursor: pointer; line-height: 0; margin: 0px -8px; padding: 8px; position: relative; z-index: 79;">b</sup> <em>according to</em> the measure of a man, which is <em>also the</em> angel’s.</span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/18" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">And the material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|19" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second, sapphire, the third, chalcedony, the fourth, emerald,</span><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|19" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="color: #aaaaaa;"> </span></span><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|20" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">the fifth, sardonyx, the sixth, sardius, the seventh, chrysolite, the eighth, beryl, the ninth, topaz, the tenth, chrysoprase, the eleventh, jacinth, the twelfth, amethyst.</span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">T<a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/21" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">he twelve gates were twelve pearls, each one of the gates was of one pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.</a></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/22" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">I<b> did not see a temple in it, because Yehovah God, the Almighty, and the Lamb are its temple.</b></span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|23" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The city has no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp <em>is</em> the Lamb.</span></b></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|24" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The nations will walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it.</span></b></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|25" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">Its gates will never ever be shut by day (for there will be no night there), </span><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|21|26" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it, </span><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter21/27" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">and unclean things will never ever enter into it, nor whoever does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.</a></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Revelation 22:1-7:</span></b></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|22|1" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,</span><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|22|1" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="color: #aaaaaa;"> </span></span><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|22|2" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;">in the middle of the street. And on this side of the river and on that <em>side</em> was the tree of life, bearing all <em>manner of</em> fruit, yielding its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.</span></span></b></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">T<a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/3" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">here will be no curse anymore, and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His [God's] servants will serve Him</a>, <a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/4" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">and they will see His face, and His name <em>will be</em> on their foreheads.</a></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|22|5" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from a lamp, nor light from <em>the</em> sun, for Yehovah God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.</span></b></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|22|6" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He said to me, “These words are faithful and true, and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angels to show to his servants the things that must shortly come to pass.”</span></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/7" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">Look! I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Revelation 22:12=21:</span></b></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/12" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">“Look! I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to each one according to his work.</span></b></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/13" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/14" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to the tree of life and can enter into the city through the gates.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/15" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">Outside <em>are</em> the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the sexually immoral, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who likes and keeps doing falsehood.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/16" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things for the congregations. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright, the morning star.”</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/17" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><span style="font-family: arial;">And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wants to, take of the water of life as a gift.</span></a></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/18" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">I testify to everyone hearing the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book,</a> <a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/19" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary">and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.</a></span></b></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="hlspan hl_0|1|66|22|20" data-hlite="0" style="background-color: transparent; transition: background-color 0.3s ease 0s;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!</span></b></span></p><p class="style1" style="background-color: white; margin-top: 0px;"><a class="comlink0" href="https://www.revisedenglishversion.com/Revelation/chapter22/21" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: black; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self" title="Click for Commentary"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">The grace of the Lord Jesus is with all the holy ones.</span></b></a></p>brucelyon1942http://www.blogger.com/profile/04542519799871378937noreply@blogger.com0