Son of God

Jul

2011

The Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded — not by religionists — but by Christians . . . on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

—Patrick Henry

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian Nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

— John Jay, our first Supreme Court Justice

“The destiny of America is to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to all men, everywhere.”

— John Adams, Second President of the United States

“My views…are the result of a life of inquiry and reflection, and very different from the anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions.

“To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others.”

— On April 21, 1803, Thomas Jefferson wrote this to Dr. Benjamin Rush (also a signer of the Declaration of Independence)

Journal,

Have you ever wondered why the United States became such a great nation in the earth? America’s greatness links directly to our Christian heritage. Most every signer of the declaration of independence openly declared their faith in Jesus Christ. Fifty-two of the fifty-six signers were deeply committed Christians. Three others accepted the Bible as divine truth and that God was personally involved in both His creation and in the forming of this new nation.

The first act after signing the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress was to buy 20,000 Bibles for the people of this new nation. So, is there any question that America was founded on Christian principles? Certainly not.

Foremost in the minds of our founders was to create a nation without an established religious system, and yet would draw its strength from the Christian faith. They knew that a walk with the Lord was very personal, that the Bible was a book of redemption, and that in Christ alone could men find true freedom.

They also knew that man-made religion almost always degenerates into man-controlled institutions. This nation was formed by people who had escaped from tyrannical religious systems.

Thomas Jefferson said it well enough:

“To the corruptions of Christianity I am, indeed, opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others.”

This accords with what the apostle John said about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ:

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1Jn 5:11-12)

What is it about the Bible that drew the hearts of our founders? Let’s see if we can get on the same page.

The Bible and the Kingdom

Our founders knew that the Bible was not an ordinary book. The Bible came to us from heaven by the pens of godly inspired writers. They knew that only by accepting the sovereignty of God could this nation be truly blessed.

The Bible has to do with God’s kingdom rule. And it has to do with man’s redemption brought about by the blood of God’s Son. And the work of the cross is the underscore of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Lose this key and you lose the key of life.

Lets consider what the term sovereignty means. Hebrew term ‘malkuth‘ speaks of the outflow of power from a royal reign. God’s sovereignty addresses His absolute right to do all things according to His own will, and for His own purpose, and for His own pleasure.

Thus we have the term ‘kingdom of God’ or ‘kingdom of heaven’. These terms express the direct rule of God in a person’s life. To be born of God’s kingdom means that you come under the direct and personal rule of God.

Understanding what ‘kingdom of God’ means helps us to realize what Jesus was saying to the Pharisee Nicodemus. Listen:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, “You must be born again.”‘” (Joh 3:3-7)

Moses gained some insight into God's sovereignty when he sought for the Lord to show him His glory. The Lord said to him,

“I will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” (Exodus 33:19)

When Paul reflects on this passage, he says,

“So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Rom9:16)

The Children of the Great King

Out of this comes a second aspect about sovereignty. Not only is the almighty God sovereign over all of creation, over all nations, and over history itself, but He is also the heavenly Father of every person born of His Spirit. This means that in all God does He always has His children at the center of His doings. Paul intimates this when he said,

“For all things belong to you … and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (Cf. 1Co3:21-23)

Yes indeed, we are children of the Great King. Thus we hear John say,

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” (1Jn3:1,2)

John was careful to point out that we don’t have all the answers. And while we do not yet know exactly what we will be, we do know that we will be like Jesus. After all He is the firstborn of many brothers. (Brothers is inclusive of sisters.)

Paul gives us the center piece of our purpose before God. He said,

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us.”(Rom8:28-31)

The Darker the Night

Everything that I’ve shared thus far is designed to bring us back to how this great nation was formed. As a nation it seems we have lost much of our moorings. It is easy to get discouraged. Without naming all that has caused a downward spiral, there is yet a greater truth to be had. We need to regain the spirit and resolve of our nation’s founders. And this greater truth accords with an old adage, which says, ‘The darker the night, the brighter the light.’

The apostle Paul intimated that very thing when he said,

” … but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” (Rom 5:20)

It is in these discouraging times where God’s children can stand out the best. It only takes a little light to dispel darkness. The apostle said,

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appears as lights in the world. “ (Phil2:14,15)

It is time for God’s children shine brightly. Much of the world is in despair of heart. Our instructions have never changed. Let’s hear once again what the Lord has for us:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mat 5:14-16)

Think about these things.

Do you remember the old gospel song, ‘Send the Light.’ One stanza says, ‘Send the light, the blessed gospel light. Let it shine from shore to shore.’ Let that song be our prayer. Listen to the gospel hymn.

In Christ always,

Buddy

Jun

2011

A Case for the Christian

“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.“ (1Pe 4:14-16)

Journal,

Christianity of itself is not essentially a religion. It is a kingdom. In order to have a kingdom you must have a king. Take note of this description of Jesus Christ about His second coming and His titles:

“He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:13-16)

Then there is this issue. There are no naturalized citizens in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. The only way to enter the kingdom of God’s Son is to be born into it. When a person is born from heaven, this is also a citizenship birth. With each kingdom birth there is a register. Listen to Paul:

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21)

So, where does religion enter the picture? Good question. Religion is what we manage to do. A kingdom birth is what God does.

Born from Above

Let’s begin with the thinker – What is it that makes an Irishman an Irishman, or a Cajun a Cajun? (Pass the crawfish please.) The simple answer is that the Irishman and the Cajun are born to a particular cultural grouping. Each group has its own natural proclivities.

What then is it that makes a human a human? The answer is that all humans share a nature that belongs exclusively to humankind in general. Neither angels nor animals have a human nature. They have a nature that is exclusively theirs. So there is an angelic nature, an animal nature, and there is a human nature.

And here is the problem. The human nature is in disrepair. Our souls were damaged in the fall of Adam. Thus our physical life and our spiritual life have need for repair. While the holy angels of God continue with their original nature intact, the deepest part of our humanity, that is, our spiritual identity with God has been displaced.

Whether we understand it or not, Adam and Eve had in their original nature that which is only found in God Himself. They carried in them a certain spiritual likeness of God. The image and likeness had to do with their basic nature. It is that part of man’s inward nature that is in need of repair.

Satan took advantage of Adam’s fallen state and built his earthly kingdom around the aspect of disrepair. Satan is called the god of this world, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the authority of ‘the domain of darkness.’ Thus Adam found himself in a twisted world filled with wrath and discord. Everything was out of balance.

Repaired Through the Cross

In essence what makes a Christian a Christian is that our spiritual identity with God has restored through a heavenly birth. This was the purpose of the cross.

Jesus said

“The thief [Satan’s environs and activities] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn10:10)

Listen to these Scriptures that describe the two kinds of humans on planet earth today:

Paul: “[We] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest.” (Eph2:2,3)

Peter: “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pet1:4)

When a person is born from above their severance from God is remedied. The born again person is now a very child of the living God and a citizen of heaven. This means that on planet Earth there are two kinds of humans, those who have been spiritually repaired and restored to God, and those who are still in disrepair. Is it any wonder that the strongest impulse of Christians is to get the message of the gospel out to our fallen kin.

The Wonder of a New Creation

Here we need to understand the critical element of what makes a Christian a Christian. The disrepair of our humanity can only be corrected one way. It has to be God’s way. God’s way is found in the working of the cross. No person is ever born again because they shook a preachers hand or that they prayed through to some esoteric experience.

The only way for a person to be born from above is that they must consciously recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, and receive Him personally as their own Lord and Savior. This accepting Jesus Christ as Lord is the heart and soul of the new creation.

And so, it is to Jesus alone that we bring our broken humanity. It is to Him that we make our appeal to His Lordship and to His saving grace. This is why the true apostolic message never changes, which says, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” To call upon the name of the Lord means to recognize His Lordship and to appeal to Him as our own Lord.

This is why salvation can never be based on an emotional experience where we have set aside our minds and now depend on certain euphoric feelings. Drugs can induce euphoric feelings. A person can even become euphoric on their own emotions. There is such a thing as an emotional drunkenness.

The point is that our salvation is be based upon the fact alone. We are to become convinced of the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Jesus Christ, and that He is now both Lord and Christ, and that there is no other way to be saved other than to call upon Him, and to acknowledge and confess His Lordship. Aside from this act of believing and confessing, there is no salvation.

Believing in Jesus Christ is an act of our will. The faith to be born again is a gift from God.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)

Every time a person is born from above, there is an act of creation. In this new creation a new humanity comes into place. We are a people born-from-above, that is, a heavenly people. We now share a heart like God’s heart.

This brings us to…

The Reborn Heart

In the Bible the term heart speaks of the very center of our being. It is where our spirit life evolves. This is why the Scriptures make a distinction between man’s soul and man’s spirit. The soul is generally thought to be our mind, our will, and our emotions, that is, what identifies us as an individual. But our spirit is that part that relates closest to God. In is in our spirit where we have our God-awareness, our conscious spiritual life, our intuition, our fellowship and communion. This is why it is our spirit that is born again and not our soul. Our soul undergoes transformations over time.

The prophet described our new life this way:

“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.” (Eze 11:19-20)

It all begins with the Lord getting our attention. The word repentance in the Greek speaks to a moral conquest of the mind. It begins as an intellectual process. We are made aware of and become convinced of the message of the cross. We realize our lostness. We change our minds about the path we’ve lived. And we turn to Jesus as our own Lord and Savior. Every bit of this involves our thinking. The mind is the way to the heart. Salvation involves both the mind and the heart.

It is under this strong convicting work of the Holy Spirit that our heart is brought to the place of being born again. The power that makes a Christian a Christian is not our power. It is the power of heaven.

Paul explains where the power of life comes from. Listen carefully:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom1:16)

The power of new life is found in the message of the cross itself.

Listen again to Paul:

“For this reason we also constantly thank God, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1Th2:13)

The point is that the beginning place of salvation has to include our mind. The very word repentance speaks to the mind. Salvation is made upon a decision for Christ. This is why the Billy Graham crusades have such a tremendous effect on the crowds. He preaches the simple message of the cross. The respondents are openly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ.

A Seal that Cannot be Broken

When the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the believing one, that person becomes sealed for eternity. The Spirit will be there tomorrow, and the next tomorrow, and the next tomorrow. This is called the testimony of the Spirit. The apostle calls this the seal of redemption. This new believer has become a child of the living God. He can never be separated from the loving Father.

This does not mean that the newly born-again person is incapable of sin. Yes, the child of God can sin and will have failures in his life. However, sin will always be contrary to the child of God’s nature. He will sin by temptation. Yet the Spirit of Christ within him will now allow him to stay in a condition of sin. Sin hurts too much.

Think about these things. Feel free to offer your comments. I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime here is a song that will speak to your heart.

The King is Coming by the Bill Gaither Trio

Yours in Christ,

Buddy

Jun

2011

To Die Without Christ

“So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above;

“…for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’” (Joh 19:10-11 NASB)

Journal,

The Jerusalem Sanhedrin represented the supreme leadership of world Judaism. When the chief priests and elders delivered Jesus over to the Roman authorities to be crucified, they set in motion a chain of events that would have negative effects on the Jewish people throughout their generations.

We see this beginning to take form in 70 AD, with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Was the destruction of Jerusalem a judgment from God? According to the gospels, yes. And according to the Talmudic writings, also a yes. While the reasons given may differ, that it was a judgment from God was accepted early on.

Out of the ashes

Out of the ashes of smoldering Jerusalem would evolve a new Judaism that would have no likeness to the ancient worship of Moses and David. There would be no temple, no sacrifices, and no priesthood. The rabbis set about to fashion a new Judaism where they would become the exalted figures. This new Judaism took on the name of Rabbinical Judaism or Talmudic Judaism. It was to become an expanded continuation of the Pharisees. (The Sadducee and the priestly temple ministry disappeared in the destruction.)

The rabbi who carried the greater responsibility for the reinvention of Judaism was Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai. According to John Lightfoot, Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai knew Jesus and most certainly had encounters with the apostles. He was quite possibly one of the Sanhedrin members who held responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus.

It is important to understand that Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai was one of the top religious figures in Jerusalem during the time of Christ and after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Zaccai lived to be 120 years old. He held such an honored role in Judaism that he became known as the ‘Light of Israel, Pillar of the Right Hand, Strong Hammer.’ Zaccai was well acquainted with the Christian movement.

Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai escaped the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And in setting about to help create a new Judaism, it was determined that the blood sacrifices were no longer needed, and that prayer, good deeds, and fasting were all that was needed to get God’s forgiveness.

The Death of a Rabbi

The Talmudic writings have a record of the death of Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai is. Here is a major religious leader who died without Christ.

“When R. Jochanan ben Zaccai was taken ill, his disciples went to visit him. As soon as he beheld them, he began to weep. His disciples said unto him, ‘O Light of Israel, Pillar of the Right Hand, Strong Hammer, why dost thou weep?’ He answered and said unto them… ‘Now when I am to be led into the presence of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who lives and is through all eternities, whose anger — if He is angry with me — is an eternal anger; whose fetters — if He will bind me — are everlasting fetters; and whose death — if He put me to death — is an eternal death; whom I cannot appease with words, nor bribe with money;

“… and not only so, but two ways open before me — the one leading to Paradise and the other to hell (Gehenna), and I do not know upon which of these two ways I shall be led, shall I not weep?‘” (Brachot 28b)

Zaccai had no sense of salvation. Religion cannot give what only God can give. The righteousness peace and joy of God’s kingdom comes from only one place and from one Person. They come from Jesus Christ and they are spiritual attributes (realities) of the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

The Problem With the Golden Calf

Jesus did not come to give us a new religion. If fact He did not come to give us a religious system at all. Religion is what men do. Jesus came to give us a relationship with the heavenly Father. In our new relationship with heaven, the Holy Spirit places believers into ‘flocks’ that function as families. This is essentially what the Greek word for church means.

[ekklesía speaks of the called out, called together people of God; a body of spiritually free citizens who share in a common heavenly citizenship. These flocks would have pastors and other mature godly overseers who can offer guidance and teaching, but never in the sense of being overlords.]

Isn’t it strange how men go about to invent religions? The new Judaism held all kinds of strange notions about God. Much had to do with the self-honor that the rabbis placed upon themselves.

Like any religious system, this new Judaism had its power structure. The rabbis made themselves as the final voice of God. They were above the ancient prophets. This is why the new Judaism is often called Rabbinic Judaism. They even tell the story in the Talmuds how the rabbis outwitted God Himself.

Wherein is the problem? The problem is that people can become so caught up in honoring a religious system that the system itself takes on the form of idolatry. Their church becomes ‘the‘ church. They find salvation with ‘their‘ church and not necessarily with Jesus Christ.

Thus the golden calf of religion. This form of church idolatry takes on the idea of, ‘My church is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through my church.’ (Don’t laugh. Church idolatry is very real.)

The greater sin

What makes the death of Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai even more dreadful comes from something that Jesus said to Pilate. Listen again to what the Lord said to Pilate about authority.

“You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Cf. John 19:10,11)

Did you catch it? Jesus said, ‘He who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.’

Why would the Jewish leaders be charged with the greater sin but not Pilate or the Roman soldiers? It was because these leaders knew more about Jesus than they were putting on. Their rejection had to do with knowledge in having rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Many of them knew better and yet they participated in the rejection.

Jesus set forth their great sin:

“Jesus said to them, ‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes:?’ “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.

“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.” (Mat 21:42-46)

The Man Who Knew Christ

Let’s see what distinguishes the death of Rabbi Zaccai from another leader who accepted Jesus as the Messiah of Israel? We know that the apostle Paul was formerly a disciple of Gamaliel and a violent persecutor of the church. This man came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. When Paul faced death, this is what we read about him:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (Cf. 2Ti 4:7,8)

Do you see the difference? Rabbi Zaccai was terrified. The apostle Paul was ready for his journey home. What made the difference? It all comes back to the atonement sacrifice. To reject the cross is to reject any hope of salvation. It is not as though Zaccai had no earlier warning. A special letter was sent to Jewish people by an apostolic writer not long before the destruction of the temple. It may have been written by Paul. Zaccai could well have been aware of it.

“For if we go on sinning [the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Messiah] willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Cf. Heb 10:26- 29)

As a minister of 45 plus years I’ve attended the last hours of various believers. These were precious moments. They had no fear. When it neared the time of passage it was as though they were already experiencing the heaven side of their passage. As for others — Well, I’ll leave that unsaid.

How about you? Will you die having rejected Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? Are you one of those ‘golden calf’ people who have replaced Jesus with a religious system.

Or, are you one of those who truly have a relationship with the Heavenly Father by way of His Son Jesus Christ?

Think about it. Again I ask, is Jesus Christ truly the Lord of your life?

Are you ready to turn to the Lord? Here is a prayer that can help you. Pray it from your heart…

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please drop me a note. I will be happy to offer some guidance that can help you.

In Christ always,

Buddy

Apr

2011

There really are two worlds

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’

“Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'” (Joh 18:35-37)

Journal,

For the past few days I’ve had this feeling that I was to write a blog on the other world Jesus spoke to Pilate about. Then I remembered a blog I shared last year entitled, ‘Made in the Divine Image.’ So I decided to use that blog as a backdrop and share more insights that hopefully will bless my readers.

Here is the bottom line issue. While the angels of God continue with their nature intact, our spiritual nature and personal identity with God was displaced in the fall of Adam. We forfeited our unique relationship with all of creation. We lost something of our original nature.

I realize that the idea of humans having something of the divine is difficult to grasp. Yet a restoration of Adam’s lost glory is at the very heart of our redemption in Christ Jesus. And this restoration includes something of the divine nature.

Pay attention to these Scriptures —

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom3:23)

Another,

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Heb 2:10-11 NASB)

And again,

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pe 1:4)

Jesus entered the fallen world of Adam

Jesus took to Himself the fallen human race. Satan’s authority over all humanity was broken at the cross. From that moment on any person who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Calling on Jesus relates to His becoming Lord and Savior to the one calling on Him.)

But it doesn’t stop there. Peter gave more insight:

“… seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2Pe 1:3 NASB)

That which was lost in the fall of Adam, has been restored in Jesus Christ.

The point is that Satan was able to take advantage of Adam’s fallen state and build his earthly kingdom around this aspect of disrepair. Satan is called the god of this world, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the authority of ‘the domain of darkness.’ All that changed with the coming of Jesus Christ.

The two worlds and the two kinds of humans…

So now there actually are two kinds of humans on this planet. You have the ‘in Adam’ human. And you have the ‘in Christ’ human. Those who are in Christ, have turned to Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. They belong to a new creation. Those who have not turned to Jesus still yet remain under the domain of the old creation. They are still under Satan’s jurisdiction.

Listen to these Scriptures that describe the two kinds of humans on planet earth today:

“[We all] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest.” (Eph2:2,3)

In speaking to the Jewish leaders in the temple, He said,

“‘I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.’ So the Jews were saying, ‘Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, “Where I am going, you cannot come’?”‘ And He was saying to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.‘” (Joh 8:21-23)

Again,

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Joh 8:44)

Here is the description of those who have turned to Jesus Christ:

“For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.” (Eph2:10)

Again,

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, new things have come.” (2Co5:17)

To the disciples and by extension to all believers through the age.,

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (Joh 15:19)

See the distinction?

You have humans in disrepair and you have humans who have been restored to their proper nature and in right relationship with God.

Once the human nature has been repaired this brings the principle of godliness back in place, and that which most closely relates to the divine. We now have a heart that is very much like God’s heart.

This does not mean that the repaired Christian cannot sin. No person on this planet has as sensitive a conscience as that of a person who has been born again. It is the nature of a Christian to seek cleansing from sin.

Born from above…

With that being said let’s take a closer look at the believer’s new status with God. Jesus said,

“The thief [Satan’s environs and activities] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn10:10)

The true believer is born from above. When a person is born from above their human nature has undergone a spiritual repair, and is in the process of being restored to its proper purpose.

The born again person is now a very child of God. The child of God once again has something of the divine within him. He belongs to the family of God.

The heavenly Father spoke life to him. This is what Jesus meant when he said,

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the word that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63)

Through our journey in this world, the Lord gives us life words. He speaks to us as our Father. But He also brings healing where healing is needed.

Repairing the broken…

The disrepair of our humanity can only be corrected one way. It is found in the working principle of the cross. Jesus alone is the One who repairs us. It is to Him alone that we bring our broken humanity. It is to Him that we make our appeal to His Lordship and to His saving grace. This is why the true apostolic message never changes, which says,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [repaired].”

The word salvation [soteria] in Greek speaks of preservation and deliverance. The word ‘save’ [sozo] means, to bring safely, get well, to restore, etc.

Listen to angel’s message to Joseph about Mary having a Son:

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mark 1:21)

Being saved from our sins is not a one time event. It is the maxim of the cross. Being saved from our sins is a process of life. The Lord saved us, He is saving us, He will save us. Jesus came to save us from all our sins, past, present and future.

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Tit 3:5 NASB)

The glory to be revealed…

Here is the Scripture that troubles some folk:

“What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!“ (Psa 8:4-5 NASB)

Yes, Adam did share in the divine nature, that is, in those godly traits that are found in God Himself. Adam was God’s very child and he carried in his person something of the nature of his Father.
I hope you are seeing the picture. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you also are God’s very child.

We have yet to receive our full glory, but it will happen.

Paul said this:

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Rom 8:29-30)

In all this always keep in mind that you do have authority over Satan. How to use this authority properly is a way of learning the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Think about these things. In the meantime here is a song what will minister to your heart, “The Glorious Impossible,” by the Gaither Band:

May the Lord ‘s richest blessing overflow your life as you seek His face,

Buddy

Feb

2011

Egypt and the World of Islam #2

” … in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.” (Dan 9:2)

Journal,

This is a follow-up entry on ‘Egypt and the World of Islam.’ In my last journal entry I called attention to certain prophecies about Egypt and the world of Islam and to world events that precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. I concluded that entry with a prophecy where the Lord makes His appearance with Israel. Part of the prophecy reads…

“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zec 12:9-10)

I also shared a video that sets forth how the gospel is making powerful inroads into the world of Islam. The gospel penetrating into Islam is a crucial part of God’s redemption program that is to be played out before the second coming. In this entry I want to share more properties about the second coming of Jesus Christ that some may not be aware of.

The place to begin is to understand the role that Islam plays with regard to the second coming. Here is the scene – Satan has always known that God’s plan of redemption completes itself with the second coming of Jesus to Jerusalem. Therefore his major line of defense has been to create a false gospel that would avoid the true gospel. This false gospel would honor Jesus as one of the great Messengers of God. However, it would disallow how the gospel of Jesus saves people. This false gospel would find its center in the nations surrounding Israel. Herein you have Islam.

Here is a quote from my last entry:

“In the Golden Dome [on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem] there is written in Arabic, ‘God has no son.’ The world of Islam has labored under a false gospel about Jesus Christ ever since Muhammad began his religion of the sword. Muhammad perverted the gospel in saying that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, that His death on the cross had nothing to do with salvation, that Jesus was simply one of the great Messengers (prophets), that Jesus would return, would die, and would be buried.”

Did you catch it? Muhammad managed to undermine the saving power of the gospel in the world of Islam by removing the very heart of the gospel. Jesus said He would build His church upon this revelation: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ Yet Muhammad said that God has no son. Muhammad literally created an antichrist religion. {Anti means in place of or over against.]

Listen to the apostle John:

“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.” (1Jn 2:22-23)

God is Taking Out a People

God is taking out for Himself a people from all the nations. This final movement of redemption is moving swiftly through Islam and will end up at Jerusalem. The redemption movement will increase in the days ahead. Consider these Scriptures:

“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Mat 24:14)

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.'” (Rev 5:9)

“And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken. And it will be said in that day, ‘Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.'” (Isa 25:7-9)

*Place your cursor over a Scripture reference and it will appear.

The Principle of Seventy

The number seventy often carries a prophetic emphasis in the Scriptures. Here is a short synopsis on how the number seventy can be seen prophetically. It is possible that we are in a seventy year redemption time frame. (Place your cursor over the Scripture references.) …

(1) Jeremiah prophesies of Israel’s captivity into Babylon for seventy years. (Jer25:10-12)

(2) Daniel’s attention is brought to Jeremiah’s prophecy. The time was at hand. (Dan9:2,3)

(3) In seeking the Lord, the angel Gabriel gives Daniel a prophecy that reaches across redemption history and takes in both the first and the second coming of the Messiah Jesus. (Dan 9:23-26) This prophecy of seventy calculated into weeks of years and pinpointed the time of the Messiah. It foretold the cutting off of Messiah until the time of restoration. (Second coming.) The rabbis later placed a curse on anyone who tried to calculate the times of Daniel’s prophecy.

(4) Gabriel left the seventieth week to itself. The seventieth week is known as ‘the time of Jacob’s troubles’ or the period of tribulation. It is understood by many that the book of Revelation largely concerns itself with the seven years of tribulation. This seven-year tribulation is also called ‘the day of God’s wrath.’ (Just as the day of grace is a defined time, even so the day of God’s wrath can be traced through the Scriptures.)

(5) Then we have another interesting notation – The city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 a.d. Israel ceased to being a nation for nearly 2000 years. Then on May 14, 1948, Israel once again became a nation among nations. (Isa66:8) It may be that God’s time clock of redemption began clicking once again in 1948. And here once again we need to consider the number seventy. No one knows the day or the hour for the second coming but Jesus said that we could know the times of His coming. So, if the seventy year time frame began in 1948, it would then end up with 2018.

(6) The removal of the church.) There are three broad beliefs about what is commonly called ‘the rapture’, Pre-trib, Mid-trib, or Post-trib. If we subtract the seven years of tribulation from 2018, we end up with 2011. This is the Pre-tribulation position. Some take a mid-tribulation position. In this case the rapture would happen in 2014. For those who do not believe in a rapture, for them the time of the second coming would be in 2018.

x

(7) What is important is knowing that the coming of the Lord is near at hand. With this in mind God’s people are not to live in an attitude of fear. The second coming is a time of our completed salvation. But as for the times, there are many prophecies that describe the world as we know it today. As for the proper time itself, be it this year, in three years, seven years, or whatever time the Father has determined, keep in mind what Jesus said, “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luk21:28)

Here are some Scriptures to meditate upon —

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” (Joh14:1-4)

“Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.” (Isa 12:2-3)

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” (1Th 5:9-10)

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col 3:1-4)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev 21:1-2)

Let this song minister to your heart. ‘Morning Has Broken’ (This is a Christian hymn set to the music of a traditional Gaelic tune known as ‘Bunessan.’

In Christ always,

Buddy

Nov

2010

When Wisdom Becomes Foolishness

Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” (Isa 29:13-14 NASB)

Journal,

With the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D., the seed bed was already in place for the rabbis to create an entirely new Judaism. This new Judaism would branch out from the sect of the Pharisees. It was this seed bed that Jesus spoke against:

Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Mt15:3)

Without question this new Judaism had a number of problems. They had a powerful contender for the hearts of the Jewish people from a fast growing movement in Judaism that was taking on the name Christian. Rabbinic Judaism began developing alongside Christianity but in opposition to the Christian faith. The Christian faith would soon outgrow its Jewish clothing to encompass all the nations of the world. Rabbinic Judaism would forever remain very small in comparison.

That was the beginning of their problems. Whereas Rabbinic Judaism had no temple or a priesthood in place, the Jewish Christians could easily appeal to Moses and the prophets with regard to their Lord and Savior. The Messiah had come and was now the high priest of the new covenant. No further sacrifice was needed. The eternal blood of the covenant had been shed. The Spirit of Messiah now resided in the hearts of all true believers.

In a letter written to Jewish people we read this:

Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:20-21 NASB)

The path of foolishness begins…

The depth of foolishness began with the rejection of Jesus Christ. But how could the rabbis counter the Christian movement? Over time they began issuing warnings to the Jewish peoples about reading certain portions of the Old Testament. A curse was placed upon the reading of the book of Daniel and trying to calculate the times of Messiah. A strong warning was put in place against the study of Ezekiel with a special view to the ‘chariot of God.’ (Daniel set forth the very time for the coming of Messiah. Ezekiel spoke of the ‘form’ of God.)

The former testament began to taking on a dead shroud for the Jewish people. The glory of Israel had been rejected.

Paul wrote about the death shroud:

But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” (2Co 3:14-16 NASB)

It continued. The rabbis discarded the Septuagint translation, the writings of Josephus and the writings of Philo. The Targums were held at a distance. Everything that could have any bearing on Jesus Christ must be discarded. The people would have to view the Scriptures through another lens, the lens of the rabbis. They would set themselves up as the ‘final voice of God’ to the people. Even God would learn from them. (Don’t be surprised. This is in the writings of the rabbis.)

Why was Jesus and the apostles such a threat to the Jewish authorities

Why is the big question – Why does Talmudic Judaism to this day carry such a blindness to those who are held in its sway. Why is Judaism filled with such darkness? It all has to do with authority. The authority of the Jewish leaders was in question. In Talmudic Judaism the rabbis have actually taken the place of God. They consider themselves to be greater than Moses or any of the prophets. Their word is the final word.

We ought not be surprised? The Old Testament warned that the traditions of the elders would evolve into rabbinic Judaism. Listen again as God speaks through Isaiah, saying,

Because this people draws near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence consists of tradition learned by rote….

…Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.” (Cf. Isaiah 29:13,14)

It is crucial to place the apostolic writings in their proper role. The apostles were not simply called to be apostles to the Church. They were apostles to Israel, with Paul having an extended role with a view to the Gentiles. It is in this sense that apostles took up the mantle of the prophets of old. Jesus said to them,

I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others [the prophets] have labored and you [the apostles] have entered into their labor.” (Jn4:38)

The prophets spoke to the coming of Messiah. They were His beforehand servants. The apostles spoke after the fact, that is, Israel’s Messiah had come, had ministered to the people, had been rejected, was crucified, rose from the dead, ascended on high and is now at the right hand of the glory on high. The apostles were His witnesses.

A second thing that needs to be understood has to do with Israel’s judgment of 70 A.D., over the rejection of Jesus Christ. These two issues are placed side-by-side by the Lord. Listen carefully:

So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them [the prophets], and you build their tombs. For this reason the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will persecute, so that the blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation.” (Cf. Luke 11:46-51)

A Matter of Redemption

This is a matter of redemption history. Why would the blood of the prophets and apostles be charged against that generation? It would be due to the greater sin of their leaders. If anyone should have recognized Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah, it would be that generation. All the prophets from ancient time spoke of the days of Christ. And the time of Messiah had been prophesied by Daniel.

The deeper side is that when the high priest and the elders of Israel rejected Jesus Christ, they were rejecting God Himself. You see, the blood that ran through the veins of Jesus was the very blood of God. And because they had rejected God Himself, there was no other sacrifice to be had. All that was left was a judgment. Israel would be given a transitional time for entering into the new covenant of Christ.

But there is more to the greater sin. Jesus said to Pilate,

You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Jn19:11)

The greater sin was the sin of knowledge. Many of the leaders especially of the Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah. I realize we find this hard to believe, but a careful search of the gospels shows this to be the case. (It wasn’t the godly leadership that rejected Jesus. It was those of the house of Satan.)

And so we hear in the book of Hebrews this final warning:

For if we go on sinning willfully [Jewish people by rejecting Jesus] after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”

The apostolic writer goes on to say,

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Cf. Heb10:26-31)

The book of Hebrews has to do with whole of the Jewish people. It was written as a final warning not long before the destruction of Jerusalem and of the temple in 70 A.D. The temple went up in a fiery judgment. The time of transition was over. The gospel had been sent to the Jew first. The new covenant no longer had a Jewish exclusiveness to it. It would belong to the people of the world. For God so loved the world….

Christianity was not some upstart religion

The point is that Christianity was not some upstart religion to be counted among the various movements in Judaism of the day. The testimony of God, the testimony of Moses, the testimony of the prophets, of David, of John the Baptist, the testimony of nature itself, the wonders and miracles, and the testimony of those Jews who had truly received Him as Lord and Savior, all bore witness against those who would reject Him. No further testimony was needed. That testimony remains in place today along with multiplied millions of people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior.

An example of the testimony is where Paul wrote,

Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

When hearing this the Jewish mind would instantly go to the prophet Ezekiel.

When Jesus said,

And what if you should see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before,”

… their minds would have gone to the book of Daniel and other of the prophetic writings. (Cf. Ph2:6; Jn6:62)

These terms ‘form of God’ and ‘Son of Man’ were almost exclusively used with regard to the One who was spoken of as the ‘Wisdom’ of God, the ‘Form’ of God, the ‘Glory’ of God, the ‘Power’ of God, the ‘Son’ of God, the ‘Rock’ of Israel, and the ‘Shepherd’ of Israel. There are other appellations, but these will suffice for now. The fact remaining is that Jesus is all that these names speak of and more. The testimony was so plain that the rabbis had to remove the testimony from the people. Thus a curse was placed upon the reading of Daniel, etc.

Why such a curse upon Daniel? Not only did Daniel prophecy the time of the coming of Messiah, but he also had a vision concerning the Messiah receiving His kingdom. Daniel’s vision was a beforehand vision concerning the ascension of Jesus Christ. The prophets of old spoke in ‘prophetic perfects.’ This means they saw the very thing they were prophesying. It was as though they were there. So Daniel saw Jesus coming to the throne.

What gives wonder to this is that the apostles saw the earthly departure of Jesus into the heavens whereas Daniel saw Jesus entering into His glory.

What the apostles saw:

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” (Act 1:9 NASB)

What Daniel saw:

I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days, and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Dan7:13,14)

The Son of Man – The Form of God

The ‘Son of Man’ designation by the time of Jesus it had become a major designation for the Messiah. The term ‘form of God’ was an expression that had a special view to Messiah. This expression actually reaches back to Moses.

When Moses entered the holiest of holies, he stood before the radiant glory that rested over the mercy-seat. In the resplendent light, Moses saw a form. While the Hebrews were commanded not to make any actual form to represent God, listen to what God says to Miriam and Aaron:

‘If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses, He is faithful with all My household; with Him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, even Moses.'” (Num12:6-8.)

Did you catch it? When Paul said that Jesus existed in the form of God, this meant that it was Jesus who appeared over the mercy seat in the radiant light. Paul explains it also by saying that Jesus is ‘the image of the invisible God.’ So we have God who is unseen, but who is fully seen in Jesus Christ. Thus we have Paul saying that in Jesus is the fullness of Deity in bodily form. We also know that Paul himself had been accosted by the radiant light on his way to Damascus.

What does all this have to do with the wisdom of the wise perishing? It has much to do, indeed. When Isaiah spoke of the wise losing their wisdom, it was with a view to rabbinic traditions that would eventually evolve into a full-blown religion called Talmudic Judaism.

The point at hand is that Talmudic Judaism is a blinding religion. It places a death shroud over the book of God. In fact the best thing you could ever tell a Jew is for them to read their own Bible. If they will do that, it will destroy the shroud of Talmudic Judaism.

Here again we must come back to Isaiah. Listen:

The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, ‘Please read this,’ he will say, ‘I cannot, for it is sealed.'” Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, ‘Please read this.’ And he will say, ‘I cannot read.'”(Isa29:11,12)

What I’ve just shared is the prelude to the earlier quote from Isaiah, where God says, “The wisdom of their wise men will perish.”

What is going to make the wise men’s wisdom perish

It comes back to the book that will be opened by Jesus and will continue to be opened by God’s servants through the ages.

God speaks further in Isaiah, saying,

On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Vv18,19)

Yes, the gospel messaged weaves itself through all the Old Testament. And Talmudic wisdom will deflower itself and show itself for what it really is. It has been a death shroud to hide the glory of Israel from the Jewish people. Two thousand years ago and old man prophesied over the child Jesus and His mother, saying,

Behold, this Child is appointed for THE FALL and RISE of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed.” (Luke 2:34)

The fall came with the rejection of Jesus. The rise comes with the acceptance. The cross was a sign that has been opposed by Rabbinic Judaism throughout the church age.

Oh yes, the Bible is a wonderful book. It is the only book of any religion that actually records history before it happens. It is the only book that speaks from the throne of God. Listen to this ancient prophecy given by Moses. (It is alluded to by Peter on the day of Pentecost 33 a.d.)

Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. ‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” (Deu 32:20-21 NASB) — This quote is from the song of Moses. Compare Rev15:3

And so we hear the apostle Paul quote from Isaiah the prophet, saying,

For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1Co1:19,20)

Take time to listen to the Song of Moses and the Lamb…

In Christ always,

Buddy

Jul

2010

The voice of the blood…

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'”

(Rev 19:16 NASB)

Readers,

David often spoke of the Lord as his God and as his King. He also identified the coming Messiah in terms of a King, and also as Lord and God.

Consider just a few statements from David:

“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12 NASB) — This Psalm is quoted from by the apostles in Acts 4, with regard to Jesus as the anointed King. —

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’ The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.'” (Psa 110:1-2 NASB) — Quoted by Peter with a view to Jesus being exalted to the Father as King —

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Psa 45:5-7 NASB) — Quoted in the book of Hebrews with regard to the exaltation of Jesus. —

“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psa 24:8-10 NASB) — With a view to the second coming of Jesus as the King of glory —

A King is exactly who Jesus is

While we readily acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must always keep before us that He is a King and has a kingdom. A King is exactly what Jesus is. And in order for a king to rule, he must have a kingdom.

The term kingdom (basileia) in Greek speaks of sovereignty, or power. In an abstract sense it refers to the power exercised by a king. So the kingdom of God refers to God’s direct ruling power. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of great power.

Now we turn to Jesus. Follow carefully the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In questioning Jesus, Pilate becomes frustrated. His wife had had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate not to do Him any harm.

Pilate says,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Some think that Pilate asked this in jest. I don’t believe this is the case. Pilate is too disturbed to be joking around.

The Lord responds,

“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Pilate is confused. He responds,

“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

It is here that Jesus begins to explain His kingdom. Listen carefully;

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus says His kingdom is not an arrangement or an adornment to be seen with the eyes. It is not a worldly kingdom.

Then the Lord adds,

‘My kingdom is not of this realm.’

The word ‘enteuthen’ (realm) means His kingdom is not from here, or, on this side.

Pilate responds,

“So You are a king?”

What Jesus says next puts His kingdom rule into its spiritual essence.

“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Cf. John 18:33-37)

A kingdom not of this world

Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world, then His subjects must not be of this world.

The Lord points out that only His subjects are able to hear His voice.

And the Lord says His kingdom is all about truth.

Now we have all the elements that describe the Lord’s kingdom.

(1) His kingdom is not of this world.

(2) His subjects are not of this world.

(3) Only His subjects hear His voice.

(4) His subjects do not fight. (Not in the sense of worldly kingdoms. Their weaponry is not of the flesh.)

(5) His kingdom is about Truth.

What does this tell us up front? It tells us that the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be put in religious terms. Religion is what man does. Relationship and reality is what God does for us in Christ.

Hence the dilemma —

If His kingdom is not of this world, and His subjects are not of this world, and only His subjects can hear His voice, and His kingdom is about Truth, and His subjects do not fight, how can we ever expect to recognize His kingdom? How can anyone find it? How can anyone enter into it?

Every born again person knows the answer to this or they would not be born again. The only way to enter into what Paul calls ‘the kingdom of His Beloved Son,’ is to have a personal invitation from the King. And the only way to be born again is to take to yourself Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and King.

Thus we have the gospel message. Many people are not aware of just how powerful the gospel really is. The gospel is an official message from God’s heavenly kingdom and in the gospel is a personal invitation from the King to His kingdom. The gospel carries in it the voice of the King.

I Have a Message from the King

We were on our way to a village in Honduras near the border of Guatemala. As we were nearing the village, I asked the Lord what He wanted me especially say to the people. He placed on my heart to begin my message by saying, ‘I come to you as an ambassador of the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King.’ That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. A stillness settled over the crowded building. I began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then it happened – An old Indian stood up and began to make his way towards me. Once again I stood amazed at the power of the gospel. The old Indian heard the voice of the King. He was making his way to accept God’s invitation to enter the kingdom of His beloved Son. He was ready to give his heart to Jesus.

This brings us to the blood of the King

To enter into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you must have an invitation. This is the job of the servant of God and of the Holy Spirit. The invitation is sent through God’s servants in the gospel message.

Jesus said,

“And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (Joh 16:8 NASB)

In the gospel comes God’s invitation to the kingdom of His beloved Son. And here comes the issue of the blood. The blood speaks to the throne of God. First, as a person turns from their former master Satan, and thus receives Jesus Christ as Lord, and Savior, and King, something marvelous takes place in their heart.

Listen very carefully to Peter:

“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:2-5 NASB)

Every statement that Peter makes is without measure. Let me paraphrase just a bit —

Our salvation is in accordance with God’s divine plan and foreknowledge. The Holy Spirit separates us apart to Jesus. The moment we gazed upon Jesus with our heart, the moment we hear Him calling to us, the moment we respond and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King, at that very moment the Holy Spirit takes of the divine blood of Jesus, sprinkles it on our heart, and we through this sprinkling become born-from-above people who are not of this world. We become the born-of-the-blood children of God, blood bought, blood sprinkled, blood sealed, and forever under the presence of the blood of the King. This is why Peter said that we are of a royal priestly. (Kingly priests are a family of royalty.) Paul said that the one joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.

What does the blood of the King speak over us? It speaks mercy and grace. You may be concerned with the idea of the blood of Jesus speaking. Listen:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24 NASB)

Abel’s blood cried our for vengeance against his brother Cain. The blood of Jesus speaks from the finished work of the cross. It speaks of mercy and truth and grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance.

This is why we sing,

‘What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’

A invitation of life.

The world has a standing invitation.

John says,

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11,12)

The word ‘receive’ in Greek, is ‘paralambano.’ It means to take someone to yourself or to your heart. We get the idea from the wedding vow, where the minister says, “Do you, Bill, take Susan to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, etc.”

The minister is asking Bill if he will take Susan to his heart and life in holy union. This is what receiving Jesus means. It is a thing of the heart. It is a thing of union. It does require a confession of faith. It has to be stated. This is why the early Christians were known as, ‘The people of the great confession.’

It is important to understand what John says about believing. Our salvation is not based on some emotional experience. It is based on an open declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Bible is something you do with your heart and nut just with your mind.

John says,

“Even to those who believe in His name.”

The Greek word for believe, that is, ‘pisteuo’, means to put faith in a person, to rely on, to trust in, to adhere to. (It is the Greek word that we get our English word ‘glue’.) To believe in His name means to accept who Jesus really is, that is, to believe in the full message of the gospel, and in His authority. We actually believe into life.

What happens when a person takes to themself Jesus Christ? They are born into the kingdom of God’s Son. Paul says a kingdom transfer takes place;

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)

What about the truth part and the voice part?

Well, I’ve covered this quite a bit. The gospel is a message from heaven. It carries all the authority and power that is needed to cause a person to be born again. This is why Paul said,

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
(Word, or rhema, speaks of a living voice.)

The word ‘Truth’ in Greek, speaks of the reality that is behind an appearance. To realize truth is to become fully cognizant of the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

When a person is born from above, that birth brings a new spiritual reality into their life. The realness does not go away. It will be there from day, to day, to day.

His voice also speaks of the Lord’s Kingly ministry. The issue of Jesus being our King is very real to a believer. And hearing His voice is also very real. Jesus explained it this way;

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

And again,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Cf. John 10)

Where do we go from here?

How about a song. I always love to finish each of my entries with a special song.

Much love,

Buddy

Jul

2010

The Fellowship of the Unashamed…

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mar 8:38 NASB)

Journal,

One pastor asked if any of us had read the book, ‘The Christian Atheist.’ I thought, ‘Why would I want to read a book that contradicts what being a Christian is about?” (Something along those lines.)

Then when the brother shared the rest of the title, it did aroused my curiosity. The full title of the book is, ‘The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but living as if He doesn’t Exist’, by Craig Groeschel.

The title made more sense when you consider those who ascribe to the name Christian, yet their lives seem to reflect the world. I’ve often wondered what kind of believer these people really are. Then I have to remember what Jesus said about not judging according to appearance but to judge with righteous judgment.

Fact of the matter is that we know so little about other believers. Who knows where they are in their walk with the Lord, or what God is doing in their lives.

How about you? Are you the kind of believer who reflects the values of the world? Or are you that believer who longs to take as your creed of life what the unknown author wrote, titled, ‘The Fellowship of the Unashamed.’

Take time to read what the following anonymous believer wrote. In doing so perhaps you could supplement it with this prayer,

‘Dear Lord, with your help and by your grace it is my deepest desire to make this statement the creed of my life. Help me to hold fast to all that represents You and Your kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen’

Here is what I might call, ‘the creed of the disciple’.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made—I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees,

Colorless dreams, tame visions, worldly-talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops,

Recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable,

My mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, hired away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus, I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes

To claim His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My banner will be clear!

–Author Unknown

Four challenges to consider…

1. The axis of TRUTH – Don’t become doctrinally rigid in anything that pertains to the walk of truth. Leave room for spiritual growth. Absolute truth is often found in the tension of two truths that even seem pull against one another. Always ask the Lord for a better understanding of all that He would have you to understand.

“For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.“ (Pro 2:3-6 NASB)

2. The matter of LOVE – Jesus said that a disciple’s walk has to have a dual love focus. The focus is lateral, love God, and, horizontal, love others. John said that it is impossible to love God without loving others.

“’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 22:36-40 NASB)

3. Singleness of PURPOSE – God wants us to serve Him with an undivided heart. Whatever things compete with God in our lives are things that attempt to divide our heart. Having singleness of heart and vision speak of a complete loyalty to Jesus Christ in all things.

“Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.” (Psa 86:11-12 NASB)

4. The issue of TREASURES – Our heart is always connected to our treasures. What we make time for, what we spend our money on, and what we see as priorities in life will always reflect the status of our heart far more than our words ever will do. (Mat 6:19-21)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mat 6:19-21 NASB)

Let this song minister to your heart. The Lord wants to share some secret things with you.

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

May

2010

An education on Jewish-Christian things…

Readers,

Not everyone will have an interest in what I have to share in this journal entry. Its design is primarily for those who have a deeper interest in ancient Judaism and how Jesus Christ has been seen by the Jews since ancient time. For you who do have this interest, you will be greatly blessed with what I have to share. My forte of study and research for the past 45+ years has been on the Hebraics of the Christian faith. I believe in a short time there will be a great turning in the nation of Israel to Jesus Christ.

In the following study each item of interest is numbered. Take time to read through that which appeals to you.

With that in mind lets further title this study …

Education on Jewish-Christian Things

Ancient Judaism – Targums, etc.

by Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin

x

1)      T. N. K. (pronounced Tanach) is an acronym for Tora “law,” Nevim “The prophets,” and Ketuvim “the writings.” These are the three divisions into which Jews divide the Old Testament.

2)      Modern Judaism generally sets forth Christianity as a Gentile religion. They say it is alright for Gentiles to accept Jesus as Messiah, but for Jews it would be idolatry. Judaism does not necessarily condemn the doctrine of the trinity as idolatry as long as those holding the belief are not Jews. That Jesus and the apostles were all sabras, that is, native born Israelis, has been a well kept secret from the Jews. In spite of this the modern Israelis are rediscovering Jesus. [Yeshua is His Hebrew name.]

3)      Ancient Judaism once taught that a suffering Messiah would appear, disappear for a time, and would then reappear. The disappearing Messiah was known as Messiah ben Joseph. He would suffer as Joseph did when sold as a slave in Egypt. Messiah ben Joseph would die and be resurrected. His return would then be as Messiah ben David. When Jesus was rejected by the rulers of Israel this ancient Judaic teaching became shrouded to the Jews. Few Jews realize that Judaism today is far removed from what ancient Judaism taught. What evangelical Christianity teaches concerning the Messiah fulfills the ancient sages.

4)      The famed rabbi of the twelth century known as Rambam/Maimonides, once said: “…one should…not expatiate about the midrashim…” The midrashim are ancient Jewish commentaries on the Bible, which in many cases authenticate the Christian belief that Jesus is the Messiah.

5)      Commentary Midrash Ruth Rabba clearly illustrates two comings of Messiah: “R. Berekhia in the name of R. Levi: ‘The Last Redeemer [Messiah] will be like the First Redeemer [Moses]. Just as the First Redeemer was revealed and then again was hidden from the children of Israel…so the Last Redeemer will be revealed to them and then will be hidden from them…’”

6)      The Jewish Talmud speaks of Him [Messiah] coming on “a donkey” (Zech. 9:9) and “coming on the clouds of heaven” (Dan. 7:13), in its Sanhedrin 98a section. “R. Alexandri said: ‘R. Y’hoshu’a ben Levi explained:…’If they will be righteous, [the Messiah will come] on the clouds on heaven (Daniel 7:13); if they will not be righteous, [he will come] as a poor man riding upon an ass (Zech 9:9).’”

7)      Biblical Archaeology Review, December 1992 – Hebrew scholars Michael Wise and James Tabor state: “Our Qumran text, 4Q521, is astonishingly, quite close to this Christian concept of Messiah. Our text speaks not only of a single messianic figure…but it also describes him in extremely exalted terms, quite like the Christian view of Jesus as a cosmic agent.”

They further say, “…The Messiah of our text is thus much closer to the Christian Messiah, in this regard, than in any previously published text and requires us to reexamine the previously, rather restricted, views of messianic expectations at Qumran.”

Again they say, “…there was the belief among the Qumran community that the Messiah would suffer initial defeat, but that he would ultimately triumph at the end of days.” [The Qumran community reflects accepted messianic beliefs in ancient Judaism at the time of Jesus.]

8 )      Archaeological Discovery – The newly released Dead Sea Scroll fragment 4Q246, gives indisputable proof that the idea of the Son of God is an authentic ancient Jewish belief. In this ‘Son of God’ fragment it says, “he shall be called the Son of the God; they will call him the Son of the Most High…He will judge the earth in righteousness…and every nation will bow down to him…with (God’s) help he will make war, and…[God] will give all the peoples into his power.” (This is important since post 70 a. d. Judaism absolutely denies any room for a Messianic Son of God. It is also important because the Dead Sea discoveries are revealing a belief system very near Christian.)

9) “In the future God will seat the King Messiah at his right, for it is said: ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, ‘Sit thou at my right hand,’” Midrash on Psalm SVIII, 35 – Ancient Rabbinical Commentary.

10) “I have examined and searched all the Holy Scriptures, and have not found the time for the coming of MESSIAH, clearly fixed, except in the words of Gabriel to the prophet Daniel, which are written in the ninth chapter of the prophecy of Daniel.” Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi

11) “Behold, My Servant, the Messiah, whom I bring near, My chosen one, in whom My Memra [Word] takes delight; I will place my holy spirit upon him, and he shall reveal My law to the nations.” Targum Jonathan

12) “Behold, my servant, the Messiah shall prosper; he shall be exalted, etc. ‘Behold my servant shall deal prudently.’ This is King Messiah. ‘He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.’ He shall be exalted more than Abraham; for of Him it is written, ‘I have exalted my hand to the Lord’ (Gen. XIC.22). He shall be extolled more than Moses…(Num. XI 12) – Targum

13) “Come and see the mystery of the word YHVH: there are three steps, each existing by itself: nevertheless they are One, and so united that one cannot be separated from the other. The Ancient One is revealed with three heads, which are united into one, and that head is three exalted. The Ancient One is described as being three: because the other lights emanating from him are included in the three. But how can three names be one? Are they really one because we call them one? How three can be one can only be known through the revelation of the Holy Spirit.” Zohar

14) “In the week when the Son of David comes, they will bring beams of iron and put them like a yoke on his neck until His stature is bent down. He cries and weeps, and his voice ascends to heaven, and in God’s presence He will say: ‘Sovereign of the world, how long will my strength last, how long my breath, my soul, and my limbs? Am I not flesh and blood?’…Then the Holy One—blessed be He!—says to Him: ‘Ephraim, my righteous Messiah, you took all this upon yourself from the six days of creation…’” Pesiqta Rabbati, Friedmann’s edition, chapter 36

15) “The Patriarchs will one day rise again in the month of Nisan and will say to the Messiah…You have been a laughing-stock and a derision among the peoples of the world, and because of you they jeered at Israel, as it is written (Psalm 22:6). You have dwelt in darkness and in gloominess, and your eyes have not seen light, your skin was cleaving to your bones, and your body withered like wood. Your eyes became hollow from fasting, and your strength was dried up like a potsherd, as its is written (Psalm 22:15,16). All this happened because of the sins of our children, as it is written: ‘And Jehovah laid on him the iniquity of us all’ (Isaiah 53:6).” Pesiqta Rabbati

16) David Flusser an orthodox Jewish professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem writes concerning the New Testament: “Early Christian literature thus reflects the world of the Sages at an earlier stage than its reflection in the Jewish sources. It reflects Jewish life in the Hellenistic diaspora, details of which we otherwise know chiefly from the writings of Philo of Alexandria….

“Take an example: The Jewish custom of giving a boy his name during his circumcision ceremony is not known in our Talmudic literature, but in one of the Gospels (Luke 1:59-64) we are told that John the Baptist’s father gave him his name during this ceremony.

“Or another example: the custom of passing around the glass of wine during the Kiddush (the blessing on the wine ushering in Sabbath and Holy Day Meals) is unknown in Talmudic sources, but the New Testament tells us that during the Last Supper Jesus asked that his cup should be passed among his Apostles (Luke 22:17 and parallel passages).” — Jewish Sources in Early Christianity.

17) Learned Jews are startled by a Jewish Commentary that mentions a “cross on his shoulders” in Isaac’s ancient ordeal: “…and Abraham took the wood and he put it on his son as a person who carries a cross on his shoulders.” Midrash Shimoni’s commentary (Saloniki edition)

18) “When the time of the advent of Messiah will be near, then the blessed God will say to him: With him I will make a new covenant. And this is the time when he will acknowledge him as his son, saying ‘This day have I begotten three.’” Midrash Tehelim

19) “Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (May he reveal himself speedily in our days!), ‘Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee’, as it is said, I will tell of the decree etc. this day have I begotten thee, ask of me and I will give the nations for thy inheritance. (Ps. II, 7,8).

“But when he will see that the Messiah the Son of Joseph is slain, he will say to Him, ‘Lord of the Universe, I ask of Thee only the gift of life’. ‘As to life’, He would answer him, ‘Your father David has already prophesied this concerning you’, as it is said, He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him even length of days for ever and ever]. (Ps. XXI, 5.)”

20) Pinchas Lipide, a highly respected scholar in the Jewish religious community, wrote a book supporting the resurrection of Jesus, though he himself does not accept Jesus as Messiah and does not follow other Christian claims. In his book, The Resurrection of Jesus, A Jewish Perspective, he states: “…according to my opinion, the resurrection belongs to the category of the truly real and effective occurrences…a fact of history…’”

21) Dr. Kac notes of Professor Pinchas Lapide: “According to Lapide a ‘Jesus wave’ is now passing through Judaism. In proof of this he states that in the first twenty-seven years following the reconstitution of the present State of Israel 187 Hebrew books, research articles, poem, dissertations and essays have been written about Jesus. More has been written in Hebrew about Jesus in the last twenty-five years than in all the eighteen previous centuries.” Arthur W. Kac, The Messiahship of Jesus

22) “In the first century, the rabbis at Yavne changed Jesus’ Hebrew name from Yeshua to Yeshu. Nearly all rabbis today still use this despicable name, especially in Israel. (Yeshu means ‘may his name be blotted out.) It is worth noting, however, that not only does the Hebrew edition of the New Testament call Jesus Yeshua, Rabbi Abarbanel, a famous Jewish sage who did not believe in Jesus, also called him Yeshua.”. Philip Moore. [Yeshua means salvation.]

23) Note this condemnation of James the brother of John in the Talmud: “A man shall have no dealings with the heretics (Jewish Christians), nor be cured by them, even for the sake of an hour of life. There was the case of Ben Dama nephew of R. Ishmael, whom a serpent bit. There came Jacob [The Apostle James of the New Testament] the heretic of the village of Sechanya to cure him (in the name of Jeshu ben Pandera); but R. [Rabbi] Ishmael would not allow him. Ben Dama said to him, R. Ishmael, my brother, do allow him, that I may be cured, and I will produce a text from the Law to prove that this is permitted. But hardly had he finished his discourse when his soul departed, and he died.” The Talmud, Abodah Zarah [The fact that Jacob is James is documented by Dr. David Flusser, Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Jewish Sources in Early Christianity.]

24) “I don’t think there are many Jews—fanatics and ill-informed excepted—who are not fascinated by the Person and Teaching of Jesus. Perhaps much more so than many Gentiles and so-called ‘Christians.’ I might add that the approach of Jews to Christianity can only be made via the Message of Jesus…

“There is now a growing sense of inquiry here [in Israel], concerning the things of Jesus and Christianity. The reasons being that prejudices are dying down…there is a growing tendency within Christendom to make room for the rise of the Antichrist. He will be an imitator of Christ, of Jesus, whose teachings he will twist and pervert.” Israeli professor of Jewish studies, David Flusser.

25) “In the Diaspora Jesus looked alien to the Jew, an outside, an interloper. But in Israel he is seen as the Jew from Nazareth, a native of this country, a Sabra, with claims to the land as strong as any. He cannot be brushed aside as a foreign influence…When the Jews left their land two thousand years ago, the land was holy for them alone; when they returned, the land was holy also to more than half of the world.

“The land had become sanctified in the meantime to millions and millions of non-Jews. The same applies to the Bible which had been a book holy to the Jews alone and which has become a holy book for millions of non-Jews. Both the Book and the Land have become sanctified to the world and this was not the work of the Diaspora Jews who, in spite of the injunction, did not become ‘a light to the Gentiles,’ but was the work rather of a single Jew and his band of Jewish followers, all of them Sabras. They were all born and bred in the Land, which is in this sense the most fruitful land on earth.” English scholar and professor, Ferdynand Zweig

26) “If you’re a Jew who believes that Yeshua is the Messiah, you’ve returned to Judaism, to the kind of Judaism the Bible teaches. You haven’t converted to another religion. If you are a Gentile believer you have come to the faith of Abraham through the Messiah.” Second generation Messianic Jewiss, Ruth Fleischer, Ph.D.

27) In the 1880’s, Arno C. Gaebelian and Ernest Stoeter established ‘The Hope of Israel’, a Messianic missionary outreach. They published an article in their quarterly, Our Hope, entitled, “Christian Judaism,” proclaimed: “…Christian Judaism was ‘not a nineteenth century invention,’ but was ‘as old as the days of the apostles, yea as old as the Psalms of David and the prophecies of Isaiah and Zechariah. Its roots lie in the Oath-bound covenants of God with Abraham…’”

28) “The word Judaism comes from Judah in the Old Testament, one of the twelve sons of Israel, and is connected with praising God. When Leah, Jacob’s wife, gave birth to her son, Judah, she said: “…Now will I praise the Lord…” Thus, the word Judaism, in reality, is a very broad generic term that does not necessarily describe only today’s Jewish culture, it describes a true biblical faith as well, which includes that of Christians who fundamentally believe the Old and New Testament in their praise to the God of Israel through His Messiah Jesus.” Philip Moore, Jewish believer. (Research for Hal Lindsey)

29) “My friend, Grant Livingston, told me of the testimony of Golda Mier’s radiologist, Dr. Larry Samuels. He was treating her just before her death from cancer. Grant said: ‘…he was her doctor administering radiology to her at Hadassah Hospital in 1977. Dr. Samuels said Golda had prayed with him to receive Christ [Messiah Jesus].’ We all think about what is really important and true when we know we are going to die. The Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir, knew she was dying of cancer! Her doctor was a believer in Jesus and, according to his testimony, she died a true believer in Jesus as Messiah, although it was never shouted from the rooftops or made public in the world press.” Philip Moore

30)A 1989 article by Susan Birnbaum entitled, ‘The Numbers of Messianic Jews is said to be Growing,’ reports: “Some 350,000 Jews already believe in Jesus as their Savior, and the number may swell to half a million by the year 2000…The results were reported by the Jewish Community of Relations Council of New York…Barret writes that of the 350,000 Jews…about 140,000 have continued to identify as Jews and have chosen to affiliate with ‘Messianic synagogues…’”

Special note: According to more up-to-date research, most Jews who believe in Jesus today prefer to identify with Christian Churches rather than with Messianic synagogues. Stan Telchin, a dominate early Jewish leader and speaker, who was greatly involved in the forming Messianic movement explains in his book, ‘Messianic Judaism is Not Christianity,’ how the Messianic movement has for the most part become cultish in nature, and that the movement is made up mostly of Gentiles and not Jews.

31) Dahaf Polls [Israel] show “seventy-eight percent of the Israeli population welcomes Messianic (Christian) Jews as new immigrants to Israel.”

32) Ancient Rabbinical Commentary on Zechariah 12:8-11: “What is the cause of this mourning? In this Rabbi Dosa…said it was for Messiah, the son of Joseph, who is to be slain…If the cause will be the violent death of Messiah, the son of Joseph, one can understand that which is written, ‘And they shall look to him whom they have pierced.’”

33) Dead Sea Scroll text 4Q521 bears a closely resemble things written about Jesus: “Surely the Lord shall visit the pious and shall call the righteous by name. His spirit shall hover over the poor; by his strength he shall renew the faithful. He shall glorify the pious upon the throne of the eternal kingdom. He shall release the captives, restore sight to the blind, make straight those who are bend double…He shall heal the wounded, resurrect the dead, preach glad tidings to the poor.” Richard N. Ostling, contributor, “Is Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls?”

34) “Elijah said: ‘I see a beautiful and great city descend from heaven, built up, as it is written, Jerusalem that art builded as a city that is compact together (Ps. 122:3). Build up and embellished, and her people dwell in her midst…and every ris comprises twenty-five thousand cubits of smaragds and precious stones and pearls…I see the houses and gates of the pious. Their lintels and sideposts are of precious stones, and the treasuries of the Sanctuary open right unto their doors. And Tora and peace are among them…’” Sefer Eliahu (Compare to book of Revelations.)

[LEM1] Some information for this list is derived from The End of History MESSIAH CONSPIRCY by Philip N. Moore (Researcher for Hal Lindsey)

Blessings,

Buddy

Apr

2010

Heaven calling earth…

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1Pe 2:9 NASB)

Journal,

One word remains a constant in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is the word ‘call,’ or ‘the called.’ The Greek word is kaleo [kal-eh’-o] which means to call someone in order that they may come or to go somewhere or to follow someone.

In 1Thess2:12, Paul says we should, “…walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Actually our English word ‘church’ comes from this same root word ‘kaleo ‘. The Greek for church, that is ekklesia (ek-klay-see’-ah] originally spoke of a herald calling free citizens to a gathering. With regard to the church, it addresses that same idea. The church addresses, ‘the called out ones, called to publicly assemble themselves to Christ.’

Where does the call come from? It comes from Christ Himself. When Jesus asked the apostles who they thought He was, Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then said,

“Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock [the heavenly revelation] I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (Mat 16:17-18 NASB)

This statement is so often misunderstood. Jesus was not saying that the church would be built upon Peter. He was saying that the church would be built upon the revelation that Peter received from the heavenly Father, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It is upon this heavenly revelation that Christ Jesus would build His church.

Actually there is much more to the picture of being ‘the called’ than meets the eye. It reaches all the way back to ‘paradise lost.’ The place to begin is to take another look at…

The lost paradise

What was the most precious thing that Adam lost when he rejected God’s word? Notice Genesis 3:8:

“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”

There are three terms in this Scripture that are very significant. Each term describes what Adam lost. For instance the Hebrew word for ‘sound‘ is ‘kole’, which can literally be translated as ‘voice.’ Where the voice of the Lord had been a comfort to them, now the voice of God frightened Adam and Eve.

They were finding out that sin is not merely something people do. Sin is an influence that seeks to govern our lives. Thus Adam and Eve had come under the very influence and power of sin.

Then you have the word ‘cool.’ The Hebrew ‘ruach,’ means, breeze, spirit, or breath. Adam and Eve had also lost the spiritual refreshing that had been a great part of their walk with the Lord. The bottom line was simple – No more hearing the voice of the Lord on a true spiritual level. No more refreshing from the presence of the Lord. Their lives had forever changed.

Finally the word ‘presence.’ The Hebrew word ‘paneh’ literally means ‘face.’ This Hebrew word is often used metaphorically for the entire person. Adam was now cut off from the ‘person’ or ‘face’ of the Lord.

So, in accepting Satan’s lie, Adam’s life became contaminated by sin. His very nature changed. Adam’s former spiritual walk with the Lord was now replaced by sacrifices. Each sacrifice would speak of Adam’s lost estate, that he had been cut off from the direct presence of the Lord. From that moment on there would be a vacancy in the heart of the human race. We can describe this vacancy as a homesickness. There is a cry in the human heart for a return to paradise.

The call of eternity.

But God left something in place. He left in Adam and Eve a sense of eternity. Solomon draws attention to this in Ecclesiastes 3:11 –

“[God] has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. ”

The sage is pointing out that man cannot find out the redemption work of God, without the aid of God Himself. This redemption work of God would come into place through God’s very own Son.

However, this ache of the human heart tells us where religion comes from. All religions are based on man’s attempt to get back to paradise.

Oh yes, the natural man is very apt at inventing religions. But in the midst of all this God did something special. He set forth through Moses a religion that would occupy a space in time until the clock of redemption would reach its determined place. This religion would involve temple sacrifices and a priesthood. From this religion God would send forth prophets to the nations who would speak in His name.

What was God’s time clock of redemption Listen:

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Gal 4:4-7 NASB)

God dismantled religion.

The dismantling of religion began with a prophet’s call. A voice is heard in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”

John the Baptist would finish up the work of the Old Testament prophet. His job was to introduce the Redeemer. And so we hear John make a startling statement, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

For the next three years the Lamb of God would walk the earth. Then we hear some of the last words that Jesus spoke, and that to a thief hanging next to Him on a cross.

“And he [the thief] was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom.’ And He [Jesus] said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'” (Luk 23:43 NASB)

Paradise lost was now restored. The cross would for all time become the door to heaven. No religion would ever again take the place of a personal walk with God’s Son. The call from heaven would never change.

What is the essence of the call of heaven?

Listen to these Scriptures. Think about the message that they give –

“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'” (Mat 3:16-17 NASB)

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!'” (Mat 17:2-5 NASB)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Joh 3:16-18 NASB)

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (Joh 6:40 NASB)

“The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” (1Jn 5:10-12 NASB)

The call from heaven declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died, was buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven, that He is now Lord, and that by calling upon Him as Lord becomes our introduction into the realm of salvation.

The apostles preached this clarion call from heaven, which simply states, “Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts2:21; 16:31; Rom10:9,13;

This is why the word church [ekklesia] means ‘the called out ones’. We have been called back into fellowship with the Father through His Son Jesus. We can walk in His presence and enjoy His voice. We are called to live in His grace and in His love. Everything that Adam lost has been restored and much more. The apostle said it has not even entered into our hearts all that God has prepared for us.

So, the questions remain: ‘Have you responded to the call from heaven?’ ‘Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God?’ ‘Have you called upon Him as Lord and Savior?’

While you are thinking on these things listen to this song. The time is short and the hour is late. The Lord is coming soon. Will you be ready?

I have no other message to leave with you. I cannot help but preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

In Christ Always,

Buddy

Son of God

The Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son

The Bible and the Kingdom

The Children of the Great King

The Darker the Night

A Case for the Christian

Born from Above

Repaired Through the Cross

The Wonder of a New Creation

The Reborn Heart

A Seal that Cannot be Broken

To Die Without Christ

Out of the ashes

The Death of a Rabbi

The Problem With the Golden Calf

The greater sin

The Man Who Knew Christ

There really are two worlds

Egypt and the World of Islam #2

When Wisdom Becomes Foolishness

The voice of the blood…

The Fellowship of the Unashamed…

An education on Jewish-Christian things…

Heaven calling earth…

Admin

Buddy Martin CCI Founding Pastor

Buddy’s Facebook and Christian Challenge

Navigation

Categories

Visitors On My Journal

Founders of Christian Challenge