There are times when people suggest that a study of prophecy is a waste of time. “We should just focus on the Gospels to win souls,” is their explanation. Ironically, the Gospels have a significant amount of prophecy imbedded within the story of Jesus and His disciples. Even as He was being presented at the Temple, we find prophecy being pronounced or repeated. Luke 2:25
And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
These two elderly saints made some astounding prophecies. Simeon, first recognized that Jesus was indeed the Promised One, the Messiah. That was backward looking. Then he talked about a light to the Gentiles. Nowhere in Jesus’ earthly ministry did He preach to the Gentiles. But His followers did, from Pentecost (Acts 2) on. But, even more, Simeon mentioned the “glory of Your people, Israel.” That has not happened yet. Simeon was looking to the Millennium.
But that is not all. His final declaration is a summation of the hopes of Israel and the world. (34, 35)
“Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
“The fall and rise of many...” must have been referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Notice the order of the statement. And the rise would be the installation of Israel as His people in the 1000 year reign of Christ. Nothing else in the story fits those two items. But the final coup de grace for Simeon as in v. 35. The “sword” piercing Mary’s own soul/heart clearly refers to a specific detail of the crucifixion. He was not a bad prophet. But wait. Anna, an elderly widow has something to say. Verse 38
At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The “redemption of Jerusalem” is a ways into the future. In fact, we have not yet witnessed that. It will be the seat of Government under the Messiah. We may see an early preview of that right now, but then, it will be the place of the Throne from which the entire world will be governed. I love prophecy.
Now, turn to the one who Jesus described as the greatest prophet. Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28 identify him.
I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
We will not exegete this verse. It is just to lead into his prophecy. Luke 3:16
John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
That is clearly referring to Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit was poured out (baptized) the church. Just before this, John made some other astounding prophecies. V. 5, 6
“Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; 6 And all flesh will see the salvation of God.”
He was quoting Isaiah 57:14; 49:11; 45:2; 42:16; 52:10; and Psalm 98:2, 3. That has not happened yet, but I cannot wait until it is. Glory.
And back to v. 17 in Luke 3.
“His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Now we are really getting ready for a glorious day. I will not speculate as to whether this is the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4), the Glorious coming (Revelation 19), or the final judgment in Revelation 20. Maybe it is all of them.
But John’s piece de resistance in prophecy is found in John 1. Before we look at that, look at verse 21.
They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
This verse has always puzzled me. It seems like they asked the same thing twice. When they asked about John being Elijah then repeated it as the Prophet, I thought they meant the reference in Malachi 4:5.
“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.”
I thought that this verse was what they were asking, only they did it twice. But I was wrong. The Prophet was the One the Israelites had been expecting since Moses promised. We have to turn back to Deuteronomy 18:18. This is the Lord informing Moses of His plans.
I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
Now that mention of John being the “one going before”makes sense. Luke 3:4
...as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.
Does that give you goose bumps? This is telling the audience, and us, that Jesus is not only the God of the Old Testament, He is also the Messiah. Sadly, it seems that no one, or at least very few understood that. My admiration for John has just gone up several notches.
But his father, Zecharias not bad is not too bad of a prophet, himself. Luke 1:67-79
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. 76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Amen. The Messiah is coming, and, you will be not “the Prophet” of Deuteronomy, but the prophet of Malachi. Sadly, the Jews did not accept his testimony as the arguments in the book of John illustrates. But for those who did, and those who still do, John’s prophesy is right on. Glory.
What were we talking about? Oh yes. Prophecy, and John the Baptist. Maybe we should call this John the B and his family. The point is that prophecy is the glue that ties the Old and New Testament together. From Genesis 3:15 to the picture of the New Jerusalem and heaven in Revelation, we follow a scarlet prophetic cord. The role of prophecy is to point us to the Savior. And even when it is about a more mundane object, we are still able to use that miscellaneous prediction and its fulfillment as verification and an assurance. Assurance that, just as this one was exactly and completely fulfilled, so shall the ones in the future about Jesus, His return, and His eternal reign on the earth be realized.
And back to our original question about “sticking to the Gospels,” we will not venture into Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. But we have to go clear to Revelation to find a greater volume of prophetic Scripture than we saw earlier and in these three chapters. Jesus is coming again. The entire Bible is dedicated to that scenario. And to that, we respond...
Glory. Hallelujah. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Zecharias Doubt
Sometimes hearing something that you have read many times gives you a new understanding and insight into it. Take Luke 1:18-20 for example. Have someone read it out loud to you. Maybe you will “hear” something new as well.
Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Having just finished the Christmas season we have all probably heard poor Zacharias savaged for his doubt of Gabriel’s promise of a son, John. And, indeed Gabriel did say those exact words. But do not skip the words spoken before that. Zacharias did doubt, as evidenced by his words. But listen to the deeper meaning that he mouthed.
“How will I know for certain...?” He was not sure that he could believe what he heard, but he did not just ask to be reassured. He asked for a sign. That was in comparison to Mary, who also wondered at what was told her, but did not ask for a sign. Zacharias asked for a guarantee.
I heard that and was struck with the thought that Zacharias did not simply express doubt, he asked for a sign. And, looking back into Judges, we find that God does indeed give signs to confirm His messages. Judges 6:17
So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
You recall the story. Gideon asked not for one sign, but for two. He asked for a wet fleece with dry ground and then a dry fleece with wet ground. Both of his “tests” were satisfied. It is maybe a wise thing that he did not let the Angel of the Lord choose his test, as Zacharias did.
The point of both of these incidents is not that God will answer our requests for confirmation when He speaks, but that He is honored and glorified when we believe without the support of “proof.” Mary was an example of that.
Zacharias’ test was indeed confirmed when the baby was born and Zacharias was called upon to name his son. At that point, his faith was certainly justified, and he spoke, not just the name, but a paean of praise to the Lord. Aside: If you were mute for nine months, what would be the first thing out of your mouth?
A novice monk joined an order whose rule was that each member could only say one word a year. The first year passed and when it came his time to speak he said, “The.” A year later, he used his one word to utter, “...food.” Twelve months later the speaking day arrived and he said, “...is.” On the fourth anniversary of his membership he finished his thought, “...terrible.”
The leader of the group, who had the privilege of multiple words took him aside and informed him that, “You’re fired!”
“Why?” he burst out. The monk looked at him sadly, wrote a note, and left.
“All you do is complain,” it said.
Obviously, Zacharias had a better use for his first words after a break. And, they seem to be evidence that he no longer had doubts. His prophecies are in Luke 1:67-78
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
He was like his namesake, the Zechariah of old, and prophesied. Our friend, Alexander Scorby, of recorded Bible renown, says, “Read the Bible, it’s good for your soul.” Or we might rephrase that, “Listen to the Bible.”
Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Having just finished the Christmas season we have all probably heard poor Zacharias savaged for his doubt of Gabriel’s promise of a son, John. And, indeed Gabriel did say those exact words. But do not skip the words spoken before that. Zacharias did doubt, as evidenced by his words. But listen to the deeper meaning that he mouthed.
“How will I know for certain...?” He was not sure that he could believe what he heard, but he did not just ask to be reassured. He asked for a sign. That was in comparison to Mary, who also wondered at what was told her, but did not ask for a sign. Zacharias asked for a guarantee.
I heard that and was struck with the thought that Zacharias did not simply express doubt, he asked for a sign. And, looking back into Judges, we find that God does indeed give signs to confirm His messages. Judges 6:17
So Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
You recall the story. Gideon asked not for one sign, but for two. He asked for a wet fleece with dry ground and then a dry fleece with wet ground. Both of his “tests” were satisfied. It is maybe a wise thing that he did not let the Angel of the Lord choose his test, as Zacharias did.
The point of both of these incidents is not that God will answer our requests for confirmation when He speaks, but that He is honored and glorified when we believe without the support of “proof.” Mary was an example of that.
Zacharias’ test was indeed confirmed when the baby was born and Zacharias was called upon to name his son. At that point, his faith was certainly justified, and he spoke, not just the name, but a paean of praise to the Lord. Aside: If you were mute for nine months, what would be the first thing out of your mouth?
A novice monk joined an order whose rule was that each member could only say one word a year. The first year passed and when it came his time to speak he said, “The.” A year later, he used his one word to utter, “...food.” Twelve months later the speaking day arrived and he said, “...is.” On the fourth anniversary of his membership he finished his thought, “...terrible.”
The leader of the group, who had the privilege of multiple words took him aside and informed him that, “You’re fired!”
“Why?” he burst out. The monk looked at him sadly, wrote a note, and left.
“All you do is complain,” it said.
Obviously, Zacharias had a better use for his first words after a break. And, they seem to be evidence that he no longer had doubts. His prophecies are in Luke 1:67-78
And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; 72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
He was like his namesake, the Zechariah of old, and prophesied. Our friend, Alexander Scorby, of recorded Bible renown, says, “Read the Bible, it’s good for your soul.” Or we might rephrase that, “Listen to the Bible.”
Monday, December 9, 2019
“How Can These Things Be?”
“How can these things be?” This simple question appears twice in the Christmas narrative. The first is in Luke 1:18 when a priest named Zacharias encountered Gabriel while ministering in the Holy Place. Gabriel had just notified Zach that he and his wife would, at long last, be parents and their child would be the herald of the Messiah.
Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
This was not the exact wording of our title, but it holds the same meaning. The second time it occurs is later in the same chapter. In verse 34 Gabriel again appears, only to a virgin girl in Nazareth. There Gabriel outlines the amazing story of how the Messiah would be born to her. Besides being “perplexed,” according to Luke, she asked a logical question.
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
Both questions were essentially the same. They both asked how it could be, followed by a logical extension of the “difficulties” or obstacles confronting the events. What is interesting in our thought today is the response each received.
Look back to Zacharias in v. 19.
The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Compare that to the response Mary received in v. 35.
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
Was the angel just being “gentle” with this adolescent girl as compared to the wizened old priest? The angel’s explanation continued, even citing the miracle that he had proclaimed to Zacharias about six months earlier.
And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
If an old lady, well past child-bearing days is able to conceive, then you should have no problems. “Oh, yes...” (Jim’s addition here. Hopefully it is not misleading or sacrilegious.) “...the little problem of virginity is just the validation that the Holy Spirit needs to verify the identity of the Coming One. Hang on tight, little lady.”
We find her response in v. 38.
And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”
Zacharias’, “How can these things be?” was a sarcastic, doubt driven response to his limited faith in the ability and power of the angel and of the Lord. “HOW can these things be?” You can almost hear his “under-the-breath mutter,” that this is impossible. And Gabriel challenged him on that very point. “I stand before the One Who created the whole universe.” (See thought on “What is Man?" Of course, Gabriel did not have the internet to convey this note. But you knew that.)
“God created the universe. Causing a conception in the womb of a woman “past childbearing” is a simple thing for Him. Check out Sarah and Rachel. Your own history should overcome your simple, doubting question.” (No offense here, Zacharias. You were probably still reeling from the shock of the angel encounter.) All he had to do was think back to Elisha (2 Kings 4) and see his exact situation. Gabriel was very restrained, if I say so myself.
Mary’s answer was a wondering, amazed declaration of faith. “How can THESE things be?” She did not have the perspective of having seen all this before. It was a first, and only time event. But she immediately and instinctively believed. We can confirm this response in her next utterance in verse 38. (Jim again.) “Wow! What a wonderful thing! I am all in!” And she was. The “rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say, is a thing to behold.
Zecharias has to witness the miracle before his faith was confirmed. And it was spectacularly rewarded. He could see and hear again. We can call his, “Gideon faith.” After the miracle, I will believe.
Mary had “Abraham faith.” She, like Abraham, had not seen the promised miracle or blessing, but believed anyway. “Go, and I will show you....” (Genesis 12) What a witness to a dying world, then and now.
Lord, let that be my question today. How can THESE things be? They are too wonderful to believe. No, they are too wonderful not to believe. Let it begin with me.
Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
This was not the exact wording of our title, but it holds the same meaning. The second time it occurs is later in the same chapter. In verse 34 Gabriel again appears, only to a virgin girl in Nazareth. There Gabriel outlines the amazing story of how the Messiah would be born to her. Besides being “perplexed,” according to Luke, she asked a logical question.
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
Both questions were essentially the same. They both asked how it could be, followed by a logical extension of the “difficulties” or obstacles confronting the events. What is interesting in our thought today is the response each received.
Look back to Zacharias in v. 19.
The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Compare that to the response Mary received in v. 35.
The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
Was the angel just being “gentle” with this adolescent girl as compared to the wizened old priest? The angel’s explanation continued, even citing the miracle that he had proclaimed to Zacharias about six months earlier.
And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
If an old lady, well past child-bearing days is able to conceive, then you should have no problems. “Oh, yes...” (Jim’s addition here. Hopefully it is not misleading or sacrilegious.) “...the little problem of virginity is just the validation that the Holy Spirit needs to verify the identity of the Coming One. Hang on tight, little lady.”
We find her response in v. 38.
And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”
Zacharias’, “How can these things be?” was a sarcastic, doubt driven response to his limited faith in the ability and power of the angel and of the Lord. “HOW can these things be?” You can almost hear his “under-the-breath mutter,” that this is impossible. And Gabriel challenged him on that very point. “I stand before the One Who created the whole universe.” (See thought on “What is Man?" Of course, Gabriel did not have the internet to convey this note. But you knew that.)
“God created the universe. Causing a conception in the womb of a woman “past childbearing” is a simple thing for Him. Check out Sarah and Rachel. Your own history should overcome your simple, doubting question.” (No offense here, Zacharias. You were probably still reeling from the shock of the angel encounter.) All he had to do was think back to Elisha (2 Kings 4) and see his exact situation. Gabriel was very restrained, if I say so myself.
Mary’s answer was a wondering, amazed declaration of faith. “How can THESE things be?” She did not have the perspective of having seen all this before. It was a first, and only time event. But she immediately and instinctively believed. We can confirm this response in her next utterance in verse 38. (Jim again.) “Wow! What a wonderful thing! I am all in!” And she was. The “rest of the story,” as Paul Harvey used to say, is a thing to behold.
Zecharias has to witness the miracle before his faith was confirmed. And it was spectacularly rewarded. He could see and hear again. We can call his, “Gideon faith.” After the miracle, I will believe.
Mary had “Abraham faith.” She, like Abraham, had not seen the promised miracle or blessing, but believed anyway. “Go, and I will show you....” (Genesis 12) What a witness to a dying world, then and now.
Lord, let that be my question today. How can THESE things be? They are too wonderful to believe. No, they are too wonderful not to believe. Let it begin with me.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
What Is Man?
What interesting thoughts run through the mind at night. And this might possibly be caused by a change in medication or the addition of one. I am extra hungry, one side effect of a new drug, so that may explain the active cogitation. How about attributing this to the work of the Holy Spirit making Himself known? I like that one. Although, He does not do it every night. It often accompanies some change in schedule or routine or, ahem, medication. But He is still the instigator.
A case in point recently kept me awake. I contracted what the doctor thinks is bronchitis and only sleep in spurts. In one of the semi-sleep episodes, my mind wandered to the idea of a Masonic lodge, particularly the ceremony enacted in memory of a departed “lodge brother,” or whatever they call themselves. It is often at a funeral.
I have only seen one such action and was mystified. I do know that some, if not many, or even all Baptist churches, “frown on” such displays, particularly in a church service, the funeral. I questioned someone who knew more about it and received an interesting answer. I do not know if he was a Mason or not, but he offered a suggested explanation or justification for the process.
He said that it might help people to have more confidence that they are going to heaven. It was suggested that a justification for membership was to make sure that the person had not “left anything out.” This might be a “final push” to get him over the threshold into heaven.
I immediately wondered, “What then, would be enough?” Would or should everyone join every organization and religion “just to make sure?” I asked the question but did not respond to his answer. But maybe I should have. Here is what he said.
“Jesus is ‘big enough’ to let someone have that little extra boost in confidence that he will make it.” I did not like that response. We do know that if this person has accepted Christ as Savior, he is as good as being in heaven right then. So this little “extra help” will not affect that at all, unless he was not truly sincere and recognized it. This was at a funeral, and I decided not to make a scene. But, the “help” answer is wrong on several levels. He was correct about faith. But the concept of helping Jesus save us is problematic. Here is why.
First, the item in question is not the “bigness” of Jesus. It is the faith of the person in question. The hymn, “In Christ Alone,” sums up the situation. Nothing more than Christ is needed because there is nothing more. Everything else is less. The basis of salvation is not “production” or works. It is the SUBSTITUTION of Christ’s righteousness for our unrighteousness. It has been imputed to us. Accepting Him puts us into the position of being seen by the Father as if we were His Son. And we are. Sons of God is not a euphemism or a platitude. It is a fact. I am God’s son. You are His son or daughter.
Now let’s get into a little science. I am confident that the aforementioned Holy Spirit gave me this insight. It is time to turn our attention to astrophysics. (Spoiler alert. A series is in the offing here.) We recently had an event called the Mercury Transit. On November 11, the planet Mercury passed in front of the sun. It was the same thing as an eclipse by the moon, except that the dimensions and perspectives are far different. For people with proper solar protection and a telescope, Mercury appeared as a small dot passing across the face of the sun. The same thing happens during a solar eclipse, only the body passing in front of the sun is our moon.
The major difference is the proximity between the earth and the “transiting” body. When the moon makes a transit, it, coincidentally appears to be the same size as the sun, and completely blocks our view. Providing, that is, we are in a direct line between the sun, the moon, and our observation location. It took about five and a half hours for Mercury to cross the sun’s face. The moon takes only a few minutes at the most.
Now for my inspiration. Imagine an astronaut standing on the side of the moon facing us during a full eclipse. He will strike a match at the point of full eclipse. (I know, a match would not light on the moon. There is no oxygen. Just humor me for the sake of illustration.) Would an observer on earth be able to see the match burning on the moon?
“How ridiculous!” you can and should retort. Of course we cannot see anything that small from that far away. Now let’s extend our analogy. Put an astronaut on Mercury during its transit and have him strike a match. (Technical impossibilities noted. This is a word picture. Thanks for your understanding and PERMISSION.) With the brilliance of the sun in the background, our ability to observe the flaring match would be even less. Mercury will obscure part of the light, but the match will compensate for some of the lost light. (Smile)
Back to the topic. Theologically, a Masonic rite will have as much impact on a person’s suitability for entry into heaven as the flaring match will add to the visible light from the sun. In fact, the analogy may be even more apt as placing something in place of Christ, then “lighting the match” of ritual will not increase the light observed, but actually less light will reach the observer. (Recall that Jesus’ righteousness is infinite, so that we cannot add to, nor detract from it. But that merely supports our explanation.) We can call this the practical or scientific refutation of the idea.
I already alluded to the paucity of knowledge as to how much or how many such “additions” we need to “complete the work” of Christ. And, yes, I used that term deliberately. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” That can be translated as “Paid in full,” or fully completed. Jesus removed any doubt or question as to the sufficiency of His sacrifice.
But, going farther, Isaiah 42:8 declares:
“I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”
Isaiah 48:11 repeats the same phrase. The question is not whether God is big enough to allow us to “add a little security” to our salvation. It is whether we are humble (or wise) enough to recognize the paucity of our ability to increment His glory and work. If we can comprehend the example of Mercury and the astronaut, we can surely understand His direct statement. Just as we cannot receive more light from our astronaut lighting a match on Mercury, we cannot make a better “presentation of brightness” or holiness to God.
Adding anything else to His finished work is pride. It is foolish pride, to be precise. Nothing more is needed, and nothing more can be added. And in light of the astronomical illustration, both literal and figurative, we come to David’s declaration in Psalm 144:3.
O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him?
Oh, by the way. If we continue to travel “out” from our perspective of observing Mercury, we will pass the edge of the solar system and eventually will leave the Milky Way galaxy. We will get so far away that the galaxy itself will appear as invisible as the planet we “saw” circling the sun. And then, continuing to move away from the group of our “local galaxies,” they will diminish into invisibility.
Space is a big place. And yet, the Creator of this whole thing deigns to notice “man.” That is not the whole of mankind. It is one single person. That is David, and that is you, and that is me. “Stunning or unbelievable” are as inadequate to describe this as “very small or slight” describes the match flare billions of light-years away.
The God Who made the entire universe paid the price for my sin. Incidentally, an offense against such a Person, is a big thing, to understate it a tad. If I were to crawl on my knees in repentance and retribution to the end of the universe, my offense would be as far from being “paid in full” as it is right now. I cannot add anything to what He did.
But, sadly, I can take away from it. Not literally, of course, but in my faith, I am diminishing the sacrifice that He made. And that, I dare not do.
I did not state this, but it seems to be true. Christ plus nothing is everything. Christ plus anything is nothing. I hesitate to declare such flawed thinking as meaning that someone is “lost.” But, thinking that we can or should add anything to what God said is the basis of every cult and false religion. The hisssssss of the serpent in the Garden was, “Did God really say...?” We can reprise it as, “Did God do enough?” He did!
Adding our, or actually, Satan’s, answer to what God said, is the fatal first step of unbelief. Jesus said, “It is finished.” It is complete. It is done.
Is this “extra push” needed? Absolutely not! Should we do it? Probably not. Does it hurt anything? Yes, it diminishes my faith.
It is enough!
A case in point recently kept me awake. I contracted what the doctor thinks is bronchitis and only sleep in spurts. In one of the semi-sleep episodes, my mind wandered to the idea of a Masonic lodge, particularly the ceremony enacted in memory of a departed “lodge brother,” or whatever they call themselves. It is often at a funeral.
I have only seen one such action and was mystified. I do know that some, if not many, or even all Baptist churches, “frown on” such displays, particularly in a church service, the funeral. I questioned someone who knew more about it and received an interesting answer. I do not know if he was a Mason or not, but he offered a suggested explanation or justification for the process.
He said that it might help people to have more confidence that they are going to heaven. It was suggested that a justification for membership was to make sure that the person had not “left anything out.” This might be a “final push” to get him over the threshold into heaven.
I immediately wondered, “What then, would be enough?” Would or should everyone join every organization and religion “just to make sure?” I asked the question but did not respond to his answer. But maybe I should have. Here is what he said.
“Jesus is ‘big enough’ to let someone have that little extra boost in confidence that he will make it.” I did not like that response. We do know that if this person has accepted Christ as Savior, he is as good as being in heaven right then. So this little “extra help” will not affect that at all, unless he was not truly sincere and recognized it. This was at a funeral, and I decided not to make a scene. But, the “help” answer is wrong on several levels. He was correct about faith. But the concept of helping Jesus save us is problematic. Here is why.
First, the item in question is not the “bigness” of Jesus. It is the faith of the person in question. The hymn, “In Christ Alone,” sums up the situation. Nothing more than Christ is needed because there is nothing more. Everything else is less. The basis of salvation is not “production” or works. It is the SUBSTITUTION of Christ’s righteousness for our unrighteousness. It has been imputed to us. Accepting Him puts us into the position of being seen by the Father as if we were His Son. And we are. Sons of God is not a euphemism or a platitude. It is a fact. I am God’s son. You are His son or daughter.
Now let’s get into a little science. I am confident that the aforementioned Holy Spirit gave me this insight. It is time to turn our attention to astrophysics. (Spoiler alert. A series is in the offing here.) We recently had an event called the Mercury Transit. On November 11, the planet Mercury passed in front of the sun. It was the same thing as an eclipse by the moon, except that the dimensions and perspectives are far different. For people with proper solar protection and a telescope, Mercury appeared as a small dot passing across the face of the sun. The same thing happens during a solar eclipse, only the body passing in front of the sun is our moon.
The major difference is the proximity between the earth and the “transiting” body. When the moon makes a transit, it, coincidentally appears to be the same size as the sun, and completely blocks our view. Providing, that is, we are in a direct line between the sun, the moon, and our observation location. It took about five and a half hours for Mercury to cross the sun’s face. The moon takes only a few minutes at the most.
Now for my inspiration. Imagine an astronaut standing on the side of the moon facing us during a full eclipse. He will strike a match at the point of full eclipse. (I know, a match would not light on the moon. There is no oxygen. Just humor me for the sake of illustration.) Would an observer on earth be able to see the match burning on the moon?
“How ridiculous!” you can and should retort. Of course we cannot see anything that small from that far away. Now let’s extend our analogy. Put an astronaut on Mercury during its transit and have him strike a match. (Technical impossibilities noted. This is a word picture. Thanks for your understanding and PERMISSION.) With the brilliance of the sun in the background, our ability to observe the flaring match would be even less. Mercury will obscure part of the light, but the match will compensate for some of the lost light. (Smile)
Back to the topic. Theologically, a Masonic rite will have as much impact on a person’s suitability for entry into heaven as the flaring match will add to the visible light from the sun. In fact, the analogy may be even more apt as placing something in place of Christ, then “lighting the match” of ritual will not increase the light observed, but actually less light will reach the observer. (Recall that Jesus’ righteousness is infinite, so that we cannot add to, nor detract from it. But that merely supports our explanation.) We can call this the practical or scientific refutation of the idea.
I already alluded to the paucity of knowledge as to how much or how many such “additions” we need to “complete the work” of Christ. And, yes, I used that term deliberately. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” That can be translated as “Paid in full,” or fully completed. Jesus removed any doubt or question as to the sufficiency of His sacrifice.
But, going farther, Isaiah 42:8 declares:
“I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”
Isaiah 48:11 repeats the same phrase. The question is not whether God is big enough to allow us to “add a little security” to our salvation. It is whether we are humble (or wise) enough to recognize the paucity of our ability to increment His glory and work. If we can comprehend the example of Mercury and the astronaut, we can surely understand His direct statement. Just as we cannot receive more light from our astronaut lighting a match on Mercury, we cannot make a better “presentation of brightness” or holiness to God.
Adding anything else to His finished work is pride. It is foolish pride, to be precise. Nothing more is needed, and nothing more can be added. And in light of the astronomical illustration, both literal and figurative, we come to David’s declaration in Psalm 144:3.
O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him?
Oh, by the way. If we continue to travel “out” from our perspective of observing Mercury, we will pass the edge of the solar system and eventually will leave the Milky Way galaxy. We will get so far away that the galaxy itself will appear as invisible as the planet we “saw” circling the sun. And then, continuing to move away from the group of our “local galaxies,” they will diminish into invisibility.
Space is a big place. And yet, the Creator of this whole thing deigns to notice “man.” That is not the whole of mankind. It is one single person. That is David, and that is you, and that is me. “Stunning or unbelievable” are as inadequate to describe this as “very small or slight” describes the match flare billions of light-years away.
The God Who made the entire universe paid the price for my sin. Incidentally, an offense against such a Person, is a big thing, to understate it a tad. If I were to crawl on my knees in repentance and retribution to the end of the universe, my offense would be as far from being “paid in full” as it is right now. I cannot add anything to what He did.
But, sadly, I can take away from it. Not literally, of course, but in my faith, I am diminishing the sacrifice that He made. And that, I dare not do.
I did not state this, but it seems to be true. Christ plus nothing is everything. Christ plus anything is nothing. I hesitate to declare such flawed thinking as meaning that someone is “lost.” But, thinking that we can or should add anything to what God said is the basis of every cult and false religion. The hisssssss of the serpent in the Garden was, “Did God really say...?” We can reprise it as, “Did God do enough?” He did!
Adding our, or actually, Satan’s, answer to what God said, is the fatal first step of unbelief. Jesus said, “It is finished.” It is complete. It is done.
Is this “extra push” needed? Absolutely not! Should we do it? Probably not. Does it hurt anything? Yes, it diminishes my faith.
It is enough!
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
The Words Help Understand the Word
There is a misconception that Charles Dickens got paid by the word. Therefore, his novels seemed to have an inordinate length. That idea turns out to be untrue. He wrote many serialized novels for weekly or periodic publication and was paid for them by the chapter. But many treatises, by many authors, appear to have the “paid by the word” length through extension of the basic, fundamental thoughts and conversations, and multiplied modifiers, adjectives, and explanations. And maybe run-on sentences. (Get the pun?) Sometimes we treat the Bible as if it were written on a “paid by the word” format. We just skip or skim over parts. For instance, I have read quickly past Daniel 11:1 many times. Check it out.
“In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him.
Daniel was talking to an angel, the “I,” in chapter 10 and after a chapter of introduction, the angel began to speak. Normally I race past this sentence to get to the “good stuff.” This time it arrested me. Think back, or turn a couple of pages to chapter 5:30, 31.
That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
We are not following the Babylonian (Chaldean) story here. It had just fallen and the king who conquered it is introduced. Darius became the king. So in his very first year, an angel took a personal interest and role in the reign. And now our two stories coalesce. (Chapter 6)
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2 and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss.
“It seemed good to Darius....” He had no idea that his “good idea” was not his own. This angel had instigated the action and, as we read the rest of the story, this divine intervention becomes a crucial part of the story. As you recall, 119 of the satraps conspired against Daniel and that led to the famous episode in a lions’ den. And now the story becomes very personal to Darius. We can infer that the nefarious 119 had some dastardly plans, especially for Darius’ and the kingdom’s resources. (Sorry, got infected again.) Glance back to verse 2 of chapter 6. They were supposed to protect the king’s interests.
Why would they band together against an honest man? I’m trying to avoid being a conspiracy buff here, but a bunch of innocent, honest men would not mind being overseen by another man with integrity. But they did mind. Hummmm....
And, taking the story along the trail, this honest monitor was “cast into the lions’ den.” Where they intended to murder him by leonine proxy. (Don’t you love that kind of talk?) The king was unaware of his danger and peril, so the angel overtly intervened to preserve the king’s man and thereby interests. And that great story resulted.
I am confident that Darius’ proclamation was reflective of his personal conversion, if, indeed he was not already a believer in Daniel’s God. 6:26
“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. 27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Hebrews 13:2 tells us...
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Darius was rescued by angels without knowing it. And, as we move into the Advent season culminating with the birth of our Lord, there is a portion of the story that I have adopted as a personal crusade. “Where did the wise men come from?” They came from “the east” which we know to be the general area of ancient Babylon. But why and how did they know about a “king of the Jews?”
I have an extended explanation which I will post later, but the “nutshell” version is that after the 119 were dispatched into the lions’ stomachs, Darius logically turned to the guy he could trust to assemble a reliable “watch team.” (Darius’ own was a little flawed.) So who would be more appropriately designated as the replacement satraps than Daniel’s friends and countrymen?
If he appointed a team of financial guardians would he not also monitor their activities? He would focus both on the prevention of fraud and training them in the tasks of financial management. While he was at it, he would also share and explain the “strange visions” that he had been given. (An angel is the source of them, as well, including the famous 70 weeks prophecy. We will incorporate that in a few minutes–or words.)
If Daniel had introduced them to prophecy, both personally and through his written memoirs, this little cadre of “wise men” could have traced and even foretold some of the events as they occurred. And as they followed the progression of the prophetic statements turning into recorded history their wonder, amazement, and excitement would have grown.
Can’t you imagine his introduction? “I saw that Babylon would be overthrown. And that the victors would be...ta da! the Medes and the Persians, our present rulers.” And the excitement must have grown exponentially as he continued with the exposition of Jeremiah’s prediction as to how the overthrow would be accomplished.
Remember that Daniel was in Babylon for nearly 70 years at this point. He was in his late eighties or early nineties. He has had a little time to pore over the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah. And look at what he found. Jeremiah 50:9, 10
“For behold, I am going to arouse and bring up against Babylon A horde of great nation from the land of the north, And they will draw up their battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed. (Read carefully here:) 10 “Chaldea will become plunder; All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord. V. 13 “Because of the indignation of the Lord she will not be inhabited, But she will be completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds.
It would be a worthy enterprise to read the entire chapter. Daniel continued, ( v. 39)
“Therefore the desert creatures will live there along with the jackals; The ostriches also will live in it, And it will never again be inhabited Or dwelt in from generation to generation.
Even Saddam Hussein was not able to rebuild Babylon. But that is not all. I skipped v. 38.
“A drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a land of idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols.”
In case you do not know this bit of history, Darius dammed the Euphrates River upstream from the city and his soldiers walked under the walls in the empty riverbed and overcame the guards. Daniel possibly knew about that even as he talked to Belshazzar on the fateful night when it happened. (Daniel 5) Oh! Oh! Oh! Look at Jeremiah 51:56 and 57. (If you haven’t read Daniel 5 yet, do it.)
For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their bows are shattered; For the Lord is a God of recompense, He will fully repay. 57 “I will make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men, That they may sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake up,” Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
Prophecy not only told what was going to happen, but how. Think the 119 are all ears? Daniel would have gone on with his own revealed prophecies and ended with the promise of the Jews returning home. (Cyrus will do that in a short time. 2 Chronicles 36:22 and Ezra 1:1)
Then Daniel turned to his favorite, my guess here, prophecy. That is the time leading up to the return of the Messiah in chapter 9 of his own book. (Our chapter and verse divisions, not his.) There will be seventy, sevens of years until He comes. (490 for the math-challenged.) He may not have understood all of the details, but the overall focus was clear. The Messiah is coming!
The 70 weeks began when Cyrus sent the Jews back to their land. He would not know exactly when that would happen, but he did know that a king named Cyrus would arise. This time he appealed to the prophet Isaiah who was active during the final stages of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion and victory, over 70 years before. (Isaiah 44:28) He named the king over 100 years before said king was even born. Quite a feat. Are you starting to get as excited as his little cadre of wise men? Boy, I am!
Astute students have been able to reconstruct the events and times from the somewhat sporadic history accounts we have available. As our “wise men” watched the events unfold, “in real-time,” they could precisely and accurately deduce the time that the Messiah would appear and then be “cut off.”
They must have calculated the time of the “cutting off” and worked backward to find an estimated birth date for the Messiah. As the years ticked off the clock, and they recognized that they were about 50 years from the “time,” their search for signs became quite thorough. And, many experts postulate that the “star” was a special revelation to these seekers from the Lord. Maybe it was even the same angel. Who knows? Angels can look like stars, and no “natural” star would behave like the one in Matthew did. (Matthew 2)
And when it occurred, the little remnant band that was over 400 years removed from their originators and Daniel, urgently saddled up their camels and headed west. And, as they say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
This verse was not a filler. The angel was not getting “paid by the word.” It was filled with instruction and invitation for us to “dig deeper.” The angel in Daniel 11 was involved in providing the message and guiding faithful followers to their date with destiny. Or better yet, their date with the Messiah. We are likewise offered the opportunity to “watch” for the Messiah as we near the end of the “cut off” period.
We can learn and perhaps intuit a lot from reading the words of the Word. Don’t skip over anything. You will miss a blessing.
Followup thought. The set of wise men traditionally is considered to be three individual wise men, along with a contingent of aids, etc. But we do not know, because we are not told how many there were. Here is a wild idea. What if the contemporary “satraps” sent three, not to carry three gifts, but to symbolize the three kings who were converted under Daniel’s “ministry” in Babylon and Persia? I am confident that Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and Cyrus were all believers. Their testimonies indicate as much.
So how better to honor Daniel and his work than to send three surrogates for the long since departed kings? That would make a perfect culmination and tribute to the time that he spent working for, and with, each of the individual kings. And for them to bring offerings to the new-born Messiah would be perfectly fitting for three men who literally owed their eternal destiny to this One Who sent His agent, Daniel, into their lives.
To follow our topic, we may be “reading a little into the text,” but I am confident that we are doing no violence to the message. Read on.
“In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him.
Daniel was talking to an angel, the “I,” in chapter 10 and after a chapter of introduction, the angel began to speak. Normally I race past this sentence to get to the “good stuff.” This time it arrested me. Think back, or turn a couple of pages to chapter 5:30, 31.
That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
We are not following the Babylonian (Chaldean) story here. It had just fallen and the king who conquered it is introduced. Darius became the king. So in his very first year, an angel took a personal interest and role in the reign. And now our two stories coalesce. (Chapter 6)
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom, 2 and over them three commissioners (of whom Daniel was one), that these satraps might be accountable to them, and that the king might not suffer loss.
“It seemed good to Darius....” He had no idea that his “good idea” was not his own. This angel had instigated the action and, as we read the rest of the story, this divine intervention becomes a crucial part of the story. As you recall, 119 of the satraps conspired against Daniel and that led to the famous episode in a lions’ den. And now the story becomes very personal to Darius. We can infer that the nefarious 119 had some dastardly plans, especially for Darius’ and the kingdom’s resources. (Sorry, got infected again.) Glance back to verse 2 of chapter 6. They were supposed to protect the king’s interests.
Why would they band together against an honest man? I’m trying to avoid being a conspiracy buff here, but a bunch of innocent, honest men would not mind being overseen by another man with integrity. But they did mind. Hummmm....
And, taking the story along the trail, this honest monitor was “cast into the lions’ den.” Where they intended to murder him by leonine proxy. (Don’t you love that kind of talk?) The king was unaware of his danger and peril, so the angel overtly intervened to preserve the king’s man and thereby interests. And that great story resulted.
I am confident that Darius’ proclamation was reflective of his personal conversion, if, indeed he was not already a believer in Daniel’s God. 6:26
“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. 27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Hebrews 13:2 tells us...
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Darius was rescued by angels without knowing it. And, as we move into the Advent season culminating with the birth of our Lord, there is a portion of the story that I have adopted as a personal crusade. “Where did the wise men come from?” They came from “the east” which we know to be the general area of ancient Babylon. But why and how did they know about a “king of the Jews?”
I have an extended explanation which I will post later, but the “nutshell” version is that after the 119 were dispatched into the lions’ stomachs, Darius logically turned to the guy he could trust to assemble a reliable “watch team.” (Darius’ own was a little flawed.) So who would be more appropriately designated as the replacement satraps than Daniel’s friends and countrymen?
If he appointed a team of financial guardians would he not also monitor their activities? He would focus both on the prevention of fraud and training them in the tasks of financial management. While he was at it, he would also share and explain the “strange visions” that he had been given. (An angel is the source of them, as well, including the famous 70 weeks prophecy. We will incorporate that in a few minutes–or words.)
If Daniel had introduced them to prophecy, both personally and through his written memoirs, this little cadre of “wise men” could have traced and even foretold some of the events as they occurred. And as they followed the progression of the prophetic statements turning into recorded history their wonder, amazement, and excitement would have grown.
Can’t you imagine his introduction? “I saw that Babylon would be overthrown. And that the victors would be...ta da! the Medes and the Persians, our present rulers.” And the excitement must have grown exponentially as he continued with the exposition of Jeremiah’s prediction as to how the overthrow would be accomplished.
Remember that Daniel was in Babylon for nearly 70 years at this point. He was in his late eighties or early nineties. He has had a little time to pore over the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah. And look at what he found. Jeremiah 50:9, 10
“For behold, I am going to arouse and bring up against Babylon A horde of great nation from the land of the north, And they will draw up their battle lines against her; From there she will be taken captive. Their arrows will be like an expert warrior Who does not return empty-handed. (Read carefully here:) 10 “Chaldea will become plunder; All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord. V. 13 “Because of the indignation of the Lord she will not be inhabited, But she will be completely desolate; Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified And will hiss because of all her wounds.
It would be a worthy enterprise to read the entire chapter. Daniel continued, ( v. 39)
“Therefore the desert creatures will live there along with the jackals; The ostriches also will live in it, And it will never again be inhabited Or dwelt in from generation to generation.
Even Saddam Hussein was not able to rebuild Babylon. But that is not all. I skipped v. 38.
“A drought on her waters, and they will be dried up! For it is a land of idols, And they are mad over fearsome idols.”
In case you do not know this bit of history, Darius dammed the Euphrates River upstream from the city and his soldiers walked under the walls in the empty riverbed and overcame the guards. Daniel possibly knew about that even as he talked to Belshazzar on the fateful night when it happened. (Daniel 5) Oh! Oh! Oh! Look at Jeremiah 51:56 and 57. (If you haven’t read Daniel 5 yet, do it.)
For the destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, And her mighty men will be captured, Their bows are shattered; For the Lord is a God of recompense, He will fully repay. 57 “I will make her princes and her wise men drunk, Her governors, her prefects and her mighty men, That they may sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake up,” Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
Prophecy not only told what was going to happen, but how. Think the 119 are all ears? Daniel would have gone on with his own revealed prophecies and ended with the promise of the Jews returning home. (Cyrus will do that in a short time. 2 Chronicles 36:22 and Ezra 1:1)
Then Daniel turned to his favorite, my guess here, prophecy. That is the time leading up to the return of the Messiah in chapter 9 of his own book. (Our chapter and verse divisions, not his.) There will be seventy, sevens of years until He comes. (490 for the math-challenged.) He may not have understood all of the details, but the overall focus was clear. The Messiah is coming!
The 70 weeks began when Cyrus sent the Jews back to their land. He would not know exactly when that would happen, but he did know that a king named Cyrus would arise. This time he appealed to the prophet Isaiah who was active during the final stages of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion and victory, over 70 years before. (Isaiah 44:28) He named the king over 100 years before said king was even born. Quite a feat. Are you starting to get as excited as his little cadre of wise men? Boy, I am!
Astute students have been able to reconstruct the events and times from the somewhat sporadic history accounts we have available. As our “wise men” watched the events unfold, “in real-time,” they could precisely and accurately deduce the time that the Messiah would appear and then be “cut off.”
They must have calculated the time of the “cutting off” and worked backward to find an estimated birth date for the Messiah. As the years ticked off the clock, and they recognized that they were about 50 years from the “time,” their search for signs became quite thorough. And, many experts postulate that the “star” was a special revelation to these seekers from the Lord. Maybe it was even the same angel. Who knows? Angels can look like stars, and no “natural” star would behave like the one in Matthew did. (Matthew 2)
And when it occurred, the little remnant band that was over 400 years removed from their originators and Daniel, urgently saddled up their camels and headed west. And, as they say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
This verse was not a filler. The angel was not getting “paid by the word.” It was filled with instruction and invitation for us to “dig deeper.” The angel in Daniel 11 was involved in providing the message and guiding faithful followers to their date with destiny. Or better yet, their date with the Messiah. We are likewise offered the opportunity to “watch” for the Messiah as we near the end of the “cut off” period.
We can learn and perhaps intuit a lot from reading the words of the Word. Don’t skip over anything. You will miss a blessing.
Followup thought. The set of wise men traditionally is considered to be three individual wise men, along with a contingent of aids, etc. But we do not know, because we are not told how many there were. Here is a wild idea. What if the contemporary “satraps” sent three, not to carry three gifts, but to symbolize the three kings who were converted under Daniel’s “ministry” in Babylon and Persia? I am confident that Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and Cyrus were all believers. Their testimonies indicate as much.
So how better to honor Daniel and his work than to send three surrogates for the long since departed kings? That would make a perfect culmination and tribute to the time that he spent working for, and with, each of the individual kings. And for them to bring offerings to the new-born Messiah would be perfectly fitting for three men who literally owed their eternal destiny to this One Who sent His agent, Daniel, into their lives.
To follow our topic, we may be “reading a little into the text,” but I am confident that we are doing no violence to the message. Read on.
Monday, November 18, 2019
I Peter 2:10 Scripture Memory and the Jews
I never cease to be amazed at the mastery of the Scriptures exhibited by the apostles and the other New Testament writers. Consider Peter in 1 Peter 2:10
...for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
He was talking to the believers, “...to those who reside as aliens...” in scattered parts of the world. There is a lot there that I hate to skip, but I have a link to the passage appended, so you can read it in its entirety. But notice that he calls them, and us, a group who “were not a people, but now are the people of God.” As I read that, two bells rang in the hall of memory. First, Hosea, 1:10, 11 is where Hosea named his children “No Mercy” or, “No Compassion” and, “Not My People.” Then, in a burst of prophetic revelation, he talked about the redemption and restoration of His people.
Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.” 11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel.
Paul quoted this in Romans 9:25, 26. This was the second memory “bell.”
As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’” 26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Israel was rejected, or cut out of the olive tree (Romans 11) and the Gentiles, that’s us, were grafted into their place. Then, by miraculous grace, He grafted Israel back into the tree, along with us, so that both groups would be saved. Glory!
But I want to focus on the liberal use of Scripture. Recall that these guys did not have computers to Google the verses they wanted. They didn’t even have concordances. They memorized it. You can protest or explain that they were inspired, so the Holy Spirit gave them the message. But I have to confess that I have never had the Holy Spirit “recall” a verse to my mind that I had not previously memorized. I do often remember the verse that applies, but have to use my spiritual CC, concordance crutch, to find the reference.
It is astounding how they had the verses at the tip of their tongues, or “pens,” if you will. I am working my way through Psalm 119. (One verse at a time, and do not ask me to string them together.) But the messages contained in these individual verses are overwhelming.
Let’s take just one, for instance. We may do more later. Verse 160 says: (Holman)
The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
In this age of doubting the Genesis story, particularly the first eleven chapters, this is a profound statement. The Psalmist, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit declared all such challenges, void. To modify a common phrase, “What part of entire (all), do you not understand?” All of the Word is true and reliable. God created the world. God cleansed the world in Noah’s day. And in Revelation, also under attack, He promises to again cleanse the world of ungodliness and unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18) (Revelation 16)
God created the world, and He, Jesus is coming back to rule it. Look back up at Hosea 11. The Jews will have one ruler. We know now that is Jesus, and He will rule the land. That is the millennium in chapter 20 of Revelation. And it will be right after the battle of Armageddon, also known as Jezreel (16:16). Recall that place? Yep, Hosea hit it right on the head.
God’s Word is true and His judgments are righteous and will last forever. Good verse to memorize. I am a little behind Peter and Paul...and Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Jude, and a couple of others. But keep learning. Keep memorizing. It is worth the time and effort. After all, It is God’s Word.
...for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
He was talking to the believers, “...to those who reside as aliens...” in scattered parts of the world. There is a lot there that I hate to skip, but I have a link to the passage appended, so you can read it in its entirety. But notice that he calls them, and us, a group who “were not a people, but now are the people of God.” As I read that, two bells rang in the hall of memory. First, Hosea, 1:10, 11 is where Hosea named his children “No Mercy” or, “No Compassion” and, “Not My People.” Then, in a burst of prophetic revelation, he talked about the redemption and restoration of His people.
Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.” 11 And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader, And they will go up from the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel.
Paul quoted this in Romans 9:25, 26. This was the second memory “bell.”
As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’” 26 “And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
Israel was rejected, or cut out of the olive tree (Romans 11) and the Gentiles, that’s us, were grafted into their place. Then, by miraculous grace, He grafted Israel back into the tree, along with us, so that both groups would be saved. Glory!
But I want to focus on the liberal use of Scripture. Recall that these guys did not have computers to Google the verses they wanted. They didn’t even have concordances. They memorized it. You can protest or explain that they were inspired, so the Holy Spirit gave them the message. But I have to confess that I have never had the Holy Spirit “recall” a verse to my mind that I had not previously memorized. I do often remember the verse that applies, but have to use my spiritual CC, concordance crutch, to find the reference.
It is astounding how they had the verses at the tip of their tongues, or “pens,” if you will. I am working my way through Psalm 119. (One verse at a time, and do not ask me to string them together.) But the messages contained in these individual verses are overwhelming.
Let’s take just one, for instance. We may do more later. Verse 160 says: (Holman)
The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
In this age of doubting the Genesis story, particularly the first eleven chapters, this is a profound statement. The Psalmist, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit declared all such challenges, void. To modify a common phrase, “What part of entire (all), do you not understand?” All of the Word is true and reliable. God created the world. God cleansed the world in Noah’s day. And in Revelation, also under attack, He promises to again cleanse the world of ungodliness and unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18) (Revelation 16)
God created the world, and He, Jesus is coming back to rule it. Look back up at Hosea 11. The Jews will have one ruler. We know now that is Jesus, and He will rule the land. That is the millennium in chapter 20 of Revelation. And it will be right after the battle of Armageddon, also known as Jezreel (16:16). Recall that place? Yep, Hosea hit it right on the head.
God’s Word is true and His judgments are righteous and will last forever. Good verse to memorize. I am a little behind Peter and Paul...and Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Jude, and a couple of others. But keep learning. Keep memorizing. It is worth the time and effort. After all, It is God’s Word.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Bad Doctrine Deity
Did you ever notice and lament that the Bible does not specifically refute any specific heresy? Wouldn’t it be nice, for instance, if it specifically said something like, “Abortion is wrong?” Or maybe a specific rebuke to those who deny the Trinity?
But, if it did that, then any oddball idea that was not specifically refuted could claim that since it wasn’t mentioned, it must be okay. (Incidentally, a lot of the erroneous ideas do claim that now, but without any probative force. If a grocery list of errors were included, those omitted would have a more powerful and persuasive position.)
Instead, the Bible just presents good doctrine and allows that to decimate false teaching. Aside: The US government trains forgery agents to recognize fake bills by having them study genuine ones. If they know the real thing well enough, a forgery jumps out at them like monopoly money. The Holy Spirit, in inspiring the writers to record God’s message did the same thing. He imbedded Truth into the body of the text so that it would point out error as we read.
Here is a new example. Hebrews 7:23 and 24 in describing the Priesthood of Jesus says:
The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.
Did something jump out at you? The author of Hebrews was comparing Jesus and his priestly ministry to that of Melchizedek in Genesis 14. He noted that the Levitical priests died and did not continue their ministry. But that Jesus will continue forever to be a priest, the Priest. That idea is continued for a couple of chapters, but the focus today is this phrase: “He continues forever....”
That was just casually stated as if it were no big deal. And to the writer, it was not. He knew that Jesus was eternal, and would never die. In fact, He had always existed. That, my friends, is one of the attributes of God. The chapter headings and explanations are not inspired text, but often help to point us to the truth. Chapter 7, in my Bible, is introduced by, “Melchizedek’s Priesthood Like Christ’s.” Notice the order listed. Melchizedek was LIKE Christ. But Jesus didn’t show up until the New Testament, and as we noted, Mel was in Genesis 14.
Even the chapter titles point to the eternality of the Lord. Notice that I used the Name, Lord. We will circle back to that later. I will briefly list six references that explicitly state that He is eternal. Let’s begin with Habakkuk 1:12.
Are You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
Isaiah 26:4
“Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
Psalm 48:14
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.
Psalm 93:2
Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
Deuteronomy 32:39, 40
“See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. 40 ‘Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever....’”
Jude 25
...to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Clear, unmistakable, incontestable, unimpeachable, and explicit would be a simple way to describe that argument. God is, and claims to be eternal. So when Hebrews says that Jesus is eternal, well, I guess that kind of hints at the Trinity, doesn’t it? In fact a careful reading of those verses also interchanges the Name “Lord” with “God” almost deliberately, it would seem. This is not just a single “proof text” to point out that Jesus is God, it is woven into the warp and woof of the text from Deuteronomy to Jude. And more, if we wanted to explore it.
This does not merely represent an assumption that it is true, hoping to sneak it in under the radar. It is a bold, declarative statement. Any doubt of this must include a dismissal of massive portions of the body of Scripture. That is a dangerous theological and spiritual path. It only leads to disaster and destruction.
So the Bible does not specifically warn us against following a “Moses cult.” I made that up years ago in a discussion and just recently I discovered that there is, indeed, a Moses cult. (Maybe I ought to get royalties.) (Nah.) They take the first five books of the Bible and discount the rest. Guess they forgot to read them. Just in passing, “Thou shalt have no other gods before (beside) Me.” Ignoring the other 61 books in favor of Moses is placing him above the LORD. Busted!
That is beside the point. Specific pronouncements against a false doctrine are not necessary. Even such things as idol worship are not singled out for specific denunciation. God does declare that some of the more egregious ones are abominable to Him, but that is just in the context of claiming that He is The One and Only God. And just in case you missed the point, He will single out specific grievous and heinous examples of false gods. Ravi Zacharias points out that there are millions of gods in Indian religions. So God lumps them all into one trash bin. He does the same with false doctrines.
The Bible continues to be the best commentary on what the Bible says.
FYI. This list is not exhaustive. Just representative.
But, if it did that, then any oddball idea that was not specifically refuted could claim that since it wasn’t mentioned, it must be okay. (Incidentally, a lot of the erroneous ideas do claim that now, but without any probative force. If a grocery list of errors were included, those omitted would have a more powerful and persuasive position.)
Instead, the Bible just presents good doctrine and allows that to decimate false teaching. Aside: The US government trains forgery agents to recognize fake bills by having them study genuine ones. If they know the real thing well enough, a forgery jumps out at them like monopoly money. The Holy Spirit, in inspiring the writers to record God’s message did the same thing. He imbedded Truth into the body of the text so that it would point out error as we read.
Here is a new example. Hebrews 7:23 and 24 in describing the Priesthood of Jesus says:
The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently.
Did something jump out at you? The author of Hebrews was comparing Jesus and his priestly ministry to that of Melchizedek in Genesis 14. He noted that the Levitical priests died and did not continue their ministry. But that Jesus will continue forever to be a priest, the Priest. That idea is continued for a couple of chapters, but the focus today is this phrase: “He continues forever....”
That was just casually stated as if it were no big deal. And to the writer, it was not. He knew that Jesus was eternal, and would never die. In fact, He had always existed. That, my friends, is one of the attributes of God. The chapter headings and explanations are not inspired text, but often help to point us to the truth. Chapter 7, in my Bible, is introduced by, “Melchizedek’s Priesthood Like Christ’s.” Notice the order listed. Melchizedek was LIKE Christ. But Jesus didn’t show up until the New Testament, and as we noted, Mel was in Genesis 14.
Even the chapter titles point to the eternality of the Lord. Notice that I used the Name, Lord. We will circle back to that later. I will briefly list six references that explicitly state that He is eternal. Let’s begin with Habakkuk 1:12.
Are You not from everlasting, O Lord, my God, my Holy One?
Isaiah 26:4
“Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
Psalm 48:14
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.
Psalm 93:2
Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.
Deuteronomy 32:39, 40
“See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand. 40 ‘Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever....’”
Jude 25
...to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Clear, unmistakable, incontestable, unimpeachable, and explicit would be a simple way to describe that argument. God is, and claims to be eternal. So when Hebrews says that Jesus is eternal, well, I guess that kind of hints at the Trinity, doesn’t it? In fact a careful reading of those verses also interchanges the Name “Lord” with “God” almost deliberately, it would seem. This is not just a single “proof text” to point out that Jesus is God, it is woven into the warp and woof of the text from Deuteronomy to Jude. And more, if we wanted to explore it.
This does not merely represent an assumption that it is true, hoping to sneak it in under the radar. It is a bold, declarative statement. Any doubt of this must include a dismissal of massive portions of the body of Scripture. That is a dangerous theological and spiritual path. It only leads to disaster and destruction.
So the Bible does not specifically warn us against following a “Moses cult.” I made that up years ago in a discussion and just recently I discovered that there is, indeed, a Moses cult. (Maybe I ought to get royalties.) (Nah.) They take the first five books of the Bible and discount the rest. Guess they forgot to read them. Just in passing, “Thou shalt have no other gods before (beside) Me.” Ignoring the other 61 books in favor of Moses is placing him above the LORD. Busted!
That is beside the point. Specific pronouncements against a false doctrine are not necessary. Even such things as idol worship are not singled out for specific denunciation. God does declare that some of the more egregious ones are abominable to Him, but that is just in the context of claiming that He is The One and Only God. And just in case you missed the point, He will single out specific grievous and heinous examples of false gods. Ravi Zacharias points out that there are millions of gods in Indian religions. So God lumps them all into one trash bin. He does the same with false doctrines.
The Bible continues to be the best commentary on what the Bible says.
FYI. This list is not exhaustive. Just representative.
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