Jared Longshore's Blog, page 16

Ask God to Part the Waters

What do you do when you’re running as fast as you can go but you’re not sure your fastest is fast enough? Or you’re thinking as hard as you can about solutions only to find none? Or, you’ve lived so long with a particular character flaw, you’re honestly not sure that sin will ever be put under your feet? Or, you have tried to restore your beaten and battered marriage, but you’re out of ideas when it comes to what tool will do the job?

Conservatives rightly critique zero sum game thinking in an economic context. One man’s gain does not imply another’s loss because the total wealth of the system is not fixed. Years ago, my grandfather gave me one of his banana stalks. I stuck it in the ground and soon had more banana stalks than I knew what to do with and plenty to share.

But if God can do that with banana stalks, what might He do with peace, forgiveness, temperance, self-control, and love? Yes, you only have one stalk of patience for the short-comings of your spouse right now. And you have no time in your schedule to get down to Moscow Building Supply and buy any more. But when did you stop believing that God multiplies patience stalks right out of your belly by the Holy Spirit whom He has placed there?

Sarah was short on cash and time, too. She’d reached the end of all the fertility maneuvers she knew of. But that didn’t matter at all when God decided to fill her womb. The capacity of David’s heart wasn’t large enough for him to run in the way of God’s commandments. But that didn’t matter at all when God enlarged it.

If you’re running into rivers that you can’t cross or walls that you can’t scale, that’s nothing to lose heart about. Ask God to part those waters. March around that Jericho with a song in your mouth and look to God to tear it down.

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The Guiding Star of Human Society

The precepts of the Decalogue are included to the extent that they infuse a vital spirit into the association and symbiotic life that we teach, that they carry a torch before the social life that we seek, and that they prescribe and constitute a way, rule, guiding star, and boundary for human society. If anyone would take them out of politics, he would destroy it; indeed, he would destroy all symbiosis and social life among men. For what would human life be without the piety of the first table of the Decalogue, and without the justice of the second?

Althusius, Politica, Preface to the Third Edition (1614)

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“Don’t Get Diddy’d”

A recent post of mine on X has garnered a bit of attention and more than a bit of screeching. Now that I have the attention of some of these people, I would like to outline where we are with a word of no peace to some and a word of peace or truce to others.

In this post, I compared the allure of the neo-Nazi stuff to a P. Diddy party, you know, the ones that have been in the news lately. And I compared the work Doug Wilson has been doing, warning about the rot, to the rapper 50 Cent, who has been warning about P. Diddy and his parties for years. While I am not a connoisseur of the rap scene, when I became aware of the news that P. Diddy’s parties were all fun and games until they were not, and nobody wanted to listen to 50, the parallel was clear: the recent flirtation with a little bit of white pride was all fun and games until it was not, and many have not wanted to listen.

If the correlation is too distasteful for you, I agree and request that folks knock off the neo-Nazi propaganda, or I fear I will be out here like Ezekiel, cooking food over feces next (Ezekiel 4:12-13).

But do note that the correlation is distasteful to the ones leading the neo-Nazi propaganda charge. It was aimed at them. Yes, they don’t like being compared to the black rapper with far too much baby oil, which is exactly why they should stop acting like him. So the word of no peace goes to anyone who wants to sympathize with racial pride, the Third Reich, or that seething malice against the Jews. There are plenty of good men rebuilding Western civilization, and your vitriol, ingratitude, and spite will rot out the statues of our fathers.

The word of peace goes to the many good Christians out there who think I’m taking the wrong angle, along with some of the other men in Moscow. I’m all ears for that conversation. We are in a time of tumult, things are falling apart on the right hand and on the left, and you’re going to be hard-pressed to find anyone more eager to rebuild our culture, heritage, and traditions. It is my basic assumption that the neo-Nazi propaganda is both wicked and most certainly won’t help the cause. If you think that I’m pulling a small weed in the garden, why are you so upset? Or do you think there’s no weed at all? If no weed, did you see the recent White Boy Summer video or no?

Let’s make a deal. Me smacking the neo-Nazis after some WBS fella literally put it in a hype video doesn’t make me Ray Ortlund, who, for Pete’s sake, just went and endorsed Kamala. And you wearing viper glasses, enjoying the Crusader memes, and saying amen to Stephen Wolfe’s work doesn’t make you the neo-Nazis I just smacked. I, for one, get quite a kick out of the memes and say amen to 99% of what my friend Stephen has written.

Much of what we’re dealing with is situational. You may not have run into guys wooed by the white racist stuff, but I have, and in real-life ministry for more than a few years now. It’s really ugly to watch them fall away from Christ. “Yeah, but calling out the dudes that are pulling them away from Christ the way you did isn’t helpful.” Well, I could have told them to cut off their testicles (Galatians 5:12).

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When Your Children Say Unto You

When the LORD instituted the Old Testament Passover, He did so with the purpose that it would catch children’s attention. Even the children recognize that we are engaged in something holy, something distinct, something peculiar. Moses anticipates their questions, “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, ‘What mean ye by this service?’ That ye shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses” (Exodus 12:26-27).

This New Covenant table operates in the same manner as that Old Covenant table. It is a potent means of God’s grace. And it delivers that grace with instruction, not apart from instruction. Here is a word to parents: Teach your little ones about the grace of God. Do this as your homes, as you walk by the way, when you lay down to sleep, and when you wake. Our Father has given you Word. He speaks to you in creation and He speaks to you through the prophets and the apostles. He has spoken to you in His Son and He speaks to you at this table. He has set His face toward you and has assaulted you with words of grace that flow toward you like a mighty stream.

You must do likewise. Tell the littles ones that this bread is the body of Christ broken for them and us. This cup it the blood of Christ shed for them and us. God’s judgment has passed over our house because He has chosen us as His people out of all the peoples of the earth. We come to this table in faith and our faith is not faith in faith or faith in an abstract idea. It is faith in the Word our Father has given to us. So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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A Sign From Heaven

Baptism is an earthly sign from our heavenly King. In baptism, our Triune God says, “You are my covenant child. Let there be no doubt. You are my chosen race, holy nation, and royal priesthood.” But how can we be sure about this sign from heaven? Peter tells us that baptism comes to us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. The One who speaks this sign to us is the same One who has delivered His people through water time and time again, be it Noah through the flood, Israel through the sea, or our Lord Himself who has passed through the water above the heavens. God speaks from His temple through water today, saying, “I am your God, you are my people.”

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Worship in Spirit

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). So here’s an exhortation on worshipping God in spirit. Now we worship God by the Holy Spirit and we also worship the Holy Spirit Himself. But I am referring to your spirit at the moment. You must worship God in your spirit. He wants more than your hands and vocal chords. He wants more than your ears attending to words and your brain processing the nouns and verbs. You will come to eat bread and drink wine. But you must taste more than bread and wine.

You really have a spirit. Is it well? Are you bringing your spirit before the Lord today or is only your shell here? “Now, ” someone will say, “does this pastor think that my body can be present and my soul somewhere else?” It is not matter of geography. But, yes, the Lord said, “These people draw near to me with their mouth but their heart is far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). You must avoid that today by coming spiritually face to face with God. You must hear with the ears of your soul and see with its eyes.

There are angels in our midst. Is your spirit mindful of them? We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, who have gone before us. Does your spirit see them? Our Great High Priest sits enthroned before us. Does your spirit hear Him speaking?

When Elisha’s servant woke to see the Syrian army surrounding them at Dothan, he could not see that the mountain was full of heavenly horses and chariots of fire. But that fiery host was every bit as much there before God opened up the servant’s eyes as they were after he did so.

So it is with you right now. But do your eyes see? Do your ears hear the song of the seraphim? Will the tongue of your soul taste and see that the Lord Himself is good? Confess your sin and all of this is promised to you.

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The Cross Taught

The cross taught all wood to resound his name, Who bore the same.

His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key

Is best to celebrate this most high day.

George Herbert, Easter

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It Doesn’t Hurt Anymore

Scripture tells us to forbear with one another and forgive one another. And this directive comes to us alongside an exhortation to longsuffering. So we must not only forgive, but we must forgive when the offender has offended us before. But what if the offender has not only offended us before, but has offended us several times before and in the exact same way? Yes, even then, we must forgive.

If you are tempted to call this an injustice, and be honest, you are tempted, then take to heart what this table says to you. God’s command is to forgive as Christ forgave you (Colossians 3:13). Christ has forgiven you in His blood, and you held the spear that pierced His side.

The bread we taste here is not sour bread. And the wine we drink here is not bitter. Bitterness flees from this table. It is a table from which forgiveness flows freely. And the only thing you have contributed to this feast is your sin. Sin from you and grace to you. Corruption from you and substance to you.

As Christ has forgiven you, likewise, forgive one another. When asked for forgiveness from a genuine offender, why should you render peace back when all you have received is clamor? This question must be answered with another. What did you render Christ? Clamor, deception, lust, greed, bitterness, and a thousand other evils.

But what about your loss? What about your wounds? Genuine damage has been done to you and what, are you just supposed to forget about that harm? Well, yes, you must forget about the harm. You must forget about the sting. The sting was removed at the cross. But you can use those wounds as Jesus did. You can use them as proofs of resurrected forgiveness. Come reach out your finger and touch his pierced hands. Thrust your hand into His side. It doesn’t hurt anymore. Come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ.

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A Word About Those Heavenly Beings

When it comes to the celestials, we have the two traditional ditches. On the one hand you can think far too much about them and on the other you can think nothing of them. It is usually a minority that is enamored with the heavenly beings and to them we want to say with one of the host, “Worship God, not the angels.” But if I had to pick the more widespread error, I would go with those who think very little to nothing about the heavenly beings. Indeed, the saints should not bow down to them. After all, God told Israel of old that He was their inheritance so they could not worship the hosts of heaven. They belonged to the unbelieving nations: 

19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.[1]

But this causes us to pause mid sip of the coffee. What in the world does that mean? More about that in a minute.

Celestial Hierarchy

Let’s begin with the celestial hierarchy, and yes there is one. Hierarchy exists even in the heavens, as a starry testimony to the folly of egalitarianism and every woke intersectional scheme. Those who want to tear down hierarchy will find they have pulled down deep heaven on their heads. 

Aquinas went to great lengths spelling out a nine part hierarchy of the celestials. You don’t have to buy every category he is selling. But you should buy some of it because it arises from basic Bible reading. Aquinas laid out nine categories of celestials which unfolds in three subcategories.

Highest Hierarchy (contemplates the ideas of the things in God Himself)

Seraphim – Relevant texts are Num. 21:6; 21:8; Deut 8:15; Isa. 6:2, 6; Isa 14:29; Isa 30:6. These seraphim are closely associated with fiery serpents. They have six wings. And given the association with fiery serpents, it is reasonable to think Satan, the snake-dragon, a fallen seraph. Cherubim – Relevant texts are 2 Sam. 22:11; Ps. 18:10, and Ezek 10:1. By examining these and other texts we find that God rides the cheribum. They appear to be chariot thrones, often near those wheels within wheels. They protect the temple of God appearing in Eden and on the mercy seat. They, like the seraphim, have wings and dwell near the Lord of hosts. Thrones – A relevant text is Colossians 1:16 where “thrones” are listed alongside principalities and powers in a text referring to things created in heaven and on earth.

Middle Hierarchy (contemplates the universal causes); universal disposition of what is to be done.

Dominions – Relevant texts are Eph 1:21; Col 1:16.Virtues – This category comes from tradition rather than a biblical text.Powers – Relevant text is 1 Pet. 3:22.

Lowest Hierarchy (their application to particular effects); application of this disposition to the effect.

Principalities – A relevant text is Eph 6:12. These principalities are more familiar, as we saints wrestle not against flesh and blood but against them.Archangels – Relevant texts are Jude 9 and 1 Thess 4:16. While we only know the name of one of these creatures, Michael. It stands to reason that the others indeed have names. Angels – Several passages of Scripture tell us of the angels and in none of them do they have wings.

While I might not follow the medievals on every point of the celestial hierarchy, it is beyond doubt that there is such a hierarchy. The seraphim and cherubim dwell in the throne room of God. The principalities clearly rule over earth. And the angels are depicted in Scripture as delivering messages. They are at least five for nine. As a side note, there is a UPS guy in town who I’m a little suspicious about. He just has a way about him and let’s say I wouldn’t be surprised if when he drops off packages I’m entertaining angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).

Their Nature

But what about their nature? We know they are ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). But do they have bodies? Well, yes, heavenly ones. All flesh is not the same flesh, after all.

39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.[2]

If you’re still suspicious about heavenly beings having bodies, I’d put Jude 6-7 out there:

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.[3]

Remember what the men of Sodom and Gomorrha tried to sleep with? That right, angels, strange flesh (Genesis 19). 

Divine Council

After their order and nature, the question naturally arises concerning what they are up to. Some things are plain. They worship God. They minister to the saints. They war in heaven. But there is also a few pictures of them serving at council with the Triune God. They’re doing something like that in Job, when Satan himself appears before the Lord. They do the same when Micaiah the prophet testifies, “19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left” (1 Kings 22:19). While Calvin doesn’t buy this interpretation of Psalm 82, the text does refer to the mighty ones in the congregation of the Lord as elohim—

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, And accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: Rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; They walk on in darkness: All the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; And all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: For thou shalt inherit all nations.[4]

That sounds a whole like lot heavenly principalities. Bad ones. But principalities nonetheless.

Over Nations

This leads us to the question of the rule and reign of these principalities and powers. In Daniel 10 a heavenly being appears to Daniel and refers to three princes. Michael, who is readily identified as an arch angel and whom the heavenly being identifies as Daniel’s prince. We also hear about the prince of Persia, who warred against the heavenly being, along with a prince of Greece. It should not surprise us that the fallen principalities had jurisdiction over the nations of the earth. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). He tempted our Lord with all the kingdoms of the earth, which were under his jurisdiction. And Deuteronomy 4:19 tells us that the LORD divided these very beings to all the nations under the whole heaven, save Israel—

19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.[5]

Related to all of this, Augustine goes to great length in the City of God to demonstrate that Rome’s false, demon gods corrupted them and were responsible for the fall of Rome. 

Heaven, On Earth, and Under the Earth

But these fallen principalities and powers only held sway for a time. Christ triumphed over these principalities and powers at the cross (Colossians 2:15). After descending into Hades and announcing His triumph over those spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), He rose from the dead and declared that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given unto Him (Matthew 28). It is no surprise then to see Scripture testifying to heavenly calamity and celestial destruction anytime a nation falls:

Babylon and Edom – Isa. 13:1, 10; 34:4, 5Jerusalem – Matt. 24:29Egypt – Ezek 32:2,7Northern Kingdom – Amos 8:2, 9Pentecost – Joel 2:30; Acts 2:17-21

The ultimate shaking of the heavens and the earth came at the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ as He planted a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3). 

In sum, don’t worship these heavenly beings. But do rejoice that the wicked ones have been conquered by our Lord and the righteous ones are very much on our side. In short, there really are angels in the outfield.

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Dt 4:19.

[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), 1 Co 15:39–42.

[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Jud 6–7.

[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Ps 82:1–8.

[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Dt 4:19.

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You Are Mine

Many saints live without assurance of God’s promises. They live as if his covenant love is in jeapordy, perhaps they will receive it, or perhaps they will not. Then some, knowing they should have confidence in God’s mercy, proceed to build that confidence upon themselves. But in baptism we have a sign and seal from God. He assures his saints of his covenant grace with this water. He tangibly marks them off as his own, saying to them, “You are mine, you’re one with my Son, with sins forgiven, and a new life in front of you marked by grace and mercy.”

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