Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "janus"
Janus the Baptist? – Part 1
For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John [Matthew 11:13].
It’s Final Four week, that time of the year when the four best men’s college basketball teams go at it to determine a national champion. Consider how men’s college basketball games are structured. There are two halves, with each consisting of twenty minutes, for a total of forty minutes per game.
Once a college player graduates, if he is fortunate enough to move on to the NBA, he discovers he must make some changes in his perception of the game. For one thing there are no more “halves”, and for another the game no longer lasts forty minutes. The NBA game is divided into quarters, with each consisting of twelve minutes, for a total of forty-eight minutes per game.
And then there is the matter of how many games are played in a season. For the college ranks the number hovers around thirty, but for the NBA it soars to eighty-two. Hmm. “30” versus “82”. That’s a lot of difference! So no longer are there around 30 games per year, each consisting of only forty minutes. Suddenly the one-time college player must play 82 games of forty-eight minutes each. Think those guys are worn down by the end of the regular season?
I thought about this when I read the quoted text which began our study today. College rules apply for a time, then suddenly new and entirely different rules apply for the NBA. So it was with the Covenant of Law versus the Covenant of Grace.
Jesus noted how long the Covenant of Law lasted when he declared, “all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. That would be the John of John Baptist fame. UNTIL JOHN, i.e., up until the time of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets were in effect. The Old Covenant was God’s rule of Law for Israel.
Then suddenly the forty minute games became forty-eight minutes long, and the two halves transformed into four quarters. What once consisted of about 30 games suddenly metamorphosed into 82 games. Things were drastically different, you see, once John the Baptist came on the scene.
This calls to mind the Roman god Janus. Janus had two faces, with one facing behind and the other facing forward. The name “Janus” is where our month “January” derives its name. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Just as January 1 begins a new year by looking backward and then going forward, so to did the Roman god Janus. Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another.
Oh, dear. We’ve come to the end of the line already. Let’s call it a day and begin afresh tomorrow. Some time alone with Jesus sounds about right just now. Won’t you join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It’s Final Four week, that time of the year when the four best men’s college basketball teams go at it to determine a national champion. Consider how men’s college basketball games are structured. There are two halves, with each consisting of twenty minutes, for a total of forty minutes per game.
Once a college player graduates, if he is fortunate enough to move on to the NBA, he discovers he must make some changes in his perception of the game. For one thing there are no more “halves”, and for another the game no longer lasts forty minutes. The NBA game is divided into quarters, with each consisting of twelve minutes, for a total of forty-eight minutes per game.
And then there is the matter of how many games are played in a season. For the college ranks the number hovers around thirty, but for the NBA it soars to eighty-two. Hmm. “30” versus “82”. That’s a lot of difference! So no longer are there around 30 games per year, each consisting of only forty minutes. Suddenly the one-time college player must play 82 games of forty-eight minutes each. Think those guys are worn down by the end of the regular season?
I thought about this when I read the quoted text which began our study today. College rules apply for a time, then suddenly new and entirely different rules apply for the NBA. So it was with the Covenant of Law versus the Covenant of Grace.
Jesus noted how long the Covenant of Law lasted when he declared, “all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. That would be the John of John Baptist fame. UNTIL JOHN, i.e., up until the time of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets were in effect. The Old Covenant was God’s rule of Law for Israel.
Then suddenly the forty minute games became forty-eight minutes long, and the two halves transformed into four quarters. What once consisted of about 30 games suddenly metamorphosed into 82 games. Things were drastically different, you see, once John the Baptist came on the scene.
This calls to mind the Roman god Janus. Janus had two faces, with one facing behind and the other facing forward. The name “Janus” is where our month “January” derives its name. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Just as January 1 begins a new year by looking backward and then going forward, so to did the Roman god Janus. Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another.
Oh, dear. We’ve come to the end of the line already. Let’s call it a day and begin afresh tomorrow. Some time alone with Jesus sounds about right just now. Won’t you join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Janus the Baptist? – Part 2
For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John [Matthew 11:13].
We concluded our last study by observing how the Roman god Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another thing. This concept has great bearing on the text quoted to begin this study. The Covenant of Law lasted until John Baptist arrived on the scene. Suddenly the Covenant of Grace took center stage, whether it was evident to folks at the time or not. Can anyone say “Janus the Baptist”?
The period of time from John the Baptist until the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus rose out of death was a sort of transition period. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus the God-man, in fulfillment of His promise to provide mankind with the seed of the woman. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deut.18:15). Jesus is the One who implemented the Covenant of Grace (John 1:17).
John the Baptist was the person sent from God to identify the Messiah. John baptized people as a sign of repentance, in order to prepare them for the Messiah when He appeared. Then John identified Jesus as the Messiah, after which he directed people to follow Jesus their Messiah.
This means John began his ministry while Israel was under the Covenant of Law, but he departed this earth after the Covenant of Grace was being proclaimed by Jesus. Ergo, the time of John the Baptist was a transition period between the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace. This made John the Baptist a sort of Janus. Janus the Baptist… Has a nice ring to it.
The transition period ended and the Covenant of Grace came in full force, when the Church was born on Pentecost. The birth of the Church signified the temporary setting aside of the nation of Israel as the people through whom God would carry out His plan for the earth. From that time until the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age, the Church contains the people through whom God is carrying on His work on earth.
The Law came through Moses and was given to the Israelites as the legal code for the Promised Land while Israel dwelt there. Grace came through Messiah Jesus and is given to the Church during the Church Age.
This is why Jesus declared that the the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist came on the scene. John introduced Jesus the Messiah to Israel under the Law. Jesus did several things as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world (i.e., the seed of the woman). Here are some of them:
1. He fulfilled the Law for Israel
2. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins
3. He rose out of death to provide forgiven sinners with new life
4. He ascended to heaven as the high priest for redeemed men
5. He sent the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church
So why would anyone in his right mind want to put himself under bondage to the Law and the prophets again? That’s lunacy! Jesus freed us from bondage to the Law, enabling us to freely live for Him in holiness.
The Law and the prophets lasted until John the Baptist. John’s long been gone. Now is the day of grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by observing how the Roman god Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another thing. This concept has great bearing on the text quoted to begin this study. The Covenant of Law lasted until John Baptist arrived on the scene. Suddenly the Covenant of Grace took center stage, whether it was evident to folks at the time or not. Can anyone say “Janus the Baptist”?
The period of time from John the Baptist until the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus rose out of death was a sort of transition period. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus the God-man, in fulfillment of His promise to provide mankind with the seed of the woman. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deut.18:15). Jesus is the One who implemented the Covenant of Grace (John 1:17).
John the Baptist was the person sent from God to identify the Messiah. John baptized people as a sign of repentance, in order to prepare them for the Messiah when He appeared. Then John identified Jesus as the Messiah, after which he directed people to follow Jesus their Messiah.
This means John began his ministry while Israel was under the Covenant of Law, but he departed this earth after the Covenant of Grace was being proclaimed by Jesus. Ergo, the time of John the Baptist was a transition period between the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace. This made John the Baptist a sort of Janus. Janus the Baptist… Has a nice ring to it.
The transition period ended and the Covenant of Grace came in full force, when the Church was born on Pentecost. The birth of the Church signified the temporary setting aside of the nation of Israel as the people through whom God would carry out His plan for the earth. From that time until the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age, the Church contains the people through whom God is carrying on His work on earth.
The Law came through Moses and was given to the Israelites as the legal code for the Promised Land while Israel dwelt there. Grace came through Messiah Jesus and is given to the Church during the Church Age.
This is why Jesus declared that the the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist came on the scene. John introduced Jesus the Messiah to Israel under the Law. Jesus did several things as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world (i.e., the seed of the woman). Here are some of them:
1. He fulfilled the Law for Israel
2. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins
3. He rose out of death to provide forgiven sinners with new life
4. He ascended to heaven as the high priest for redeemed men
5. He sent the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church
So why would anyone in his right mind want to put himself under bondage to the Law and the prophets again? That’s lunacy! Jesus freed us from bondage to the Law, enabling us to freely live for Him in holiness.
The Law and the prophets lasted until John the Baptist. John’s long been gone. Now is the day of grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Janus the Baptist? – Part 1
For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John [Matthew 11:13].
It’s Final Four week, that time of the year when the four best men’s college basketball teams go at it to determine a national champion. Consider how men’s college basketball games are structured. There are two halves, with each consisting of twenty minutes, for a total of forty minutes per game.
Once a college player graduates, if he is fortunate enough to move on to the NBA, he discovers he must make some changes in his perception of the game. For one thing there are no more “halves”, and for another the game no longer lasts forty minutes. The NBA game is divided into quarters, with each consisting of twelve minutes, for a total of forty-eight minutes per game.
And then there is the matter of how many games are played in a season. For the college ranks the number hovers around thirty, but for the NBA it soars to eighty-two. Hmm. “30” versus “82”. That’s a lot of difference! So no longer are there around 30 games per year, each consisting of only forty minutes. Suddenly the one-time college player must play 82 games of forty-eight minutes each. Think those guys are worn down by the end of the regular season?
I thought about this when I read the quoted text which began our study today. College rules apply for a time, then suddenly new and entirely different rules apply for the NBA. So it was with the Covenant of Law versus the Covenant of Grace.
Jesus noted how long the Covenant of Law lasted when he declared, “all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. That would be the John of John Baptist fame. UNTIL JOHN, i.e., up until the time of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets were in effect. The Old Covenant was God’s rule of Law for Israel.
Then suddenly the forty minute games became forty-eight minutes long, and the two halves transformed into four quarters. What once consisted of about 30 games suddenly metamorphosed into 82 games. Things were drastically different, you see, once John the Baptist came on the scene.
This calls to mind the Roman god Janus. Janus had two faces, with one facing behind and the other facing forward. The name “Janus” is where our month “January” derives its name. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Just as January 1 begins a new year by looking backward and then going forward, so too did the Roman god Janus. Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another.
Oh, dear. We’ve come to the end of the line already. Let’s call it a day and begin afresh tomorrow. Some time alone with Jesus sounds about right just now. Won’t you join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
It’s Final Four week, that time of the year when the four best men’s college basketball teams go at it to determine a national champion. Consider how men’s college basketball games are structured. There are two halves, with each consisting of twenty minutes, for a total of forty minutes per game.
Once a college player graduates, if he is fortunate enough to move on to the NBA, he discovers he must make some changes in his perception of the game. For one thing there are no more “halves”, and for another the game no longer lasts forty minutes. The NBA game is divided into quarters, with each consisting of twelve minutes, for a total of forty-eight minutes per game.
And then there is the matter of how many games are played in a season. For the college ranks the number hovers around thirty, but for the NBA it soars to eighty-two. Hmm. “30” versus “82”. That’s a lot of difference! So no longer are there around 30 games per year, each consisting of only forty minutes. Suddenly the one-time college player must play 82 games of forty-eight minutes each. Think those guys are worn down by the end of the regular season?
I thought about this when I read the quoted text which began our study today. College rules apply for a time, then suddenly new and entirely different rules apply for the NBA. So it was with the Covenant of Law versus the Covenant of Grace.
Jesus noted how long the Covenant of Law lasted when he declared, “all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. That would be the John of John Baptist fame. UNTIL JOHN, i.e., up until the time of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets were in effect. The Old Covenant was God’s rule of Law for Israel.
Then suddenly the forty minute games became forty-eight minutes long, and the two halves transformed into four quarters. What once consisted of about 30 games suddenly metamorphosed into 82 games. Things were drastically different, you see, once John the Baptist came on the scene.
This calls to mind the Roman god Janus. Janus had two faces, with one facing behind and the other facing forward. The name “Janus” is where our month “January” derives its name. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Just as January 1 begins a new year by looking backward and then going forward, so too did the Roman god Janus. Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another.
Oh, dear. We’ve come to the end of the line already. Let’s call it a day and begin afresh tomorrow. Some time alone with Jesus sounds about right just now. Won’t you join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Janus the Baptist? – Part 2
For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John [Matthew 11:13].
We concluded our last study by observing how the Roman god Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another thing. This concept has great bearing on the text quoted to begin this study. The Covenant of Law lasted until John Baptist arrived on the scene. Suddenly the Covenant of Grace took center stage, whether it was evident to folks at the time or not. Can anyone say “Janus the Baptist”?
The period of time from John the Baptist until the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus rose out of death was a sort of transition period. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus the God-man, in fulfillment of His promise to provide mankind with the seed of the woman. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deut.18:15). Jesus is the One who implemented the Covenant of Grace (John 1:17).
John the Baptist was the person sent from God to identify the Messiah. John baptized people as a sign of repentance, in order to prepare them for the Messiah when He appeared. Then John identified Jesus as the Messiah, after which he directed people to follow Jesus their Messiah.
This means John began his ministry while Israel was under the Covenant of Law, but he departed this earth after the Covenant of Grace was being proclaimed by Jesus. Ergo, the time of John the Baptist was a transition period between the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace. This made John the Baptist a sort of Janus. Janus the Baptist… Has a nice ring to it.
The transition period ended and the Covenant of Grace came in full force, when the Church was born on Pentecost. The birth of the Church signified the temporary setting aside of the nation of Israel as the people through whom God would carry out His plan for the earth. From that time until the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age, the Church contains the people through whom God is carrying on His work on earth.
The Law came through Moses and was given to the Israelites as the legal code for the Promised Land while Israel dwelt there. Grace came through Messiah Jesus and is given to the Church during the Church Age.
This is why Jesus declared that the the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist came on the scene. John introduced Jesus the Messiah to Israel under the Law. Jesus did several things as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world (i.e., the seed of the woman). Here are some of them:
1. He fulfilled the Law for Israel
2. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins
3. He rose out of death to provide forgiven sinners with new life
4. He ascended to heaven as the high priest for redeemed men
5. He sent the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church
So why would anyone in his right mind want to put himself under bondage to the Law and the prophets again? That’s lunacy! Jesus freed us from bondage to the Law, enabling us to freely live for Him in holiness.
The Law and the prophets lasted until John the Baptist. John’s long been gone. Now is the day of grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by observing how the Roman god Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another thing. This concept has great bearing on the text quoted to begin this study. The Covenant of Law lasted until John Baptist arrived on the scene. Suddenly the Covenant of Grace took center stage, whether it was evident to folks at the time or not. Can anyone say “Janus the Baptist”?
The period of time from John the Baptist until the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus rose out of death was a sort of transition period. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus the God-man, in fulfillment of His promise to provide mankind with the seed of the woman. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deut.18:15). Jesus is the One who implemented the Covenant of Grace (John 1:17).
John the Baptist was the person sent from God to identify the Messiah. John baptized people as a sign of repentance, in order to prepare them for the Messiah when He appeared. Then John identified Jesus as the Messiah, after which he directed people to follow Jesus their Messiah.
This means John began his ministry while Israel was under the Covenant of Law, but he departed this earth after the Covenant of Grace was being proclaimed by Jesus. Ergo, the time of John the Baptist was a transition period between the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace. This made John the Baptist a sort of Janus. Janus the Baptist… Has a nice ring to it.
The transition period ended and the Covenant of Grace came in full force, when the Church was born on Pentecost. The birth of the Church signified the temporary setting aside of the nation of Israel as the people through whom God would carry out His plan for the earth. From that time until the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age, the Church contains the people through whom God is carrying on His work on earth.
The Law came through Moses and was given to the Israelites as the legal code for the Promised Land while Israel dwelt there. Grace came through Messiah Jesus and is given to the Church during the Church Age.
This is why Jesus declared that the the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist came on the scene. John introduced Jesus the Messiah to Israel under the Law. Jesus did several things as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world (i.e., the seed of the woman). Here are some of them:
1. He fulfilled the Law for Israel
2. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins
3. He rose out of death to provide forgiven sinners with new life
4. He ascended to heaven as the high priest for redeemed men
5. He sent the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church
So why would anyone in his right mind want to put himself under bondage to the Law and the prophets again? That’s lunacy! Jesus freed us from bondage to the Law, enabling us to freely live for Him in holiness.
The Law and the prophets lasted until John the Baptist. John’s long been gone. Now is the day of grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Janus the Baptist? – Part 1
For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John [Matthew 11:13].
It’s Final Four week, that time of the year when the four best men’s college basketball teams go at it to determine a national champion. Consider how men’s college basketball games are structured. There are two halves, with each consisting of twenty minutes, for a total of forty minutes per game.
Once a college player graduates, if he is fortunate enough to move on to the NBA, he discovers he must make some changes in his perception of the game. For one thing there are no more “halves”, and for another the game no longer lasts forty minutes. The NBA game is divided into quarters, with each consisting of twelve minutes, for a total of forty-eight minutes per game.
And then there is the matter of how many games are played in a season. For the college ranks the number hovers around thirty, but for the NBA it soars to eighty-two. Hmm. “30” versus “82”. That’s a lot of difference! So no longer are there around 30 games per year, each consisting of only forty minutes. Suddenly the one-time college player must play 82 games of forty-eight minutes each. Think those guys are worn down by the end of the regular season?
I thought about this when I read the quoted text which began our study today. College rules apply for a time, then suddenly new and entirely different rules apply for the NBA. So it was with the Covenant of Law versus the Covenant of Grace.
Jesus noted how long the Covenant of Law lasted when he declared, “all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. That would be the John of John Baptist fame. UNTIL JOHN, i.e., up until the time of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets were in effect. The Old Covenant was God’s rule of Law for Israel.
Then suddenly the forty minute games became forty-eight minutes long, and the two halves transformed into four quarters. What once consisted of about 30 games suddenly metamorphosed into 82 games. Things were drastically different, you see, once John the Baptist came on the scene.
This calls to mind the Roman god Janus. Janus had two faces, with one facing behind and the other facing forward. The name “Janus” is where our month “January” derives its name. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Just as January 1 begins a new year by looking backward and then going forward, so too did the Roman god Janus. Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another.
Oh, dear. We’ve come to the end of the line already. Let’s call it a day and begin afresh tomorrow. Some time alone with Jesus sounds about right just now. Won’t you join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Matthew: Volume 7 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
It’s Final Four week, that time of the year when the four best men’s college basketball teams go at it to determine a national champion. Consider how men’s college basketball games are structured. There are two halves, with each consisting of twenty minutes, for a total of forty minutes per game.
Once a college player graduates, if he is fortunate enough to move on to the NBA, he discovers he must make some changes in his perception of the game. For one thing there are no more “halves”, and for another the game no longer lasts forty minutes. The NBA game is divided into quarters, with each consisting of twelve minutes, for a total of forty-eight minutes per game.
And then there is the matter of how many games are played in a season. For the college ranks the number hovers around thirty, but for the NBA it soars to eighty-two. Hmm. “30” versus “82”. That’s a lot of difference! So no longer are there around 30 games per year, each consisting of only forty minutes. Suddenly the one-time college player must play 82 games of forty-eight minutes each. Think those guys are worn down by the end of the regular season?
I thought about this when I read the quoted text which began our study today. College rules apply for a time, then suddenly new and entirely different rules apply for the NBA. So it was with the Covenant of Law versus the Covenant of Grace.
Jesus noted how long the Covenant of Law lasted when he declared, “all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John”. That would be the John of John Baptist fame. UNTIL JOHN, i.e., up until the time of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets were in effect. The Old Covenant was God’s rule of Law for Israel.
Then suddenly the forty minute games became forty-eight minutes long, and the two halves transformed into four quarters. What once consisted of about 30 games suddenly metamorphosed into 82 games. Things were drastically different, you see, once John the Baptist came on the scene.
This calls to mind the Roman god Janus. Janus had two faces, with one facing behind and the other facing forward. The name “Janus” is where our month “January” derives its name. Janus looked to the past and to the future at the same time. Just as January 1 begins a new year by looking backward and then going forward, so too did the Roman god Janus. Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another.
Oh, dear. We’ve come to the end of the line already. Let’s call it a day and begin afresh tomorrow. Some time alone with Jesus sounds about right just now. Won’t you join in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Matthew: Volume 7 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Janus the Baptist? – Part 2
For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John [Matthew 11:13].
We concluded our last study by observing how the Roman god Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another thing. This concept has great bearing on the text quoted to begin this study. The Covenant of Law lasted until John Baptist arrived on the scene. Suddenly the Covenant of Grace took center stage, whether it was evident to folks at the time or not. Can anyone say “Janus the Baptist”?
The period of time, from John the Baptist until the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus rose out of death, was a sort of transition period. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus the God-man, in fulfillment of His promise to provide mankind with the seed of the woman. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus is the One who implemented the Covenant of Grace (John 1:17).
John the Baptist was the person sent from God to identify the Messiah. John baptized people as a sign of repentance, in order to prepare them for the Messiah when He appeared. Then John identified Jesus as the Messiah, after which he directed people to follow Jesus their Messiah.
This means John began his ministry while Israel was under the Covenant of Law, but he departed this earth after the Covenant of Grace was being proclaimed by Jesus. Ergo, the time of John the Baptist was a transition period between the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace. This made John the Baptist a sort of Janus. Janus the Baptist… Has a nice ring to it.
The transition period ended and the Covenant of Grace came in full force, when the Church was born on Pentecost. The birth of the Church signified the temporary setting aside of the nation of Israel as the people through whom God would carry out His plan for the earth. From that time until the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age, the Church contains the people through whom God is carrying on His work on earth.
The Law came through Moses and was given to the Israelites as the legal code for the Promised Land while Israel dwelt there. Grace came through Messiah Jesus and is given to the Church during the Church Age.
This is why Jesus declared that the the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist came on the scene. John introduced Jesus the Messiah to Israel under the Law. Jesus did several things as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world (i.e., the seed of the woman). Here are some of them:
1. He fulfilled the Law for Israel
2. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins
3. He rose out of death to provide forgiven sinners with new life
4. He ascended to heaven as the high priest for redeemed men
5. He sent the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church
So why would anyone in his right mind want to put himself under bondage to the Law and the prophets again? That’s lunacy! Jesus freed us from bondage to the Law, enabling us to freely live for Him in holiness.
The Law and the prophets lasted until John the Baptist. John’s long been gone. Now is the day of grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Matthew: Volume 7 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by observing how the Roman god Janus signified the end of one thing and the start of another thing. This concept has great bearing on the text quoted to begin this study. The Covenant of Law lasted until John Baptist arrived on the scene. Suddenly the Covenant of Grace took center stage, whether it was evident to folks at the time or not. Can anyone say “Janus the Baptist”?
The period of time, from John the Baptist until the day of Pentecost fifty days after Jesus rose out of death, was a sort of transition period. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, Jesus the God-man, in fulfillment of His promise to provide mankind with the seed of the woman. Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah. Jesus is the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus is the One who implemented the Covenant of Grace (John 1:17).
John the Baptist was the person sent from God to identify the Messiah. John baptized people as a sign of repentance, in order to prepare them for the Messiah when He appeared. Then John identified Jesus as the Messiah, after which he directed people to follow Jesus their Messiah.
This means John began his ministry while Israel was under the Covenant of Law, but he departed this earth after the Covenant of Grace was being proclaimed by Jesus. Ergo, the time of John the Baptist was a transition period between the Covenant of Law and the Covenant of Grace. This made John the Baptist a sort of Janus. Janus the Baptist… Has a nice ring to it.
The transition period ended and the Covenant of Grace came in full force, when the Church was born on Pentecost. The birth of the Church signified the temporary setting aside of the nation of Israel as the people through whom God would carry out His plan for the earth. From that time until the Rapture of the Church at the end of the Church Age, the Church contains the people through whom God is carrying on His work on earth.
The Law came through Moses and was given to the Israelites as the legal code for the Promised Land while Israel dwelt there. Grace came through Messiah Jesus and is given to the Church during the Church Age.
This is why Jesus declared that the the Old Covenant was preached until John the Baptist came on the scene. John introduced Jesus the Messiah to Israel under the Law. Jesus did several things as the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world (i.e., the seed of the woman). Here are some of them:
1. He fulfilled the Law for Israel
2. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins
3. He rose out of death to provide forgiven sinners with new life
4. He ascended to heaven as the high priest for redeemed men
5. He sent the Holy Spirit to give birth to the Church
So why would anyone in his right mind want to put himself under bondage to the Law and the prophets again? That’s lunacy! Jesus freed us from bondage to the Law, enabling us to freely live for Him in holiness.
The Law and the prophets lasted until John the Baptist. John’s long been gone. Now is the day of grace. Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Matthew: Volume 7 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
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