Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "son-of-man"
Mount of Transwhat? – Part 1
Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him [Matthew 17:1-3].
In Matthew 17 Jesus took His three closest disciples with Him up an unspecified mountain. While they were there Jesus was transfigured. This is why that location is known as the Mount of Transfiguration.
Today as we walk down the sidewalk, we don’t often hear the kiddies playing while the parents converse about the topic of transfiguration. Be real now. When was the last time the topic came up at a church eat or a ballgame in the park? Just as I thought. Been a while!
But the topic carries the utmost theological significance, so it really should be a popular topic on the web and in the cafés and at the dinner table and on the sidewalks. Today we will initiate a discussion of the topic of transfiguration.
So what does the word transfiguration mean? Matthew 17 is a good place to begin vetting the word. Here are the vital parts to transfiguration:
• His face shone like the sun
• His garments became as white as light
• Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him
Yes, that last point is vital to a correct understanding of the concept behind the word transfiguration. Here’s why. In prior posts we’ve expatiated on the two natures of Jesus Christ. He is both God and man. He is fully God and fully man simultaneously.
He has always been the Son of God, existing with and being equal to God through all eternity. At approximately 3 B.C. He willingly was conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, in order to take upon Himself real and full humanity, a human body of like nature as all of ours, the sin nature excepted.
Nine months later he was born with a real human body and spent his twenty years growing into Jewish manhood. Thenceforth from 3 B.C. onward through all eternity He is fully God and fully man. In this way He is capable of bringing sinful man back into right relationship with the thrice holy God.
Now consider the transfiguration, dear friends. Jesus—remember, fully God and fully man simultaneously—ascended this mountain with Peter and James and John. Each day the three disciples walked with and talked with and beheld with their eyes Jesus the man, Jesus in human flesh. Suddenly they saw Him radiate the brightness of the sun. Even His clothing glowed pure white. Ergo, they caught a glimpse of Jesus’ deity, Jesus the Son of God.
The tabernacle built at Mt. Sinai housed the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah was perched atop the mercy seat inside the Holy of holies compartment of the tabernacle. The Shekinah appeared as a gigantic mushroom CLOUD during the daytime, but it resembled a pillar of FIRE during the nighttime. God is light, bright light, very bright light—no, even brighter than that! In the appearance of the Shekinah, God dwelt inside the tabernacle in the midst of the camp of Israel and shone out of it as the brightest of lights. The tabernacle was a tent structure.
Jesus’ human body served as the tent, the tabernacle in which God dwelt among men while He walked the earth back in the day. His flesh served as the tent fabric. Atop the mountain Jesus the Divine shone ever so brightly, like the Shekinah did from inside the tabernacle. By this picture story Jesus revealed to His three closest disciples both His humanity and His divinity simultaneously.
We will continue with this topic in our next post. For now why not join me for some quiet time with the Lord Jesus.
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...
In Matthew 17 Jesus took His three closest disciples with Him up an unspecified mountain. While they were there Jesus was transfigured. This is why that location is known as the Mount of Transfiguration.
Today as we walk down the sidewalk, we don’t often hear the kiddies playing while the parents converse about the topic of transfiguration. Be real now. When was the last time the topic came up at a church eat or a ballgame in the park? Just as I thought. Been a while!
But the topic carries the utmost theological significance, so it really should be a popular topic on the web and in the cafés and at the dinner table and on the sidewalks. Today we will initiate a discussion of the topic of transfiguration.
So what does the word transfiguration mean? Matthew 17 is a good place to begin vetting the word. Here are the vital parts to transfiguration:
• His face shone like the sun
• His garments became as white as light
• Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him
Yes, that last point is vital to a correct understanding of the concept behind the word transfiguration. Here’s why. In prior posts we’ve expatiated on the two natures of Jesus Christ. He is both God and man. He is fully God and fully man simultaneously.
He has always been the Son of God, existing with and being equal to God through all eternity. At approximately 3 B.C. He willingly was conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, in order to take upon Himself real and full humanity, a human body of like nature as all of ours, the sin nature excepted.
Nine months later he was born with a real human body and spent his twenty years growing into Jewish manhood. Thenceforth from 3 B.C. onward through all eternity He is fully God and fully man. In this way He is capable of bringing sinful man back into right relationship with the thrice holy God.
Now consider the transfiguration, dear friends. Jesus—remember, fully God and fully man simultaneously—ascended this mountain with Peter and James and John. Each day the three disciples walked with and talked with and beheld with their eyes Jesus the man, Jesus in human flesh. Suddenly they saw Him radiate the brightness of the sun. Even His clothing glowed pure white. Ergo, they caught a glimpse of Jesus’ deity, Jesus the Son of God.
The tabernacle built at Mt. Sinai housed the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah was perched atop the mercy seat inside the Holy of holies compartment of the tabernacle. The Shekinah appeared as a gigantic mushroom CLOUD during the daytime, but it resembled a pillar of FIRE during the nighttime. God is light, bright light, very bright light—no, even brighter than that! In the appearance of the Shekinah, God dwelt inside the tabernacle in the midst of the camp of Israel and shone out of it as the brightest of lights. The tabernacle was a tent structure.
Jesus’ human body served as the tent, the tabernacle in which God dwelt among men while He walked the earth back in the day. His flesh served as the tent fabric. Atop the mountain Jesus the Divine shone ever so brightly, like the Shekinah did from inside the tabernacle. By this picture story Jesus revealed to His three closest disciples both His humanity and His divinity simultaneously.
We will continue with this topic in our next post. For now why not join me for some quiet time with the Lord Jesus.
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...
Mount of Transwhat? – Part 2
Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him [Matthew 17:1-3].
This is the deepest of theological instruction, my friends. The message of 1 John is that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh does not belong to Jesus. 1 John also preaches that anyone who denies the Son does not belong to Jesus. Jesus in the flesh bespeaks Him being truly and fully human. Jesus the Son of God bespeaks Him being truly and fully God.
In other words we cannot dismiss or reject the two natures of Jesus and receive Him as our Savior. If we deny His Person, whatever we are believing in is not the true Jesus. Both natures are necessary for our salvation, so we must receive the real Jesus in His fullness. Let us be very clear about this doctrine. It is indispensable to the Christian faith, to the faith of any true Christian regardless of denominational bent or bias.
Oh, but what about the third point, you know, Moses and Elijah appearing and speaking with Jesus? It’s like this. Moses was the Lord’s prophet to bring the Law to Israel. Elijah was the Lord’s prophet to bring Israel back to the Law. Israel had fallen into pagan idolatry and then added Baal worship to her pantheon of gods. Elijah at God’s behest went to war against the false gods, in order to bring the Israelites back to the worship of the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The eternal Son of God took upon true human flesh and bore the name Jesus, in order to bring grace to the Israelites, and through them to the Gentiles too. Grace triumphs over Law any day of the week, dear friends. Moses the man and Elijah the man could not save anybody, just as the Law never could. Jesus the God-man can and does save anyone who will call upon Him. Still, it’s not by Law He does this but by grace.
When Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus, it revealed the truth of the resurrection and life after death. After all, they were still alive and talking with Jesus centuries after they left this earth! Moses did die physically, but he still lives in eternity. Elijah was raptured to heaven and never did die physically, and he is still alive in eternity.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 the Holy Spirit taught about what will transpire at the rapture of the Church. The Christians who have already died will rise first—Moses served as a type of this group. After them the Christians who are still alive physically will follow them—Elijah served as a type of this group. But where will we all go? To meet the Lord in the air, that’s where! And guess what the Lord will look like then? Well, He will be the resurrected Christ, so His body will shine like the sun and His clothing will glow pure white.
So what does this remind you of? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Let’s see… No, that isn’t it. Maybe… Nah, not that either. Oh, I got it! It’s the antitype of the transfiguration. Moses represented the dead Christians and Elijah the living Christians. Jesus represented, well, the living, resurrected Lord God because He is the living God.
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die [John 11:25-26]. Jesus classified the believers as those who died and those who still lived. This is in accord with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17—there is Jesus, and there are the believers who have died at the time Jesus returns in the clouds, and there are the believers who are still alive at the time Jesus returns in the clouds.
Now keep that context in mind, as we return to the secene on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus ascended a high mountain, which symbolized Him as being high above the earth, aka in the clouds. Jesus is the resurrection. Moses and Elijah came to Him as he was “in the clouds”, and they symbolized the dead in Christ and those in Christ who are still alive. Jesus’ transfiguration was a picture story which revealed the truth of the rapture. This is Biblical typology, dear friends. It employs visible, physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
All hail, King Jesus! May we all bow before you and acclaim you as our personal Lord and Savior. Be Lord of my life, I pray. Amen.
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...
This is the deepest of theological instruction, my friends. The message of 1 John is that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh does not belong to Jesus. 1 John also preaches that anyone who denies the Son does not belong to Jesus. Jesus in the flesh bespeaks Him being truly and fully human. Jesus the Son of God bespeaks Him being truly and fully God.
In other words we cannot dismiss or reject the two natures of Jesus and receive Him as our Savior. If we deny His Person, whatever we are believing in is not the true Jesus. Both natures are necessary for our salvation, so we must receive the real Jesus in His fullness. Let us be very clear about this doctrine. It is indispensable to the Christian faith, to the faith of any true Christian regardless of denominational bent or bias.
Oh, but what about the third point, you know, Moses and Elijah appearing and speaking with Jesus? It’s like this. Moses was the Lord’s prophet to bring the Law to Israel. Elijah was the Lord’s prophet to bring Israel back to the Law. Israel had fallen into pagan idolatry and then added Baal worship to her pantheon of gods. Elijah at God’s behest went to war against the false gods, in order to bring the Israelites back to the worship of the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The eternal Son of God took upon true human flesh and bore the name Jesus, in order to bring grace to the Israelites, and through them to the Gentiles too. Grace triumphs over Law any day of the week, dear friends. Moses the man and Elijah the man could not save anybody, just as the Law never could. Jesus the God-man can and does save anyone who will call upon Him. Still, it’s not by Law He does this but by grace.
When Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus, it revealed the truth of the resurrection and life after death. After all, they were still alive and talking with Jesus centuries after they left this earth! Moses did die physically, but he still lives in eternity. Elijah was raptured to heaven and never did die physically, and he is still alive in eternity.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 the Holy Spirit taught about what will transpire at the rapture of the Church. The Christians who have already died will rise first—Moses served as a type of this group. After them the Christians who are still alive physically will follow them—Elijah served as a type of this group. But where will we all go? To meet the Lord in the air, that’s where! And guess what the Lord will look like then? Well, He will be the resurrected Christ, so His body will shine like the sun and His clothing will glow pure white.
So what does this remind you of? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Let’s see… No, that isn’t it. Maybe… Nah, not that either. Oh, I got it! It’s the antitype of the transfiguration. Moses represented the dead Christians and Elijah the living Christians. Jesus represented, well, the living, resurrected Lord God because He is the living God.
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die [John 11:25-26]. Jesus classified the believers as those who died and those who still lived. This is in accord with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17—there is Jesus, and there are the believers who have died at the time Jesus returns in the clouds, and there are the believers who are still alive at the time Jesus returns in the clouds.
Now keep that context in mind, as we return to the secene on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus ascended a high mountain, which symbolized Him as being high above the earth, aka in the clouds. Jesus is the resurrection. Moses and Elijah came to Him as he was “in the clouds”, and they symbolized the dead in Christ and those in Christ who are still alive. Jesus’ transfiguration was a picture story which revealed the truth of the rapture. This is Biblical typology, dear friends. It employs visible, physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
All hail, King Jesus! May we all bow before you and acclaim you as our personal Lord and Savior. Be Lord of my life, I pray. Amen.
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...
Apples and Oranges – Part 1
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace [Isaiah 9:6].
It was one of the most memorable days of my life, the day my son was born to my wife and me. Yes, on that day “a child was born to us”. It was not so memorable a day to me, the day presents were given to us for our child. Yes, on that day presents “were given to us”. It’s not that the gifts were unappreciated. Not in the least! It’s just that, well, on the one hand we had a son and on the other we had presents. I believe the distinction should be clear enough to everyone, don’t you thing?
In the context of this distinction, read Isaiah 9:6 once more. On the one hand a child will be born to us. On the other hand a son will be given to us. I fear the words are often understood to mean the same thing. But we know by the distinction we presented in the first paragraph that this is not necessarily so. Truth be told, in Isaiah 9:6 it is definitely not so!
We’ve descanted on the idiosyncrasies of Biblical Hebrew poetry in a prior post. We’ve also done this much more extensively in Volumes 1-5 of our Heavenly Citizens series. I encourage you to go to the Amazon website listed at the end of this post and purchase your copies. Dig into the solid meat and stuff your spiritual appetite until you are surfeited! You will mature spiritually much fuller and much quicker, if you study entire books of the Bible in context chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse.
But I digress. Let’s backtrack to Biblical Hebrew poetry’s idiosyncrasies. Today we write poetry by making the words at the end of lines rhyme, and by making the lines to have the same number of beats or measurements. For example,
Roses are red, violets are blue;
Sugar is sweet, and so are you.
That’s poetry to the average Occidental today. Not so with Hebrew poetry however! Hebrew poetry didn’t rhyme the words at the end of lines: it rhymed ideas between one line and another. This is another way of saying two lines run parallel to each other in some way. Sometimes the ideas are the same or synonymous, giving it the name synonymous parallelism. Other times the ideas are opposite or antonymous, affixing it with the name antonymous parallelism.
The day has been long and the sun is now setting. Let’s pause for supper at the Lord’s table and take our rest. We will continue on the morrow, if you please.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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 was one of the most memorable days of my life, the day my son was born to my wife and me. Yes, on that day “a child was born to us”. It was not so memorable a day to me, the day presents were given to us for our child. Yes, on that day presents “were given to us”. It’s not that the gifts were unappreciated. Not in the least! It’s just that, well, on the one hand we had a son and on the other we had presents. I believe the distinction should be clear enough to everyone, don’t you thing?
In the context of this distinction, read Isaiah 9:6 once more. On the one hand a child will be born to us. On the other hand a son will be given to us. I fear the words are often understood to mean the same thing. But we know by the distinction we presented in the first paragraph that this is not necessarily so. Truth be told, in Isaiah 9:6 it is definitely not so!
We’ve descanted on the idiosyncrasies of Biblical Hebrew poetry in a prior post. We’ve also done this much more extensively in Volumes 1-5 of our Heavenly Citizens series. I encourage you to go to the Amazon website listed at the end of this post and purchase your copies. Dig into the solid meat and stuff your spiritual appetite until you are surfeited! You will mature spiritually much fuller and much quicker, if you study entire books of the Bible in context chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse.
But I digress. Let’s backtrack to Biblical Hebrew poetry’s idiosyncrasies. Today we write poetry by making the words at the end of lines rhyme, and by making the lines to have the same number of beats or measurements. For example,
Roses are red, violets are blue;
Sugar is sweet, and so are you.
That’s poetry to the average Occidental today. Not so with Hebrew poetry however! Hebrew poetry didn’t rhyme the words at the end of lines: it rhymed ideas between one line and another. This is another way of saying two lines run parallel to each other in some way. Sometimes the ideas are the same or synonymous, giving it the name synonymous parallelism. Other times the ideas are opposite or antonymous, affixing it with the name antonymous parallelism.
The day has been long and the sun is now setting. Let’s pause for supper at the Lord’s table and take our rest. We will continue on the morrow, if you please.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
Apples and Oranges – Part 2
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace [Isaiah 9:6].
Consider the first part of Isaiah 9:6 as an example of Biblical Hebrew parallelism:
For a child will be born to us,
A son will be given to us.
The two lines are synonymous, brothers and sisters. What we have to realize, however, is that this doesn’t mean they have precisely the same meaning in all aspects. No! The two lines run parallel to each other by presenting much of the same meaning…but not all of the same meaning. Just recall the distinction we made when we began this post. To be “born” is not necessarily the same as to be “given”.
The latter part of Isaiah 9:6 identifies who the “child” and “son” would be. Those words point out that He was to be the Messiah, somehow a man and somehow God. Don’t believe me? Read the latter part of the verse again. Do they not specifically state that this person was “Mighty God”? And did the verse not begin by telling us “a child will be born to us”?
When was God born? Uh, that would be NEVER! Humans are born. Am I not right? So a human would be born to us, and this human would be “Mighty God”. Now where have we heard this before? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Let’s see. Was it in Aesop’s fables? No, that wasn’t it. Perhaps it is in the U.S. Constitution. Not so much. Ah, yes, I remember now. It is in the New Testament. Come to think of it, it is the most fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith!
The words “a child” and “a son” run parallel with each other, you see. The words “will be born” and “will be given” also run parallel with each other. But that is the extent of their being synonymous, dear friends. The Messiah later was born and named Jesus. The word Christ is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah. The phrase Jesus Christ is not a name. Jesus is His human name, while Christ is His title. He is Jesus the Messiah.
Jesus was born a true human male, yes. A Jewish virgin Mary was His mother. But Jesus had no human father. The Holy Spirit miraculously impregnated Mary with the eternal Son of God. This is inexplicable to our finite minds, but the Bible teaches it straightforwardly enough. Either we believe it, which is the meaning of having Biblical faith, or else we don’t and remain in our sins.
In this context consider how much more is stated by Isaiah 9:6 than is at first blush ostensible. “A child is born”—that occurs every day, so we wouldn’t put much stock in the phrase if it stood alone. But it doesn’t! It runs parallel with “a son is given”. In light of the further revelation we have from the New Testament, consider Who this child is.
The “son” of Isaiah 9:6 is the eternal Son of God, which makes Him God. He exists from all eternity with God the Father. Our heavenly Father GAVE him to us. The “child” of Isaiah 9:6 is the human Son of Mary through a miracle by the Holy Spirit. This Person is both God and man simultaneously, fully, and thenceforth eternally.
The Old Testament presented many mysteries which could not be understood back in the day. The revelations in the New Testament explain them to us. Isn’t God good? Yes, He is…all the time. Let’s go visit with Him now and tell Him so.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
Consider the first part of Isaiah 9:6 as an example of Biblical Hebrew parallelism:
For a child will be born to us,
A son will be given to us.
The two lines are synonymous, brothers and sisters. What we have to realize, however, is that this doesn’t mean they have precisely the same meaning in all aspects. No! The two lines run parallel to each other by presenting much of the same meaning…but not all of the same meaning. Just recall the distinction we made when we began this post. To be “born” is not necessarily the same as to be “given”.
The latter part of Isaiah 9:6 identifies who the “child” and “son” would be. Those words point out that He was to be the Messiah, somehow a man and somehow God. Don’t believe me? Read the latter part of the verse again. Do they not specifically state that this person was “Mighty God”? And did the verse not begin by telling us “a child will be born to us”?
When was God born? Uh, that would be NEVER! Humans are born. Am I not right? So a human would be born to us, and this human would be “Mighty God”. Now where have we heard this before? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Let’s see. Was it in Aesop’s fables? No, that wasn’t it. Perhaps it is in the U.S. Constitution. Not so much. Ah, yes, I remember now. It is in the New Testament. Come to think of it, it is the most fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith!
The words “a child” and “a son” run parallel with each other, you see. The words “will be born” and “will be given” also run parallel with each other. But that is the extent of their being synonymous, dear friends. The Messiah later was born and named Jesus. The word Christ is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah. The phrase Jesus Christ is not a name. Jesus is His human name, while Christ is His title. He is Jesus the Messiah.
Jesus was born a true human male, yes. A Jewish virgin Mary was His mother. But Jesus had no human father. The Holy Spirit miraculously impregnated Mary with the eternal Son of God. This is inexplicable to our finite minds, but the Bible teaches it straightforwardly enough. Either we believe it, which is the meaning of having Biblical faith, or else we don’t and remain in our sins.
In this context consider how much more is stated by Isaiah 9:6 than is at first blush ostensible. “A child is born”—that occurs every day, so we wouldn’t put much stock in the phrase if it stood alone. But it doesn’t! It runs parallel with “a son is given”. In light of the further revelation we have from the New Testament, consider Who this child is.
The “son” of Isaiah 9:6 is the eternal Son of God, which makes Him God. He exists from all eternity with God the Father. Our heavenly Father GAVE him to us. The “child” of Isaiah 9:6 is the human Son of Mary through a miracle by the Holy Spirit. This Person is both God and man simultaneously, fully, and thenceforth eternally.
The Old Testament presented many mysteries which could not be understood back in the day. The revelations in the New Testament explain them to us. Isn’t God good? Yes, He is…all the time. Let’s go visit with Him now and tell Him so.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 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...
That’s Just Perfect! – Part 1
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings [Hebrews 2:9-10].
The last time I purchased a new automobile, it was a most peculiar affair. I found myself inside the dealer’s showroom. The salesman was courteous as all get-out, smiling from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. And when it came to service on my new automobile, the salesman had a knack for disappearing like the Cheshire Cat!
But that is not the subject of the story. I signed the papers—I couldn’t resist the ear-to-ear smile—and drove my brand spanking new car home to my driveway. I phoned all my friends to report my good fortune. I have a brand spanking new car!
So everyone came over, elated at my good fortune. They marveled at the beauty of the car, the slimline features, the shine in the finish, a grill which was the envy of the neighborhood. Well, you get the point. They were impressed!
Nary a friend present declined a ride in my brand spanking new car. Truth be told, each one insisted on it. So the first batch of folks piled in, cramming themselves until they were jam-packed to the brim. The car was bursting at the seams, but no one seemed to mind at all. They were too ebullient in anticipation of the fantastic, super-duper ride they expected.
So there I was, sitting in the driveway in the driver’s seat of my brand spanking new car, the car bursting at the seams with passengers-to-be, my good friends at that. They were urging me on. It seems that, in their estimation, I wasn’t moving fast enough at starting the trip.
Let’s go, dude! Get a move on already! I can’t wait to feel how this beautiful piece of machinery glides along the road, like a flat stone skating across the surface of a calm lake. O! the suspense is unbearable. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
Well, it went something like that anyway. And that was the best part, because no sooner did I insert the key into the ignition and turn it, than we all experienced a letdown of gigantic proportions. The engine sputtered and stuttered and in general coughed up its last gasping breath.
There was my brand spanking new car filled with a good many of my friends, and many more were in the front yard observing this embarrassment. I was suddenly suffused with a flushed face, the butt of all the jokes that day. O! the shame of it all!
I wasn’t going to tolerate such shenanigans. I hied off to the car salesman and vented my perturbation.
This is totally unacceptable! Your lousy excuse for a car just cost me the respect of all my friends. And you can bet your booties, Granny, they won’t come here to buy a car anytime soon. How dare you sell me a piece of junk like that!
You won’t believe what the dealer had to say about this. So be sure to return tomorrow and hear it for yourself. For now let’s go to Jesus and find out what He has to say.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The last time I purchased a new automobile, it was a most peculiar affair. I found myself inside the dealer’s showroom. The salesman was courteous as all get-out, smiling from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. And when it came to service on my new automobile, the salesman had a knack for disappearing like the Cheshire Cat!
But that is not the subject of the story. I signed the papers—I couldn’t resist the ear-to-ear smile—and drove my brand spanking new car home to my driveway. I phoned all my friends to report my good fortune. I have a brand spanking new car!
So everyone came over, elated at my good fortune. They marveled at the beauty of the car, the slimline features, the shine in the finish, a grill which was the envy of the neighborhood. Well, you get the point. They were impressed!
Nary a friend present declined a ride in my brand spanking new car. Truth be told, each one insisted on it. So the first batch of folks piled in, cramming themselves until they were jam-packed to the brim. The car was bursting at the seams, but no one seemed to mind at all. They were too ebullient in anticipation of the fantastic, super-duper ride they expected.
So there I was, sitting in the driveway in the driver’s seat of my brand spanking new car, the car bursting at the seams with passengers-to-be, my good friends at that. They were urging me on. It seems that, in their estimation, I wasn’t moving fast enough at starting the trip.
Let’s go, dude! Get a move on already! I can’t wait to feel how this beautiful piece of machinery glides along the road, like a flat stone skating across the surface of a calm lake. O! the suspense is unbearable. Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!
Well, it went something like that anyway. And that was the best part, because no sooner did I insert the key into the ignition and turn it, than we all experienced a letdown of gigantic proportions. The engine sputtered and stuttered and in general coughed up its last gasping breath.
There was my brand spanking new car filled with a good many of my friends, and many more were in the front yard observing this embarrassment. I was suddenly suffused with a flushed face, the butt of all the jokes that day. O! the shame of it all!
I wasn’t going to tolerate such shenanigans. I hied off to the car salesman and vented my perturbation.
This is totally unacceptable! Your lousy excuse for a car just cost me the respect of all my friends. And you can bet your booties, Granny, they won’t come here to buy a car anytime soon. How dare you sell me a piece of junk like that!
You won’t believe what the dealer had to say about this. So be sure to return tomorrow and hear it for yourself. For now let’s go to Jesus and find out what He has to say.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
That’s Just Perfect! – Part 2
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings [Hebrews 2:9-10].
My brand spanking new car wouldn’t even start. It was all of three hours old, and all the engine could do was groan and moan and kick the bucket. So I hied off to the car dealer to give him a piece of my mind…a big piece!
The dealer asked for clarification. He wanted to know what the problem was. So I painted him a picture of that entire afternoon. He looked at me for a moment, scratched his head, then retorted,
I still don’t see the problem, son. The air conditioner works fine, doesn’t it? And the radio plays sweet tunes. The tires are inflated properly, and the gas tank is full. You can run the automobile for hours and listen to the radio in air conditioned comfort, all to your little ol’ heart’s content. And all your friends will be impressed. So what more could you ask for? You are a strange one, sir.
Huh? Are we missing something here? Did we just pass into the Twilight Zone? The Beatles “Yellow Submarine” made more sense than the car salesman! One would think his name was “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and he lived on Boulevard Strawberry Fields Forever.
You see, no one pays big bucks for an automobile, just so he can sit in air conditioned comfort and hear a fantastic stereo system. For that we buy a home stereo setup. We buy a car so we can drive to different places. The engine is primary. The stereo and A/C are extras. (By the way, I made this up. No car salesman would be so inept.)
In Biblical terminology we would say that the imagined automobile I purchased was not “perfected”. It didn’t serve the purpose for which an automobile is manufactured. That is the real meaning in Scripture for being “perfect” or “complete”. It doesn’t have to do with moral issues, with sinlessness and holiness. It refers to something attaining to the purpose for which it was made.
Allow me to cite a Biblical example to illustrate. The Lord prophesied through Isaiah that He would raise up Cyrus king of Persia to put the hurting to Babylon. Cyrus was a heathen king who ruled a heathen empire. Yet the Lord arranged history so that Cyrus accomplished God’s work. When Cyrus did what the Lord foretold he would do, Cyrus was “perfected”. No, this heathen king wasn’t sinless or holy; but he was “perfected”.
In the same vein we read in our Bible verses today of another Person being “perfected”. As Cyrus king of Persia was “perfected”, so too in the case of the Person in our Bible verses: He wasn’t less than “perfect” and somehow became “perfect”, not in the sense of being imperfect or sinful and becoming sinless. He was “made perfect” though.
This concept is absolutely essential to get solidified in our noggins, if we are to rightly understand the Scriptures. And we will attempt a right understanding of them in our next study. For now let’s visit with our Lord Jesus and learn from Him.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
My brand spanking new car wouldn’t even start. It was all of three hours old, and all the engine could do was groan and moan and kick the bucket. So I hied off to the car dealer to give him a piece of my mind…a big piece!
The dealer asked for clarification. He wanted to know what the problem was. So I painted him a picture of that entire afternoon. He looked at me for a moment, scratched his head, then retorted,
I still don’t see the problem, son. The air conditioner works fine, doesn’t it? And the radio plays sweet tunes. The tires are inflated properly, and the gas tank is full. You can run the automobile for hours and listen to the radio in air conditioned comfort, all to your little ol’ heart’s content. And all your friends will be impressed. So what more could you ask for? You are a strange one, sir.
Huh? Are we missing something here? Did we just pass into the Twilight Zone? The Beatles “Yellow Submarine” made more sense than the car salesman! One would think his name was “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and he lived on Boulevard Strawberry Fields Forever.
You see, no one pays big bucks for an automobile, just so he can sit in air conditioned comfort and hear a fantastic stereo system. For that we buy a home stereo setup. We buy a car so we can drive to different places. The engine is primary. The stereo and A/C are extras. (By the way, I made this up. No car salesman would be so inept.)
In Biblical terminology we would say that the imagined automobile I purchased was not “perfected”. It didn’t serve the purpose for which an automobile is manufactured. That is the real meaning in Scripture for being “perfect” or “complete”. It doesn’t have to do with moral issues, with sinlessness and holiness. It refers to something attaining to the purpose for which it was made.
Allow me to cite a Biblical example to illustrate. The Lord prophesied through Isaiah that He would raise up Cyrus king of Persia to put the hurting to Babylon. Cyrus was a heathen king who ruled a heathen empire. Yet the Lord arranged history so that Cyrus accomplished God’s work. When Cyrus did what the Lord foretold he would do, Cyrus was “perfected”. No, this heathen king wasn’t sinless or holy; but he was “perfected”.
In the same vein we read in our Bible verses today of another Person being “perfected”. As Cyrus king of Persia was “perfected”, so too in the case of the Person in our Bible verses: He wasn’t less than “perfect” and somehow became “perfect”, not in the sense of being imperfect or sinful and becoming sinless. He was “made perfect” though.
This concept is absolutely essential to get solidified in our noggins, if we are to rightly understand the Scriptures. And we will attempt a right understanding of them in our next study. For now let’s visit with our Lord Jesus and learn from Him.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
That’s Just Perfect! – Part 3
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings [Hebrews 2:9-10].
We ended our last study by defining the Biblical usage of the term “perfect” or “perfected”. When someone matures or reaches the stage where he accomplishes the purpose for which he was made, then he is said to be “perfect” or “perfected”.
Our Bible verses quoted above are about Jesus. Let us understand that the name “Jesus” was given to the eternal Son of God at a point in time when He took upon real humanity and became a man. Now Jesus is the God-man. Before He took upon humanity, however, Jesus didn’t exist. The eternal Son of God always exists, but the God-man Jesus began circa 3 B.C.
In taking upon humanity Jesus “was made for a little while lower than the angels”, as Hebrews 2:9 phrases it. This is an allusion to the eternal Son of God becoming a man.
The purpose for Jesus doing this is worded “so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone”. We cannot fail to recognize the reference to the cross of Christ in those words. The purpose for the eternal Son of God becoming a man—all the while remaining the eternal Son of God—was to enable Him to die on the cross.
Even more, His death on the cross was to “taste death for everyone”. Jesus’ crucifixion was the payment for the penalty of sins for all mankind. That should be palpable from those words. The wages of sin is death, and all have sinned. Ergo, everyone must die. Jesus’ died everyone’s death so that everyone might live His life.
Now let’s observe the words “Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor”. God the Father crowned Jesus the Son with glory and honor because Jesus the Son suffered death on behalf of everyone. That is the teaching to be culled from those words.
We read the same teaching by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5-11. You would do well to turn in your Bible to that passage and prayerfully read the teaching there.
The reason God the Father crowned Jesus with glory and honor was because Jesus died everyone’s death as payment for the penalty of everyone’s sins. In other words the eternal Son of God had a purpose for taking upon humanity, and it was to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.
When Jesus did so, He achieved the purpose for which He was made, viz., to pay the penalty for sins. This is another way of saying that Jesus was “made perfect” or was “perfected”. The eternal Son of God wasn’t “made perfect” or “perfected”. Jesus the God-man was.
This is deep theological truth, dear friends. We are standing on holy ground, when we discuss this topic. We need to stop and sit before the Lord Jesus now. Allow Him to prepare us to continue this journey in our next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We ended our last study by defining the Biblical usage of the term “perfect” or “perfected”. When someone matures or reaches the stage where he accomplishes the purpose for which he was made, then he is said to be “perfect” or “perfected”.
Our Bible verses quoted above are about Jesus. Let us understand that the name “Jesus” was given to the eternal Son of God at a point in time when He took upon real humanity and became a man. Now Jesus is the God-man. Before He took upon humanity, however, Jesus didn’t exist. The eternal Son of God always exists, but the God-man Jesus began circa 3 B.C.
In taking upon humanity Jesus “was made for a little while lower than the angels”, as Hebrews 2:9 phrases it. This is an allusion to the eternal Son of God becoming a man.
The purpose for Jesus doing this is worded “so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone”. We cannot fail to recognize the reference to the cross of Christ in those words. The purpose for the eternal Son of God becoming a man—all the while remaining the eternal Son of God—was to enable Him to die on the cross.
Even more, His death on the cross was to “taste death for everyone”. Jesus’ crucifixion was the payment for the penalty of sins for all mankind. That should be palpable from those words. The wages of sin is death, and all have sinned. Ergo, everyone must die. Jesus’ died everyone’s death so that everyone might live His life.
Now let’s observe the words “Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor”. God the Father crowned Jesus the Son with glory and honor because Jesus the Son suffered death on behalf of everyone. That is the teaching to be culled from those words.
We read the same teaching by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5-11. You would do well to turn in your Bible to that passage and prayerfully read the teaching there.
The reason God the Father crowned Jesus with glory and honor was because Jesus died everyone’s death as payment for the penalty of everyone’s sins. In other words the eternal Son of God had a purpose for taking upon humanity, and it was to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind.
When Jesus did so, He achieved the purpose for which He was made, viz., to pay the penalty for sins. This is another way of saying that Jesus was “made perfect” or was “perfected”. The eternal Son of God wasn’t “made perfect” or “perfected”. Jesus the God-man was.
This is deep theological truth, dear friends. We are standing on holy ground, when we discuss this topic. We need to stop and sit before the Lord Jesus now. Allow Him to prepare us to continue this journey in our next study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
That’s Just Perfect! – Part 4
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings [Hebrews 2:9-10].
We ended our last study on a most holy topic, the two natures of Jesus the God-man. Let’s continue this discussion now.
The eternal Son of God was never created or made. He created all things, but He Himself always is. He is the plumb line by which everyone and everything else is measured. Jesus, on the other hand, is not the eternal Son of God: He is both God and man. Jesus is the name of the God-man, not the name of the eternal Son of God.
The eternal Son of God cannot die: He is God! In order to die for mankind’s sins, the eternal Son of God had to become a man. As a man He could die: as the eternal Son of God He can not die. This is a profound mystery of eternity—even more, a mystery of the very nature of God and, more specifically, of the two natures of the God-man.
It would be dangerous for us to try to explain too much about the issue. We can only know what the Lord reveals about it to us in His Word. Even then we are limited in our understanding by our finite nature. Our Bible verses intimate the truths we are discoursing about, but the verses don’t set before us a complete unfolding of all the details.
The purpose of our study is to mine the ore of the topic about being “made perfect”, or being “perfected”. This is a much more limited attempt at understanding than is the topic of the two natures of Jesus the God-man. The Bible is written to teach us everything we need to know for a life of godliness, not to satisfy our every curiosity about eternity and the things of God.
Our two Bible verses are quite admirably divided into two sentences. Verse 9 is about Jesus, but verse 10 is about God the Father. Read the verses again, slowly please…no, more slowly than that. Ah, that’s better. Jesus is specifically identified as the subject in the first sentence, as you can see.
The second sentence distinguishes between Jesus and the One who “perfected” Jesus. This other One is identified in the first sentence as “God”. God is the One “for whom are all things, and through whom are all things”. This means He is the Creator. We know that much from Genesis 1.
Well, God is the One “bringing many sons to glory”. How did God do this? John 3:16 answers the question:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…
Jesus did the dying, but God the Father did the giving, you see. And in bringing salvation to mankind (“bringing many sons to glory”), God the Father made “perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings”. This author of man’s salvation is none of than Jesus the God-man.
We already explained what it means for Jesus to be “made perfect” or “perfected”. The eternal Son of God took upon humanity to die for the sins of mankind. This was done “through sufferings” on the cross. When Jesus achieved the purpose for which He was made a man, He was “made perfect” or “perfected”.
Let’s savor this delectable morsel of spiritual truth. I hear there is a fine dining table in the prayer closet. Let’s make use of it now. Thank you, Jesus, for Your Word. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We ended our last study on a most holy topic, the two natures of Jesus the God-man. Let’s continue this discussion now.
The eternal Son of God was never created or made. He created all things, but He Himself always is. He is the plumb line by which everyone and everything else is measured. Jesus, on the other hand, is not the eternal Son of God: He is both God and man. Jesus is the name of the God-man, not the name of the eternal Son of God.
The eternal Son of God cannot die: He is God! In order to die for mankind’s sins, the eternal Son of God had to become a man. As a man He could die: as the eternal Son of God He can not die. This is a profound mystery of eternity—even more, a mystery of the very nature of God and, more specifically, of the two natures of the God-man.
It would be dangerous for us to try to explain too much about the issue. We can only know what the Lord reveals about it to us in His Word. Even then we are limited in our understanding by our finite nature. Our Bible verses intimate the truths we are discoursing about, but the verses don’t set before us a complete unfolding of all the details.
The purpose of our study is to mine the ore of the topic about being “made perfect”, or being “perfected”. This is a much more limited attempt at understanding than is the topic of the two natures of Jesus the God-man. The Bible is written to teach us everything we need to know for a life of godliness, not to satisfy our every curiosity about eternity and the things of God.
Our two Bible verses are quite admirably divided into two sentences. Verse 9 is about Jesus, but verse 10 is about God the Father. Read the verses again, slowly please…no, more slowly than that. Ah, that’s better. Jesus is specifically identified as the subject in the first sentence, as you can see.
The second sentence distinguishes between Jesus and the One who “perfected” Jesus. This other One is identified in the first sentence as “God”. God is the One “for whom are all things, and through whom are all things”. This means He is the Creator. We know that much from Genesis 1.
Well, God is the One “bringing many sons to glory”. How did God do this? John 3:16 answers the question:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…
Jesus did the dying, but God the Father did the giving, you see. And in bringing salvation to mankind (“bringing many sons to glory”), God the Father made “perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings”. This author of man’s salvation is none of than Jesus the God-man.
We already explained what it means for Jesus to be “made perfect” or “perfected”. The eternal Son of God took upon humanity to die for the sins of mankind. This was done “through sufferings” on the cross. When Jesus achieved the purpose for which He was made a man, He was “made perfect” or “perfected”.
Let’s savor this delectable morsel of spiritual truth. I hear there is a fine dining table in the prayer closet. Let’s make use of it now. Thank you, Jesus, for Your Word. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Mount of Transwhat? – Part 1
Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him [Matthew 17:1-3].
In Matthew 17 Jesus took His three closest disciples with Him up an unspecified mountain. While they were there Jesus was transfigured. This is why that location is known as the Mount of Transfiguration.
Today as we walk down the sidewalk, we don’t often hear the kiddies playing while the parents converse about the topic of transfiguration. Be real now. When was the last time the topic came up at a church eat or a ballgame in the park? Just as I thought. Been a while!
But the topic carries the utmost theological significance, so it really should be a popular topic on the web and in the cafés and at the dinner table and on the sidewalks. Today we will initiate a discussion of the topic of transfiguration.
So what does the word transfiguration mean? Matthew 17 is a good place to begin vetting the word. Here are the vital parts to transfiguration:
• His face shone like the sun
• His garments became as white as light
• Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him
Yes, that last point is vital to a correct understanding of the concept behind the word transfiguration. Here’s why. In prior posts we’ve expatiated on the two natures of Jesus Christ. He is both God and man. He is fully God and fully man simultaneously.
He has always been the Son of God, existing with and being equal to God through all eternity. At approximately 3 B.C. He willingly was conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, in order to take upon Himself real and full humanity, a human body of like nature as all of ours, the sin nature excepted.
Nine months later he was born with a real human body and spent his twenty years growing into Jewish manhood.
Thenceforth from 3 B.C. onward through all eternity He is fully God and fully man. In this way He is capable of bringing sinful man back into right relationship with the thrice holy God.
Now consider the transfiguration, dear friends. Jesus—remember, fully God and fully man simultaneously—ascended this mountain with Peter and James and John. Each day the three disciples walked with and talked with and beheld with their eyes Jesus the man, Jesus in human flesh. Suddenly they saw Him radiate the brightness of the sun. Even His clothing glowed pure white. Ergo, they caught a glimpse of Jesus’ deity, Jesus the Son of God.
The tabernacle built at Mt. Sinai housed the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah was perched atop the mercy seat inside the Holy of holies compartment of the tabernacle. The Shekinah appeared as a gigantic mushroom CLOUD during the daytime, but it resembled a pillar of FIRE during the nighttime. God is light, bright light, very bright light—no, even brighter than that! In the appearance of the Shekinah, God dwelt inside the tabernacle in the midst of the camp of Israel and shone out of it as the brightest of lights. The tabernacle was a tent structure.
Jesus’ human body served as the tent, the tabernacle in which God dwelt among men while He walked the earth back in the day. His flesh served as the tent fabric. Atop the mountain Jesus the Divine shone ever so brightly, like the Shekinah did from inside the tabernacle. By this picture story Jesus revealed to His three closest disciples both His humanity and His divinity simultaneously.
We will continue with this topic in our next post. For now why not join me for some quiet time with the Lord Jesus.
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...
In Matthew 17 Jesus took His three closest disciples with Him up an unspecified mountain. While they were there Jesus was transfigured. This is why that location is known as the Mount of Transfiguration.
Today as we walk down the sidewalk, we don’t often hear the kiddies playing while the parents converse about the topic of transfiguration. Be real now. When was the last time the topic came up at a church eat or a ballgame in the park? Just as I thought. Been a while!
But the topic carries the utmost theological significance, so it really should be a popular topic on the web and in the cafés and at the dinner table and on the sidewalks. Today we will initiate a discussion of the topic of transfiguration.
So what does the word transfiguration mean? Matthew 17 is a good place to begin vetting the word. Here are the vital parts to transfiguration:
• His face shone like the sun
• His garments became as white as light
• Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him
Yes, that last point is vital to a correct understanding of the concept behind the word transfiguration. Here’s why. In prior posts we’ve expatiated on the two natures of Jesus Christ. He is both God and man. He is fully God and fully man simultaneously.
He has always been the Son of God, existing with and being equal to God through all eternity. At approximately 3 B.C. He willingly was conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, in order to take upon Himself real and full humanity, a human body of like nature as all of ours, the sin nature excepted.
Nine months later he was born with a real human body and spent his twenty years growing into Jewish manhood.
Thenceforth from 3 B.C. onward through all eternity He is fully God and fully man. In this way He is capable of bringing sinful man back into right relationship with the thrice holy God.
Now consider the transfiguration, dear friends. Jesus—remember, fully God and fully man simultaneously—ascended this mountain with Peter and James and John. Each day the three disciples walked with and talked with and beheld with their eyes Jesus the man, Jesus in human flesh. Suddenly they saw Him radiate the brightness of the sun. Even His clothing glowed pure white. Ergo, they caught a glimpse of Jesus’ deity, Jesus the Son of God.
The tabernacle built at Mt. Sinai housed the Shekinah cloud of glory. The Shekinah was perched atop the mercy seat inside the Holy of holies compartment of the tabernacle. The Shekinah appeared as a gigantic mushroom CLOUD during the daytime, but it resembled a pillar of FIRE during the nighttime. God is light, bright light, very bright light—no, even brighter than that! In the appearance of the Shekinah, God dwelt inside the tabernacle in the midst of the camp of Israel and shone out of it as the brightest of lights. The tabernacle was a tent structure.
Jesus’ human body served as the tent, the tabernacle in which God dwelt among men while He walked the earth back in the day. His flesh served as the tent fabric. Atop the mountain Jesus the Divine shone ever so brightly, like the Shekinah did from inside the tabernacle. By this picture story Jesus revealed to His three closest disciples both His humanity and His divinity simultaneously.
We will continue with this topic in our next post. For now why not join me for some quiet time with the Lord Jesus.
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...
Mount of Transwhat? – Part 2
Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him [Matthew 17:1-3].
This is the deepest of theological instruction, my friends. The message of 1 John is that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh does not belong to Jesus. 1 John also preaches that anyone who denies the Son does not belong to Jesus. Jesus in the flesh bespeaks Him being truly and fully human. Jesus the Son of God bespeaks Him being truly and fully God.
In other words we cannot dismiss or reject the two natures of Jesus and receive Him as our Savior. If we deny His Person, whatever we are believing in is not the true Jesus. Both natures are necessary for our salvation, so we must receive the real Jesus in His fullness. Let us be very clear about this doctrine. It is indispensable to the Christian faith, to the faith of any true Christian regardless of denominational bent or bias.
Oh, but what about the third point, you know, Moses and Elijah appearing and speaking with Jesus? It’s like this. Moses was the Lord’s prophet to bring the Law to Israel. Elijah was the Lord’s prophet to bring Israel back to the Law. Israel had fallen into pagan idolatry and then added Baal worship to her pantheon of gods. Elijah at God’s behest went to war against the false gods, in order to bring the Israelites back to the worship of the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The eternal Son of God took upon true human flesh and bore the name Jesus, in order to bring grace to the Israelites, and through them to the Gentiles too. Grace triumphs over Law any day of the week, dear friends. Moses the man and Elijah the man could not save anybody, just as the Law never could. Jesus the God-man can and does save anyone who will call upon Him. Still, it’s not by Law He does this but by grace.
When Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus, it revealed the truth of the resurrection and life after death. After all, they were still alive and talking with Jesus centuries after they left this earth! Moses did die physically, but he still lives in eternity. Elijah was raptured to heaven and never did die physically, and he is still alive in eternity.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 the Holy Spirit taught about what will transpire at the Rapture of the Church. The Christians who have already died will rise first—Moses served as a type of this group. After them the Christians who are still alive physically will follow them—Elijah served as a type of this group. But where will we all go? To meet the Lord in the air, that’s where! And guess what the Lord will look like then? Well, He will be the resurrected Christ, so His body will shine like the sun and His clothing will glow pure white.
So what does this remind you of? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Let’s see… No, that isn’t it. Maybe… Nah, not that either. Oh, I got it! It’s the antitype of the transfiguration. Moses represented the dead Christians and Elijah the living Christians. Jesus represented, well, the living, resurrected Lord God because He is the living God.
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die [John 11:25-26]. Jesus classified the believers as those who died and those who still lived. This is in accord with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17—there is Jesus, and there are the believers who have died at the time Jesus returns in the clouds, and there are the believers who are still alive at the time Jesus returns in the clouds.
Now keep that context in mind, as we return to the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus ascended a high mountain, which symbolized Him as being high above the earth, aka in the clouds. Jesus is the resurrection. Moses and Elijah came to Him as he was “in the clouds”, and they symbolized the dead in Christ and those in Christ who are still alive. Jesus’ transfiguration was a picture story which revealed the truth of the rapture. This is Biblical typology, dear friends. It employs visible, physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
All hail, King Jesus! May we all bow before you and acclaim you as our personal Lord and Savior. Be Lord of my life, I pray. Amen.
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...
This is the deepest of theological instruction, my friends. The message of 1 John is that anyone who denies that Jesus has come in the flesh does not belong to Jesus. 1 John also preaches that anyone who denies the Son does not belong to Jesus. Jesus in the flesh bespeaks Him being truly and fully human. Jesus the Son of God bespeaks Him being truly and fully God.
In other words we cannot dismiss or reject the two natures of Jesus and receive Him as our Savior. If we deny His Person, whatever we are believing in is not the true Jesus. Both natures are necessary for our salvation, so we must receive the real Jesus in His fullness. Let us be very clear about this doctrine. It is indispensable to the Christian faith, to the faith of any true Christian regardless of denominational bent or bias.
Oh, but what about the third point, you know, Moses and Elijah appearing and speaking with Jesus? It’s like this. Moses was the Lord’s prophet to bring the Law to Israel. Elijah was the Lord’s prophet to bring Israel back to the Law. Israel had fallen into pagan idolatry and then added Baal worship to her pantheon of gods. Elijah at God’s behest went to war against the false gods, in order to bring the Israelites back to the worship of the one true God, the Lord (aka Yahweh).
The eternal Son of God took upon true human flesh and bore the name Jesus, in order to bring grace to the Israelites, and through them to the Gentiles too. Grace triumphs over Law any day of the week, dear friends. Moses the man and Elijah the man could not save anybody, just as the Law never could. Jesus the God-man can and does save anyone who will call upon Him. Still, it’s not by Law He does this but by grace.
When Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus, it revealed the truth of the resurrection and life after death. After all, they were still alive and talking with Jesus centuries after they left this earth! Moses did die physically, but he still lives in eternity. Elijah was raptured to heaven and never did die physically, and he is still alive in eternity.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 the Holy Spirit taught about what will transpire at the Rapture of the Church. The Christians who have already died will rise first—Moses served as a type of this group. After them the Christians who are still alive physically will follow them—Elijah served as a type of this group. But where will we all go? To meet the Lord in the air, that’s where! And guess what the Lord will look like then? Well, He will be the resurrected Christ, so His body will shine like the sun and His clothing will glow pure white.
So what does this remind you of? Hmm. That’s a toughie. Let’s see… No, that isn’t it. Maybe… Nah, not that either. Oh, I got it! It’s the antitype of the transfiguration. Moses represented the dead Christians and Elijah the living Christians. Jesus represented, well, the living, resurrected Lord God because He is the living God.
Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die [John 11:25-26]. Jesus classified the believers as those who died and those who still lived. This is in accord with 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17—there is Jesus, and there are the believers who have died at the time Jesus returns in the clouds, and there are the believers who are still alive at the time Jesus returns in the clouds.
Now keep that context in mind, as we return to the scene on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus ascended a high mountain, which symbolized Him as being high above the earth, aka in the clouds. Jesus is the resurrection. Moses and Elijah came to Him as he was “in the clouds”, and they symbolized the dead in Christ and those in Christ who are still alive. Jesus’ transfiguration was a picture story which revealed the truth of the rapture. This is Biblical typology, dear friends. It employs visible, physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths.
All hail, King Jesus! May we all bow before you and acclaim you as our personal Lord and Savior. Be Lord of my life, I pray. Amen.
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...
