Randy Green's Blog, page 481
April 24, 2012
Who Turned Out the Lights? – Part 1
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven [Matthew 5:16].
When preachers employ this text for a sermon, they exhort Christians to let God’s light shine through their lives to others. And they are quite correct in their understanding of the text. But there is another truth in the text which deserves honorable mention. This truth runs throughout the Gospel According to Matthew. We will assay it today.
The New Testament contains four Gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are broken down in theology textbooks into two categories. On the one hand there is the Gospel According to John, on the other are the three synoptic gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The word “synoptic” comes from the Greek preposition “sun” which means “with” or “together with”, and the Greek word from which we derive “optics” or “optical”, which has to do with sight or vision or appearance. Hence the word “synoptic” refers to things which present the same appearance or vision.
Anyone who reads Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and then reads John, recognizes readily enough how John follows a different framework than the other three. Matthew, Mark, and Luke present the story of Jesus’ first advent in much the same light, even employing the same stories overall. Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s gospels are written as historical accounts.
John, contrariwise, presents the story of Jesus from a philosophical perspective, not a historical one. When we read the Gospel According to John, we are taken on flights into the heavenlies. We encounter visions of glory unlike the way Jesus’ life is recorded in the other three gospel accounts. The other three Gospel writers are quite pragmatic in their telling, while John is a visionary and who sees beyond the pragmatic to the deep things of God.
What we want to delve into today is a different dichotomy which occurs within the four gospel accounts:
1. kingdom of God
2. kingdom of heaven
Only Matthew refers to the “kingdom of heaven”, which he does predominantly in his account. He also makes mention of the “kingdom of God” a few times. The other three gospel accounts never speak of the “kingdom of heaven”, while they do point to the “kingdom of God” quite often.
Why this distinction? What does it mean? Right fine questions these and worthy of answers. Time’s a-wastin’! So let us betake ourselves to the answers.
Matthew’s gospel account was written to the Hebrew people. We won’t spend our time today proving this is true. Suffice it to say that many occurrences in Matthew’s account point to this reality. His emphasis can only be explained by recognition of this verity.
The other three gospel accounts, contrariwise, were written to the Gentiles (i.e., all non-Hebrews). The audience to whom Matthew wrote provides the answer as to why he alone uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God”.
The difference in the two phrases is found in the words “heaven” and “God”. This leads to the logical query, “Why does Matthew refer to God’s kingdom as the ‘kingdom of heaven’?” It is obvious why the other three gospel authors identify God’s kingdom as the “kingdom of God”. We needn’t waste paper and ink (or computer bytes) to explain this! But Matthew’s reference, now that requires some deciphering.
Oh, but we must stop for the night and get our rest. We will continue this journey on the morrow. Enjoy some time with the Lord Jesus before calling it a day. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
When preachers employ this text for a sermon, they exhort Christians to let God’s light shine through their lives to others. And they are quite correct in their understanding of the text. But there is another truth in the text which deserves honorable mention. This truth runs throughout the Gospel According to Matthew. We will assay it today.
The New Testament contains four Gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These are broken down in theology textbooks into two categories. On the one hand there is the Gospel According to John, on the other are the three synoptic gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The word “synoptic” comes from the Greek preposition “sun” which means “with” or “together with”, and the Greek word from which we derive “optics” or “optical”, which has to do with sight or vision or appearance. Hence the word “synoptic” refers to things which present the same appearance or vision.
Anyone who reads Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and then reads John, recognizes readily enough how John follows a different framework than the other three. Matthew, Mark, and Luke present the story of Jesus’ first advent in much the same light, even employing the same stories overall. Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s gospels are written as historical accounts.
John, contrariwise, presents the story of Jesus from a philosophical perspective, not a historical one. When we read the Gospel According to John, we are taken on flights into the heavenlies. We encounter visions of glory unlike the way Jesus’ life is recorded in the other three gospel accounts. The other three Gospel writers are quite pragmatic in their telling, while John is a visionary and who sees beyond the pragmatic to the deep things of God.
What we want to delve into today is a different dichotomy which occurs within the four gospel accounts:
1. kingdom of God
2. kingdom of heaven
Only Matthew refers to the “kingdom of heaven”, which he does predominantly in his account. He also makes mention of the “kingdom of God” a few times. The other three gospel accounts never speak of the “kingdom of heaven”, while they do point to the “kingdom of God” quite often.
Why this distinction? What does it mean? Right fine questions these and worthy of answers. Time’s a-wastin’! So let us betake ourselves to the answers.
Matthew’s gospel account was written to the Hebrew people. We won’t spend our time today proving this is true. Suffice it to say that many occurrences in Matthew’s account point to this reality. His emphasis can only be explained by recognition of this verity.
The other three gospel accounts, contrariwise, were written to the Gentiles (i.e., all non-Hebrews). The audience to whom Matthew wrote provides the answer as to why he alone uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God”.
The difference in the two phrases is found in the words “heaven” and “God”. This leads to the logical query, “Why does Matthew refer to God’s kingdom as the ‘kingdom of heaven’?” It is obvious why the other three gospel authors identify God’s kingdom as the “kingdom of God”. We needn’t waste paper and ink (or computer bytes) to explain this! But Matthew’s reference, now that requires some deciphering.
Oh, but we must stop for the night and get our rest. We will continue this journey on the morrow. Enjoy some time with the Lord Jesus before calling it a day. See you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
April 23, 2012
Proud Lawyers and Humble Saints – Part 2
Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith [Habakkuk 2:4].
In our last study we noted three positions which man can take with regard to eternal life. Two of them were cited by Habakkuk in the verse we quoted above. The other one, legality, was not. We already gave the Scriptural presentation of legality. Now let’s consider the other two positions man can take vis-à-vis salvation and eternal life.
Habakkuk penned his words in response to the Babylonians. Those fierce warriors were having a heyday. The peoples of the world were falling before them. No one could resist their mighty military.
But they were some of the worst idolaters ever! They perceived all their worldly success and victories as their own achievement. They were big and bad. They were self-made men. They conquered one nation after another, and they cruelly abused those they conquered. They needn’t fear, however, because they were invincible.
This is spelled p-r-i-d-e, PRIDE, dear friends. It is utter arrogance, and a concomitant disdain for fellow man accompanies it. They had their pantheon of Babylonian gods, yes, but those gods should consider themselves lucky to have the Babylonians in their service. “Just look at all we accomplished by our own prowess!” was the motto on the Babylonian seal.
Such was the way of Babylon, when it came to their eternal destiny. They were self-achievers, not by obeying the gods and keeping a set of laws, but by doing what they felt like because they were just that good! If anyone would ever make it to heaven or paradise or nirvana or wherever eternal life was, you just know it had to be them.
So much for the second position man can take vis-à-vis eternal life. This position, pride, winds up in the same place as does the first position, legality. Both pride and legality embrace the belief that man deserves eternal life because he is just that good. He earns his own way because he is good enough to do everything the Lord says.
The third and final position is faith. Faith has nothing to do with pride or legality. Faith is the opposite of deserving or earning eternal life. Faith begins with certain spiritual truths:
1. every man is a sinner
2. the wages of sin is death
3. ergo, every man must die, i.e., not have eternal life
4. the only way out is via a Savior
5. the Savior has no sin of His own for which to die
6. the death of the Savior pays the penalty for others’ sins
7. accepting the Savior’s payment for my sins affords me eternal life
Biblical faith is the way I accept the Savior’s payment for my sins. I don’t do anything to earn eternal life. The Savior already accomplished it for me. I don’t deserve eternal life because I am a sinner who deserves eternal death. The Savior has eternal life and freely provides me with it. I simply accept the Savior’s offer by believing His Word, the Bible. Voilà! Biblical faith.
We conclude our presentation of the three positions man can take with regard to eternal life. Which one do you take?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 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 our last study we noted three positions which man can take with regard to eternal life. Two of them were cited by Habakkuk in the verse we quoted above. The other one, legality, was not. We already gave the Scriptural presentation of legality. Now let’s consider the other two positions man can take vis-à-vis salvation and eternal life.
Habakkuk penned his words in response to the Babylonians. Those fierce warriors were having a heyday. The peoples of the world were falling before them. No one could resist their mighty military.
But they were some of the worst idolaters ever! They perceived all their worldly success and victories as their own achievement. They were big and bad. They were self-made men. They conquered one nation after another, and they cruelly abused those they conquered. They needn’t fear, however, because they were invincible.
This is spelled p-r-i-d-e, PRIDE, dear friends. It is utter arrogance, and a concomitant disdain for fellow man accompanies it. They had their pantheon of Babylonian gods, yes, but those gods should consider themselves lucky to have the Babylonians in their service. “Just look at all we accomplished by our own prowess!” was the motto on the Babylonian seal.
Such was the way of Babylon, when it came to their eternal destiny. They were self-achievers, not by obeying the gods and keeping a set of laws, but by doing what they felt like because they were just that good! If anyone would ever make it to heaven or paradise or nirvana or wherever eternal life was, you just know it had to be them.
So much for the second position man can take vis-à-vis eternal life. This position, pride, winds up in the same place as does the first position, legality. Both pride and legality embrace the belief that man deserves eternal life because he is just that good. He earns his own way because he is good enough to do everything the Lord says.
The third and final position is faith. Faith has nothing to do with pride or legality. Faith is the opposite of deserving or earning eternal life. Faith begins with certain spiritual truths:
1. every man is a sinner
2. the wages of sin is death
3. ergo, every man must die, i.e., not have eternal life
4. the only way out is via a Savior
5. the Savior has no sin of His own for which to die
6. the death of the Savior pays the penalty for others’ sins
7. accepting the Savior’s payment for my sins affords me eternal life
Biblical faith is the way I accept the Savior’s payment for my sins. I don’t do anything to earn eternal life. The Savior already accomplished it for me. I don’t deserve eternal life because I am a sinner who deserves eternal death. The Savior has eternal life and freely provides me with it. I simply accept the Savior’s offer by believing His Word, the Bible. Voilà! Biblical faith.
We conclude our presentation of the three positions man can take with regard to eternal life. Which one do you take?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 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...
April 22, 2012
Proud Lawyers and Humble Saints – Part 1
Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith [Habakkuk 2:4].
The phrase “the righteous will live by his faith” is quoted in the New Testament and is oft repeated. It is a key expression to express the Biblical concept of salvation by grace through faith. We would do well to give serious consideration to what the phrase teaches us about invisible spiritual reality.
There are three foundational positions for mankind to take in Scripture. Two of them wind up in the same place, while the other one finds eternal habitation in quite the opposite place. Here are the three:
1. pride
2. legality
3. faith
The first and third ones are presented in the quoted text with which we began this study. The other one, legality, isn’t. So let’s begin with it, shall we?
Leviticus 18: 5 reads,
So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.
The Apostle Paul quoted this verse in Galatians 3:12. The Lord verbally proclaimed the Ten Commandments to the Israelites from atop Mount Sinai. What with all the smoke and fire, lightning and thunder and earthquake, the Israelites were petrified with fear.
They demanded of Moses that he keep God away from them. Let Moses go and fetch the Word of God from Him and then return and repeat it to them. They pledged to do everything the Lord demanded of them. But don’t let God near them anymore or else they’d die!
Here was the Lord, desiring to create a personal relationship between the Israelites and Himself, and the Israelites wanted none of it. They preferred a more high church approach—you know, some clergy to stand between the Lord and them, leaving them to perform some rituals while the clergy did the personal relationship part.
So the Lord acquiesced and gave them His Law through Moses. The numerous rules and regulations did not comprise many “laws”, of which they could pick and choose which to obey and which to ignore. All of the regulations in the Law of Moses were an indivisible whole. Obey all of it perfectly all the time, or else be a lawbreaker and thus be unfit to live with the Lord.
Hence the Law was not given to save anyone because no sinner can obey all of it perfectly all the time without any failure. The Law was given to show sinful man with his proud heart that he cannot save himself. Ergo, he needs a Savior. That was the purpose of the Law of Moses, and it was given only to the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land.
Nonetheless, the Israelites were determined to earn their own salvation. They were determined to have a relationship with the Lord by keeping the Law. When they failed to obey the Law perfectly all the time without failure even once, they didn’t get it. They figured the Lord must grade on a curve to accommodate them. Such is the usual and typical thought process of sinful man with respect to salvation. It stems from the pride which lurks in sinful man’s heart.
This is a fine location to camp for the night. Let’s pitch our tents here and spend time alone with the Lord Jesus before falling asleep. We will meet around the camp fire tomorrow to finish this study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 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...
The phrase “the righteous will live by his faith” is quoted in the New Testament and is oft repeated. It is a key expression to express the Biblical concept of salvation by grace through faith. We would do well to give serious consideration to what the phrase teaches us about invisible spiritual reality.
There are three foundational positions for mankind to take in Scripture. Two of them wind up in the same place, while the other one finds eternal habitation in quite the opposite place. Here are the three:
1. pride
2. legality
3. faith
The first and third ones are presented in the quoted text with which we began this study. The other one, legality, isn’t. So let’s begin with it, shall we?
Leviticus 18: 5 reads,
So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.
The Apostle Paul quoted this verse in Galatians 3:12. The Lord verbally proclaimed the Ten Commandments to the Israelites from atop Mount Sinai. What with all the smoke and fire, lightning and thunder and earthquake, the Israelites were petrified with fear.
They demanded of Moses that he keep God away from them. Let Moses go and fetch the Word of God from Him and then return and repeat it to them. They pledged to do everything the Lord demanded of them. But don’t let God near them anymore or else they’d die!
Here was the Lord, desiring to create a personal relationship between the Israelites and Himself, and the Israelites wanted none of it. They preferred a more high church approach—you know, some clergy to stand between the Lord and them, leaving them to perform some rituals while the clergy did the personal relationship part.
So the Lord acquiesced and gave them His Law through Moses. The numerous rules and regulations did not comprise many “laws”, of which they could pick and choose which to obey and which to ignore. All of the regulations in the Law of Moses were an indivisible whole. Obey all of it perfectly all the time, or else be a lawbreaker and thus be unfit to live with the Lord.
Hence the Law was not given to save anyone because no sinner can obey all of it perfectly all the time without any failure. The Law was given to show sinful man with his proud heart that he cannot save himself. Ergo, he needs a Savior. That was the purpose of the Law of Moses, and it was given only to the Israelites while they lived in the Promised Land.
Nonetheless, the Israelites were determined to earn their own salvation. They were determined to have a relationship with the Lord by keeping the Law. When they failed to obey the Law perfectly all the time without failure even once, they didn’t get it. They figured the Lord must grade on a curve to accommodate them. Such is the usual and typical thought process of sinful man with respect to salvation. It stems from the pride which lurks in sinful man’s heart.
This is a fine location to camp for the night. Let’s pitch our tents here and spend time alone with the Lord Jesus before falling asleep. We will meet around the camp fire tomorrow to finish this study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 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...
April 21, 2012
Scary Teddy Bears – Part 2
For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth, the Lord God of hosts is His name [Amos 4:13].
We paused our last study by noting I am a human and my name is Randy. The “human” part is impersonal, the “Randy” part is quite otherwise. Let’s now see how this applies to the Divine Being.
The words “God” and “LORD” when used to identify the Deity, the Supreme Being, accomplishes the same function as the words “Randy the human” in identifying me. In the Bible when the Divine Being is referred to as “God”, the emphasis is upon His being the Creator, the high and mighty One Who is far above His creation, including mankind. It is impersonal, evoking dread in man and prompting us to draw back and move away from Him.
On the other hand when His name “LORD” is used, the emphasis is personal. It denotes man as having a personal relationship with the Supreme Being, as knowing Him personally and being involved with Him. It is a pleasant blessing, not an atmosphere of awkward and uneasy formality.
Such is the intimation presented by Amos’ usage of the phrase “the Lord God of hosts is His name”. The high and mighty Creator, the all-powerful and intimidating Supreme Being is inseparably bound together with the loving and personable Deity Who wants to have a relationship with man.
So how does this express itself in the remainder of the quoted text? Let’s assay Amos’ words and see for ourselves. First let’s hear the words which express personal relationship: He who…declares to man what are His thoughts.
Those words don’t leave the impression of the almighty Supreme Being calling into existence the heavens and the earth. They express the concept of the Divine One speaking to man and explaining Himself and His plans. It is personal. It is relationship. It is personal relationship. In theology textbooks this personal aspect of God’s character wears the appellation “immanence”.
Now for Amos’ words which express God as way up there in the sky and impersonal, far removed from man and unapproachable. Since there are considerable more words used to express this concept, we will employ a bulleted list:
• He who forms mountains and creates the wind
• He who makes dawn into darkness
• He who…treads on the high places of the earth
It should be readily evident to you how suchlike depictions of God differ drastically from the words “He who…declares to man what are His thoughts”. In the case of the bulleted list the Supreme Being is behaving as, well, a supreme being! He isn’t talking with man and explaining His purposes. He is creating mountains and wind and darkness, and He is walking around on the high places, far above man’s habitations. In theology textbooks this aspect of God’s character goes by the jargon “transcendence”.
The two aspects of God, the personal and impersonal, are true simultaneously. However, they only display themselves simultaneously to those humans who accept Him as their God, as their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With such folks He is indeed personal. At the blink of an eye He also marches into battle on their behalf as the mighty and invincible God.
Alas, but for those humans who reject Him as their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He only appears to them as the impersonal and not so friendly Judge of all the earth. They don’t win His favor or garner His blessings. They are under a curse for sin and, after the Millennium will stand before His tribunal, the great white throne, to be condemned eternally (cf., Revelation 20:5, 11-15).
This is not a topic which wins friends and influences people, dear souls. It is the Word of God nonetheless. We determine by our response to the Lord Jesus whether or not we know Him personally. My heart’s desire is that all men will be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
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...
We paused our last study by noting I am a human and my name is Randy. The “human” part is impersonal, the “Randy” part is quite otherwise. Let’s now see how this applies to the Divine Being.
The words “God” and “LORD” when used to identify the Deity, the Supreme Being, accomplishes the same function as the words “Randy the human” in identifying me. In the Bible when the Divine Being is referred to as “God”, the emphasis is upon His being the Creator, the high and mighty One Who is far above His creation, including mankind. It is impersonal, evoking dread in man and prompting us to draw back and move away from Him.
On the other hand when His name “LORD” is used, the emphasis is personal. It denotes man as having a personal relationship with the Supreme Being, as knowing Him personally and being involved with Him. It is a pleasant blessing, not an atmosphere of awkward and uneasy formality.
Such is the intimation presented by Amos’ usage of the phrase “the Lord God of hosts is His name”. The high and mighty Creator, the all-powerful and intimidating Supreme Being is inseparably bound together with the loving and personable Deity Who wants to have a relationship with man.
So how does this express itself in the remainder of the quoted text? Let’s assay Amos’ words and see for ourselves. First let’s hear the words which express personal relationship: He who…declares to man what are His thoughts.
Those words don’t leave the impression of the almighty Supreme Being calling into existence the heavens and the earth. They express the concept of the Divine One speaking to man and explaining Himself and His plans. It is personal. It is relationship. It is personal relationship. In theology textbooks this personal aspect of God’s character wears the appellation “immanence”.
Now for Amos’ words which express God as way up there in the sky and impersonal, far removed from man and unapproachable. Since there are considerable more words used to express this concept, we will employ a bulleted list:
• He who forms mountains and creates the wind
• He who makes dawn into darkness
• He who…treads on the high places of the earth
It should be readily evident to you how suchlike depictions of God differ drastically from the words “He who…declares to man what are His thoughts”. In the case of the bulleted list the Supreme Being is behaving as, well, a supreme being! He isn’t talking with man and explaining His purposes. He is creating mountains and wind and darkness, and He is walking around on the high places, far above man’s habitations. In theology textbooks this aspect of God’s character goes by the jargon “transcendence”.
The two aspects of God, the personal and impersonal, are true simultaneously. However, they only display themselves simultaneously to those humans who accept Him as their God, as their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With such folks He is indeed personal. At the blink of an eye He also marches into battle on their behalf as the mighty and invincible God.
Alas, but for those humans who reject Him as their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He only appears to them as the impersonal and not so friendly Judge of all the earth. They don’t win His favor or garner His blessings. They are under a curse for sin and, after the Millennium will stand before His tribunal, the great white throne, to be condemned eternally (cf., Revelation 20:5, 11-15).
This is not a topic which wins friends and influences people, dear souls. It is the Word of God nonetheless. We determine by our response to the Lord Jesus whether or not we know Him personally. My heart’s desire is that all men will be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
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...
April 20, 2012
Scary Teddy Bears – Part 1
For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts, He who makes dawn into darkness and treads on the high places of the earth, the Lord God of hosts is His name [Amos 4:13].
Once upon a time when I had a couple of teeny tiny tots to rear, I discovered a spiritual truth by means of experience. Sometimes I was Mr. Dad, with his course and stern voice and disciplinary disposition. At other times I was Nice Guy Dad, who took his kids to the recreation center and coached their basketball teams.
And you know what? Neither of my rug rats was ever confused by the split personality involved in proper parenting. Not once did we enjoy a time of play and relaxation at the rec center, and then come home to become discombobulated by the switch from Nice Guy Dad to Mr. Dad the rules enforcer. It just didn’t happen.
Do you know why? Well, it’s like this. Kids want to have fun with their parents, yes, they most certainly do. But if that’s all they get—if Dad and Mom are simply one of the gang of kids from the neighborhood—kids cannot help but feel insecure. They need guidance and protection from their parents. It’s why the Lord gave them parents!
In the quoted text which commenced this study, Amos acknowledged these two simultaneous attributes of God. God has them, which explains where we got them! We share with God these same two attributes. I believe it’s part of what the Bible labels “the image of God”.
There is a qualification to this as it applies to God, however. Amos identified God as “the Lord God of hosts is His name”. The two attributes don’t stand out in the case of “God”, at least as the Bible employs the identifier. In order for both attributes to receive honorable mention at the same time, the terminology for deity requires both the words “Lord” and “God”.
Allow me to explain. The word “God” is a term which identifies deity or the divine being. It is used in much the same way the word “human” or “human being” is used to identify humanity or man. Such is not the case with the word “Lord” in Scripture. The word “Lord” (written in the Bible as all capital letters, LORD) is the actual name of God.
Let me present an equivalent as applied to myself. I am a human being and my name is Randy. The word usage “the Lord God” as applied to me would be “Randy the human being”. God’s actual name is YHWH (aka Yahweh or Jehovah). In the English Bible His name is written as “LORD”. When you see those four capital letters used together in the Bible, recognize it as the actual name of God.
At times I have been addressed as “Pastor” or “Teacher” or “Reverend”. At other times I’ve been addressed as “Randy” or “Mr. Green”. What’s the difference? Well, the words “pastor”, “teacher” and “reverend” are not names. The words are impersonal, formal, stiff, and not necessarily friendly.
On the other hand the word “Randy” is my personal name. By using it another person is being personal with me. Perhaps he’s even taking undue liberties because he doesn’t know me and shouldn’t speak to me in such a personal way. But the word “Randy” when employed appropriately toward me is personal. It implies a relationship between the speaker and myself.
When both these aspects express themselves in a parent, a scary teddy bear materializes. But let us pause here and continue on the morrow. Enjoy your time with the Lord Jesus now.
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...
Once upon a time when I had a couple of teeny tiny tots to rear, I discovered a spiritual truth by means of experience. Sometimes I was Mr. Dad, with his course and stern voice and disciplinary disposition. At other times I was Nice Guy Dad, who took his kids to the recreation center and coached their basketball teams.
And you know what? Neither of my rug rats was ever confused by the split personality involved in proper parenting. Not once did we enjoy a time of play and relaxation at the rec center, and then come home to become discombobulated by the switch from Nice Guy Dad to Mr. Dad the rules enforcer. It just didn’t happen.
Do you know why? Well, it’s like this. Kids want to have fun with their parents, yes, they most certainly do. But if that’s all they get—if Dad and Mom are simply one of the gang of kids from the neighborhood—kids cannot help but feel insecure. They need guidance and protection from their parents. It’s why the Lord gave them parents!
In the quoted text which commenced this study, Amos acknowledged these two simultaneous attributes of God. God has them, which explains where we got them! We share with God these same two attributes. I believe it’s part of what the Bible labels “the image of God”.
There is a qualification to this as it applies to God, however. Amos identified God as “the Lord God of hosts is His name”. The two attributes don’t stand out in the case of “God”, at least as the Bible employs the identifier. In order for both attributes to receive honorable mention at the same time, the terminology for deity requires both the words “Lord” and “God”.
Allow me to explain. The word “God” is a term which identifies deity or the divine being. It is used in much the same way the word “human” or “human being” is used to identify humanity or man. Such is not the case with the word “Lord” in Scripture. The word “Lord” (written in the Bible as all capital letters, LORD) is the actual name of God.
Let me present an equivalent as applied to myself. I am a human being and my name is Randy. The word usage “the Lord God” as applied to me would be “Randy the human being”. God’s actual name is YHWH (aka Yahweh or Jehovah). In the English Bible His name is written as “LORD”. When you see those four capital letters used together in the Bible, recognize it as the actual name of God.
At times I have been addressed as “Pastor” or “Teacher” or “Reverend”. At other times I’ve been addressed as “Randy” or “Mr. Green”. What’s the difference? Well, the words “pastor”, “teacher” and “reverend” are not names. The words are impersonal, formal, stiff, and not necessarily friendly.
On the other hand the word “Randy” is my personal name. By using it another person is being personal with me. Perhaps he’s even taking undue liberties because he doesn’t know me and shouldn’t speak to me in such a personal way. But the word “Randy” when employed appropriately toward me is personal. It implies a relationship between the speaker and myself.
When both these aspects express themselves in a parent, a scary teddy bear materializes. But let us pause here and continue on the morrow. Enjoy your time with the Lord Jesus now.
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...
April 19, 2012
Vegetarian Delight – Part 2
Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see [Daniel 1:12-13].
Daniel and his three friends were slaves to ol’ King Neb of Babylon. He fed them food offered in sacrifice to his idols, a violation of God’s commandment against idolatry. They wanted a menu of only vegetables and water, but the person in charge of their food was afraid it would leave them sickly and he’d lose his head for it.What to do? It was a toughie.
Actually it wasn’t. It just took a bit of godly wisdom on Daniel’s part. He knew the Lord would help them not to defile themselves with the king’s food because they belonged to Him first and to ol’ King Neb a distant second. So Daniel asked the king’s steward in charge if he would feed him and his three Hebrew buddies only vegetables and water.
It’s like this. The heathens didn’t offer their gods vegetables and water. Ergo, any vegetables and water eaten by Daniel & friends would not have been sacrificed to the false gods of Babylon. Hence Daniel & friends would not be defiled by eating vegetables and drinking water. They would maintain their ritual purity, thus maintaining their relationship with the one true God YHWH.
But anyone of us who has lived for more than a day knows things seldom go as planned. The steward was loath to agree to Daniel’s menu request, notwithstanding how tactfully it was presented. He feared that vegetables and water alone would leave the Hebrews weak and sickly in appearance. In that case the Queen of Hearts, er, I mean ol’ King Neb would demand, “Off with his head!”
Refusing to take “No!” for an answer, Daniel deftly offered a test to prove the validity of his request. “Allow my three friends and me, O steward, to eat only vegetables and water for ten days. Then examine us to determine if we are healthy or sickly.” The steward took the bait, and the Hebrews had their kosher food for ten days.
Ten days came and ten days went, and the steward came too. He eyeballed the four Hebrews and couldn’t believe his eyes. The Hebrews ate only vegetables and water for ten days, while all the other slaves-in-training feasted on the rich food from the king’s table. Nonetheless the four Hebrews appeared much healthier than the other slaves, sporting a ruddy complexion and a sanguine disposition.
The steward figured he just hit the mother lode! It was a free pass into the good graces of the king. By his own astute judgment and wisdom the four Hebrews excelled all the others. He was a master chef par excellence. The king would be so proud of him…or that’s the way he planned to spin the tale anyway.
So the steward persisted with fetching vegetables and water as the Hebrew’s victuals, and the Hebrews persisted in growing healthy and wise. In fact it wasn’t long before Daniel was second in command in Babylon, and his three friends were not far below him either.
The moral of the story is a good one. Serve the Lord regardless of the consequences. He alone is God. There is none other. At the same time don’t be obnoxious in serving Him. Our service to the Lord Jesus is to be done in a way which represents Him, not our bad attitudes! If we reflect Him to others, they will be given two choices: either receive Him as their Savior or else reject Him.
In any case their decision will be vis-à-vis Him, not us personally. If they refuse to receive, it will be Him they reject. And the chances of them accepting Him go up exponentially, if only we have the wisdom to keep self in the background and Jesus on the front burner.
So let’s learn the moral to this story and exalt the Lord Jesus. Sounds like a plan. Let’s do it!
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...
Daniel and his three friends were slaves to ol’ King Neb of Babylon. He fed them food offered in sacrifice to his idols, a violation of God’s commandment against idolatry. They wanted a menu of only vegetables and water, but the person in charge of their food was afraid it would leave them sickly and he’d lose his head for it.What to do? It was a toughie.
Actually it wasn’t. It just took a bit of godly wisdom on Daniel’s part. He knew the Lord would help them not to defile themselves with the king’s food because they belonged to Him first and to ol’ King Neb a distant second. So Daniel asked the king’s steward in charge if he would feed him and his three Hebrew buddies only vegetables and water.
It’s like this. The heathens didn’t offer their gods vegetables and water. Ergo, any vegetables and water eaten by Daniel & friends would not have been sacrificed to the false gods of Babylon. Hence Daniel & friends would not be defiled by eating vegetables and drinking water. They would maintain their ritual purity, thus maintaining their relationship with the one true God YHWH.
But anyone of us who has lived for more than a day knows things seldom go as planned. The steward was loath to agree to Daniel’s menu request, notwithstanding how tactfully it was presented. He feared that vegetables and water alone would leave the Hebrews weak and sickly in appearance. In that case the Queen of Hearts, er, I mean ol’ King Neb would demand, “Off with his head!”
Refusing to take “No!” for an answer, Daniel deftly offered a test to prove the validity of his request. “Allow my three friends and me, O steward, to eat only vegetables and water for ten days. Then examine us to determine if we are healthy or sickly.” The steward took the bait, and the Hebrews had their kosher food for ten days.
Ten days came and ten days went, and the steward came too. He eyeballed the four Hebrews and couldn’t believe his eyes. The Hebrews ate only vegetables and water for ten days, while all the other slaves-in-training feasted on the rich food from the king’s table. Nonetheless the four Hebrews appeared much healthier than the other slaves, sporting a ruddy complexion and a sanguine disposition.
The steward figured he just hit the mother lode! It was a free pass into the good graces of the king. By his own astute judgment and wisdom the four Hebrews excelled all the others. He was a master chef par excellence. The king would be so proud of him…or that’s the way he planned to spin the tale anyway.
So the steward persisted with fetching vegetables and water as the Hebrew’s victuals, and the Hebrews persisted in growing healthy and wise. In fact it wasn’t long before Daniel was second in command in Babylon, and his three friends were not far below him either.
The moral of the story is a good one. Serve the Lord regardless of the consequences. He alone is God. There is none other. At the same time don’t be obnoxious in serving Him. Our service to the Lord Jesus is to be done in a way which represents Him, not our bad attitudes! If we reflect Him to others, they will be given two choices: either receive Him as their Savior or else reject Him.
In any case their decision will be vis-à-vis Him, not us personally. If they refuse to receive, it will be Him they reject. And the chances of them accepting Him go up exponentially, if only we have the wisdom to keep self in the background and Jesus on the front burner.
So let’s learn the moral to this story and exalt the Lord Jesus. Sounds like a plan. Let’s do it!
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...
April 18, 2012
Vegetarian Delight – Part 1
Please test your servants for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be observed in your presence and the appearance of the youths who are eating the king’s choice food; and deal with your servants according to what you see [Daniel 1:12-13].
I love pizza. But it’s got to be the real thing, if you know what I mean. No, I don’t mean it has to be genuine Italian-made, or deep dish from Chicago. I mean it has to be sausage…period. Well, okay. It can have crust too, and cheese and sauce. But anything else on pizza nullifies the “pizza” part of the food!
Daniel and his three friends were minding their own business in Jerusalem back in the day. For you novices, that would be the day of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I’m sure those four dudes were enjoying some kosher sausage pizza. Well, maybe not because sausage isn’t kosher! This is especially so for Italian sausage, er, I mean Babylonian sausage.
Anyway, along came ol’ King Cole, er, I mean ol’ King Neb. Accompanying our king-of-the-day was his army, a formidable bunch to be sure. When the dust cleared Daniel & friends no longer lived in Jerusalem. They had moved to Babylon, where they had the not so enviable job of waiting on ol’ King Neb and fulfilling his every fickle whim.
As slaves of the king their food came from the king’s kitchen. The king even assigned one of his stewards to be in charge of Daniel & friends. The steward was responsible to see that Daniel & friends learned the ropes of living in Babylon and waiting on ol’ King Neb.
Part of this responsibility required the steward to be sure Daniel & friends were strong and healthy. He had to make them brush their teeth before bed and wash behind their ears. Okay, I made that part up. But the steward did have to provide the four Hebrews with food from the king’s table. After all, if it kept ol’ King Neb healthy, it had to be good for his foreign slaves too.
Here’s the thing. Ol’ King Neb and all the Babylonians were idolators. They presented their food to idols as offerings of worship. The false gods of Babylon received their portion of the food, and the remainder was enjoyed at the table of ol’ King Neb and his servants.
This created a major conflict for Daniel & friends. They were Hebrews who worshiped the one true God Whose name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). As any card-carrying Hebrew could tell you, only YHWH could be worshiped. He alone is God and He demanded to receive all the worship from His people. It was on pain of death for any Hebrew to partake in pagan worship of idols.
Still, ol’ King Neb was in charge of Daniel & friends, now that they had been carted off from Jerusalem as slaves to ol’King Neb. And he was quite content to worship his idols, thank you very much. So it wouldn’t have been wisdom for Daniel & friends to denounce Neb’s gods and refuse to eat the food offered in sacrifice to those false gods. Not because the idols would wreak their vengeance on the Hebrews, mind you. But ol’ King Neb would!
This presented a real conundrum for Daniel & friends. They just couldn’t bring themselves to desert the one true God YHWH, but they still had to get along with ol’ King Neb and his pantheon of gods. What to do? What to do? Hmm. That’s a toughie.
We’ll return same time same station tomorrow to finish the show. See you then. Enjoy some time with the Lord Jesus in the interim.
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...
I love pizza. But it’s got to be the real thing, if you know what I mean. No, I don’t mean it has to be genuine Italian-made, or deep dish from Chicago. I mean it has to be sausage…period. Well, okay. It can have crust too, and cheese and sauce. But anything else on pizza nullifies the “pizza” part of the food!
Daniel and his three friends were minding their own business in Jerusalem back in the day. For you novices, that would be the day of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I’m sure those four dudes were enjoying some kosher sausage pizza. Well, maybe not because sausage isn’t kosher! This is especially so for Italian sausage, er, I mean Babylonian sausage.
Anyway, along came ol’ King Cole, er, I mean ol’ King Neb. Accompanying our king-of-the-day was his army, a formidable bunch to be sure. When the dust cleared Daniel & friends no longer lived in Jerusalem. They had moved to Babylon, where they had the not so enviable job of waiting on ol’ King Neb and fulfilling his every fickle whim.
As slaves of the king their food came from the king’s kitchen. The king even assigned one of his stewards to be in charge of Daniel & friends. The steward was responsible to see that Daniel & friends learned the ropes of living in Babylon and waiting on ol’ King Neb.
Part of this responsibility required the steward to be sure Daniel & friends were strong and healthy. He had to make them brush their teeth before bed and wash behind their ears. Okay, I made that part up. But the steward did have to provide the four Hebrews with food from the king’s table. After all, if it kept ol’ King Neb healthy, it had to be good for his foreign slaves too.
Here’s the thing. Ol’ King Neb and all the Babylonians were idolators. They presented their food to idols as offerings of worship. The false gods of Babylon received their portion of the food, and the remainder was enjoyed at the table of ol’ King Neb and his servants.
This created a major conflict for Daniel & friends. They were Hebrews who worshiped the one true God Whose name is YHWH (or Yahweh or Jehovah). As any card-carrying Hebrew could tell you, only YHWH could be worshiped. He alone is God and He demanded to receive all the worship from His people. It was on pain of death for any Hebrew to partake in pagan worship of idols.
Still, ol’ King Neb was in charge of Daniel & friends, now that they had been carted off from Jerusalem as slaves to ol’King Neb. And he was quite content to worship his idols, thank you very much. So it wouldn’t have been wisdom for Daniel & friends to denounce Neb’s gods and refuse to eat the food offered in sacrifice to those false gods. Not because the idols would wreak their vengeance on the Hebrews, mind you. But ol’ King Neb would!
This presented a real conundrum for Daniel & friends. They just couldn’t bring themselves to desert the one true God YHWH, but they still had to get along with ol’ King Neb and his pantheon of gods. What to do? What to do? Hmm. That’s a toughie.
We’ll return same time same station tomorrow to finish the show. See you then. Enjoy some time with the Lord Jesus in the interim.
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...
April 17, 2012
Different and the Same - Part 3
When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out [Ezekiel 46:8-10].
Our last study noted significant differences between the prince and the people. Let’s continue with this topic now.
The prince is the Lord Jesus, Who is simultaneously both God and man. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. He is always the same holy Person. Accordingly He cannot get into a rut and fall into a quagmire of ritualism and tradition. He can enter and exit the same way because He cannot become bogged down and perfunctorily go through the motions of religion.
The same cannot be said about sinful man. We are prone to finding a comfy corner and hanging out, doing the same old same old day after day. We don’t want to think and study and grow, at least not for long. We are finite, limited, and easily tired out, so we put forth a smidgeon of effort and then hasten to find a place of rest.
The history of mankind exposes man as ritualistic, apathetic, and feckless. We consolidate the Word of God into a set of dos and don’ts, establish a given format for church services to be repeated with no variation each week, and crown tradition as king.
This is where the provision comes in, of all the people entering through one gate and exiting through the other. God, you see, never changes. He enters and exits the same way always, and it is the right way, not simply a rut He is stuck in.
But man cannot exist this way or he will fall prey to rote religion and give no thought to God. He will turn the worship of God into activities and programs, all functioning thoughtlessly and carried out mechanically. The end game of man’s worship will become the activities and programs themselves, and God will no longer enter the picture. Man will wind up worshiping activities and programs, church, rather than God. Our god will then be church!
This is the spiritual truth taught by the contrasts between the prince and the people. They used separate gates and they entered and exited following different criteria. The reason is that the prince is qualitatively different than the people. The prince is God, and God is quite different than man and doesn’t suffer from our limitations.
Not to become distraught, dear friends. We still have a third spiritual truth taught in the quoted text. The prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together. The spiritual truth here is that the prince and the people are inseparably bound together in covenantal relationship. Though they are qualitatively different, they nonetheless are inseparable in their relationship.
The prince is the Lord Jesus and the people are those who know Him and love Him. The Lord Jesus is not only God: He is also truly man. He is one of us! He goes in with us, leaves with us, and remains with us. God and man are inseparably bound together by the God-man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. He is faithful even when we are not. He and we are inseparable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing.
This is cause for the loudest hallelujahs to ring out across the earth! Let’s take our leave now and go to Him for a time a rest and fellowship. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
Our last study noted significant differences between the prince and the people. Let’s continue with this topic now.
The prince is the Lord Jesus, Who is simultaneously both God and man. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He never changes. He is always the same holy Person. Accordingly He cannot get into a rut and fall into a quagmire of ritualism and tradition. He can enter and exit the same way because He cannot become bogged down and perfunctorily go through the motions of religion.
The same cannot be said about sinful man. We are prone to finding a comfy corner and hanging out, doing the same old same old day after day. We don’t want to think and study and grow, at least not for long. We are finite, limited, and easily tired out, so we put forth a smidgeon of effort and then hasten to find a place of rest.
The history of mankind exposes man as ritualistic, apathetic, and feckless. We consolidate the Word of God into a set of dos and don’ts, establish a given format for church services to be repeated with no variation each week, and crown tradition as king.
This is where the provision comes in, of all the people entering through one gate and exiting through the other. God, you see, never changes. He enters and exits the same way always, and it is the right way, not simply a rut He is stuck in.
But man cannot exist this way or he will fall prey to rote religion and give no thought to God. He will turn the worship of God into activities and programs, all functioning thoughtlessly and carried out mechanically. The end game of man’s worship will become the activities and programs themselves, and God will no longer enter the picture. Man will wind up worshiping activities and programs, church, rather than God. Our god will then be church!
This is the spiritual truth taught by the contrasts between the prince and the people. They used separate gates and they entered and exited following different criteria. The reason is that the prince is qualitatively different than the people. The prince is God, and God is quite different than man and doesn’t suffer from our limitations.
Not to become distraught, dear friends. We still have a third spiritual truth taught in the quoted text. The prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together. The spiritual truth here is that the prince and the people are inseparably bound together in covenantal relationship. Though they are qualitatively different, they nonetheless are inseparable in their relationship.
The prince is the Lord Jesus and the people are those who know Him and love Him. The Lord Jesus is not only God: He is also truly man. He is one of us! He goes in with us, leaves with us, and remains with us. God and man are inseparably bound together by the God-man, Jesus Christ.
Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. He is faithful even when we are not. He and we are inseparable. Nothing can separate us from the love of God given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing.
This is cause for the loudest hallelujahs to ring out across the earth! Let’s take our leave now and go to Him for a time a rest and fellowship. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
April 16, 2012
Different and the Same – Part 2
When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out [Ezekiel 46:8-10].
We paused our last study with a three-point list of spiritual truths which appear in the quoted text. Let’s continue with our study now.
Throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit employs visible physical realities for the purpose of teaching us invisible spiritual truths. We humans are finite creatures, so we haven’t an inkling about infinity and eternity. The only way we can grasp even the simplest eternal truths is by comparison with something from visible physical reality.
We humans exist within time, space, and matter. The spirit world exists in eternity, so we haven’t an inkling about invisible spiritual truths. The only way the Lord can teach these to us is by comparisons with visible physical realities. The comparisons are not identical by a long shot, but they do serve to enhance our understanding of things with which we have no experience.
This applies to the Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40-48, dear friends. Our text today depicts invisible spiritual truths from the vantage point of a visible physical temple. We cannot become bogged down in an exposition of Ezekiel’s entire teaching on this subject. We must needs stick to the three points already presented. Not to fear though: a plethora of spiritual truths will yet be ours.
The “prince” refers to the Messiah. We now know this person to be the Lord Jesus Christ. He will rule the entire earth from His throne in Jerusalem throughout the Millennium, crushing all wickedness as iron smashes an earthenware vessel. The offices of prophet, priest, and king are combined in Him during the Millennium.
When the Lord Jesus goes to the Millennial Temple, He enters and leaves by the east gate. This gate is shut for six days of the week and opened on the seventh day for use by the Lord Jesus.
Everyone else, contrariwise, enters the Millennial Temple by either the north gate or the south gate. He who enters by the north gate exits by the south gate. The one who enters by the south gate exists by the north gate.
The prince has his private gate, while the people share two gates. This isn’t the only contrast between prince and people. The prince enters and exits by the same gate, while the people enter by one gate and exit by the other.
I know this is a bit arcane to most of you, an effort in futility perhaps. But don’t give up on me just yet. We’re just now ready to present an interpretation of these visible physical realities. You won’t want to miss out!
In fact this is an excellent location to pitch our tents for the night. That way you will have a chance to chew the cud of our study and collect your thoughts. Take time to be refreshed by the Lord and return for some more nourishment tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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 paused our last study with a three-point list of spiritual truths which appear in the quoted text. Let’s continue with our study now.
Throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit employs visible physical realities for the purpose of teaching us invisible spiritual truths. We humans are finite creatures, so we haven’t an inkling about infinity and eternity. The only way we can grasp even the simplest eternal truths is by comparison with something from visible physical reality.
We humans exist within time, space, and matter. The spirit world exists in eternity, so we haven’t an inkling about invisible spiritual truths. The only way the Lord can teach these to us is by comparisons with visible physical realities. The comparisons are not identical by a long shot, but they do serve to enhance our understanding of things with which we have no experience.
This applies to the Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40-48, dear friends. Our text today depicts invisible spiritual truths from the vantage point of a visible physical temple. We cannot become bogged down in an exposition of Ezekiel’s entire teaching on this subject. We must needs stick to the three points already presented. Not to fear though: a plethora of spiritual truths will yet be ours.
The “prince” refers to the Messiah. We now know this person to be the Lord Jesus Christ. He will rule the entire earth from His throne in Jerusalem throughout the Millennium, crushing all wickedness as iron smashes an earthenware vessel. The offices of prophet, priest, and king are combined in Him during the Millennium.
When the Lord Jesus goes to the Millennial Temple, He enters and leaves by the east gate. This gate is shut for six days of the week and opened on the seventh day for use by the Lord Jesus.
Everyone else, contrariwise, enters the Millennial Temple by either the north gate or the south gate. He who enters by the north gate exits by the south gate. The one who enters by the south gate exists by the north gate.
The prince has his private gate, while the people share two gates. This isn’t the only contrast between prince and people. The prince enters and exits by the same gate, while the people enter by one gate and exit by the other.
I know this is a bit arcane to most of you, an effort in futility perhaps. But don’t give up on me just yet. We’re just now ready to present an interpretation of these visible physical realities. You won’t want to miss out!
In fact this is an excellent location to pitch our tents for the night. That way you will have a chance to chew the cud of our study and collect your thoughts. Take time to be refreshed by the Lord and return for some more nourishment tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
April 15, 2012
Different and the Same – Part 1
When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the porch of the gate and go out by the same way. But when the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate. And he who enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. No one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered but shall go straight out. When they go in, the prince shall go in among them; and when they go out, he shall go out [Ezekiel 46:8-10].
Our text for this study is somewhat longer than is customary for these studies. It cannot be helped, dear friends, but it will be well worth the learning. A wealth of precious ore is to be mined from this mother lode. So let’s not be caught dilly dallying around the Maypole. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work in the mine!
Ezekiel chapters 40-48 are a vision from the Millennium. Permit me to explain, please. The Lord Jesus will return again (His Second Coming) to bring the Great Tribulation to a close. The false trinity of Satan/beast/false prophet will be defeated, judged by the Lord Jesus, and be found wanting. The beast (antichrist) and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire.
Satan on the other hand will be bound and cast into the abyss for 1,000 years, locked up and unable to tempt mankind any longer. The word millennium is Latin for 1,000 years. During the Millennium the Lord Jesus will rule the entire earth from Jerusalem, and the Hebrew people will again be taken up by Him as His chosen people on the earth. All the Lord’s yet-to-be-fulfilled covenant promises with Israel will be fulfilled during the Millennium.
The Lord’s Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew) will go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord with the Jews there. The Holy Spirit graced Ezekiel with a vision of this Temple, as also a depiction of Israel’s organization during the Millennium. Our quoted text for today refers to this Millennial Temple.
With this context in mind, let’s mine the ore of this text. Valuable nuggets are there for the taking.
There are three fundamental spiritual truths we wish to learn from the text.
1. the prince leaves the Millennial Temple by the same route He enters it
2. the people leave the Millennial Temple by the opposite route they enter it
3. the prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together
We will stop for the time being now and spend some time alone with the Lord Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
Our text for this study is somewhat longer than is customary for these studies. It cannot be helped, dear friends, but it will be well worth the learning. A wealth of precious ore is to be mined from this mother lode. So let’s not be caught dilly dallying around the Maypole. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get to work in the mine!
Ezekiel chapters 40-48 are a vision from the Millennium. Permit me to explain, please. The Lord Jesus will return again (His Second Coming) to bring the Great Tribulation to a close. The false trinity of Satan/beast/false prophet will be defeated, judged by the Lord Jesus, and be found wanting. The beast (antichrist) and the false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire.
Satan on the other hand will be bound and cast into the abyss for 1,000 years, locked up and unable to tempt mankind any longer. The word millennium is Latin for 1,000 years. During the Millennium the Lord Jesus will rule the entire earth from Jerusalem, and the Hebrew people will again be taken up by Him as His chosen people on the earth. All the Lord’s yet-to-be-fulfilled covenant promises with Israel will be fulfilled during the Millennium.
The Lord’s Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all the Gentiles (i.e., everyone not a Jew) will go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord with the Jews there. The Holy Spirit graced Ezekiel with a vision of this Temple, as also a depiction of Israel’s organization during the Millennium. Our quoted text for today refers to this Millennial Temple.
With this context in mind, let’s mine the ore of this text. Valuable nuggets are there for the taking.
There are three fundamental spiritual truths we wish to learn from the text.
1. the prince leaves the Millennial Temple by the same route He enters it
2. the people leave the Millennial Temple by the opposite route they enter it
3. the prince and the people enter and leave the Millennial Temple together
We will stop for the time being now and spend some time alone with the Lord Jesus. I look forward to seeing you again on the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 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...
