Randy Green's Blog, page 495

Time To Cut the Grass

A voice says, “Call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever [Isaiah 40:6-8].

What to do when I encounter a deluge of difficulties? Hmm. Now let me think... I guess I could throw a pity party and invite all the naysayers I know. That might be fun. Naw. I think I'll take a rain check on that one.

I got it! I'll go to bed, pull the covers over my head, and hope I never have to wake up. Ah, the old ostrich policy at its finest. That always works. Not! Toss that one on the rubbish heap too.

Dear me. What shall I do? I could stand on the street corner and strum my guitar, giving my best impersonation of Bob Dylan with some poetry set to music. I could sing all about how no one likes me and life isn't fair, and soar off into the nether world as I reminisce about the good old times back in the day. Yeah, but that's a dead horse I don't want to beat.

Okay. So what will I do in response to the doldrums of my existence? Well, thus far all my approaches were to gaze far and wide in all directions horizontally. What I failed to do was to take a gander vertically. The horizontal gaze fixes the eyes on man—or as Isaiah worded it, on "all flesh", both myself and other people.

And therein lies the crux of the matter, my dear friends. "All flesh" is like grass and its loveliness is no more than the flowers in the field. Have you noticed how long grass and flowers last? Let me tell you: not long!

The contrast to "all flesh" is to be found in the phrase "the word of our God ". So how long does the Word of God last? That would be "forever", and methinks "forever" is a wee bit longer than how long grass and flowers last.

That settles it. Isaiah's logic is irrefutable and irresistible. I'm going to handle my deluge of difficulties by hieing off to the prayer closet with my Bible, and spending time alone with the Lord Jesus. Why don't we all go and do likewise?

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...

Nowhere Else To Go

Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life [John 6:67-78].

It is the norm nowadays to view church and religion as being equivalent to salvation, as being the same as eternal life. If I go to church I must be saved. If I am religious in any way I must have eternal life.

Truth be told, church is often predominantly activities and programs. Christians are so busy with these functions they have little to no time left for personal time with the Lord. Bible reading and meditation is replaced with shortcuts like puny daily devotionals and quick booklets about the Bible. But, dear people, where is Jesus in all that?

The Gospel is a Person, not programs and activities. Programs and activities never died for anyone! This doesn't mean we should have no programs and activities. It means that programs and activities are not a substitute for the Person of Jesus Christ. We can have programs and activities without Jesus and look mighty fine and religious. But we cannot live the Gospel that way. Either we have a personal relationship with Jesus, or else we haven't the Gospel.

Peter didn't say, "Lord, what other programs and activities can we employ?" He said, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. Notice the personal pronouns "whom" and "You". Peter knew that eternal life was a Person, viz., Jesus Christ. First the disciples related to Jesus the Person. Only then did they perform ministry functions because they were related to Him.

Think I need to retire to the prayer closet for a space and allow the Lord to search my heart and mind as only He can do. Am I daily spending time alone with this Person Who is eternal life? Or am I too busy socializing and running hither and yon in a hustle and bustle of activities? Hmm. I wonder...

To further research this issue, I direct you to my two books Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...

Let's Try That Again

"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit'" [John 3:5-6].

I remember a kindly old soul in a church I once pastored. She told me she didn't need to be born again. I showed her Jesus' words. Her reply, "Oh, that's just for the wicked people, like skid row winos. I've been a good person all my life, so I don't need to be born again."

Here's the thing. Jesus spoke those words to Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jesus' day, the ruling council in Israel. He was also a very upstanding member of the community. He wasn't a hypocrite nor a self-righteous religio. And he never joined sides with those who rejected Jesus.

In fine, Nicodemus was one of the most God-fearing and righteous people of his day. He sincerely wanted to belong to the Lord and do right by Him. He walked as best he knew how, according to the available light from the Scriptures at that time. And he sought out Jesus because he wanted more light. Yes, Nicodemus was a pillar in the "church" back in the day, not a skid row wino by any stretch.

Notwithstanding all this, Nicodemus still was required to be born again, if he was to enter the Kingdom of God. The reason why is that the flesh begets the flesh. It cannot give birth to the Spirit. Permit me to make a pitch for my book Volume 1: Genesis at this time, available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

We discuss this issue in Genesis 1. God made all things to reproduce after their own kind. Ergo, the flesh perforce must beget the flesh. We cannot fetch drinking water from salty water, nor grapes from thistles. It just doesn't happen that way because God ordained that each thing reproduces after its own kind.

The contrast Jesus made was between the natural order of things ("born") and the spiritual order ("born again"). All of physical creation fell under the tyranny of sin when Adam sinned. Every person born is now conceived in sin and born with a sin nature, i.e., a predilection for disobeying the Word of God. All of us want to eat from the kogae tree instead of from the life tree, if for no other reason than that the Lord said not to! Sin...

Consequently we are not fit to live with the Lord in heaven. If we would be fit, we must be rid of our sin nature. The problem is that man cannot accomplish this on his own. The reason why is a subject for another day. Suffice it to say that the Lord Jesus did accomplish this by His death on the cross to pay the penalty for all mankind's sins. His resurrection out of death was the sign that His payment was accepted by our heavenly Father.

When a person accepts Jesus' finished work on his/her behalf, he/she is born again. We accept Him by grace through faith. God freely offers His new life to us (i.e., grace). We take Him at His Word and act accordingly by requesting that He bestow His new life to us (i.e., faith).

Any takers? Go ahead. Take Him up on His offer and cheer the heart of the Lord.

"There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" [Luke 15:7].

Betwixt and Between, Part 2

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works [Romans 9:30-32].
Those words take us back to yesterday’s post. Let’s continue now with what we began then. Man thinks he is good enough to obey the Law. So God gave the Law to His chosen people back in the day to allow them all the chances they wanted at keeping it. Guess what? Nary a soul succeeded. The purpose of the Law was achieved: it showed man that he could not possibly live with God on the basis of his own merits.
This taught man that, if he was to live with God, he needed a Savior—One Who could pay the penalty for his sins and also replace the sinner living inside him with a new life of righteousness. On the one hand the penalty for sins needed to be paid, and that penalty is death. On the other hand a new life was needed, one which did not want to disobey the Word of God and also had the power to obey it.
So it is, you see, that it is a good thing we Christians are not under law but under grace (cf., Rom.6:14). The Law did NOT merely consist of a set of do's and don'ts to be followed. The Law consisted of an indivisible set of regulations forming one single LAW, and every last regulation must perforce be obeyed perfectly at all times 24/7, or else the offender was not perfect and so was unable to live with God.
Also, the Law was NOT merely a question of morality. As we learned by the opening quotation of this post, the Law was a means for attaining righteousness. In other words to put ourselves under the Law is to attempt to be perfect, in order to earn our own way to heaven. To be under the Law is not merely to obey the Ten Commandments to the best of our ability. It is to attempt to get ourselves to heaven by our own obedience—in which case either we obey it perfectly always or else we pack the swim suits because the destination will be very hot!
Dear friends, don't listen to well-meaning folks who quote the Law and insist we are responsible to obey it. We are NOT under law: we ARE under grace. The Apostle Paul's words with which we began this post are meant to teach us this very point. Those Israelites who rejected Jesus as Israel's Messiah did so because they wanted the Law, not grace. Ergo, God had the Gospel go to the Gentiles to give them the opportunity to receive Jesus as their Savior.
Which of us in our right minds wants to reject the Gospel and return to the Law? Not me! I will arise and go to Jesus. He will embrace me in His arms. Care to join me?

Betwixt and Between, Part 1

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works [Romans 9:30-32].
In those verses a clear dichotomy exists, and this contrast is the point to the entire quotation. On the one hand there is the righteousness which is by faith, on the other a law of righteousness. In each case righteousness is the result. The cause is what varies between the two.
The phrase a law of righteousness is better understood when the order of the words corresponds to the phrase the righteousness which is by faith. After all, Paul is teaching the difference between the two "righteousnesses", if you will permit me to coin a word.
So let's change the order of the words for the phrase a law of righteousness, so that it does correspond to what it is being contrasted with. Voilà! we come up with the righteousness which is by law. For each phrase righteousness is the result, while it is achieved by means of either "law" or "faith".
I wanted to note this contrast because by doing so we can see the purpose of the Law of Moses, dear friends. The Law was given by the Lord to the Israelites to teach them that they could not be perfect. But being perfect is the condition necessary for entrance into heaven. God is perfect and He cannot tolerate anything less. If He did then heaven would become hell pronto!
The problem wasn't with the Law. The problem was with man because man is a sinner and sinners are the opposite of perfect. Trouble is, because man is a sinner his thinking and judgment is all out of whack. Ergo, instead of looking in the mirror and seeing a sinner, he looks in the mirror and sees a saint.
This predicament leaves man betwixt and between. He is torn between Law and grace, and the sinner cannot swallow his pride enough to accept the pure Gospel without adulterating it by adding in the Law. By that means a sinner can feel that he is not perfect and needs the Gospel, but he is not really so bad after all and can do good on his own.
We will continue our flow of thought in our next post tomorrow. For tonight let’s hie off to our prayer closet and ruminate a bit on what we have just studied.

A Frightening Number, Part 2

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six [Revelation 13:18].

Man's number is 6, while the beast's number is 666. The two are connected in Revelation by the words "the number is that of a man". See! The number 666 is connected with man and his number.

Okay. Now that we have that detail to go by, let's consider two possibilities with the number of the beast. One possibility is that the number is six hundred and sixty-six. In fact the original Greek has the number spelled out in letters as hundred and sixty-six.

Notwithstanding that fact, the Book of Revelation is highly symbolic, employing typology to teach future mysteries. Writing the number 666 with letters forces the reader to meditate on the text more, if he really wants to solve the mystery. Jesus spoke in parables in order to accomplish the same thing. If anyone really wanted to discover the truths of God's Word, such a one had to search them out as if digging for buried treasure. Superficial reading of short blips and Sunday School ditties won't suffice for us to mature spiritually, dear friends.

The clue, once more, is in the phrase "the number of a man", and I want to correct that translation. In the Greek there is no indefinite article attached to the word for "man". In other words it reads "man", not "a man". The number of man, as we've already noted, is the number 6.

Hurray! We've reached the last step of our analysis of the number 666. The number of man is 6. Now look at the number of the beast: 666. Stop reading it as six hundred sixty-six and start reading it as 6-6-6, i.e., as a triple 6.

The number for God is 3. The number 3 expresses the superlative degree. God is the MOST divine. He is the THRICE holy God. Oh, and don't leave out the fact that God revealed Himself to be a TRINITY.

The word Trinity is formed by combining "tri" with "unity". "Tri" means 3 and "unity" means 1. Voilà! Trinity means 3-in-1. God is one, yet He shows Himself to be three Persons simultaneously and for all eternity. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—3 Persons comprising 1 God. We could easily express this by saying the number of God is 333. 3 is God's number and there are 3 Persons in the Godhead.

Do you see what the number of the beast means now? Compare 333 with 666. No, it's not that 666 is double 333. It's that there are 3 beasts identified in Revelation 12-13. There is the Dragon (i.e., Satan), and there is the beast out of the sea (i.e., the antichrist), and there is the beast out of the earth (i.e., the false religious leader).

The devil will forge his own pseudo-trinity, with the devil possessing the antichrist, who is a human male. The false religious leader is also a human male, though not possessed by the devil. This is Satan's mimicking of our precious Lord Jesus Christ, Who is God the Son taking on His own human body. The antichrist is the devil in a human body, though that human body is not the devil's own body. He possesses another man's body.

So the number of the beast is the number of man because the number represents who the beast is: he is a man. In fact he is 2 men and 1 devil! And since there are actually three beasts to mimic the Trinity, the number of man ("6") becomes written as "666" to expose the beast as the devil's human impersonation of the Trinity.

The Bible is unfathomable, dear people. We can never learn all it has to teach us...but we can have fun trying! Spend some time alone with the Lord now. Allow the Holy Spirit to work this teaching into your mind and down into your heart. That is the only way we can mature spiritually, so that we become all that the Lord wants us to be. To God be the glory! Amen.

A Frightening Number, Part 1

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six [Revelation 13:18].

If you were to do a bit of research on the numerous attempts to interpret the "number of the beast" over the centuries, you would come away knowing less about it than when you began! It is in some ways rather hilarious to read many of them.

One approach which yields the most untrustworthy results is to take the number as a man's name. Each letter of the alphabet is assigned a number, so the letters of a person's name add up to a total value. Find a man's name whose letters add up to 666 and you've found the identity of the beast.

Sounds logical enough, doesn't it? Uh, not so much. Here's the problem. Which letters do we use? The Book of Revelation is written in koine Greek, which employs different letters than English. Perhaps the name should add up to 666 in Persian...or Aramaic...or Hebrew.

And then there's the problem of which name is the correct one. In perusing the various commentaries, we discover that the letters of more than one name can be made to total 666. Do we put all those names in a hat and have a drawing? We could even sell tickets and award a prize to the winner!

Seriously, though, the Bible records, "the number is that of a man". It doesn't say "the number is that of a man's name", does it? No, it doesn't. So why would we try to make a man's name add up to 666? Duh? Go figure, why don'cha.

And right there we have Scripture's key for interpreting the number of the beast. The number is that of a man. Man was created on Day 6 of creation week. That is why the number of a man is 6. That is the first clue we have to go by. Scripture gave it to us: let's put it to good use.

So come with me now, roll up your sleeves, put on your work gloves, and let's work up a good sweat in solving this puzzle. Man's number is 6, while the beast's number is 666. The two are connected in Revelation by the words "the number is that of a man". See! The number 666 is connected with man and man's number.

God's Dictionary

It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring [Romans 9:6-8].

The Apostle Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews. He was not ashamed of his lineage. He was, however, ashamed of the natural man, the sinner. The Lord taught him that natural birth can only breed sinners. We must be born again. This applies to Jews as well as to Gentiles (non-Jews).

Abraham had many descendants, but only those of the lineage of Isaac were incorporated in the Lord's covenant. Abraham's progeny had nothing to do with it either. Those in the covenant didn't choose to be so. They were born into it. Those outside the covenant didn't choose to be so. They were born into it.

This teaches us that it is all of God's grace, not man's goodness or worth or smarts or athleticism, or anything else in all creation. This logically raises the question, "Then why are we accountable?" We could answer it philosophically by visiting with Aristotle. No good ever came of that, though, so we pass.

God's mysterious workings are inscrutable to us, His mere creatures. Instead of attempting to descry eternal things which are beyond our temporal abilities, we would be better served to stick with the text. So let's return to the text now.

By His own sovereign choice God chose Abraham. By His own sovereign choice He chose Isaac. Abraham's other kids were not included in God's covenant with Abraham. That is the point Paul made. God created the nation of Israel to be His people and He their King. Those who submitted to Him were His people. Those who didn't were not. That is how God's Dictionary defines a true Israelite.

He made this point to note that natural birth does not make anyone a child of God. The context for Paul's words in Romans 9-11 had to do with the Hebrews, not the Gentiles. Yes, we Gentiles also must be born again, but that isn't Paul's subject matter here.

Paul taught the Gentile Christians in Rome how they should understand the situation with the Jewish people. Just because someone was born of Abraham did not make them God's kid. Some of the Hebrews received Jesus and so they were God's kids. Others didn't, so they were not God's kids. Their natural birth did not determine it. Their acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah did.

Back in Paul's day the Jewish authorities, who controlled the Jewish communities throughout the world, violently rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They persecuted those Jews who accepted Him. These Gentile Christians in Rome were hated by the Jewish leaders because they promoted what the Jewish leaders considered to be heresy.

Paul wanted them to understand that salvation was an individual matter, not an ethnic one. Yes, the Jewish communities overall made life difficult for Christianity because their leadership instigated it. Nonetheless, many Jews did receive Jesus and were born again. Ergo, the Christians should not see people as their enemies based on ethnicity—in Paul's case because they were Jews—but they should share Jesus with everyone, including the Jews.

This is not much understood today. There is no way to the Father but through Jesus (John 14:6). Culture isn't the issue. Ethnicity isn't the issue. Christianity is hated because the Word of God denies that all religions are different approaches for getting into heaven. Every person MUST be born again, and Jesus is the only way to reach that destination. Hard words, these. But we dare not deny them!

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...

Paul the Circumcised

If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ [Philippians 3:4-7].

If Christians were polled on who they considered the Numero Uno man of all time, the answer would invariably be, "Jesus!" Probably most often their second choice would be, "The Apostle Paul!" Yes, Paul impacted the Church more than any other man, Jesus excepted. He planted more churches than anyone else, and he was used by the Holy Spirit to write New Testament Scripture to a greater extent than anyone else was. Paul was indeed a giant among Christians.

We began this post with a the quote from Philippians. In those verses Paul presented the Christians of Philippi with his job résumé. His credentials as a Hebrew, who were the people of God back in the day, were quite impressive. Paul was a giant among the Hebrews as well.

The sign of the covenant for the Hebrews was circumcision. It is not surprising to read, then, that the first credential Paul presented in his list was circumcision. Paul stated that he was circumcised the eighth day. The Law of Moses required circumcision to be done on the eighth day (cf., Leviticus 12:3). You see, Paul obeyed the Law meticulously, as a good Hebrew was expected to do.

Notwithstanding all this—or rather because of it—once he was born again, Paul was just as gung-ho for the Gospel as he was for the Law earlier in his life. Hence his words to the Philippian Christians, But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

We Christians can learn a good deal from Brother Paul. Once the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ invades the darkness of our lives, we too count as loss all the vain conceits for which we have a predilection to boast. We do an about face (i.e., repent). We cease from playing the trumpet and clashing the cymbals, while singing our own praises. We replace it with singing Jesus' praises.

So how am I doing in this department? Am I proud of what I've accomplished? Do I look in the mirror and tell myself I've reached the big time now? Or do I see the Lord Jesus and recognize my own unworthiness? He alone is worthy, Christ the Lord!

We cannot attain to such a desirable haven apart from daily quiet time alone with Jesus, dear friends. I think I'll enter my prayer closet now, bow low, open my Bible, and allow my Savior to speak His Word directly to my heart. Would anyone like to join me?

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...

Golden Calves for All!

All the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play [Exodus 32:3-6].

Egads! What were those nincompoops thinking? They witnessed the Lord's power against the world's power of that day, Egypt and Pharaoh. They witnessed the dividing of the waters at the Red Sea, and they crossed the sea on dry ground. They saw Mt. Sinai ablaze with fire and billowing smoke, the earthquake and thunderous voice of the Lord. Those stupendous miracles occurred only a matter of days and weeks before. They couldn't have forgotten so quickly.

Alas, but such is the framework of sinful man, and all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We're all sinful man!

Sin began in a beautiful garden, where all man's needs were readily provided for. Even his work of tending the garden was more like a hobby than strenuous exertion. The fruit of every last tree was available for him to eat...all, that is, except one measly tree.

Man was created in the image of God and, along with all creation, was "very good". No sin existed in man to incline him to disobey God. By nature man did not want to eat of the forbidden fruit because the Lord God told him not to. This was the exact opposite of man's penchant to sin nowadays.

The forbidden tree symbolized living for self according to one's own lusts and viewpoint. It typified man being lord of his own life, rather than as children of the Lord. There was nothing wrong with the tree or its fruit per se. It wasn't poisonous because everything God created was "very good". The interdiction on eating its fruit was given simply to test man. If man obeyed the Word of God, he would mature spiritually. If he disobeyed and did his own thing, he would die spiritually (and physically).

Man disobeyed because he listened to a voice other than the voice of the Lord God. He obeyed other words other than the Word of God. The inclination to sin came from outside man back then in the garden. Once man disobeyed, however, the inclination to sin was inside man. It formed the core of his nature, a sin nature which wants to live for self.

This was at the root of the Israelites fiasco of worshiping a golden calf and committing lewd acts during their bacchanalia. Will we dare say we haven't the same sin nature today? Will we be so blind as to say we can see, while all along we are strangers to the Word of God and to knowing Him personally? Will we insist we do have a personal relationship with Him, but not spend time alone with Him daily in prayer and Bible?

O Christians, for Christmas let there be golden calves for all! The gewgaws and baubles of the world claim our hearts, in much the same way a golden calf owned the hearts of those Israelites back in the day. We should assemble our worldly toys as a right fine display atop a stage. Then we can worship our gods in bacchanalian trysts before all the world.

Wait! We are already doing that... May this Christmas season serve as a call to repentance. Let us confess our sins, return to the Lord with our whole hearts, and be a cleansed people fit for the Master's use. Make it so, Lord Jesus. Make it so, we pray.

To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...