I hadn't talked to my friend for some time, so I decided to give him a call. I realized that I had been kind of an annoyance to him, and that he had been fairly busy lately, but I had been reading his articles, and had some questions about a few things that he seemed to be purporting.
Unusually ( I think, sometimes that he screens his calls ); he picked up the phone on the first ring, like he was glad to hear from me, or something! 'Hello, brother Jeremiah; I'm glad you called: I've been thinking about you lately, but I've been so busy...........'. I was a bit surprised to hear this, and so did not reply for an almost stunned moment, so he said again, 'Hello?' I quickly gathered my thoughts, and responded with a slightly hesitant, 'Hi Chuck?'
'What's up, brother?', he asked. I told him that I'd been reading some of his articles in which he seemed to be denying, rather than affirming, as the 'church' has for years ( 2,000+ ), the doctrine of the Trinity. 'What about all the instances where Scripture seems to name three distinct persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?'
'What about them?', he asked. As he went on to explain that, while Father and Son could be perceived as two 'persons', the 'Holy Spirit' was not ( necessarily ) any third member of a God-head, or 'Trinity; I interrupted him at once, reminding him that, while the term 'Trinity' is not found in the Bible, the principle of ( and the term ) 'the God-head' most certainly is!
'Believe me', Jer, he said, 'I have thought, studied, listened, and prayed abut this; I realize that there is a God-head, that much is clear, from Paul's statement in Colossians 2:9, 'For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily'. I realize too, that, in places like Genesis 1:26a, where God said 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness', that there is an obvious reference to a 'person' other than Himself, yet not really other than Himself, for we know there is only one God........................
My friend continued, 'did you realize that, by many historical accounts, the doctrine of 'the trinity', or three persons in one god, existed long before Christianity, and that the Christian doctrine was only fully 'theorized', or set down, by Tertullian, in the 3rd or 4th century ( AD )'?
'Yes', I replied, 'I had heard that, and there is not only that evidence which seems to detract from its canonization, but also the fact that parts of I John 5:7 & 9 do not appear in the older Greek manuscripts, nor in the passage as quoted by many of the early Church Fathers'. As this is the clearest evidence, besides the baptismal formula in Matthew 28:19, for a 'Trinity'; I believe that we can safely question the doctrine.
'Even though there may be something to this' I asked him, 'should we be debating, or trying to debunk, this doctrine, since there are so many brothers and sisters out there, who hold on to this doctrine for dear life, and if we only upset them, or ( God forbid ) cause them to stumble, by refuting it, should we even try; is it really that dangerous of a doctrine, that we should risk alienating the brethren, by denouncing it?'
He had a good point, I had to admit, but when I reminded him that, although it was not a matter for division, but for discussion, there was always the danger of focusing on a singular aspect of the God-head, or 'Trinity', and in the process, worshiping a different 'God' ( although not really a different God, but only a different perception of Him, often a false, humanistically boxed-in one ), I think he began to see my point as well.
'I realize that we can find numerous examples of a trinity in nature as well,' he said, 'but are these really occurrences, or symbols/signs of a 'trinity', or are we projecting our idea of a 'trinity' onto nature? Sure, we can see that our sun is one body, but has three different aspects, those being that we can feel the sun's heat, even though we can't ( necessarily ) see the rays, it gives us power ( in many different ways ), and it gives us light'.
I had to remind him at this juncture that he had written several articles a number of years ago, in which he had tried to show that even the creation account itself ( Genesis 1 & 2 ) was merely symbolic of God's covenant with His people, and that this would seem to point toward a projection of the notion of 'three-in-one' ( trinity ) onto nature, rather than perceiving it in nature.
'I see what you're saying, my friend', he replied, 'but though nature itself does point us to our Creator, my point in writing those articles was not to prove this, but to show how the 'creation account' was, not so much a literal record of the creation of the universe, or even of the physical earth, but rather, was relayed in such a way as to reveal His covenant, and the spiritual nature of His workings'.
I had to concede his point, but I didn't want to give to much assent to his postulation, not wanting him to get any more 'puffed up' than he already was! ( by this time; I've begun to see that its usually best not to praise his efforts over-much ) As he had made his point; I reminded him that, although this may be true, it was not ( necessarily ) a matter for debate, or division, and while this view could potentially be, and has been dangerous to our theology, as orthodoxically portrayed, was not ( necessarily ) harmful. Having said my piece; I told him goodbye, thanked him for calling, and hung up.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Faith; what is it? ( work of man or work of God? )
According to Hebrews 11:1, 'faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' That seems simple enough, or does it? The 11th chapter of Hebrews is best known as 'the faith chapter, and for good reason the author, or compiler of this book has deemed it necessary to rehearse for us the several, even manifold examples of the faith that God granted ( John 6:65, Acts 11:18, Philippians 1:29 ) them, and which they had faithfully practiced. The question before us, and has been batted back and forth for centuries, albeit maybe unconsciously, is ' is faith a work of God, something that He must give us, which we only then exercise, or is it altogether a work of man, a choice that he makes, and actions that he performs because of that choice?'
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus ( Ephesians 2:8 & 9 ), 'by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [ it is ] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast'. Aside from being one of the most mis-quoted, and thus mis-understood verses in the Bible, this passage has been argued over in the past ( and probably will be ever ), debating whether Paul was saying that faith is a gift of God, or whether he was referring to salvation as that most precious of gifts. Undoubtedly; salvation is most obviously a gift of God, and one which man obviously could not accomplish on his own, but when it comes to trusting ( having faith ) in what Christ ( God ) accomplished for us, and believing, at the very heart of the matter, that Jesus was who He claimed to be, 'very God of very God', or the Son of the Father, the fine line gets a little blurry! Philippians 1:29, referenced above, says 'to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake'. It seems pretty clear that Paul, at least, believed that even our faith, our ability to believe in Him was granted, and is granted by God. Except in several cases, notably, Deuteronomy 32:20, which says 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end [ will be ], for they[ are [ a perverse generation, children in whom [ is ] no faith', and more famously, Habakkuk 2:4, which reads 'Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith' ( Young's Literal Translational renders the Hebrew as 'stedfastness' ( more in keeping with the context of Scripture, I believe ), the Old Testament Scriptures make no mention of 'faith' ( as a noun ), referring instead, to the 'faithfulness ( or lack thereof ) of the covenant people of God, and of the enduring faithfulness of God Himself ( II Timothy 2:13 ). Throughout the Psalms; David extols the faithfulness of God, and the prophets, even Solomon in the Proverbs, condemn the people of the covenant for their lack of faithfulness towards the covenant that God had made with them.
Phrases like 'I have faith in you', or condemnation of a lack of faith, as, 'your faith just isn't strong enough', are easily bandied around, without consideration of where that faith comes from, or even what exactly 'faith' is. To most, probably; faith is simply believing, and as a noun, what one believes, but truly, faith, particularly as the Bible, or Scripture, defines it, involves, not only belief ( 'Even the demons believe—and tremble!' ( James 2:19 ), but trust, an unfailing trust, in the promises of God. As we can see throughout Scripture; it is not in man ( Alone ) to be constantly, and unfailingly faithful: man can always fail, but God can never fail; God will never fail!
Faith, as we saw above, defined by the writer to the Hebrews, 'is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'. I used to, when I was more of a deterministic Calvinist, believe that this was to say that faith, as a gift of God ( I still believe that ), was simply the evidence ( in nature, and elsewhere, that God was truly who He says He is ( John 4:24 ), but have come to see that he was speaking, not only of the faithfulness of God, but of the faithfulness of His elect covenant people, of the actions, through the faith God had granted them, of those who God had predestined ( Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:3-6 ) to salvation in the Christ. In the very next verse of Hebrews 11, we read that 'by it the elders obtained a [ good ] testimony'; do you think, as many seem to think, that they simply 'obtained' this testimony ( Genesis 15:6 ), that this occurred just because they believed, or because they acted on that belief? James elsewhere wrote 'as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also'; thus our 'faith' does us no good if we do not act upon it, and before someone objects that I a, contradicting myself; let me clarify by saying that, though this is a gift of God, and stands on its own, we do not benefit, particularly in this life, will be of no benefit to the people of God, if we do not do what that faith purports.
Let me end here, by saying, in other words, that though this 'faith', or trust, is only available as a gift of God; it is our responsibility, and ours, to exercise, though through the power of God, that faith, but acting our beliefs out in our daily lives. May we all, especially me, begin, more and more, to 'Just do it'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus ( Ephesians 2:8 & 9 ), 'by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [ it is ] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast'. Aside from being one of the most mis-quoted, and thus mis-understood verses in the Bible, this passage has been argued over in the past ( and probably will be ever ), debating whether Paul was saying that faith is a gift of God, or whether he was referring to salvation as that most precious of gifts. Undoubtedly; salvation is most obviously a gift of God, and one which man obviously could not accomplish on his own, but when it comes to trusting ( having faith ) in what Christ ( God ) accomplished for us, and believing, at the very heart of the matter, that Jesus was who He claimed to be, 'very God of very God', or the Son of the Father, the fine line gets a little blurry! Philippians 1:29, referenced above, says 'to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake'. It seems pretty clear that Paul, at least, believed that even our faith, our ability to believe in Him was granted, and is granted by God. Except in several cases, notably, Deuteronomy 32:20, which says 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end [ will be ], for they[ are [ a perverse generation, children in whom [ is ] no faith', and more famously, Habakkuk 2:4, which reads 'Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith' ( Young's Literal Translational renders the Hebrew as 'stedfastness' ( more in keeping with the context of Scripture, I believe ), the Old Testament Scriptures make no mention of 'faith' ( as a noun ), referring instead, to the 'faithfulness ( or lack thereof ) of the covenant people of God, and of the enduring faithfulness of God Himself ( II Timothy 2:13 ). Throughout the Psalms; David extols the faithfulness of God, and the prophets, even Solomon in the Proverbs, condemn the people of the covenant for their lack of faithfulness towards the covenant that God had made with them.
Phrases like 'I have faith in you', or condemnation of a lack of faith, as, 'your faith just isn't strong enough', are easily bandied around, without consideration of where that faith comes from, or even what exactly 'faith' is. To most, probably; faith is simply believing, and as a noun, what one believes, but truly, faith, particularly as the Bible, or Scripture, defines it, involves, not only belief ( 'Even the demons believe—and tremble!' ( James 2:19 ), but trust, an unfailing trust, in the promises of God. As we can see throughout Scripture; it is not in man ( Alone ) to be constantly, and unfailingly faithful: man can always fail, but God can never fail; God will never fail!
Faith, as we saw above, defined by the writer to the Hebrews, 'is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'. I used to, when I was more of a deterministic Calvinist, believe that this was to say that faith, as a gift of God ( I still believe that ), was simply the evidence ( in nature, and elsewhere, that God was truly who He says He is ( John 4:24 ), but have come to see that he was speaking, not only of the faithfulness of God, but of the faithfulness of His elect covenant people, of the actions, through the faith God had granted them, of those who God had predestined ( Romans 8:29, Ephesians 1:3-6 ) to salvation in the Christ. In the very next verse of Hebrews 11, we read that 'by it the elders obtained a [ good ] testimony'; do you think, as many seem to think, that they simply 'obtained' this testimony ( Genesis 15:6 ), that this occurred just because they believed, or because they acted on that belief? James elsewhere wrote 'as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also'; thus our 'faith' does us no good if we do not act upon it, and before someone objects that I a, contradicting myself; let me clarify by saying that, though this is a gift of God, and stands on its own, we do not benefit, particularly in this life, will be of no benefit to the people of God, if we do not do what that faith purports.
Let me end here, by saying, in other words, that though this 'faith', or trust, is only available as a gift of God; it is our responsibility, and ours, to exercise, though through the power of God, that faith, but acting our beliefs out in our daily lives. May we all, especially me, begin, more and more, to 'Just do it'!
Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Politics of Theology
German-born American physicist Albert Einstein said 'We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them'.
A friend of mine has recently adapted this quote to say 'our problems can't be solved by the theological mindset that created them'. This quote could be adjusted to cover a number of different equations. One iteration that has been proposed concerns politics. Most of us are used to thinking of 'politics', as having to do with secular government, and usually local, state, or federal governments. The Wikipedia article, though, that I found on this subject, says, 'Politics (from Greek πολιτικός, "of, for, or relating to citizens"), is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions.' Put simply; the Merriam-Webster Dictionary ( on-line ) defines 'politics' as 'the art or science of government'. As can easily be perceived in both of these definitions; religious ideals, both the theorization and propagation of them, fall under the definition of 'politics', maybe most noticeably in the past several hundred years ( except maybe for those more familiar with Church History ), but have been pervasive throughout the entire history of the Church, beginning with the political situation that Peter was faced with at Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 11. Throughout the book of Acts, we can read of numerous instances where the apostles are 'called on the carpet' for challenging the theo-political mindset of the day ( they also, along with Jesus, dared to challenge, not only the prevailing social, but geo-political perception ).
Theology, or 'the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially : the study of God and of God's relation to the world' ( again, according to Merriam Webster's ), of course, has been around since the beginning of time, and especially since the beginning of the creation of God's covenant with His people. Though differing to a greater or lesser degree, man, through his perception of his Creator, has always carried his own theology of that Creator. The physical children of Israel ( Jacob ), from their conception, had a fairly collective idea of Who God is, and what He required. Whether or not, or to what extent, their perception of YHWH ( more commonly known as Jehovah ) was correct could be argued, but it is clear, from the stiff resistance that Jesus and the apostles confronted; that their theology, through their adherence to the letter of the Law, was somewhat lacking. Paul outlines for his readers, only secondarily, and throughout his letters, the opposition that he fought against from this prevailing theology.
We face much the same situation in the Church today, striving against a faulty theology, although, except in the realm of eschatology, or the study of last things, our picture, or ideological perception of God is much the same. Though our theologies are fairly orthodox, for the most part; our differences, as pertaining to eschatology especially, do have far-reaching implications, even where it comes to discerning the nature of God. Is Jehovah a God that keeps His promises to His people, when He says He will ( Matthew 24:34 ) and how He says He will ( Matthew 16:27 )? If not; how can we really trust anything else He says or does?
What's wrong with our socio-political mind-set?
Our political mind-set, of course, has, at it's core, our perception, and thus conception of who and what God is, our theology. Depending on this perception/conception; most people will live their lives accordingly. If one believes that those with whom he comes in contact have, like oneself, been created in the image of an ultimately loving and care God, the Creator and sustainer of life Who also stands as our Father; we will most likely treat our fellow human beings in much the same way, as siblings, belonging, ultimately, to the same family. If we believe that God is no different, no better than us, reneging on His promises, or just plain being mistaken, and even powerless when it comes to His own creation, with a petty and vindictive nature like ours; we will most likely treat our brothers and sisters accordingly, treating some as better than others, depending on their social or religious status, and will end up proving in our own lives, both public and private, our very perception of God. Is this to say that those who sometimes fail to act upon their purported beliefs, pettily and vindictively treating others differently then they themselves would wish to be treated, have a faulty theology in their view of the nature of God? That's not what I'm saying at all: we're all human, after all, and prone, by our nature ( human, not fallen ( Adamic ), to be selfish, petty, and vindictive. However, through the grace of God, and depending on our perception and reception of that Grace; we can over-come our innate selfishness, and treat our brethren as brethren, ultimately, again, through the grace of God, reconciling His people with Himself!
The institutional church ( or Church, as some might say ) has failed, in the social arena, and in fellowship and love, it's ministry to share the Good News of the Kingdom with many of the less than desirable creatures in society, namely those that do things with which we, whether for a 'solid' Scriptural reasons or not, do not agree or associate ( except maybe secretly ) with! As has been shown through the writings of quite a few authors; I believe that much of the Church's failure can be blamed on a certain theological factor, or even factors, and that the only way that we will fix the 'problems', not only in today's society, but in today's church, is to change, even expand, through the Holy Spirit, and the strength of the Body of Christ, our theological views, not only of eschatology, but the trickle-down effect that it must have on our ministry.
What's wrong with our theological mind-set?
More and more today, the Church of God is either re-examining the prevailing and orthodox view, especially eschatology ( and its far-reaching implications ), or acting as the Church should in many arenas, in spite of that theological mindset. I see this as a positive thing! Through these actions, which are geared toward building God's Kingdom on earth, and is a step in the right direction ( though we may label these brethren 'futurists'; they still have an eschatology of victory ), I believe that we will see God's Kingdom, His people, continually increase, as prophesied in places like Isaiah 9 and Daniel 2!
For far to long; the idea that Christ will return to solve all of our problems, has led many in His Church to isolate themselves from the 'world', reasoning that Christ will take care of it, when He returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth, thus bringing in the new heavens and earth, that Isaiah wrote of ( Isaiah 65:17 ). The thing that we seem to have forgotten ( speaking collectively here ) is that God, in Christ has already solved our problems, the main problem being sin, which no one can truly deny, Christ took care of in His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross! Many have missed the fact that we ( the Church ) are His Kingdom on earth, and that, through the power given us by the in-dwelling of His Holy Spirit, and as the 'Israel of God' ( Galatians 6:16 ), have been made rulers with Him, and that, like the first Adam in the Garden, have been given the dominion over the rest of His creation!
Because of our latent laziness and apathy ( selfishness ), the prevalent theological mind-set present in much of today's institutional church has further encouraged us, again, collectively, to become even more selfishly apathetic, and to hand over more and more of our God-given rights and freedoms, and caused us to cede much, if not all, of our duties to the secular state and federal governments, rather than doing what we have been enabled to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and having the dominion that He gave us anew, over ourselves, our families, and our society.
In the Spirit of Holiness,
Charles Haddon Shank
A friend of mine has recently adapted this quote to say 'our problems can't be solved by the theological mindset that created them'. This quote could be adjusted to cover a number of different equations. One iteration that has been proposed concerns politics. Most of us are used to thinking of 'politics', as having to do with secular government, and usually local, state, or federal governments. The Wikipedia article, though, that I found on this subject, says, 'Politics (from Greek πολιτικός, "of, for, or relating to citizens"), is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions.' Put simply; the Merriam-Webster Dictionary ( on-line ) defines 'politics' as 'the art or science of government'. As can easily be perceived in both of these definitions; religious ideals, both the theorization and propagation of them, fall under the definition of 'politics', maybe most noticeably in the past several hundred years ( except maybe for those more familiar with Church History ), but have been pervasive throughout the entire history of the Church, beginning with the political situation that Peter was faced with at Jerusalem, as recorded in Acts 11. Throughout the book of Acts, we can read of numerous instances where the apostles are 'called on the carpet' for challenging the theo-political mindset of the day ( they also, along with Jesus, dared to challenge, not only the prevailing social, but geo-political perception ).
Theology, or 'the study of religious faith, practice, and experience; especially : the study of God and of God's relation to the world' ( again, according to Merriam Webster's ), of course, has been around since the beginning of time, and especially since the beginning of the creation of God's covenant with His people. Though differing to a greater or lesser degree, man, through his perception of his Creator, has always carried his own theology of that Creator. The physical children of Israel ( Jacob ), from their conception, had a fairly collective idea of Who God is, and what He required. Whether or not, or to what extent, their perception of YHWH ( more commonly known as Jehovah ) was correct could be argued, but it is clear, from the stiff resistance that Jesus and the apostles confronted; that their theology, through their adherence to the letter of the Law, was somewhat lacking. Paul outlines for his readers, only secondarily, and throughout his letters, the opposition that he fought against from this prevailing theology.
We face much the same situation in the Church today, striving against a faulty theology, although, except in the realm of eschatology, or the study of last things, our picture, or ideological perception of God is much the same. Though our theologies are fairly orthodox, for the most part; our differences, as pertaining to eschatology especially, do have far-reaching implications, even where it comes to discerning the nature of God. Is Jehovah a God that keeps His promises to His people, when He says He will ( Matthew 24:34 ) and how He says He will ( Matthew 16:27 )? If not; how can we really trust anything else He says or does?
What's wrong with our socio-political mind-set?
Our political mind-set, of course, has, at it's core, our perception, and thus conception of who and what God is, our theology. Depending on this perception/conception; most people will live their lives accordingly. If one believes that those with whom he comes in contact have, like oneself, been created in the image of an ultimately loving and care God, the Creator and sustainer of life Who also stands as our Father; we will most likely treat our fellow human beings in much the same way, as siblings, belonging, ultimately, to the same family. If we believe that God is no different, no better than us, reneging on His promises, or just plain being mistaken, and even powerless when it comes to His own creation, with a petty and vindictive nature like ours; we will most likely treat our brothers and sisters accordingly, treating some as better than others, depending on their social or religious status, and will end up proving in our own lives, both public and private, our very perception of God. Is this to say that those who sometimes fail to act upon their purported beliefs, pettily and vindictively treating others differently then they themselves would wish to be treated, have a faulty theology in their view of the nature of God? That's not what I'm saying at all: we're all human, after all, and prone, by our nature ( human, not fallen ( Adamic ), to be selfish, petty, and vindictive. However, through the grace of God, and depending on our perception and reception of that Grace; we can over-come our innate selfishness, and treat our brethren as brethren, ultimately, again, through the grace of God, reconciling His people with Himself!
The institutional church ( or Church, as some might say ) has failed, in the social arena, and in fellowship and love, it's ministry to share the Good News of the Kingdom with many of the less than desirable creatures in society, namely those that do things with which we, whether for a 'solid' Scriptural reasons or not, do not agree or associate ( except maybe secretly ) with! As has been shown through the writings of quite a few authors; I believe that much of the Church's failure can be blamed on a certain theological factor, or even factors, and that the only way that we will fix the 'problems', not only in today's society, but in today's church, is to change, even expand, through the Holy Spirit, and the strength of the Body of Christ, our theological views, not only of eschatology, but the trickle-down effect that it must have on our ministry.
What's wrong with our theological mind-set?
More and more today, the Church of God is either re-examining the prevailing and orthodox view, especially eschatology ( and its far-reaching implications ), or acting as the Church should in many arenas, in spite of that theological mindset. I see this as a positive thing! Through these actions, which are geared toward building God's Kingdom on earth, and is a step in the right direction ( though we may label these brethren 'futurists'; they still have an eschatology of victory ), I believe that we will see God's Kingdom, His people, continually increase, as prophesied in places like Isaiah 9 and Daniel 2!
For far to long; the idea that Christ will return to solve all of our problems, has led many in His Church to isolate themselves from the 'world', reasoning that Christ will take care of it, when He returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth, thus bringing in the new heavens and earth, that Isaiah wrote of ( Isaiah 65:17 ). The thing that we seem to have forgotten ( speaking collectively here ) is that God, in Christ has already solved our problems, the main problem being sin, which no one can truly deny, Christ took care of in His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross! Many have missed the fact that we ( the Church ) are His Kingdom on earth, and that, through the power given us by the in-dwelling of His Holy Spirit, and as the 'Israel of God' ( Galatians 6:16 ), have been made rulers with Him, and that, like the first Adam in the Garden, have been given the dominion over the rest of His creation!
Because of our latent laziness and apathy ( selfishness ), the prevalent theological mind-set present in much of today's institutional church has further encouraged us, again, collectively, to become even more selfishly apathetic, and to hand over more and more of our God-given rights and freedoms, and caused us to cede much, if not all, of our duties to the secular state and federal governments, rather than doing what we have been enabled to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and having the dominion that He gave us anew, over ourselves, our families, and our society.
In the Spirit of Holiness,
Charles Haddon Shank
Monday, February 14, 2011
What is Love?
Most, I believe, are familiar with 'the love chapter', I Corinthians 13, which I've mentioned before. The Scriptures, when mentioning love, and particularly Paul, in this passage, speaks of it in the sense of action, of things that we do, of characteristics that we exhibit, when we love. There are times, even in Scripture, when love is pretty obviously felt, both in the reception, and in the inception. Conception definitely involves feeling, and often ( usually ) is very emotionally charged. Love, while it often does involve emotion, and usually leads to an emotional attachment, is, first and foremost, an action, almost, as some say, a duty. Much trouble has been caused through the modern, some might say 'secular' view of love, and even the Scriptural example of Peter, at the end of John's Gospel, where Peter could not allow himself to commit to anything but feelings of brotherly love ( 'phileo' ) for his LORD. Relationships are often plagued by this unfortunate fact. Feelings, like most of the things that Paul mentioned in the first passage that we are focusing on here, have an end. If we allow our emotions ( feelings ) to rule our relationships, then we have a very rocky roller-coaster ride ahead of us.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not all saying that emotions are a bad thing, and neither am I saying that we should strive to hide or stifle those feelings: but rather, we should strive to control those feelings and not to base our actions upon those feelings, but to base our actions upon our love for God, rather on the love of God, which is best displayed in John 3:16, 'For God so loved the world.............'
I can say with authority, and I'm sure that most have experienced this, that a relationship ( of any kind ) that is based largely, if not wholly, upon feelings, is often doomed, and most often headed for disaster. Why do I say this? Feelings change, we can't really control those ( though sometimes we can bring them under control ), but we can control our actions. As I've often repeated, 'We all make choices': we always, except perhaps in unusual, or extreme cases have a choice of whether to react or act, whether to wait for the actions of someone else to determine our own actions, or to make a 'preemptive strike', and decide to fulfill our purpose, our destiny, you might say, to love!
As I said earlier: there is absolutely nothing at all wrong with having or exhibiting emotion; we all have them, we all feel them ( some to a greater or lesser extent than others ), but when we allow those feelings to determine our actions, we are not acting in love, but in lust!
Writing more for myself, than for anyone else,
Charles Haddon Shank
Don't get me wrong: I'm not all saying that emotions are a bad thing, and neither am I saying that we should strive to hide or stifle those feelings: but rather, we should strive to control those feelings and not to base our actions upon those feelings, but to base our actions upon our love for God, rather on the love of God, which is best displayed in John 3:16, 'For God so loved the world.............'
I can say with authority, and I'm sure that most have experienced this, that a relationship ( of any kind ) that is based largely, if not wholly, upon feelings, is often doomed, and most often headed for disaster. Why do I say this? Feelings change, we can't really control those ( though sometimes we can bring them under control ), but we can control our actions. As I've often repeated, 'We all make choices': we always, except perhaps in unusual, or extreme cases have a choice of whether to react or act, whether to wait for the actions of someone else to determine our own actions, or to make a 'preemptive strike', and decide to fulfill our purpose, our destiny, you might say, to love!
As I said earlier: there is absolutely nothing at all wrong with having or exhibiting emotion; we all have them, we all feel them ( some to a greater or lesser extent than others ), but when we allow those feelings to determine our actions, we are not acting in love, but in lust!
Writing more for myself, than for anyone else,
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, February 04, 2011
Studies in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus the Christ the Son of God ( the visions ( final judgment ( 'War & Peace' ( the marriage feast ) Pt 16
Keys to Understanding the Book of Revelation
After these things I heard[a] a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power [ belong ] to the Lord[b] our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants [ shed ] by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!"
The book of Revelation has been termed, by some, a 'heavenly worship service', and rightly so, I believe, as witnessed by the episodes of praise and glory, with thanksgiving that are interspersed throughout the book.
'Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “ You are worthy, O Lord,[g] to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist[h] and were created.”' ( Revelation 4:8-11 )
'After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, [ be ] to our God forever and ever. Amen.”' ( Revelation 7:9 )
We have noted before, how those faithful in 'Israel' had cried 'Lord, how long?' ( Isaiah 6:11 ( Psalm 13:1, 35:17 ( I Peter 5:8 ) Psalm 74:10, 90:13, Jeremiah 12:4, Habakkuk 1:2, Zechariah 1:12 ) In the previous studies; I have endeavored to show that it was old covenant Israel ( 'according to the flesh' ) that was the primary focus of the adverse judgment prophesied throughout Scripture, and finally, and significantly revealed through John in the Revelation. I believe that Scripture clearly presents the fact that the physical nation of Israel ( their leaders ), and Judaism in particular, was the 'adversary' of God's people throughout their history. Many examples have been presented, especially in the Hebrew Scriptures of other ( foreign ) adversaries that plagued the ( physical ) 'children' of Israel, but, as we have seen throughout these studies, they were but God's typical means of chastising His 'children', and revealing, through their disobedience and apostasy, His true people.
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both[c] small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the[d] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
It is customary in this 'day and age', for a bride to wear a white gown for her wedding ceremony, especially if, and in most cases, only if she has not been 'wedded and bedded', in other words, if she is a virgin. This has not always been the case, however; the idea of wearing a white wedding dress ( sometimes very elaborate ) was popularized in the 1800s, when Queen Victoria of England married Albert Saxe-Coberg in 1840, wearing a white gown. Till lately; a white gown was fairly uncommon as a wedding dress, as only the wealthy could really afford to keep a white dress for a singular use, such as a wedding. The white wedding dress has become traditional as a symbol of purity, although this seems to be a recent one, because up till the mid-19th century, blue was worn as a symbol of purity, by brides for their husbands. Biblically speaking; it is easy to see where this idea of white as a symbol for purity came from. From the passages that we read throughout the Revelation ( 3:4, 5 & 18, 4:4, 6:11, 7:9, 13 & 14 ( 15:6 ) 19:14 ), and even throughout the Greek Scriptures ( Matthew 17:2, 28:3, Mark 9:3, 16:5, Luke 9:29, John 20:12, Acts 1:10 ( II Corinthians 5:2-4, I Peter 5:5 ( Romans 4:6 ( Genesis 3:21 ) Romans 10:4, I Corinthians 1:30, II Corinthians 6:14, Ephesians 4:24 ( 6:14 ) Philippians 3:9, II Timothy 4:8 ( II Timothy 2:22, Titus 1:15, Hebrews 10:22 ( 14 ) James 1:27, I Peter 1:22, I John 3:3 ). In the Hebrew Scriptures; were are familiar with David's 'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow', from Psalm 51 ( see also Ecclesiastes 9:8 ), and 'Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool' ( Isaiah 1:18 ). In Daniel 7:9, much as in Revelation 4, where the prophet was granted a vision of 'the Ancient of Days'; Daniel saw 'His garment [ was ] white as snow', and referring to 'the time of the end', also revealed in John's vision, the angel told Daniel 'Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand' ( 12:10 ).
'And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.' ( Revelation 14:2 )
David, king of Israel, wrote 'The voice of the LORD [ is ] over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD [ is ] over many waters.' ( Psalm 29:3 ) When God revealed ( in a vision ) to the prophet Ezekiel, the glory of His future Temple, the prophet was made aware of His presence by the sound of 'His voice like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory' ( Ezekiel 43:2 ). Previous studies have shone that 'waters' are often indicative ( metaphorically ), not only of the people of God, or people ( the nations ) in general, but of the blessings that God 'rains down' upon those people.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See [ that you do ] not [ do that ]! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
'The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle [ are ] killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated [ them ] spitefully, and killed [ them ]. But when the king heard [ about it ], he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.' ( Matthew 22:2-7 )
Again; reading Josephus' history of the wars of the Jews, we can clearly see how this parable become a very literal, physical representation of what was about to take place. In Luke 14:15-24; Jesus tells much the same parable as the one in Matthew, and while Jesus, in the parable in Luke, specifically targets the physical Jews, saying, 'none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper'; He merely states in Matthew 22 that, although the city of those who were originally invited was burned up, those from the 'highways', 'both bad and good' ( verse 10 ) that came to the feast without the proper preparations were cast into 'outer darkness'.
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him [ was ] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes [ were ] like a flame of fire, and on His head [ were ] many crowns. He had[e] a name written that no one knew except Himself. He [ was ] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
'In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.' ( Genesis 7:11 )
'Yet He had commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.' ( Psalm 78:23-25 )
'But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.' ( Matthew 24:37-39 )
'Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;[a] and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.' ( Revelation 6:1 & 2 )
As Stephen stood trial before the Sanhedrin, most of which is recorded in Acts 7, and after his farewell address; he exclaimed, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!' ( 56 ). This made them even angrier, because they must have known, and recognized, from their long and sordid history, that this kind of language usually signified an adverse judgment for the guilty ones, which they knew that they were!
Some have explained the first horsemen in John's vision in Revelation as speaking of someone other than Christ, but I believe that John's reference above, in Revelation 19, indicates that Jesus the Christ is in view here, if for no other reason than the fact that He is seen, mounted upon a white horse. A Wikipedia article that I found on the significance of the white horse has this little tidbit, 'White horses (which are rarer than other colors of horse) have a special significance in the mythologies of cultures around the world. They are often associated with the sun chariot,[1] with warrior-heroes, with fertility (in both mare and stallion manifestations), or with an end-of-time savior, but other interpretations exist as well'. Another article says, 'Let the reader note particularly what John saw, and then remember that it is symbolical, and that instead of looking for a literal fulfillment, we are to ask the meaning of the symbols.' ( from the website 'The Official King James Bible online' ) Traditionally, I believe, the white horse has always been significant of the conqueror, and even of royalty. In our 'day', even, this is the traditional mount for kings, princes, and other royalty. Douglas MacArthur, in my understanding, rode a white horse, and history will tell us that many such generals, kings, and other such, employed the white horse, as a symbol of their status and intent.
As John described the Son of God earlier in the Revelation ( 1:14, 2:18 ) using these words; 'His eyes like a flame of fire', it should be clear that he is seeing a vision of the conquering King here. That He had 'a name written that no one knew except Himself' speaks of the fact that only God knows who's names are truly written in the Book of Life ( Malachi 3:16-18 ).
Describing the coming 'Day of the Lord'; when this conquering King was asked 'Why [ is ] Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?'; He answered, 'I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.' ( Isaiah 63:1-6 )
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,[f] followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp[g] sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on [ His ] robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
'Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.' ( Genesis 41:42 )
'He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet [ thread ], and of fine woven linen.' ( Exodus 39:2 )
'I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.' ( Ezekiel 16:10 )
'There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.'( Luke 16:19 )
Some may wonder why I've quoted Luke 16:19: I believe, as my readers may have gathered, that Jesus told this parable, symbolic of the division between Jew & Gentile that was presented, most strongly, perhaps, in His day, the 'rich man' being indicative of the Jew, who rested upon his righteousness, or ability to keep the Law, for his salvation, and Lazarus ( corresponds to Eliezer, Abraham's servant, in Genesis 15:2 ) of the Gentiles, those who, as the Jews perceived it, had no interest in the covenant blessings God had promised. Linen, back in those 'days', although probably one of the more popular materials from which clothes were made, was, in its finest form, usually imported from Egypt, and so reserved mainly for the priests and wealthier people.
Starting in Exodus 26, and continuing till near the end of the book; it is interesting to note that many of the trappings, one of which was fine linen, which were employed in the making of the tabernacle and the priestly garments, are very nearly the same as those used symbolically to describe the clothing of God's covenant people.
'You shall break[a] them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.' ( Psalm 2:9 )
'And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.' ( Isaiah 49:2 )
John used some very familiar imagery here, recalling prophecies of old, to describe the vision that he observed. As we noted several studies ago, John heard 'The kingdoms[f] of this world have become [ the kingdoms ] of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!' ( Revelation 11:15 ), and in the very next study, John witnessed a woman who was about to deliver her Child, and 'She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron'. This Child, of course, was none other than the Son of God, who was promised by His Father that the 'nations' would be His 'inheritance', and 'the ends of the earth, His 'possession'.
Another interesting fact, concerning the quote from Isaiah 49, is that when God talks about His Servant whose mouth He will make ( like ) 'a sharp sword', He reveals in the very next verse to whom He is speaking; 'You [ are ] My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified'. This is part of the mystery 'hidden from ages and from generations' ( Colossians 1:26 ( Ephesians 3:9, I Corinthians 2:7 ), that His only begotten Son was the true Israel, of which Jacob and his progeny were mere shadows.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,[h] that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all [ people ], free[i] and slave, both small and great.
'And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh,[a] Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who [ are ] with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and [ to ] the beasts of the field to be devoured.' ( Ezekiel 39:1-4 )
'Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten [ them ] away.' ( Deuteronomy 28:26 )
'The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.' ( Psalm 79:2 )
'The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten [ them away ].' ( Jeremiah 7:33 )
'They shall die gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented nor shall they be buried, [ but ] they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.' ( Jeremiah 16:4 )
'I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall on the open field; you shall not be picked up or gathered.[b] I have given you as food to the beasts of the field and to the birds of the heavens.' ( Ezekiel 29:5 )
That this angel was standing in the sun ( Greek-ἥλιος=helios ) should be noted, considering that the sun, or 'greater light' was made to 'rule the day' ( Genesis 1:16 ), and, in places like Genesis 37:9; is clearly shown to be commonly significant of a 'head', whether of a family, ( 'Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me' ), or of a nation ( Isaiah 13:10, 24:23 ( 60:19 & 20 ) Jeremiah 15:9, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:10 ( Habakkuk 3:11 ). God's promise in Isaiah 60:19 & 20, that 'Your sun shall no longer go down', and that 'the LORD will be your everlasting light' makes the place where John saw this angel standing even more significant; we will see several studies from now the significance, as well, of this important phrase.
In the passages above, we can see throughout Scripture that this 'feast', though symbolic of the defeat of the enemies of God's people, had a very real ( and physical ) aspect to it, and especially when read in the context of the creation account in Genesis 1 & 2, could have some interesting connotations.
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
Because of the use of this phrase, 'the kings of the earth', among others, maybe, some have gotten the notion that this battle, infamously called 'the battle of Armageddon' ( Harmagedōn-the hill or city of Megiddo ) will be a world-wide conflict, but as we've seen much throughout these studies; the word 'earth' here, might better, and possibly should be, to avoid confusion, 'land'.
'So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.' ( II Chronicles 9:22 & 23 )
'It shall come to pass in that day [ that ] the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.' ( Isaiah 24:21 )
'The kings of the earth, and all inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem— ' ( Lamentations 4:12 )
'When your wares went out by sea, you satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise.' ( Ezekiel 27:33 )
Scripture, as I believe I've mentioned before, is centered in and around the 'land' of Palestine, and later, extended to pretty much the whole Mediterranean region, so it should be fairly obvious, especially when considering the historical context of the above passages, that the authors are not referring to rulers of the nations of the whole earth, as we know it, but rather to kings of the earth, or world, that they were familiar with, in that prescribed area of the earth.
'Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.' ( Revelation 13:11 )
We read in Revelation 13 of two beasts, the first from the sea, which can be interpreted as being from the Gentiles, and the beast from the earth, or land, or a Jew. I believe that, though these beasts can be actually identified as separate individuals that lived and died in the first century; John, or Jesus rather, is speaking of two aspects of one spirit ( I John 4:1-6 ).
'The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their [ own ] power; and My people love [ to have it ] so. But what will you do in the end?' ( Jeremiah 5:31 )
'If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.' ( Deuteronomy 13:1-3 )
Later, in Deuteronomy 18:21 & 22, the 'children' of Israel asked Moses how they would be able to tell the difference between His prophets and self-appointed prophets: Moses told them 'when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass', then they would know that he was not a true prophet ( of God ), and that they were not to fear him. As the 'beasts', above, that we read about in Revelation 13; I believe that Scripture tells us, that though there may have been on particular figure ( individual ) that John ( Jesus ) had in mind here, as 'the' false prophet, who then perished in a very physical 'Lake of Fire' ( the conflagration of Jerusalem and the Temple, in AD70 ); it was not so much an individual figure that John 'saw' as a 'sign' of the spirit of anti-Christ that we read about in the letters of John.
These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
'For Tophet [ was ] established of old, yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made [ it ] deep and large; its pyre [ is ] fire with much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.' ( Isaiah 30:33 )
'Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room.' ( Jeremiah 7:32 )
In our studies of the Revelation; we have read about how this 'breath of the LORD', or 'fire of the LORD', at the prayer of Elijah ( "Yahweh is my God" ) fell from heaven and burned up the sacrifice ( I Kings 18:20-40 ), and how, later in the same chronicles ( II Kings 1:9-15 ) the same man of God called down the same 'fire of God', when faced with an adversary ( whose lives he later spared at their own prayer ). It is interesting to note here, that this same 'breath of the LORD' that burned up His adversaries, and the adversaries of His people, is the same 'breath' ( Genesis 2:7 ) that brought Adam to life, and which was the means of resurrection of the house of Israel ( Ezekiel 37 )!
'For the word of God [ is ] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.' ( Hebrews 4:12 )
We read earlier, in Isaiah 49, and other passages, how God had made His Servant a 'sword', both to redeem His people ( Psalm 58:10, Psalm 99:8, Isaiah 35:4, 61:2, 63:4, Jeremiah 50:28 ), and to take vengeance on His adversaries ( Deuteronomy 32:35 ( 41 ), Psalm 94:1, Isaiah 34:5-8, Jeremiah 46:10 ( Luke 21:22 ) Micah 5:15, Nahum 1:2 ). Josephus, the Jewish historian who chronicled the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, reported that during these 'days of vengeance', a sword appeared in the sky over Jerusalem ( likely a comet ), so, in these events, one can even 'see' almost a physically literal fulfillment of Jesus' words of condemnation, not only from 'The Olivet Discourse ( Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 ), but throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, as well!
May this study, as we near the end of it, be a blessing to it's reader, as the Revelation was to its original recipients!
In the love of God,
Charles Haddon Shank
After these things I heard[a] a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power [ belong ] to the Lord[b] our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants [ shed ] by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!"
The book of Revelation has been termed, by some, a 'heavenly worship service', and rightly so, I believe, as witnessed by the episodes of praise and glory, with thanksgiving that are interspersed throughout the book.
'Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “ You are worthy, O Lord,[g] to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist[h] and were created.”' ( Revelation 4:8-11 )
'After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, [ be ] to our God forever and ever. Amen.”' ( Revelation 7:9 )
We have noted before, how those faithful in 'Israel' had cried 'Lord, how long?' ( Isaiah 6:11 ( Psalm 13:1, 35:17 ( I Peter 5:8 ) Psalm 74:10, 90:13, Jeremiah 12:4, Habakkuk 1:2, Zechariah 1:12 ) In the previous studies; I have endeavored to show that it was old covenant Israel ( 'according to the flesh' ) that was the primary focus of the adverse judgment prophesied throughout Scripture, and finally, and significantly revealed through John in the Revelation. I believe that Scripture clearly presents the fact that the physical nation of Israel ( their leaders ), and Judaism in particular, was the 'adversary' of God's people throughout their history. Many examples have been presented, especially in the Hebrew Scriptures of other ( foreign ) adversaries that plagued the ( physical ) 'children' of Israel, but, as we have seen throughout these studies, they were but God's typical means of chastising His 'children', and revealing, through their disobedience and apostasy, His true people.
Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both[c] small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the[d] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
It is customary in this 'day and age', for a bride to wear a white gown for her wedding ceremony, especially if, and in most cases, only if she has not been 'wedded and bedded', in other words, if she is a virgin. This has not always been the case, however; the idea of wearing a white wedding dress ( sometimes very elaborate ) was popularized in the 1800s, when Queen Victoria of England married Albert Saxe-Coberg in 1840, wearing a white gown. Till lately; a white gown was fairly uncommon as a wedding dress, as only the wealthy could really afford to keep a white dress for a singular use, such as a wedding. The white wedding dress has become traditional as a symbol of purity, although this seems to be a recent one, because up till the mid-19th century, blue was worn as a symbol of purity, by brides for their husbands. Biblically speaking; it is easy to see where this idea of white as a symbol for purity came from. From the passages that we read throughout the Revelation ( 3:4, 5 & 18, 4:4, 6:11, 7:9, 13 & 14 ( 15:6 ) 19:14 ), and even throughout the Greek Scriptures ( Matthew 17:2, 28:3, Mark 9:3, 16:5, Luke 9:29, John 20:12, Acts 1:10 ( II Corinthians 5:2-4, I Peter 5:5 ( Romans 4:6 ( Genesis 3:21 ) Romans 10:4, I Corinthians 1:30, II Corinthians 6:14, Ephesians 4:24 ( 6:14 ) Philippians 3:9, II Timothy 4:8 ( II Timothy 2:22, Titus 1:15, Hebrews 10:22 ( 14 ) James 1:27, I Peter 1:22, I John 3:3 ). In the Hebrew Scriptures; were are familiar with David's 'Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow', from Psalm 51 ( see also Ecclesiastes 9:8 ), and 'Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool' ( Isaiah 1:18 ). In Daniel 7:9, much as in Revelation 4, where the prophet was granted a vision of 'the Ancient of Days'; Daniel saw 'His garment [ was ] white as snow', and referring to 'the time of the end', also revealed in John's vision, the angel told Daniel 'Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand' ( 12:10 ).
'And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.' ( Revelation 14:2 )
David, king of Israel, wrote 'The voice of the LORD [ is ] over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD [ is ] over many waters.' ( Psalm 29:3 ) When God revealed ( in a vision ) to the prophet Ezekiel, the glory of His future Temple, the prophet was made aware of His presence by the sound of 'His voice like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory' ( Ezekiel 43:2 ). Previous studies have shone that 'waters' are often indicative ( metaphorically ), not only of the people of God, or people ( the nations ) in general, but of the blessings that God 'rains down' upon those people.
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See [ that you do ] not [ do that ]! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
'The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle [ are ] killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated [ them ] spitefully, and killed [ them ]. But when the king heard [ about it ], he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.' ( Matthew 22:2-7 )
Again; reading Josephus' history of the wars of the Jews, we can clearly see how this parable become a very literal, physical representation of what was about to take place. In Luke 14:15-24; Jesus tells much the same parable as the one in Matthew, and while Jesus, in the parable in Luke, specifically targets the physical Jews, saying, 'none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper'; He merely states in Matthew 22 that, although the city of those who were originally invited was burned up, those from the 'highways', 'both bad and good' ( verse 10 ) that came to the feast without the proper preparations were cast into 'outer darkness'.
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him [ was ] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes [ were ] like a flame of fire, and on His head [ were ] many crowns. He had[e] a name written that no one knew except Himself. He [ was ] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
'In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.' ( Genesis 7:11 )
'Yet He had commanded the clouds above, and opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; He sent them food to the full.' ( Psalm 78:23-25 )
'But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.' ( Matthew 24:37-39 )
'Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;[a] and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.' ( Revelation 6:1 & 2 )
As Stephen stood trial before the Sanhedrin, most of which is recorded in Acts 7, and after his farewell address; he exclaimed, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!' ( 56 ). This made them even angrier, because they must have known, and recognized, from their long and sordid history, that this kind of language usually signified an adverse judgment for the guilty ones, which they knew that they were!
Some have explained the first horsemen in John's vision in Revelation as speaking of someone other than Christ, but I believe that John's reference above, in Revelation 19, indicates that Jesus the Christ is in view here, if for no other reason than the fact that He is seen, mounted upon a white horse. A Wikipedia article that I found on the significance of the white horse has this little tidbit, 'White horses (which are rarer than other colors of horse) have a special significance in the mythologies of cultures around the world. They are often associated with the sun chariot,[1] with warrior-heroes, with fertility (in both mare and stallion manifestations), or with an end-of-time savior, but other interpretations exist as well'. Another article says, 'Let the reader note particularly what John saw, and then remember that it is symbolical, and that instead of looking for a literal fulfillment, we are to ask the meaning of the symbols.' ( from the website 'The Official King James Bible online' ) Traditionally, I believe, the white horse has always been significant of the conqueror, and even of royalty. In our 'day', even, this is the traditional mount for kings, princes, and other royalty. Douglas MacArthur, in my understanding, rode a white horse, and history will tell us that many such generals, kings, and other such, employed the white horse, as a symbol of their status and intent.
As John described the Son of God earlier in the Revelation ( 1:14, 2:18 ) using these words; 'His eyes like a flame of fire', it should be clear that he is seeing a vision of the conquering King here. That He had 'a name written that no one knew except Himself' speaks of the fact that only God knows who's names are truly written in the Book of Life ( Malachi 3:16-18 ).
Describing the coming 'Day of the Lord'; when this conquering King was asked 'Why [ is ] Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?'; He answered, 'I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.' ( Isaiah 63:1-6 )
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,[f] followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp[g] sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on [ His ] robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
'Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.' ( Genesis 41:42 )
'He made the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet [ thread ], and of fine woven linen.' ( Exodus 39:2 )
'I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.' ( Ezekiel 16:10 )
'There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.'( Luke 16:19 )
Some may wonder why I've quoted Luke 16:19: I believe, as my readers may have gathered, that Jesus told this parable, symbolic of the division between Jew & Gentile that was presented, most strongly, perhaps, in His day, the 'rich man' being indicative of the Jew, who rested upon his righteousness, or ability to keep the Law, for his salvation, and Lazarus ( corresponds to Eliezer, Abraham's servant, in Genesis 15:2 ) of the Gentiles, those who, as the Jews perceived it, had no interest in the covenant blessings God had promised. Linen, back in those 'days', although probably one of the more popular materials from which clothes were made, was, in its finest form, usually imported from Egypt, and so reserved mainly for the priests and wealthier people.
Starting in Exodus 26, and continuing till near the end of the book; it is interesting to note that many of the trappings, one of which was fine linen, which were employed in the making of the tabernacle and the priestly garments, are very nearly the same as those used symbolically to describe the clothing of God's covenant people.
'You shall break[a] them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.' ( Psalm 2:9 )
'And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, and made Me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden Me.' ( Isaiah 49:2 )
John used some very familiar imagery here, recalling prophecies of old, to describe the vision that he observed. As we noted several studies ago, John heard 'The kingdoms[f] of this world have become [ the kingdoms ] of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!' ( Revelation 11:15 ), and in the very next study, John witnessed a woman who was about to deliver her Child, and 'She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron'. This Child, of course, was none other than the Son of God, who was promised by His Father that the 'nations' would be His 'inheritance', and 'the ends of the earth, His 'possession'.
Another interesting fact, concerning the quote from Isaiah 49, is that when God talks about His Servant whose mouth He will make ( like ) 'a sharp sword', He reveals in the very next verse to whom He is speaking; 'You [ are ] My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified'. This is part of the mystery 'hidden from ages and from generations' ( Colossians 1:26 ( Ephesians 3:9, I Corinthians 2:7 ), that His only begotten Son was the true Israel, of which Jacob and his progeny were mere shadows.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,[h] that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all [ people ], free[i] and slave, both small and great.
'And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh,[a] Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who [ are ] with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and [ to ] the beasts of the field to be devoured.' ( Ezekiel 39:1-4 )
'Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten [ them ] away.' ( Deuteronomy 28:26 )
'The dead bodies of Your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth.' ( Psalm 79:2 )
'The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten [ them away ].' ( Jeremiah 7:33 )
'They shall die gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented nor shall they be buried, [ but ] they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.' ( Jeremiah 16:4 )
'I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall on the open field; you shall not be picked up or gathered.[b] I have given you as food to the beasts of the field and to the birds of the heavens.' ( Ezekiel 29:5 )
That this angel was standing in the sun ( Greek-ἥλιος=helios ) should be noted, considering that the sun, or 'greater light' was made to 'rule the day' ( Genesis 1:16 ), and, in places like Genesis 37:9; is clearly shown to be commonly significant of a 'head', whether of a family, ( 'Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me' ), or of a nation ( Isaiah 13:10, 24:23 ( 60:19 & 20 ) Jeremiah 15:9, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:10 ( Habakkuk 3:11 ). God's promise in Isaiah 60:19 & 20, that 'Your sun shall no longer go down', and that 'the LORD will be your everlasting light' makes the place where John saw this angel standing even more significant; we will see several studies from now the significance, as well, of this important phrase.
In the passages above, we can see throughout Scripture that this 'feast', though symbolic of the defeat of the enemies of God's people, had a very real ( and physical ) aspect to it, and especially when read in the context of the creation account in Genesis 1 & 2, could have some interesting connotations.
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
Because of the use of this phrase, 'the kings of the earth', among others, maybe, some have gotten the notion that this battle, infamously called 'the battle of Armageddon' ( Harmagedōn-the hill or city of Megiddo ) will be a world-wide conflict, but as we've seen much throughout these studies; the word 'earth' here, might better, and possibly should be, to avoid confusion, 'land'.
'So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.' ( II Chronicles 9:22 & 23 )
'It shall come to pass in that day [ that ] the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.' ( Isaiah 24:21 )
'The kings of the earth, and all inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem— ' ( Lamentations 4:12 )
'When your wares went out by sea, you satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise.' ( Ezekiel 27:33 )
Scripture, as I believe I've mentioned before, is centered in and around the 'land' of Palestine, and later, extended to pretty much the whole Mediterranean region, so it should be fairly obvious, especially when considering the historical context of the above passages, that the authors are not referring to rulers of the nations of the whole earth, as we know it, but rather to kings of the earth, or world, that they were familiar with, in that prescribed area of the earth.
'Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.' ( Revelation 13:11 )
We read in Revelation 13 of two beasts, the first from the sea, which can be interpreted as being from the Gentiles, and the beast from the earth, or land, or a Jew. I believe that, though these beasts can be actually identified as separate individuals that lived and died in the first century; John, or Jesus rather, is speaking of two aspects of one spirit ( I John 4:1-6 ).
'The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their [ own ] power; and My people love [ to have it ] so. But what will you do in the end?' ( Jeremiah 5:31 )
'If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.' ( Deuteronomy 13:1-3 )
Later, in Deuteronomy 18:21 & 22, the 'children' of Israel asked Moses how they would be able to tell the difference between His prophets and self-appointed prophets: Moses told them 'when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass', then they would know that he was not a true prophet ( of God ), and that they were not to fear him. As the 'beasts', above, that we read about in Revelation 13; I believe that Scripture tells us, that though there may have been on particular figure ( individual ) that John ( Jesus ) had in mind here, as 'the' false prophet, who then perished in a very physical 'Lake of Fire' ( the conflagration of Jerusalem and the Temple, in AD70 ); it was not so much an individual figure that John 'saw' as a 'sign' of the spirit of anti-Christ that we read about in the letters of John.
These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
'For Tophet [ was ] established of old, yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made [ it ] deep and large; its pyre [ is ] fire with much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.' ( Isaiah 30:33 )
'Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room.' ( Jeremiah 7:32 )
In our studies of the Revelation; we have read about how this 'breath of the LORD', or 'fire of the LORD', at the prayer of Elijah ( "Yahweh is my God" ) fell from heaven and burned up the sacrifice ( I Kings 18:20-40 ), and how, later in the same chronicles ( II Kings 1:9-15 ) the same man of God called down the same 'fire of God', when faced with an adversary ( whose lives he later spared at their own prayer ). It is interesting to note here, that this same 'breath of the LORD' that burned up His adversaries, and the adversaries of His people, is the same 'breath' ( Genesis 2:7 ) that brought Adam to life, and which was the means of resurrection of the house of Israel ( Ezekiel 37 )!
'For the word of God [ is ] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.' ( Hebrews 4:12 )
We read earlier, in Isaiah 49, and other passages, how God had made His Servant a 'sword', both to redeem His people ( Psalm 58:10, Psalm 99:8, Isaiah 35:4, 61:2, 63:4, Jeremiah 50:28 ), and to take vengeance on His adversaries ( Deuteronomy 32:35 ( 41 ), Psalm 94:1, Isaiah 34:5-8, Jeremiah 46:10 ( Luke 21:22 ) Micah 5:15, Nahum 1:2 ). Josephus, the Jewish historian who chronicled the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, reported that during these 'days of vengeance', a sword appeared in the sky over Jerusalem ( likely a comet ), so, in these events, one can even 'see' almost a physically literal fulfillment of Jesus' words of condemnation, not only from 'The Olivet Discourse ( Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 ), but throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, as well!
May this study, as we near the end of it, be a blessing to it's reader, as the Revelation was to its original recipients!
In the love of God,
Charles Haddon Shank
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
The Covenant
When is a covenant not a covenant? First; we need to define the word:the simplest definition is perhaps the most ready and apt; according to the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible ( Davis rev. Gehman-1944 ), a covenant is 'an agreement between two or more persons'. I believe that most any dictionary will give you pretty much the same definition as this, and while , as Davis goes on to say 'Various covenants between man and man are mentioned in Scripture ( Genesis 21:27, 32, I Samuel 18:3, 23:18, I Kings 20:34, etc. ). More important are those in which God condescended to be a covenanting party. His covenant with man is a free promise on His part, generally based upon the fulfillment of certain conditions by man'. Let's stop right there for a minute; is a gift conditional? If so, can it truly be said to be free? I agree, in the sense of Davis' words above, that God 'condescended to become a covenanting party', but can we really say that He is merely a 'party' to the covenant? This all goes right to the nature of God! As our Creator, that really was a condescension of God to humble Himself to come down to our level ( created being ) and covenant with us, and in that sense, this covenant may be described as conditional, but when God first decided within Himself, within the Godhead, you might say, to 'make man in Our image' ( Genesis 1:26 ), He did not ask man if he wanted to be made, and when God saw that there was no 'helper comparable to him', He did not first ask Adam whether he would rather be alone ( in fact, God formed the animals first out of the ground, and brought them to Adam ), but rather, put Adam under ( into 'a deep sleep' ), removed a part of him, and formed Eve, whom He then brought to Adam. He did not say that Adam could have Eve as long as certain conditions were met, although He did tell Adam, in other words, that if he refrained from eating of the forbidden tree, he would be able to keep his life, his 'breath' ( Genesis 2:17 ( 2:7 ).
It is becoming more popular, as it has been in the past, in Christian circles, anyway, to have, and sign a marriage covenant, and not just to have a legal document from any certain state, recognized by that state as legal and binding. The marriage covenant is, like we saw earlier, 'an agreement between two or more people'. Not trying to be weird here, but witnesses, to say nothing of THE Witness, are just as important to this covenant as the two who are getting married. There are certain conditions, based upon mutual agreement, to be met, or the covenant can be considered null and void. For instance; if either party ( husband or wife ) is unfaithful to the vows of this covenant, the other party may gracefully ( and legally ) 'bow out' of said covenant. This brings up an interesting question, 'is it legal in God's eyes, just because it's legal in the eyes of the state?' It is true that God instituted the marriage covenant, when He 'brought her to the man' ( Genesis 2:22 ), but the Scriptures do not record that God's gift to Adam was conditional; He did not tell Adam, 'if you will go to sleep; I will make you a helper', or 'if you will allow me; I will bring you a wife to hold', instead, He saw what was needed, and having covenanted with Himself, did what needed done!
There is no doubt, for Scripture is very clear, that God based His dealings with His creation upon covenant, but did He covenant with His creation, or did His creation come to be through His covenant? As we saw earlier, though the word 'covenant' is not mentioned, in Genesis 1, 2, or 3, the principle of covenant between God and man is most clearly laid out in Genesis 2:16 & 17, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die'. This most surely does imply, at least, a conditional covenant, a covenant, legal and binding, between two parties.
Deuteronomy, chapters 27-31, outlines, if you will, the terms and conditions of the covenant that God instituted with His people, where God promised to bless them, and they promised to obey His 'terms and conditions'. The terms and conditions of this covenant were met, to varying degrees, and God kept His part, and blessed them, to varying degrees, but eventually, 'in the fullness of time', God revealed the superiority of His Covenant, the One He made with Himself and 'sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were born under the law' ( Galatians 4:4 ), in other words, those born under the old covenant.
In a sense, the 'new covenant' that God instituted in favorite passages like Jeremiah 31:31-34, Isaiah 65:17, and etc., is such a covenant as well, 'an agreement between two or more parties', but in an even greater sense, it is One and the same with THE Covenant! It has been pointed out to me, from passages such as I John 1:9, that this new covenant WAS made conditional; 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive [ us ] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness', 'Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments' ( 2:3 ), 'if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin'. Peter wrote, speaking of the 'progressive graces', 'if these things are yours, and abound, you [ will be ] neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ' ( II Peter 1:8 ), while Paul wrote 'Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth', ( Colossians 2:2 ), and 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling' ( Philippians 1:12b ), but are these conditions, or are they simply out-workings of the Covenant, of what God has done? We have a responsibility, there can be no doubt, to do all these things, and yes, if we do not do these things, 'and abound', we will not enjoy the blessings of His covenant, so in that sense, it is not the Covenant that is conditional, but the blessings of that Covenant!
The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers that 'if that first [ covenant? ] had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says, 'Behold, the days are coming, that I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant and I disregarded them', says the Lord. 'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days', says the Lord; 'I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his brother, and none his neighbor, saying, 'Know the Lord', for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their un-righteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds, I will remember no more'. Quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 here, in Hebrews 8:7-12, the writer reminded his people that it was because of the failure of His people to obey His covenant, the agreement they had made ( Joshua 24:21-24 ), that He instituted, and established, a 'new' covenant, a covenant which He signed Himself, and sealed, by sending of Himself, in the form of Jesus, the Son of Man ( Matthew 1:21 ), and the Comforter ( John 16:7-16 ( 14:26 ). Again; there is no asking here: God did not ask to put His 'laws in their mind and write them on their hearts', He just did it, and there is no hint of the people asking God to forgive their sins, but He announced that 'I will be merciful to their un-righteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds, I will remember no more'.
It is clear to me that the Covenant that God created, through which man came to be, was not a conditional one, although He did institute one with man, what might be called a 'test case' ( Paul called it a 'tutor' (Galatians 3:24 ),that had conditions that must be met ( perfectly ), thereby showing man that he could not keep an agreement, but that he must have a substitute, One that could keep that agreement, those terms and conditions to the letter!
In the love of God, and for His people,
Charles Haddon Shank
It is becoming more popular, as it has been in the past, in Christian circles, anyway, to have, and sign a marriage covenant, and not just to have a legal document from any certain state, recognized by that state as legal and binding. The marriage covenant is, like we saw earlier, 'an agreement between two or more people'. Not trying to be weird here, but witnesses, to say nothing of THE Witness, are just as important to this covenant as the two who are getting married. There are certain conditions, based upon mutual agreement, to be met, or the covenant can be considered null and void. For instance; if either party ( husband or wife ) is unfaithful to the vows of this covenant, the other party may gracefully ( and legally ) 'bow out' of said covenant. This brings up an interesting question, 'is it legal in God's eyes, just because it's legal in the eyes of the state?' It is true that God instituted the marriage covenant, when He 'brought her to the man' ( Genesis 2:22 ), but the Scriptures do not record that God's gift to Adam was conditional; He did not tell Adam, 'if you will go to sleep; I will make you a helper', or 'if you will allow me; I will bring you a wife to hold', instead, He saw what was needed, and having covenanted with Himself, did what needed done!
There is no doubt, for Scripture is very clear, that God based His dealings with His creation upon covenant, but did He covenant with His creation, or did His creation come to be through His covenant? As we saw earlier, though the word 'covenant' is not mentioned, in Genesis 1, 2, or 3, the principle of covenant between God and man is most clearly laid out in Genesis 2:16 & 17, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it, you shall surely die'. This most surely does imply, at least, a conditional covenant, a covenant, legal and binding, between two parties.
Deuteronomy, chapters 27-31, outlines, if you will, the terms and conditions of the covenant that God instituted with His people, where God promised to bless them, and they promised to obey His 'terms and conditions'. The terms and conditions of this covenant were met, to varying degrees, and God kept His part, and blessed them, to varying degrees, but eventually, 'in the fullness of time', God revealed the superiority of His Covenant, the One He made with Himself and 'sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were born under the law' ( Galatians 4:4 ), in other words, those born under the old covenant.
In a sense, the 'new covenant' that God instituted in favorite passages like Jeremiah 31:31-34, Isaiah 65:17, and etc., is such a covenant as well, 'an agreement between two or more parties', but in an even greater sense, it is One and the same with THE Covenant! It has been pointed out to me, from passages such as I John 1:9, that this new covenant WAS made conditional; 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive [ us ] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness', 'Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments' ( 2:3 ), 'if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin'. Peter wrote, speaking of the 'progressive graces', 'if these things are yours, and abound, you [ will be ] neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ' ( II Peter 1:8 ), while Paul wrote 'Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth', ( Colossians 2:2 ), and 'work out your own salvation with fear and trembling' ( Philippians 1:12b ), but are these conditions, or are they simply out-workings of the Covenant, of what God has done? We have a responsibility, there can be no doubt, to do all these things, and yes, if we do not do these things, 'and abound', we will not enjoy the blessings of His covenant, so in that sense, it is not the Covenant that is conditional, but the blessings of that Covenant!
The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers that 'if that first [ covenant? ] had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says, 'Behold, the days are coming, that I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant and I disregarded them', says the Lord. 'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days', says the Lord; 'I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his brother, and none his neighbor, saying, 'Know the Lord', for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their un-righteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds, I will remember no more'. Quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 here, in Hebrews 8:7-12, the writer reminded his people that it was because of the failure of His people to obey His covenant, the agreement they had made ( Joshua 24:21-24 ), that He instituted, and established, a 'new' covenant, a covenant which He signed Himself, and sealed, by sending of Himself, in the form of Jesus, the Son of Man ( Matthew 1:21 ), and the Comforter ( John 16:7-16 ( 14:26 ). Again; there is no asking here: God did not ask to put His 'laws in their mind and write them on their hearts', He just did it, and there is no hint of the people asking God to forgive their sins, but He announced that 'I will be merciful to their un-righteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds, I will remember no more'.
It is clear to me that the Covenant that God created, through which man came to be, was not a conditional one, although He did institute one with man, what might be called a 'test case' ( Paul called it a 'tutor' (Galatians 3:24 ),that had conditions that must be met ( perfectly ), thereby showing man that he could not keep an agreement, but that he must have a substitute, One that could keep that agreement, those terms and conditions to the letter!
In the love of God, and for His people,
Charles Haddon Shank
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Every Knee Will Bow
For years, this Scriptural phrase has been used to propagate the notion that, in the end, every one will either willingly or no, acknowledge that Jesus is LORD, and while this may be true enough; when Paul quoted Isaiah ( 45:23 ) in Romans 14:11, I believe that Paul had in mind, not necessarily every person who ever lived, or will live, but, as his context, historically speaking, is the 'final battle' between the Judaistic old covenant economy and the new covenant in the Body of Christ, those who under the new covenant in Christ, were ready to shed the skin ( Romans 16:20 ) of the oppressive old covenant economy.
Speaking of, and exalting ( exulting in ) the humility of Jesus the Christ; Paul later wrote to the church in Philippi, 'Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and [ that ] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [ is ] Lord, to the glory of God the Father' ( Philippians 2:10 ). Here again, though the language sounds pretty universal; we must remember again, the context in which Paul wrote these words. Isaiah's context, of course, is the return ( from captivity ) of God's people, and the revelation of the new covenant. In this context, then, Paul also wrote his letters, and made his quotations. Earlier in chapter 45 ( verse 14 ); God revealed through the prophet that 'The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; they shall walk behind you, they shall come over in chains; and they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, [ saying, ] ‘Surely God [ is ] in you, and [ there is ] no other; [there is ] no other God'. In a previous article, I wrote, concerning this glorious phrase, 'He was saying, not only that all those who came to him would willingly 'bow the knee' and worship Him, but that even those ( in the first-century ) who refused to acknowledge Him for who He was, would be forced, unwillingly, 'like it or not', to acknowledge Him as their Creator': I believe still, that this is the case, though I believe now, that Isaiah's words are not only fulfilled prophecy, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the 'passing away' ( Hebrews 8:13 ) of the old covenant economy, but ring gloriously true of the universal impact of God's great Gift!
We all make choices, some good and some bad, but in the end, I believe ( and this 'end' is personal, not eschatological, biblically speaking ); I believe that God, who is 'not willing that any should perish' ( II Peter 3:9 ), will reveal His saving grace to all men, not necessarily according to the established orthodoxy of the institutional church, but according to His loving truth. I may stir up some trouble ( 'open a can of worms' ) by making such a statement, but let me assure you that I am not saying that all are 'saved' at this point in time ( though it could well be argued that salvation was fully realized at the cross, in the finished work of Christ ); what I AM saying is that when God revealed His plan of salvation through His covenant with His creation, and then inspired words like those of Peter, above, Paul's words to Timothy that God is the 'Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.' ( I Timothy 4:10 ), and John's statement in I John 2:2, 'He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world', He made clear, through the inclusivity of the 'new' covenant in Christ, that all will eventually come to know ( realize, acknowledge ) Him as their Savior!
Is the 'world' ready for this glorious truth?
Many, I believe, are being awakened to this fact, but so many more are still suffering, laboring under the assumption of the guilt that centuries of indoctrination have foisted upon the Body of Christ, the Church of God. I am, by no means, saying that we are at any great advantage over those who have not yet come to this realization, and, as has recently been brought to my attention; I AM in the habit of making assumptive statements like those above. I admit, though not readily ( very grudgingly, in fact ) that I COULD be wrong! I believe though, that God has revealed this to me, and that He wishes for me to propagate it. Though I believe this to be true, and that God has revealed ( and is revealing ) it to me; this does NOT ( necessarily ) mean that it is true. Assuming ( perceiving ) though, that this IS God's truth; I believe that we should encourage our brothers and sisters ( for we are ALL the family of God ) with this fact, but that we should also take care in propagating it, since those who have been 'steeped' in the traditions of men ( not necessarily a 'bad' thing ) are often quick to rise in defense of their precious doctrines, and to strike at any offender. Some though, and this gives me 'chills ( 'goose-bumps' ), and thanks be to God' have an 'open heart', and are ready to receive this glorious truth!
May God grant us all, whether we have 'received' this glorious truth or not, to encourage one another in love, tactfully sharing the love we have received, and not making acceptance of our perceptions a prerequisite for following God's command!
Charles Haddon Shank
Speaking of, and exalting ( exulting in ) the humility of Jesus the Christ; Paul later wrote to the church in Philippi, 'Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and [ that ] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [ is ] Lord, to the glory of God the Father' ( Philippians 2:10 ). Here again, though the language sounds pretty universal; we must remember again, the context in which Paul wrote these words. Isaiah's context, of course, is the return ( from captivity ) of God's people, and the revelation of the new covenant. In this context, then, Paul also wrote his letters, and made his quotations. Earlier in chapter 45 ( verse 14 ); God revealed through the prophet that 'The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; they shall walk behind you, they shall come over in chains; and they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, [ saying, ] ‘Surely God [ is ] in you, and [ there is ] no other; [there is ] no other God'. In a previous article, I wrote, concerning this glorious phrase, 'He was saying, not only that all those who came to him would willingly 'bow the knee' and worship Him, but that even those ( in the first-century ) who refused to acknowledge Him for who He was, would be forced, unwillingly, 'like it or not', to acknowledge Him as their Creator': I believe still, that this is the case, though I believe now, that Isaiah's words are not only fulfilled prophecy, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the 'passing away' ( Hebrews 8:13 ) of the old covenant economy, but ring gloriously true of the universal impact of God's great Gift!
We all make choices, some good and some bad, but in the end, I believe ( and this 'end' is personal, not eschatological, biblically speaking ); I believe that God, who is 'not willing that any should perish' ( II Peter 3:9 ), will reveal His saving grace to all men, not necessarily according to the established orthodoxy of the institutional church, but according to His loving truth. I may stir up some trouble ( 'open a can of worms' ) by making such a statement, but let me assure you that I am not saying that all are 'saved' at this point in time ( though it could well be argued that salvation was fully realized at the cross, in the finished work of Christ ); what I AM saying is that when God revealed His plan of salvation through His covenant with His creation, and then inspired words like those of Peter, above, Paul's words to Timothy that God is the 'Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.' ( I Timothy 4:10 ), and John's statement in I John 2:2, 'He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world', He made clear, through the inclusivity of the 'new' covenant in Christ, that all will eventually come to know ( realize, acknowledge ) Him as their Savior!
Is the 'world' ready for this glorious truth?
Many, I believe, are being awakened to this fact, but so many more are still suffering, laboring under the assumption of the guilt that centuries of indoctrination have foisted upon the Body of Christ, the Church of God. I am, by no means, saying that we are at any great advantage over those who have not yet come to this realization, and, as has recently been brought to my attention; I AM in the habit of making assumptive statements like those above. I admit, though not readily ( very grudgingly, in fact ) that I COULD be wrong! I believe though, that God has revealed this to me, and that He wishes for me to propagate it. Though I believe this to be true, and that God has revealed ( and is revealing ) it to me; this does NOT ( necessarily ) mean that it is true. Assuming ( perceiving ) though, that this IS God's truth; I believe that we should encourage our brothers and sisters ( for we are ALL the family of God ) with this fact, but that we should also take care in propagating it, since those who have been 'steeped' in the traditions of men ( not necessarily a 'bad' thing ) are often quick to rise in defense of their precious doctrines, and to strike at any offender. Some though, and this gives me 'chills ( 'goose-bumps' ), and thanks be to God' have an 'open heart', and are ready to receive this glorious truth!
May God grant us all, whether we have 'received' this glorious truth or not, to encourage one another in love, tactfully sharing the love we have received, and not making acceptance of our perceptions a prerequisite for following God's command!
Charles Haddon Shank
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Salvation of the Body ( R U saved? )
What does it mean to get 'saved'?
In today's modern church; it means something quite different from what it meant to the first-century church, or does it? Most Christians today will tell you that you must be baptized in water to be 'saved'; in many churches, it involves what is sometimes referred to as 'walking the aisle', and letting your request be known publicly, as well as your desire for the waters of baptism, and your decision to 'ask Christ to come into your 'heart'. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with all of this ( ? ), but is this really what Peter had in mind when he wrote, 'Be saved from this perverse generation'?
When the Christ ( Messiah-Anointed One ) came into the world, Gabriel told His earthly father to 'call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins' ( Matthew 1:21 ): in the historical context, I believe that we may note here, that Jesus earthly ministry, as He, to my knowledge, never strayed beyond the boundaries of the land of Israel, had in mind the Jews as His people, for as He told the woman at the well, in John 4:22, 'salvation is of the Jews', but in the covenant context of Scripture, I believe we would do well to remember that we are His people ( the Church, the Body of Christ-Galatians 1:23, Colossians 1:18 ( Romans 12:4 &; 5 ), and the true 'Jews' ( Romans 2:28 & 29, 9:6-8 ( Galatians 3:7 ), and that His finished work on the cross was more than sufficient ( infinitely so ) to do just that, to save His people from their sins.
What was this 'perverse generation' that Peter warned the people about?
In this warning statement; Peter used the same Greek word ( genea- 'an age', referring to the period or the persons ) as Jesus did in Matthew 12:39, in describing the Pharisees, when He said 'an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign' ( Deuteronomy 32:5 ). Of this 'generation' God spoke these words, 'They shall not enter My rest', quoted by the writer, in Hebrews 4:3 & 5. I have used the phrase, previously, that 'Jesus came to save us from ourselves: I still believe this is a true statement in many ways. There were several ways that the Gospel writers and the apostles spoke, or wrote, of salvation, or 'being saved'; referring sometimes, even to a more physical, bodily salvation. Peter wrote of a 'salvation ready to be revealed in the last time'( I Peter 1:5 ); this, you must realize, was well after Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and thus is referring more to this physical salvation that I alluded to. Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, reassuring them that 'now our salvation is nearer than when we [ first ] believed'. Is Paul telling them ( and us ) that they had not been redeemed, that Christ's sacrificial work on the cross had no been completed until He returned in glory, or was he referring to their physical salvation ( deliverance ) from the 'ministry of death' ( II Corinthians 3:7 ), the oppression of Ist-century Judaism? The KJV translates Philippians 1:19, 'For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ' ( the NKJV clarifyingly ( and more correctly, maybe ) translates the Greek soteria, as 'deliverance' ). As above; we know, or assume, that Paul had already accepted the finished work of Christ, after he had been 'startled' on the road to Damascus, and had his eyes opened, and had said 'the sinner's prayer' ( I Corinthians 15: 9 ), so he could not have been referring, as many put it today, to the salvation of his 'soul' ( I Peter 1:9 ). I believe, as above, that he was speaking of the deliverance that he wrote of longingly, throughout his letters ( Roman 16:20 ), and which I described above, a physical ( though metaphorical ) deliverance from the constraining influence of the Judaizers.
Can we be 'saved' today?
In certain circles, there is a more or less running debate, as to whether 'salvation' is correct terminology, used to refer to the moment when our 'eyes' are opened to the realization, and acceptance of what Jesus did for us. In the sense that I outlined above, that much of the salvation that Paul, the most prolific writer in the Greek Scriptures, wrote about, was the physical ( yet metaphorical ) deliverance from the bondage of old covenant Judaism; we cannot expect, nor should we expect salvation, although I believe it could be argued, and very well, probably, that many followers of Christ today experience much the same sort of oppressiveness, though more on a spiritual, or emotional, level than in the 1st century, and earlier. Although many have experienced a sort of 'salvation', or deliverance, from the oppression of 'churchianity', as some have called it, I believe that unbelievers today, are not so much 'saved', as have their 'eyes' opened ( Paul's experience was a picture of this ) to the saving fact ( reality ) of what Christ did, in His sacrificial Life on earth.
What about the covenant, brother?
I have often repeated the phrase ( not so much lately ), 'I was saved 2,000 years ago'; this never went over real well, for some reason, maybe because of the 'cornfield'[ I was in at the time. I sorta doubt if I even realized the gravity of that statement back then, either. The thing that has always concerned me about the too free usage of the phrase 'get saved', or just 'saved', is that it conveys the idea, whether purposefully or ignorantly, that the saving work of Christ ( Matthew 1:21 ), accomplished on the cross was not sufficient; to be 'saved', we must accept His free gift, believing that it was for us. While I will admit that we must agree with Him, and repent of our selfishness ( even self-righteousness ), in order to be a true follower, and experience the joys of His Kingdom, the point is, and always has been; Who does, or did, the work of salvation? Do we, or did Jesus? Are we saved, only after we 'walk the aisle', and say 'the sinner's prayer', or were we saved when the Christ died on the cross 2,000+ years ago, and rising again, presented the blood for OUR atonement, although this salvation was not actually realized ( and for some, is still not realized ) by those for whom it was made?
Covenantally speaking ( for there is but one covenant, and we are all in it, like it or not! ), we can say, along with those in the first century, who actually knew Christ ( 'according to the flesh' ), and 'walked by His side in the way' ( Luke 24:13-32 ) that we were saved, and that we are being saved ( from ourselves though, not in that sense above ).
May God bless you with this. Charles Haddon Shank
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Power in the Blood ( 'There is a Fountain.......' )
'And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.' ( Hebrews 9:22 )
The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus' blood 'cleanses us from all sin' ( I John 1:7 ), through the 'sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ' ( I Peter 1:2 ), but is/was it His actual blood that saved us/them, or was it simply the fulfillment of ritual, or copy ( shadow-Hebrews 9:23 ) from the old, or 'first' covenant ( Hebrews 8:7-13 )?
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, time and again, 'blood' is mentioned in relation to 'covenant' ( Genesis 8:20, Genesis 15, 17:9-14, Exodus 12:1-28, Exodus 29, Exodus 24:18, Leviticus 3, Leviticus 4, Leviticus 16, Numbers 18:17, Deuteronomy 12:27, II Kings 23:21, II Chronicles 30:16, 35:11, Psalm 50:5, Jeremiah 34:18-20, Ezekiel 16:1-14, Zechariah 9:11 ), and it is true that these blood sacrifices were commanded by God for the 'children' of Israel to follow, but, as we have seen, through the eyes of the new covenant, it is the spirit, not the letter, of the law, that makes alive ( 'for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life' ( II Corinthians 3:6 ( Romans 7:6 ). As Moses traveled back to Egypt with his wife and two son; Exodus 4:24 records that 'the LORD met him and sought to kill him'; there is some disagreement on whom the Lord ( God ) sought to kill, here, but it is clear why He sought to kill him; because he had not been circumcised, as the commanded sign of the covenant. To prevent his death, either that of the child or Moses; his wife Zipporah circumcised her son on the spot, and said 'Surely you [ are ] a husband of blood to me!'. Scripture does not tell us which son Moses wife circumcised in a hurried manner, and we are only given the name here, of one of his sons ( Exodus 2:21 ), but, relative to the context of this event, I believe that we can safely assume that it occurred, and was placed in Scripture record where it was, to accentuate, to emblazon in the mind of Moses what he was to relay to the Pharaoh; 'Thus says the LORD: “Israel [ is ] My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.'
As Moses neared the end of his biological life; he reiterated to the 'children' of Israel the Law that God had given them through him. In Deuteronomy 10:16; Moses revealed to his people God's intent for, or the principle behind, the act of circumcision; 'Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.' We know, today, and for the past few centuries, probably even millenia,that circumcision has a good medical purpose, as well, which, just like refraining from consuming the meat of a pig, could well be the reason for God's command concerning both. ( I am not saying that we should or should not consider changing our habit of eating, or of circumcising our children! ) The main purpose, though, for God's command of circumcision, besides the fact that it was the sign of the covenant, was that, as Jeremiah said much later, 'Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench [ it] , because of the evil of your doings' ( 4:4 ); to metaphorically turn their hearts to God, to cut away ( remove ) any idol, real or imagined, that would detract from His worship ( Deuteronomy 30:6 ).
History will tell us, particularly ancient history, I believe, that 'covenant' is inextricably linked with 'blood'; not only did ( many still do ) pagan religious ritual often involve blood-shed, whether of an animal, or a virgin, but there has been much blood shed over the centuries, all over the world, because of covenant, and often because of misunderstanding of what the requirements of the covenant really were! Take the Passover lamb, for instance, and all the other blood sacrifices instituted throughout the Hebrew Scriptures; there is no doubt that these were commanded by God, but we know, looking back over time, that they were instituted as typical of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which itself was metaphorical for our 'entrance' into covenant with God, and with that, into His Presence and Kingdom. This is not to say that Christ's sacrifice was merely a metaphor, but we know that His sacrifice was symbolic and significant of a greater spiritual truth, as those others instituted under the first covenant were typical pictures of His!
Reading through the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the 'Pentateuch' ( Genesis-Deuteronomy ); it is plain to see that, as above, these animal ( blood ) sacrifices were a requirement, but, as we read in the book of Hebrews, 'Christ came [ as ] High Priest of the good things to come,[a] with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?' ( Hebrews 9:11-14 ), they were only significant, typical ( physical ) 'pictures' ( foreshadows ) of the sacrifice ( blood ) of Christ. This is not to say that Christ's blood, or the shedding of it, was merely a metaphor; far from it! I believe that Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, became fully human ( yet without sin ), and dwelt among us, was most cruelly persecuted, and shed actual human blood upon the cross, but the point that the writer above made, and the point that I am making is that though Jesus shed His blood upon that cruel cross, it was not that blood that He presented before the Father! The writer painstakingly makes the point, again and again, throughout his letter, but particularly in chapters 7-9, that the earthly ( physical ) ordinances, and the concrete Temple ( that was made with hands ) were but copies, mere shadows, of the true ordinances, the true Temple, in 'Heaven' ( God's Presence ). Later in this chapter ( verses 23 & 24 ) we read that it was 'necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.' This term 'better', is used throughout the book, to describe how Christ was a better High Priest ( Hebrews 7:20-28 ) since He had a perpetual ( living ) priesthood, a better sacrifice ( Hebrews 9:23 ), and was ( is? ) the Mediator of a better covenant ( Hebrews 8:6 ). I would venture to say, as some have postulated, that His human blood, as His human body, was special, and somehow 'better' than ours, or a normal human body, but it was not the biological perfection of Jesus that won the salvation of His people; it was ultimately the fact that He was God!
For the Passover sacrifice, which was quite possibly the best 'picture' of Christ's, in the Old Covenant Scriptures; God, through Moses, told the people, 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year' ( Exodus 12:5 ). God told them, in Leviticus 1:3, 'If his offering [ is ] a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD'; and in Leviticus 3:1, 'When his offering [ is ] a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.' It is interesting that God told the people that, 'When a ruler has sinned, and done [ something ] unintentionally [ against ] any of the commandments of the LORD his God [ in anything ] which should not be done, and is guilty, or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.' ( Leviticus 4:22 & 23 ), but, 'If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing [ something against ] any of the commandments of the LORD [ in anything ] which ought not to be done, and is guilty, or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.' ( Leviticus 4:27 & 28 ). A couple chapters over, in Leviticus 6:6, in the case of a man who has wronged his neighbor, and thus committed trespass against God; 'And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest.' There are many more examples throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, although mostly in the Pentateuch, that show that God's strict ordinance concerning sacrifice, whatever sort of animal, whether it be male or female, was that it be 'without blemish'. ( For other examples outside the Pentateuch, see Ezekiel 43:22-25, 45:18-23, 46:4-13, Malachi 1:13 ( Ephesians 5:27, I Peter 1:19 )
John 19:31-37 records that, as was the Jewish custom, the soldiers were commanded to break the legs of those who had been crucified ( ostensibly, to bring on a quicker expiration, if they were not dead already ), but when they came to break Jesus' legs ( interesting, too, that He was left till last ), they found that there was no need to, for He had already 'given up the ghost' ( John 19:30 ), and so fulfilled the prophecy that 'He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken' ( Psalm 34:20 ). Several verses later, in John 19:34, the chronicler recorded that one of the soldiers pierced His side, and 'immediately blood and water came out'. Much more could be written here, speculation on what the significance of the blood and the water signified, but for now, and the purposes of this article, suffice it to say that the normal human body does consist largely of blood and water, and by this significant event, God showed that Jesus was truly a Man ( though true God, as well ), and that, by shedding His blood; He very literally fulfilled the role of High Priest, symbolically presenting the blood before the Presence. Although the High Priest was to offer the blood of an animal ( usually a lamb ) before the Ark, in the Holy of Holies; Jesus, as the better High Priest, and Mediator of the better Covenant, presented His own blood before, not the earthly ( picture/shadow ) Presence, but before the heavenly ( true ) reality, to God Himself ( Hebrews 12:18-24 ).
The question then, is 'was it the actual blood of Christ that saved us, or was it His obedience?'
'Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.' As we saw above, in circumcision, the physical act was merely significant, symbolic, and metaphorical of a greater spiritual truth, and so is the case, I believe, with the shedding of blood, as well as water baptism and the 'Lord's Supper'. Paul wrote, in Romans 5:19, 'For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.' Through the prophet Isaiah; God told His errant 'children', 'You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.' ( Isaiah 43:24 ). Because of their covenant ( and corporate ) disobedience, the physical 'children' of Israel, and of Adam, were condemned. Although they did not bring their sacrifices and offerings as they were commanded; it was ultimately their disobedience that brought about their final demise ( Romans 6:23 ( Genesis 2:17 ). When Jesus quoted from the prophecy of Hosea ( 6:6 ), in Matthew 9:13, and 12:7, saying 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice'; He reminded the Pharisees that He was interested more in their obedience to the command to 'love one another' ( I John 3:23 ( Genesis 20:12-17 ), than in the blood sacrifices, which only pictured the True Sacrifice, and fore-shadowed our redemption.
We must remember Who the 'Power in the Blood' is, and why it can be said that there is 'power in the blood': God is that Power, and it is only because He revealed Himself in the form of a Man, that that Blood had any power ( to save ) at all! His Blood was only symbolic of His obedience to the Covenant, and it was His fulfillment of that Covenant that brought about our reconciliation to God, and brought us into the blessed Presence, once again. May God bless you with these words.
Charles Haddon Shank
The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus' blood 'cleanses us from all sin' ( I John 1:7 ), through the 'sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ' ( I Peter 1:2 ), but is/was it His actual blood that saved us/them, or was it simply the fulfillment of ritual, or copy ( shadow-Hebrews 9:23 ) from the old, or 'first' covenant ( Hebrews 8:7-13 )?
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, time and again, 'blood' is mentioned in relation to 'covenant' ( Genesis 8:20, Genesis 15, 17:9-14, Exodus 12:1-28, Exodus 29, Exodus 24:18, Leviticus 3, Leviticus 4, Leviticus 16, Numbers 18:17, Deuteronomy 12:27, II Kings 23:21, II Chronicles 30:16, 35:11, Psalm 50:5, Jeremiah 34:18-20, Ezekiel 16:1-14, Zechariah 9:11 ), and it is true that these blood sacrifices were commanded by God for the 'children' of Israel to follow, but, as we have seen, through the eyes of the new covenant, it is the spirit, not the letter, of the law, that makes alive ( 'for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life' ( II Corinthians 3:6 ( Romans 7:6 ). As Moses traveled back to Egypt with his wife and two son; Exodus 4:24 records that 'the LORD met him and sought to kill him'; there is some disagreement on whom the Lord ( God ) sought to kill, here, but it is clear why He sought to kill him; because he had not been circumcised, as the commanded sign of the covenant. To prevent his death, either that of the child or Moses; his wife Zipporah circumcised her son on the spot, and said 'Surely you [ are ] a husband of blood to me!'. Scripture does not tell us which son Moses wife circumcised in a hurried manner, and we are only given the name here, of one of his sons ( Exodus 2:21 ), but, relative to the context of this event, I believe that we can safely assume that it occurred, and was placed in Scripture record where it was, to accentuate, to emblazon in the mind of Moses what he was to relay to the Pharaoh; 'Thus says the LORD: “Israel [ is ] My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.'
As Moses neared the end of his biological life; he reiterated to the 'children' of Israel the Law that God had given them through him. In Deuteronomy 10:16; Moses revealed to his people God's intent for, or the principle behind, the act of circumcision; 'Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.' We know, today, and for the past few centuries, probably even millenia,that circumcision has a good medical purpose, as well, which, just like refraining from consuming the meat of a pig, could well be the reason for God's command concerning both. ( I am not saying that we should or should not consider changing our habit of eating, or of circumcising our children! ) The main purpose, though, for God's command of circumcision, besides the fact that it was the sign of the covenant, was that, as Jeremiah said much later, 'Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench [ it] , because of the evil of your doings' ( 4:4 ); to metaphorically turn their hearts to God, to cut away ( remove ) any idol, real or imagined, that would detract from His worship ( Deuteronomy 30:6 ).
History will tell us, particularly ancient history, I believe, that 'covenant' is inextricably linked with 'blood'; not only did ( many still do ) pagan religious ritual often involve blood-shed, whether of an animal, or a virgin, but there has been much blood shed over the centuries, all over the world, because of covenant, and often because of misunderstanding of what the requirements of the covenant really were! Take the Passover lamb, for instance, and all the other blood sacrifices instituted throughout the Hebrew Scriptures; there is no doubt that these were commanded by God, but we know, looking back over time, that they were instituted as typical of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which itself was metaphorical for our 'entrance' into covenant with God, and with that, into His Presence and Kingdom. This is not to say that Christ's sacrifice was merely a metaphor, but we know that His sacrifice was symbolic and significant of a greater spiritual truth, as those others instituted under the first covenant were typical pictures of His!
Reading through the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the 'Pentateuch' ( Genesis-Deuteronomy ); it is plain to see that, as above, these animal ( blood ) sacrifices were a requirement, but, as we read in the book of Hebrews, 'Christ came [ as ] High Priest of the good things to come,[a] with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?' ( Hebrews 9:11-14 ), they were only significant, typical ( physical ) 'pictures' ( foreshadows ) of the sacrifice ( blood ) of Christ. This is not to say that Christ's blood, or the shedding of it, was merely a metaphor; far from it! I believe that Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself, became fully human ( yet without sin ), and dwelt among us, was most cruelly persecuted, and shed actual human blood upon the cross, but the point that the writer above made, and the point that I am making is that though Jesus shed His blood upon that cruel cross, it was not that blood that He presented before the Father! The writer painstakingly makes the point, again and again, throughout his letter, but particularly in chapters 7-9, that the earthly ( physical ) ordinances, and the concrete Temple ( that was made with hands ) were but copies, mere shadows, of the true ordinances, the true Temple, in 'Heaven' ( God's Presence ). Later in this chapter ( verses 23 & 24 ) we read that it was 'necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.' This term 'better', is used throughout the book, to describe how Christ was a better High Priest ( Hebrews 7:20-28 ) since He had a perpetual ( living ) priesthood, a better sacrifice ( Hebrews 9:23 ), and was ( is? ) the Mediator of a better covenant ( Hebrews 8:6 ). I would venture to say, as some have postulated, that His human blood, as His human body, was special, and somehow 'better' than ours, or a normal human body, but it was not the biological perfection of Jesus that won the salvation of His people; it was ultimately the fact that He was God!
For the Passover sacrifice, which was quite possibly the best 'picture' of Christ's, in the Old Covenant Scriptures; God, through Moses, told the people, 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year' ( Exodus 12:5 ). God told them, in Leviticus 1:3, 'If his offering [ is ] a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the LORD'; and in Leviticus 3:1, 'When his offering [ is ] a sacrifice of a peace offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.' It is interesting that God told the people that, 'When a ruler has sinned, and done [ something ] unintentionally [ against ] any of the commandments of the LORD his God [ in anything ] which should not be done, and is guilty, or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a male without blemish.' ( Leviticus 4:22 & 23 ), but, 'If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally by doing [ something against ] any of the commandments of the LORD [ in anything ] which ought not to be done, and is guilty, or if his sin which he has committed comes to his knowledge, then he shall bring as his offering a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.' ( Leviticus 4:27 & 28 ). A couple chapters over, in Leviticus 6:6, in the case of a man who has wronged his neighbor, and thus committed trespass against God; 'And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering, to the priest.' There are many more examples throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, although mostly in the Pentateuch, that show that God's strict ordinance concerning sacrifice, whatever sort of animal, whether it be male or female, was that it be 'without blemish'. ( For other examples outside the Pentateuch, see Ezekiel 43:22-25, 45:18-23, 46:4-13, Malachi 1:13 ( Ephesians 5:27, I Peter 1:19 )
John 19:31-37 records that, as was the Jewish custom, the soldiers were commanded to break the legs of those who had been crucified ( ostensibly, to bring on a quicker expiration, if they were not dead already ), but when they came to break Jesus' legs ( interesting, too, that He was left till last ), they found that there was no need to, for He had already 'given up the ghost' ( John 19:30 ), and so fulfilled the prophecy that 'He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken' ( Psalm 34:20 ). Several verses later, in John 19:34, the chronicler recorded that one of the soldiers pierced His side, and 'immediately blood and water came out'. Much more could be written here, speculation on what the significance of the blood and the water signified, but for now, and the purposes of this article, suffice it to say that the normal human body does consist largely of blood and water, and by this significant event, God showed that Jesus was truly a Man ( though true God, as well ), and that, by shedding His blood; He very literally fulfilled the role of High Priest, symbolically presenting the blood before the Presence. Although the High Priest was to offer the blood of an animal ( usually a lamb ) before the Ark, in the Holy of Holies; Jesus, as the better High Priest, and Mediator of the better Covenant, presented His own blood before, not the earthly ( picture/shadow ) Presence, but before the heavenly ( true ) reality, to God Himself ( Hebrews 12:18-24 ).
The question then, is 'was it the actual blood of Christ that saved us, or was it His obedience?'
'Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers is giving you.' As we saw above, in circumcision, the physical act was merely significant, symbolic, and metaphorical of a greater spiritual truth, and so is the case, I believe, with the shedding of blood, as well as water baptism and the 'Lord's Supper'. Paul wrote, in Romans 5:19, 'For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.' Through the prophet Isaiah; God told His errant 'children', 'You have bought Me no sweet cane with money, nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; but you have burdened Me with your sins, you have wearied Me with your iniquities.' ( Isaiah 43:24 ). Because of their covenant ( and corporate ) disobedience, the physical 'children' of Israel, and of Adam, were condemned. Although they did not bring their sacrifices and offerings as they were commanded; it was ultimately their disobedience that brought about their final demise ( Romans 6:23 ( Genesis 2:17 ). When Jesus quoted from the prophecy of Hosea ( 6:6 ), in Matthew 9:13, and 12:7, saying 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice'; He reminded the Pharisees that He was interested more in their obedience to the command to 'love one another' ( I John 3:23 ( Genesis 20:12-17 ), than in the blood sacrifices, which only pictured the True Sacrifice, and fore-shadowed our redemption.
We must remember Who the 'Power in the Blood' is, and why it can be said that there is 'power in the blood': God is that Power, and it is only because He revealed Himself in the form of a Man, that that Blood had any power ( to save ) at all! His Blood was only symbolic of His obedience to the Covenant, and it was His fulfillment of that Covenant that brought about our reconciliation to God, and brought us into the blessed Presence, once again. May God bless you with these words.
Charles Haddon Shank
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