Tag Archives: Christ Jesus

March 24, 2024 · 10:00

Dan’s Sin

Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations … The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, … and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law: (Deuteronomy 29:18-21)

Dan was Jacob’s first son born to him by Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid.[1] His name means “judge.” He was the fifth of Jacob’s sons. Before Jacob died, he blessed his sons. Of Dan, Israel said. “Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward” (Genesis 49:16-17). Long after Dan had died and his “tribe” came out of Egypt, Moses declared of the tribe, “And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp: he shall leap from Bashan” (Deuteronomy 33:22). “By this probably Moses intended to point out the strength and prowess of this tribe, that it should extend its territories, and live a sort of predatory life.”[2]

Among the tribes of Israel, Dan remains rather unremarkable. When one looks at a map displaying the original land allotments to the various tribes, Dan’s portion was rather small. It was only slightly larger than that allotted to Benjamin which bordered Dan on the east. Its eastern border extended from Kiriath-jearim on the south up to Beth-horon in Ephraim. From there it descended southeast to Gezer (Ephraim) and beyond. Then it turned north to Gath-rimmon to the Me Jarkin River, its northern boundary, and west to the Mediterranean Sea. Turning south along the coast for about 12 miles and then east and south again past Ekron and Timnah back to Kiriath-jearim. From its eastern border to the sea was about 25 miles, and its U-shaped width was about 12-13 miles wide at any point. The tribe of Dan did not have much land, and they were not satisfied with their little portion.

The Book of Joshua records the allocation of land once the land was conquered. “And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families … And the coast of the children of Dan went out too little for them: therefore the children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and possessed it, and dwelt therein, and called Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their father” (Joshua 19:40, 47, emphasis mine). It seems that this detail was included after the fact (or it was prophetic). The Book of Judges details Dan’s conquest of land beyond their allotted borders.

The account unfolds beginning in Judges 17 after the death of Samson, when a man by the name of Micah, an Ephraimite, makes some idols of silver stolen from his mother. Not long after, he hired a wayward Levite to be his personal priest. “And Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. Then said Micah, Now know I that the LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest” (Judges 17:12-13). He was wrong about that, of course. It was at this time that the Danites[3] sought more land besides that which was allotted to them. They sent spies north to assess unconquered land to the north. Their route north took them through the land of Ephraim, and they came to Micah’s house which was on their way. There they saw Micah’s idols and his “priest.”[4]

The Danite spies accomplished their mission and brought back a positive report. “And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land” (Judges 18:8-9). So the Danites mustered up a large army and headed north. Along the way, they stopped off at Micah’s house and took his idols and his priest. They convinced the Levite to go with them and be their priest – a job promotion. “And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel? And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod,[5] and the teraphim, and the graven image, and went in the midst of the people” (Judges 18:19-20).

So, the Danites took the idols and the “priest,” and after they conquered the land, they set up their own religion. They built a new city in the conquered land and named it after their patriarch, Dan. “And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.[6] And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judges 18:30-31, emphasis mine).

The story does not end there. At the end of the book (i.e., the Bible), the list of the tribes of Israel excludes Dan and Ephraim.[7] Granted, Israel, especially the northern kingdom, continually had problems with idolatry. However, there was always a faithful remnant. Not so with Ephraim and Dan. These two tribes were the first to wholeheartedly embrace it. Later, in the reign of Rehoboam, the northern ten tribes of Israel split off and formed their own kingdom under the reign of Jeroboam.[8] In order to prevent his subjects from going to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple, Jeroboam had two golden calves made and placed one in Bethel (in Ephraim) and the other in Dan,[9] and they were only too happy to take them. I cannot say with complete certainty, but their absence in the Revelation list seems to result from the warning God gave in our beginning passage above (Deuteronomy 29:18-21).

Neither Dan nor Ephraim are included in the list of the 144,000 witnesses, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.[10] This, of course, takes place during the seven-year Tribulation. However, it appears that they are restored during the Millennial Reign of Christ after the Tribulation. The Prophet Ezekiel describes the Temple that will exist during the Millennium.[11] Following that, he describes the division of the land of Israel at that time.[12] Remarkably, the first tribe listed is Dan. “Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazarenan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan” (Ezekiel 48:1, emphasis mine).

Does this mean there is a contradiction in the Bible? Certainly not! God, speaking through the Prophet Ezekiel said, “For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant” (Ezekiel 16:59-60, emphasis mine). God later responds to a rhetorical question. “Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:19-20, emphasis mine). God made an unconditional promise to Abraham,[13] and He will keep it. Although Dan and Ephraim sinned and lost the privilege of being represented among the 144,000 witnesses in Revelation, God remains faithful to His promise and Abraham’s descendants will inherit all of the land that He promised to Abraham.

Some may question the veracity of that statement. After all, the Jews, for the most part, have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. It is only through faith in Him that one can inherit eternal life (John 14:6). However, there are many Jews currently coming to Christ now, and when He returns, the Bible says that many Jews at that time will be saved in the same way. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10, emphasis mine). Notice that the same grace we receive when we place our trust in Christ will also be given to them at that time. As Christ returns in the clouds, they will recognize “Me” (God is speaking) and they will mourn for “Him” (speaking of Christ). They will recognize Him for Who He is and be saved.

The Prophet Amos uttered another prophecy regarding the restoration of the land to Israel. God says, “And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God” (Amos 9:14-15, emphasis mine). Of course, there are many other places where God reaffirms this promise, and we have witnessed in our present day the partial fulfillment of this promise. The Jews are back in their land, and God promises that they will never be removed again. Now, they do not yet possess all of the land God promised to Israel, but they will in the Millennium, and that includes Dan and Ephraim.

We can learn from this that God will keep all of His promises to us no matter how undeserving we may be. Israel has never been deserving. Dan and Ephraim were undeserving. Yet God remains faithful even when we are unfaithful. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God … For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Neither we nor Israel deserve God’s grace. Aren’t we grateful that He is faithful even when we are unfaithful!

If you have not experienced God’s grace and His faithfulness, take time to read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

Notes:

[1]  Genesis 30:6

[2]  Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., (1715-1832), Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, (Published in 1810-1826; public domain).

[3]  Samson was a Danite Judges 13:2

[4]  Judges 18:2-6

[5]  An “ephod” can be either a tunic worn by the high priest or it can be an idol. In this case, the word refers to an idol.

[6] The “captivity of the land” came when the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC.

[7]  Revelation 7:4-8

[8]  1 Kings 12

[9]  1 Kings 12:27-30

[10]  See my article “The 144K”

[11]  Ezekiel 40-47

[12]  Ezekiel 48:1-7

[13]  Genesis 15:18

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March 10, 2024 · 10:00

Incurring A Curse

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)

There is a notion going around and gaining strength that the promises God made to Israel have been taken away from Israel and given to the Church. There is also the idea that the Jews occupying the modern nation of Israel are not the same people to whom God made the promise, therefore God’s promises made to Israel are null and void since the original Israelites no longer exist. Both notions are false.

God’s promise to Abraham (Abram) came with no conditions.[1] God promised the land of Israel’s current borders and beyond as an “everlasting” possession. God’s unconditional promise, detailed in Genesis 15, was a “covenant” – a contract – guaranteed by God alone. “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself” (Hebrews 6:13). God would be going against His own nature if He broke the covenant He made with Abraham and guaranteed by His own name. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

Some will argue that God annulled that covenant and made a “new covenant” that applies to the Church and which was fulfilled at Pentecost.[2] They come to this conclusion from a prophecy given by the Prophet Jeremiah. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). However, the plain reading of the text clearly specifies that the promise is to “the house of Israel” and “the house of Judah.” One really has to stretch to make it apply to the Church. These will quickly point to Peter’s words at Pentecost when he said, “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). That being the case, we need to see exactly what Joel said. “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29, emphasis mine). That certainly came true in part on the Day of Pentecost. However, it was not the complete fulfillment of the prophecy. In the verses that follow, the prophet continues: “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:30-31, emphasis mine). That certainly did not take place at Pentecost, but it is meant for a future time.

 In the second chapter of Joel, the prophet is talking about the coming of “the day of the Lord.” That phrase must be understood in its context. Here, the prophet was speaking of the coming of the Lord (i.e., Jesus) to set up His earthly kingdom. The prophets of the O.T. did not foresee the “Church.” The Apostle Paul declares that the Church was a “mystery” to the prophets of old. “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27, emphasis mine). John the Revelator amplifies to whom it was made a mystery. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7, emphasis mine). In other words, what was a mystery to the prophets will finally be revealed during and after the time of the Tribulation.

When one reads the prophecies in the O.T., it is clear that they all pertain to Israel. Even those who speak of the coming Messiah, they make clear that the Messiah is coming to save His people. Those prophecies that speak of His suffering and dying, the Jews of Jesus’ time treated as anathema. They believed then, and do even now, that the Messiah would be a human that would be a king in the line of David and would make their nation great among all the nations of the earth. As we study the prophecies, we cannot argue with that line of thinking, apart from Christ. Knowing this, we can understand their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus Himself said, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). However, He was not exactly what they expected, and so, He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3) and nailed to a Roman cross.

However, the prophets were not erred about Jesus coming as king. That is yet to come, and all the promises made to Israel will be finally and ultimately be fulfilled according to the covenant God made with Abraham – an “everlasting covenant.” Jesus will indeed return and rule the nations with a rod of iron.[3]

However, before all of that happens, the Jews have to be back in the land that God promised Abraham as an everlasting possession. The migration began in the late 19th Century and into the 20th Century. Then on May 14, 1948, Israel took its place among the free nations of the world. That event became the harbinger of the “last days,” because for the last days’ prophecies to be fulfilled, there must be a national Israel – and it is NOT the Church. Today, the population of Israel is over 9.55 million and growing. With the increase of worldwide antisemitism, that number grows daily. Yet some discount that saying those populating Israel are not genetically pure Jews. That is a ridiculous claim! Have those making that claim done serious genetic research to verify that claim? I dare say not! It is only their way to deny what is evident before their eyes. Besides, who believes that God, who knows the number of hairs on every head, can lose track of His chosen people? Besides, can anyone make the claim that Jesus was a “pure” Jew? Jesus’ lineage came from the line of Judah through Tamar (a Canaanite), followed by Rehab (a Canaanite prostitute), and later by Ruth (a Moabite), and who knows how many others who were not named. Does that disqualify Jesus’ Messiahship?

So, God is keeping and will keep His promise to Abraham and to his descendants. But along with those promises, did you catch what was also included in that promise? “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Genesis 12:3). God does not renege on His promises. He promises to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. That is a lesson that our elected officials do not seem to understand. Our current President in his recent State of the Union address boasted that the United States stands with Israel. That “sounds” good to American Jews and Evangelicals; but behind the scenes, the United States is giving money to Iran, which hates America and is intent on the annihilation of Israel. Iran uses that money to fund its terrorist proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, the Houthis, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc. At the same time, the U.S. is pressuring Israel to cease fire against the demonic Hamas and is actively supplying Israel’s enemy in Gaza. By her actions, the United States is cursing Israel and for this, God will curse America, if He hasn’t already. If America does not repent of its wrongheaded action, America will incur God’s curse upon us. God keeps His promises. If God has reneged on His promise to Abraham, how can we trust Him to keep His promise to us? God is faithful. He keeps His promises.

Notes:

[1]  Genesis 12:2-3; 15:17-18

[2]  Acts 2:1-4

[3]  Revelation 19:11-21

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February 18, 2024 · 10:00

God Is Particular

(For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6:15)

This year I have been following a chronological reading plan for reading the Bible through in the year, and currently, I am trudging through the book of Leviticus. Beginning with Exodus 20 when God speaks the Ten Commandments in the hearing of the children of Israel, Scripture goes into tedious detail for the proper worship of God by the Israelites.

Not only do the Scriptures detail the “thou shalt not” commandments, but every minute detail of the construction of the Tabernacle with all of its implements, and the garments of the priests, especially that of the high priest. The methods and occasions for the offering of sacrifices follows that in great detail. Reading the monotonous minutia might make the reader skip over all of those pages to get to more interesting reading, like Numbers. One is tempted to wonder why God would put all of that boring stuff in the Bible and actually expect readers to take it seriously.

For Christians, who are under grace and not under the Law, the reading may seem non-applicable, and to some degree, that is true. We who are born-again, Spirit-filled, children of God ARE the Temple of God[1] and priests unto God.[2] That being the case, where is the value in reading monotonous tedium? Much indeed.

The sacrificial system prescribed by God to Moses made clear God’s view of sin. To God, ALL sin is repulsive. That was true then and it is true today. When one considers the amount of blood shed for every manner of sin, one wonders how their herds were never depleted. To our animal-loving Western minds, the slaughter of innocent animals and the method (the throat was slit to drain blood while the heart continues to pump) for the holocaust is grotesque – it had to be. The revolting procedure dramatically illustrated how abhorrent sin is to God.

God specifies in great detail exactly how the priests were to handle the sacrifice. God gives precise descriptions on how to make the oil for the lampstand, the bread for the showbread, the incense for the altar of incense, and how to maintain all these things on a perpetual basis. Even if one scans quickly through these pages, it becomes readily apparent that God is very particular about how He is to be worshiped. However, this is not a new revelation.

From the beginning, God shed the blood of innocent animals to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve after the Fall.[3] Apparently, the practice of sacrificing animals for sin in worship to God continued because later we find Cain and Abel sacrificing to God. However, Cain did not offer his sacrifice in the prescribed manner, so his offering was rejected by God.[4] The practice continued until the time of Noah and afterward with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). However, the practice was not codified until God gave the Law to Moses. Not long after the Tabernacle was dedicated and the form of worship was implemented, the first infraction took place. Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu (priests), took fire for the incense altar from somewhere other than from the altar of sacrifice (outside the tent) as prescribed. For their disobedience, God rained fire from heaven and incinerated them instantly.[5] God made His point clear. He is particular about the way He is worshipped.

The modern-day Christian might ask, “What does this have to do with us?” I asked myself the same question. However, as I browsed the minutia, which is not minutia to God, the broad understanding I gleaned is that God is particular about how His people approach Him in worship. We, Christians, are far removed from the sacrificial system and are not bound by the Levitical laws. Jesus is our once-and-for-all sacrifice. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:11-12, emphasis mine).

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he [the Lord Jesus Christ] cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I [Jesus speaking], Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. (Hebrews 10:1-13, emphasis mine)

So, Jesus, by His sacrifice on the cross, ended the sacrificial system prescribed by the Law. As He breathed out His final breath, He proclaimed, “It is finished”[6] – paid in full. For those who are “born again,” who have placed their faith and trust in Christ, the rigors of the Levitical system of worship have been done away. Does that mean that God no longer cares about how we approach Him in worship? Is He less worthy of awe and reverence now than when He struck down Aaron’s sons for bringing “strange fire” before Him? I think not.

How one comes before God is a matter of one’s personal attitude, so I cannot judge the condition of an individual’s heart. However, as I observe many public gatherings called “worship services,” the focus of the activities seems designed to stir the emotions of the “worshipers,” and even though Christian lingo is randomly repeated, the direction of the “worship” is horizontal (i.e., human to human) rather than vertical.

I follow several well-known pastors who I consider to be very biblically sound and who preach the Gospel without reservation, yet, before they stand to preach, their “band” comes out to warm up the congregation in preparation for the sermon. As the cameras scan the crowd, some stand there unmoved while others raise their hands and sway to the music as if they are at a rock concert.  I wonder how God, Who was so particular in the OT about how He was to be worshipped, feels about the “worship” offered up these days. Indeed, far too often that worship is man-centered, not God-centered; it is not even directed to God. It is all about us and how we feel. Again, I cannot judge the heart of individual worshipers; only God can see into the heart, but what I observe on the surface comes across more as entertainment than worship.

So, regardless of the “atmosphere” of the “worship service” in which we participate, we need to remove all distractions from our minds and focus our thoughts, our minds, and our hearts on the greatness and majesty of our awesome, all-mighty, Creator God. Let Him be the object of our worship, not the performers on the stage.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable [act of worship]. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

Notes:

[1]  1 Corinthians 3:16

[2]  Revelation 1:6

[3]  Genesis 3:21

[4]  Genesis 4:3-5

[5]  Leviticus 10:1-2

[6]  John 19:30

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December 25, 2023 · 10:00

Light of the World

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:4-5)

It is Christmas Eve as write this. June and I enjoyed a time of fellowship with our church. Our sermon today was based on Isaiah 9:6-7, which speaks of the child that was to be born whose name was “Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” He is the One upon whose shoulder the government should rest and whose reign would have no end. It is one of those promises whose fulfillment is now and not yet. Truly He reigns within the heart of every believer, but He is yet to come to rule over all the earth.

After church, June and I came home to settle into our Sunday routine which includes “second breakfast” and listening to more Bible teachings and sermons on YouTube. One of those was Dr. Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas. In his sermon, he spoke of Jesus coming to earth as “the Light of the World,” a term Jesus applied to Himself (John 8:12; 9:5).

As I listened to Jeffress’ exposition, my mind carried me back to Genesis 1:14-19 when God created all of the celestial bodies. “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:17-18, emphasis mine). Was that not also Jesus’ purpose for coming to the earth? – “to give light upon the earth” and “to divide the light from the darkness”? It seems that the Apostle John made the same point – “In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:4-5, emphasis mine).

As I mused on this, I remembered that God created the celestial luminaries on the fourth day of creation. That brought to mind what the Apostle Peter wrote about the way God reckons time. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Of course, Peter was using simile to express the timeless nature of God, but as we consider biblical chronology, the comparison does seem to fit. It has been about 6000 years since creation, which is comparable to six days, and creation was accomplished in six literal days. God ceased from creation on the seventh day, and we yet await our seventh day of rest when Jesus rules on earth for 1000 years (1 day) – Revelation 20:1-8. So, it appears that the days of creation and the years of Earth’s history have a 1:1000 correspondence.

Taking this a step further, Jesus was born around 4000 years after creation which corresponds with the fourth day of creation when God created all the heavenly bodies. I wonder if God did that on purpose?

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

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December 17, 2023 · 10:00

The Mystery of the Gospel

… that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, (Ephesians 6:19)

The Gospel is a mystery. The Gospel (Greek: euaggelion) means “good tidings” or “good news.” The angel brought the euaggelion to the shepherds who watched their flocks by night.[1] It was the euaggelion that the Savior was born in Bethlehem. But what did this euaggelion mean? When the angels departed, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to see the euaggelion for themselves. Once they had seen the baby, they spread the news to all who would hear. “And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Luke 2:18, emphasis mine). It was a mystery!

At Christmastime, we sing the mournful carol, “Oh Come, Oh Come Emanuel.” The lyrics describe a deep yearning for the advent of Messiah. “Oh come, oh come Emanuel, and rescue captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.” However, Israel was not expecting the Son of God to appear. That was the mystery.

Indeed, the prophets foretold of the coming Messiah. When the magi later came searching for “he that is born King of the Jews,”[2] the religious leaders, who knew the Scriptures, directed them to Bethlehem. They quoted the Prophet Micah: “And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6, emphasis mine). However, they omitted the last phrase of Micah’s prophecy: “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:9). That last part was a mystery to them. How could an earthly ruler/king exist “from of old, from everlasting”? That would mean this king existed from eternity past. That could only mean this coming king would be God. To them, that was impossible. It was a mystery.

Four hundred years prior, the last prophet spoke of the coming Messiah. “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3). This certainly speaks of authority, but the general tone of the prophecy expressed God’s displeasure with His people obscuring any hint of the Messiah’s divinity. After that, God stopped talking for four hundred years. A lot can be forgotten in four hundred years or blurred beyond recognition.

Previous prophets had spoken of a coming king who would sit on David’s throne. A favorite Christmas passage from Isaiah says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7, emphasis mine). While Isaiah clearly stated that His name would be “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father,” the promise of His reign on David’s throne overshadowed (in their minds) the fact of His divinity. Since the fifth century before Christ, Israel had been ruled by outside forces; first Babylon, then Persia, then Greece, and now the Romans. The Jews wanted a king to make them a superpower. God coming to reign on earth in human flesh was unthinkable. It was a mystery!

Other prophecies held an even more unimaginable mystery – Messiah would suffer and die. Psalm 22 describes His crucifixion when such execution methods did not exist. Isaiah 53 also details the suffering of Messiah. The prophet Daniel precisely foretold the number of years when Messiah would be “cut off.”[3] The Messiah that was to be king and rule the world would have to die. That makes no sense! It was a mystery!

Even today, the idea that the Almighty, Creator God took on human flesh, in a virgin’s womb, was born by natural means in the lowliest of estates, grew up among “his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). He was nailed to a cross for our sins and rose on the third day so “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). That is the mystery of the Gospel.

All religions of the world, including many so-called “Christian” religions, demand some kind of sacrifice from their adherents. The adherents of these false religions must do something to appease their gods in order to gain entry into eternal life. It is no wonder then that the idea that all one needs to do is believe in Jesus and trust in the sufficiency of His sacrifice for our sins. It’s too easy. It’s a mystery! Paul describes how Jesus left His first estate as God, and took on human flesh for the purpose of making Himself the perfect sacrifice for our sins.[4] Our God performed the work of salvation for us so that all we need to do is believe. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasis mine). It is a mystery! “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). That is the mystery of the Gospel.

As we ponder the mystery of the Gospel, especially during this Christmas season, the thought of God coming to us in the form of a helpless baby should captivate us in awestruck wonder. How could such a thing be! The only thing that remains is praise and thanksgiving for the incalculable gift that He offers. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Reader, if you have not accepted God’s free gift of salvation, there is nothing you have to do but believe. Please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”

Notes:

[1]  Luke 2:8-18

[2]  Matthew 2:1-12

[3]  Daniel 9:25-26

[4]  Philippians 2:5-11

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