Biblical Perspectives

Biblical Perspectives – False Idol: Barack Obama and the Continuing Cult of the Presidency caught my attention recently and am thinking about reading it.  I have some interest in politics though I get tired of all the arguing and constant…well, politics.  Even working closely with government agencies can get frustrating at times as I see decisions made that make many involved scratch their heads and wonder who & how in the world that idea got implemented.  Some ideas are just plain bad and some are good but are poorly implemented.  Anyway, not to get too far sidetracked, what caught my eye was the commentary about the book.

Sharply focused and rigorously researched, False Idol: Barack Obama and the Continuing Cult of the Presidency is a highly compelling examination of both the Obama administration and our fixation on the fable of being led, comforted, and delivered by a presidential savior.  Original Article.

There are plenty of people on both sides of the political isle that realize things are messed up both in this country and around the world in general.  Despite politicians claiming peace here or there wars have increased; natural disasters, such as Sandy along the east coast of the U.S.A. cause massive economic damage, have dramatically increased in frequency and in their costs.  Then there is the economy as well as domestic policy in general with everyone is looking for answers from political leaders wanting them to fix this or that, thinking government can solve all these problems.  The people,the above book claims, have developed a skewed view of the presidency as being some sort of national savior.

The Bible however points its readers to the true solution to the world’s problems, Jesus.  After Christ rose from the dead He told His disciples that He would return again to take them to Heaven.  Well, over 2000 years later we are still here.  Either Jesus was telling the truth or He is a liar.  Either He really is who He said He is, or He is not.  That discussion is one for another post, this one is unabashedly accepting His statements as true.  So, did Christ come back (the second coming of the Messiah) and we missed it or has it not happened yet?  I believe that the answer is it hasn’t happened yet.

John 14:1-3 – Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.

The above verse brings out a few points.  Heaven is a real tangible place, not some nebulous state of being floating amongst the clouds or whatever.  Mansions are being built for those that are faithful to the God of Heaven.  Christ went to do that for you and I and since He did go to do that for you and I, He is coming again to take us to Heaven so we can actually possess those mansions and more importantly to be with Him for eternity!  The point I want to stress is He will come again!

Titus 2:13 – Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

The apostle Paul call this promise of Christ’s return the blessed hope.  For those who are Christ’s His return is something to look forward to!

Psalm 50:3 – Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

Even in the old testament there were promises of God’s coming.  Actually, two such events are promised.  You’ll notice the descriptions we cover in this post that describe the return of Christ are similar to what the Jewish people were expecting for the coming of the Messiah the first time per their comments as recorded in the gospels.  They unfortunately attributed the characteristics of the second coming to the first coming of Christ.  Above we see that His coming isn’t going to be quiet or secret, it is going to be a rather noticeable event with devouring fire and very tempestuous.

Acts 1:9-11 – And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

What did the angels say about Jesus’ return?  He will come in the same manner as He left, visibly in the sky.  Again, not a secret or invisible event, but a tangible visible event.

Revelation 1:7 – Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

How many will see the second coming of Christ?  The Bible says every eye.  Not just those who believe in Him, not just those who are near the vicinity, not just those who are awake, but every eye shall see the Messiah coming in the clouds, including those who crucified Him.  Just from this verse we can rest assured we haven’t missed it somehow.  So we know that every eye will see Him coming in the clouds with devouring fire and with a great tempest.

Matthew 24:27 – For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Again, everyone will see, it is a visible tangible event.

1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Sounds like it will be a rather quiet, subdued event, doesn’t it?  No, sounds like it will not only include devouring fire, a great tempest that every eye will see, it will also be audible, a shout, the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God.  This is not something that will be missed or overlooked or happen in a corner of the world or country.

Matthew 16:27 – For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

So, Christ’s return will include devouring fire, great tempest, a shout, the voice of the archangel, the trump of God, be visible to every eye, include the glory of His Father with His angels and as part of His return He will reward everyman according to his works.

Matthew 24:30 – And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Again, He comes with power and great glory.  This is a literal, tangible, visually and audibly perceptible event that everyone on earth at that time will experience.

Matthew 24:23-27 – Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Behold, I have told you before.  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Above is some good advice given the Biblical description of Christ’s second coming.  If someone says Christ is in Brooklyn healing people, you can rest assured they are a liar or deceived and that you shouldn’t go, no matter what.  Jesus has given a description of what His return will be like, it will not be quiet like His first appearing, but will be the return of the King of the Universe in all His glory and power.  So if someone says Christ is performing miracles over here or there should you believe?  What does the verse say?

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 – Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality.

1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Again, there is lots of noise at Christ’s return.  At the last trump what happens?  Those who have died believing in Jesus will be raised incorruptible or in other words when they are raised from the dead they will be immortal!  Not only that but those of God’s people that are alive at His return will receive immorality as well!  If you have questions about death, take a look at the blog post for 6/16/2012.

Revelation 6:14-16 – And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

There are two groups of people on earth at the time of Christ’s return.  The righteous and unrighteous, those that have obeyed God and those who have not.  The reaction of those who have rejected God stands in marked contrast to those who love God and seek to follow Him.  To the unrighteous, Christ’s second coming is a terrifying event.

Isaiah 25:9 – And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

You see the righteous have a relationship with God, they have spent time in prayer and Bible study learning of Him, from Him and allowing Him to work in their lives to change them, their characters.  To those that know Him, His return is a wonderful event, something to look forward to.

2 Corinthians 6:2 – (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)

When is the time to prepare for Christ’s return?  Now, now is the time.

Matthew 24:42-44 – Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

What the Bible is saying here is not that the second coming of Christ will be secret, but that there will be little or no warning before it happens.  When I was little someone broke into my parents house while we were away one day.  We didn’t know when they would do that, we had no idea whatsoever.  Such is the return of Christ, it will be swift, quick, and at a time we least expect.  The best way to deal with that is to be prepared for His return.  It means getting to know Him now, spending time with Him in Bible study and prayer.  It means accepting Him into your life every morning, it means getting to know Him, developing a relationship with Him.  It means making Him your first priority in your life.  As we get to know Him, spend time with Him we will come to love Him.  At first we may not, at first we may have reservations or inhibitions or complete disinterest in spending time with Him, but as we do we begin to see Him for who He is and if we are open, we will grow to love Him and long for His return.

Biblical Perspectives – God’s Call Sets Us Up for Fire, How Will You Respond?  This is based off of a really good sermon I heard recently and a bit of my own ponderings as of late and I wanted to pass the main points along to you.  At times there are mistaken claims made about Christianity.  Claims such as: accept Jesus and all your problems will go away, give to this ministry and God will bless you financially, physically, etc., a prosperity gospel if you will.  While God does bless and the Bible contains a multitude of promises of God’s blessings and God truly does bless, there is also a fair amount of fire that one encounters after accepting Christ.

In the dental lab the first step was to make a wax pattern that would then be used to form the mold to cast the gold into.

 Malachi 3:3 – 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.

The goal is for the gold casting to be a perfect replication of the pattern.

A couple points about refining (or casting gold has I have had experience).  The refiner has to watch the refining process.  When subjecting gold to fire, one has to carefully watch what is going on.  Too hot and the gold can be ruined.  I used to own a dental lab and when I was learning how to cast gold I actually burnt my first ounce of gold, a rather expensive lesson.  Too little flame and the desired effect is not achieved.  So the refiner has to intently watch, to monitor the application of fire so as not to ruin the gold.  There is a precise time that the gold or silver is refined (or in my case ready to cast).  Continuing to keep the gold in the flame beyond the right moment will damage the metal as well.  There is a particular look to the gold when it is ready to cast, one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen is molten gold that is ready.  So it takes an attentive eye, good judgment, patience, care, an understanding of the elements being worked with (flame, gold, silver, etc), of the process, to be a good refiner.  Refining is not something that can be achieved carelessly, flippantly, disinterestedly.

The gold is then placed into the crucible.

 In the above verse God is saying that as the refiner is to gold and silver, so He is to the sons of Levi, refining them, removing all that is contrary to God’s righteousness that is contrary to His image in them.  So who were the sons of Levi?  They were a tribe of Israel who were set aside for God’s service.  They were to minister to others on behalf of God.  They were chosen by God for this because early in their nation’s history they stood faithful to God when all the other Israelites apostatized against God.  The other tribes of Israel received territory when they settled Canaan but the Levites didn’t.  They did receive cities scattered through the other tribes, but their true inheritance was the service of God.  Their inheritance was taking care of the temple, teaching the people, ministering to others, seeking to lead the people to God, standing as spiritual leaders.

The flame is then prepared. The flame needs to be just right or the gold could be damaged, it could be burnt. It takes care and attention to detail to cast gold. The physical well being of the gold does need to be taken into consideration.

To take it a step further, 1 Peter 2:5, 9 compares Christians to a royal priesthood ministering to their fellow man, serving God, offering up spiritual sacrifices to God, in other words spiritual sons of Levi if you will.  Just as being of the sons of Levi meant going through a character refining process so being a Christian means going through a refining process as well.  God wants His character to be reproduced in us and this requires a refining process to remove the sinful traits and tendencies whether inherited or cultivated that mar our character.  Saying yes to God means saying yes to fire, to being refined, it means saying yes to God’s working in our lives to remove the sinful traits, desires, tendencies whether known or unknown that are in each one of us.

Care is taken when applying the flame. Starting off it isn’t good to focus all of the flame on the gold. The flame is split between heating the gold and heating the crucible.

 Isaiah 64:6 – But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

As the gold heats up it is better able to withstand the higher temperatures of a more focused flame. High intensity heat would burn it if applied too quickly so care must be taken to only apply as much heat as the gold can handle.

It doesn’t matter how good we are, think we are, or how good we appear.  The most righteous the most righteous person can ever hope to be of their own ability, of their own righteousness would be as filthy rags to God, would be as really dirty, soiled underwear compared to God’s righteousness.  So how do we get rid of the dirty underwear?

Checking to see if the gold is ready, it isn’t. More flame needs to be applied.

Zachariah 13:9 – And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It [is] my people: and they shall say, The LORD [is] my God.

As the gold can take the heat, the focus becomes more intense, more focus to as to prepare the gold for casting.

Part of being God’s child is submitting to the Refiner’s fire to which the end result is we are God’s and God is ours.

So close, a little bit more flame and the gold will be ready. I was never able to come close to capturing the beauty of molten gold with my camera.

Daniel 3:16-28 – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we [are] not careful to answer thee in this matter.  If it be [so], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver [us] out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.  Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.  And he commanded the most mighty men that [were] in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast [them] into the burning fiery furnace.  Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their [other] garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, [and] spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, [and] spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come [hither]. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.  And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.  [Then] Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed [be] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

The final amount of flame is applied to prepare the gold for casting. If the gold isn’t properly prepared for casting it won’t cast properly and it won’t accurately reflect the pattern.

There are a number of points to be made from the above passage.  The first point happens before the furnace which is that the three Hebrews did not go looking for trouble.  They didn’t purposefully place themselves into the fire.  They had already been through plenty of that having been carried away from their country as captives, having to reject the king’s food because it was offered to idols, almost being put to death, and who knows what else.  They were now rulers in Babylon and we can see from the verse that they obeyed the king up to the point where they could not obey him without violating their allegiance to God.  They weren’t looking for trouble, they obeyed as much as they could but when they were required to disobey God they chose to obey God rather than the king.

This diverts a little from the illustration, but it does still fit. There is still refining that is needed. This gold alloy needs to be properly finished before it shines.

The second lesson occurs in the fire.  How were the Hebrews thrown into the fire?  They were bound, they were tied up.  They were helpless to free themselves from their current condition.  Satan seeks to bind us to him through sin.  He places his chains, his ropes upon us so that we cannot serve God, so that we are not totally surrendered to Jesus.  As the ropes that bound the Hebrews were destroyed by the fire and they found freedom as a result of the fire so we as Christian find freedom through the fire, the fire that God places us in.  The fire, the trials that God brings us through have a refining influence upon us to burn up, to remove the impurities in our lives, our character, to free us from what binds us and keeps us from perfectly reflecting the character of Jesus Christ.  Question: If you were tied up and cast into a fire and found yourself in the middle of the fire with the ropes burnt off but were still physically able to function what would be the most likely reaction?  Any one of us would get out of the fire as fast as possible.  What were the three Hebrews doing in the fire?  They were walking around in it, they weren’t concerned about it.  Why?  Why not get out and say “Ha! You can’t burn us!” What do you think their state of mind was?  Were they focused on the flames?  I agree with the sermon that their focus was not on the flames, it was on Jesus.  This leads to a very significant difference between God’s refining fire and the fire of the silversmith or goldsmith.  The silversmith is outside of the fire looking into it at the silver to see when it is ready.  When God places us in the fire, He is in the fire with us as He was with the three Hebrews.  The Great Refiner does not make us go through the fire alone but He has promised to never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  This is how king David could say in Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”  Silver and gold react in a particular way by default, governed by the laws of nature, they don’t have a choice on how they react.  We however have a choice in how we react to the fire.  We can grow in faith, get weak, get angry, become wise, choose to stop believing in God, we can let it make or break us, we have a choice.  Regardless of what we choose, when God places us in the fire, His goal isn’t for us to focus on the fire, to become discouraged by the fire, to harden our hearts because of the fire, but to focus above the flames, to focus on Him.

These two crowns will need to be cut from the sprues and then the polishing begins. It starts off coarse and moves to finer abrasive.

The third point is about after the furnace.  While in the fire we usually do not understand why.  Why has God led this way?  How come this happened?  Why God?  So often when difficulties arise, when people mistreat us, when bad things happen over which we have no control we are tempted to ask these questions.  After the fire we may be able to see the fuller picture of the effect of the flames.  Sometimes as in the above story the effect isn’t for the benefit of those in the flames, but for the benefit of others who are watching God’s faithful go through the flames.  Look above at the impact that the three Hebrews’ experience in the flames had upon the king.  What was the king’s reaction?

Implements of refinement. The black disk is to cut, the white disk is a coarse grinder, then the little pink conical stones, then the red cylindar, then the little steel burs to help get the finer anatomy/groves to mimic the groves in a tooth, then a buffing compound, then a special red rouge (iron oxide) that I would purchase from a jewelry supply company. The rouge I got from the dental supply companies didn’t produce the level of finish/shine I wanted on my creation.

Sometimes while going through the flames it can be tempting to doubt that God loves us, is with us, cares about us, is looking out for our best interest, really knows what we are going through, but that is wrong.

The refining process is complete.

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

It is an accurate recreation of the pattern.

God’s expected end for everyone that accepts Jesus is salvation, is to go home to Heaven with Him!  To live for eternity with Him!  So when He puts us into the fire it is because He loves us and He wants us.  But there is something that stands in the way of Him fulfilling His desire for you and I.  What stands in the way is sin in our lives and so we go through the fire under His watchful, caring, expert eye with Him by our side.  And so into the flames we go but how do we focus above the flames?  How do we not focus on the situation?  I think it is through praising God, praising God for His working in our lives.  As we praise Him we focus on Him and His goodness, His righteousness, His mercy, His love, His promises, His deliverance, His expected end for us.  As we do this, our focus is no longer on the situation, on the flames, on poor me, on the why, but on Him.  This is how the Bible writers below could say:

James 1:2-4 – My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

1 Peter 4:13, 14 – But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy [are ye]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

And it relects the image of the refiner. If this was a larger gold object it would be a really good reflection, but this is a small tooth so you’ll have to use your imagination a little.

God’s call to us to accept Jesus sets us up for fire, how will you respond?  What will be burned away?  What will others see?

It fits!

Biblical Perspectives – Judgment picks up from the last post.  We’ve all seen or heard of instances where people do terrible things to others, no regard for life or welfare of those whom they are hurting.  The news is full of it and perhaps we get a bit complacent about it given the amount.  Some things are outrageous and a media frenzy occurs while others don’t gain any attention.  Many times the wrong doer faces a trial and is then sentenced.

That nightmare came to an end Tuesday when Bell and his co-conspirator, Neang Prom, were sentenced to 30 years and three years in federal prison, respectively, on sex trafficking charges. The sentencing resulted from a nearly two-year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force.  Original Article.

Even in our sinful broken world there are consequences for our actions.  If someone breaks the law there is a pretty good chance that they will receive punishment.  I say pretty good because not everyone gets caught.  Many crimes go unsolved every year for things ranging from petty theft to outright brutal murders, rapes, beatings.  But before any sentence can be pronounced, there needs to be an investigation and trial before sentencing.

The last post brings out that God’s judgment of humanity began in 1844.  Daniel however doesn’t give much details about the judgment so the goal of this lesson is to give an overview of what the Bible says about the judgment.

Daniel 7:9, 10 – I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

This is a very active verse.  Thrones were cast down, the Ancient of Days was seated, thousands upon thousands ministered to Him, the judgment (court) was set (ready), and the books were opened.  So the courtroom is ready to hear the cases before it.

2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.

Romans 14:12 – So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

God judges every single one of us whether Christian, agnostic, atheist, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, animist, post-modern, creationist, evolutionist, white, black, and everything in between.  We all have the same Creator, we are all part of the human race which has rebelled against God.

Revelation 20:12 – And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Here we see a glimpse of Heaven’s record keeping.  It doesn’t matter what position we hold, our education, wealth, or power.  Heaven records what we have done during our lifetime, all our works whether good or bad are recorded.

Philippians 4:3 – And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and [with] other my fellowlabourers, whose names [are] in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5 – He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Whose names are in the book of life?  Those that labor for God, those that overcome, those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord.  Christ is the one who offers us life, without Him we are dead in sin but with Him we have life.  Look at Romans 6:23, without Christ we have no chance at eternal life but when we accept Him, He freely gives us the gift of eternal life and our names are entered into the book of life.

Malachi 3:16 – Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Again, those that love God, that obey Him, who have surrendered their lives to Him are written in the book of remembrance.  God’s record keeping accurately portrays us for who we really are.

Jeremiah 2:22 – For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

Some might question whether God really does keep track of what we do yet God here says we can go to tough measures to wipe away our sin, to cover it up, to try and hide it, but our sin is recorded before God.

Matthew 12:36, 37 – But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.

Here we see that God’s record keeping is rather exhaustive.  It not only covers our actions but it even covers our thoughts for the Bible makes clear that we can sin in thought and deed.

1 Corinthians 4:5 – Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

God makes the point again, His judgment covers everything, nothing remains hidden from God.

Psalm 87:5, 6 – And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.  The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, [that] this [man] was born there. Selah.

John 9:41 – Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

An important thing to remember is that God is love and God is just.  Here we see that God takes into consideration the circumstances that make up our lives.  Did we have the opportunity to learn of Him but refused?  Did we have little or no opportunity to know Him but yet lived a righteous life?

John 5:22 – For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

1 John 2:1 – My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Salvation is a free gift and as I mentioned previously, the highest court in the universe is stacked in our favor!  Our judge and lawyer is Jesus!  How can someone be lost?

Zechariah 3:1, 2 – And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.  And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: [is] not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

What does Jesus say to Satan when he accuses us in the judgment?  What if we haven’t accepted Jesus?

Zechariah 3:3, 4 – Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Notice that Joshua is clothed with new garments, his filthy rags are no more.  Satan stands by each one of us to condemn us before God.  He brings up all our sins yet Jesus stands for those who have accepted Him and rebukes Satan on our behalf!  Jesus takes away our filthy garments of sin and clothes us with the raiment of His righteousness!

James 2:12 – So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

God does not add up all our good deeds and then subtract the bad deeds to see where we stand.  We are accepted because of Christ’s righteousness.  When Christ accepts us He leads us to obedience and obedience is the evidence of a changed life.  Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, we will obey Him.  One can never be saved by the law, for the law cannot save as it is a standard, all it can do is condemn those who break it.  However Jesus though we can be saved as His life fulfilled the law.  He and His law are inseparable as they are a transcript of His character and when we disobey Him we wound Him again.  It was our sins, our breaking His law that is the reason for Him being crucified (Isaiah 53:5).  Jesus died for you and is offering you salvation if you accept Him.  Are you willing to invite God into your life, to confess your sins, ask forgiveness and accept Jesus righteousness on your behalf?  Ask Him to take away your desire to sin, tell Him of your desire to be His.

Biblical Perspectives – Getting Theological: Jesus as Christ is an article that if I could have found a different one I would have replaced it as the initiator of this post but given this is the only article that I had in about two hundred plus emails listing multiple articles on certain topic areas I’ll leave it at God provided.  There are several comments I have trouble with in the article.  Jesus as Christ versus Jesus Christ/Jesus the Christ, the idea that physical resurrection did or did not occur as being somewhat fungible, the idea that “we have no idea what Jesus actually said and did”, that the Bible was written “by followers who had particular beliefs themselves, along with political agendas and cultural constraints” and so the Bible itself isn’t something that is actually all that trustworthy, among others issues.  To me, the article expresses many seeds of doubt and distrust in the Bible by someone who apparently earns her living teaching it.

Jesus is a person’s name.  A historical figure who lived in first century Palestine.  A Jewish guy who did some stuff, inspired some people, sparked a movement, renovated a religion.

Christ is his job title.  Not his last name, I tell my students, which it sounds like it is if you use his full name accidentally:  “Jesus H. Christ!”  I talk about the greek work christos, the Hebrew word moshiach, the concept of a messiah that emerges out of Judaism.  The belief that God promises to send someone to deliver human beings from the bondage of sin and oppression on which Christianity zeroes in, centering its theological world.

While these are things that are part of what I believe to be true, I also am fairly assured that we have no idea what Jesus actually said and did.  The records that we have about his life and ministry come a generation or two later, written by followers who had particular beliefs themselves, along with political agendas and cultural constraints.  But … more on the bible later.  Original Article.

As far as the source of the Bible being written “by followers who had particular beliefs themselves, along with political agendas and cultural constraints” I agree and disagree.  Yes, the Bible writers did have their own perspective and the Bible records God correcting them at times.  Were there cultural constraints yes, but God is not limited by them though many times He does work within them to reach our hearts.  My response to the author’s perspective in this area is 2 Peter 1:20, 21 – “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.”  God is the author of the Bible, man the scribe who sometimes struggled to put into words that which God expressed to them.  Does understanding the culture, the times, the situation, the local conditions on the ground so to speak help us better understand the principles that God is seeking to get across?  Absolutely, but the Bible is God’s book and I believe that He has guided its creation and preservation throughout the centuries and that it is trustworthy.  I do not believe that the cultural influence, the personal influence, the political perspectives of the Bible writers so distorts God’s message to humanity that it is untrustworthy.

I’m not a theologian and I’m not going to hit every point but I do understand what the author is saying that Christ/Messiah is His title, Jesus after all wears many hats/titles.  But Jesus was more than just “a Jewish guy who did some stuff…”  The Bible makes clear that Jesus was both fully man and fully divine.  That “Jewish guy” is fully human (Jesus) and fully divine (Christ/Messiah/Son of God).  Jesus in and of Himself is both, the two are inseparable, you cannot have one without the other.  Jesus was not a human whom God made Christ as if someone else could have filled that role.  Jesus is God who took on human flesh, dwelt among us, died in our place, rose again, and is working on our behalf in Heaven.  Because of sin, the Son of God agreed to go and be man’s substitute.  I’m honestly struggling here to get what I’m trying to say into words.  The term Christ or Messiah is dependent upon the Son of God being.  It is dependent upon the Son of God being our substitute.  Without the Son of God there is no Christ/Messiah for only God Himself could pay the penalty for our sins and satisfy the demands of the law. We would not have had the man/name Jesus if there was no need for Christ/Messiah.  If we had not sinned there would be no Christ/Messiah but there would be the Son of God still.  But because of our sins and His desire to save us the Son of God took on another name when He gave up His omnipresence and took on human flesh, the name Jesus.  Jesus/Christ/Messiah/Son of God are all names/titles of the same being.  To imply you can have one without the other, such as Jesus without Christ is wrong.

There are multiple Biblical passages that support Jesus’ mission and His divinity.  There are numerous prophecies in the Old Testament that predict the Messiah and His mission, approximately forty-seven OT promises of the Messiah and Jesus fulfills them (ex: Zechariah 9:9 fulfilled in Matthew 21:4-5; Isaiah 53:12 fulfilled in Mark 15:27, 28; Psalm 22:1 fulfilled in Mark 16:6, 7) and I’d encourage you to take a look at those.  In addition there is also the longest time prophecy in the Bible that includes the coming of the Messiah and Jesus fulfills that perfectly.  We know Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God in human flesh, came to earth precisely on time.  Jesus and His title/role as Messiah are inseparable

The 2300 day prophecy also deals with our previous topic of the three angels and judgment in Revelation 14.  Revelation 14 states that the hour of God’s judgment has come, but it doesn’t tell us anything more than that.  This is where understanding that Revelation goes hand-in-hand with Daniel is necessary.  To find out the when of the judgment and of the Messiah we must turn to the Old Testament book of Daniel.

Daniel 7:9, 10 – I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment [was] white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne [was like] the fiery flame, [and] his wheels [as] burning fire.  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Daniel in vision sees the judgment beginning.  It is an amazing picture, a fiery stream, God the Father, thousands ministering and the judgment beginning.  This amazing imagery is of the judgment taking place in Heaven.  The books, the records, are opened and the trial, the legal proceedings of Heaven begins.  The throne room of the universe must be an amazing place.

Daniel 8:14 – And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Here we see a time frame for when the judgment is to take place.  The wording is drawing from the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary in the Old Testament that was one once a year and was a time of judgment.

Leviticus 16:29, 30; 23:27-29 – And [this] shall be a statute for ever unto you: [that] in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, [whether it be] one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:  For on that day shall [the priest] make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, [that] ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. Also on the tenth [day] of this seventh month [there shall be] a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.  And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it [is] a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.  For whatsoever soul [it be] that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

The Day of Atonement was a corporate day of deep soul searching, of repentance before God, of allowing God to cleans the heart of sin.  Those that did not do this were cut off from the Israelites.  Every day the Israelites would confess their sins in the earthly sanctuary services.  Animals would be sacrificed, they would die in the place of the sinner.  These animals represented Jesus.  The act of sacrifice and the sanctuary services were illustrations of what Christ would do for all who would accept Him as their sacrifice. Every sacrifice would transfer the sin from the sinner to the substitute and then through the blood of the lamb to the sanctuary by the priest as he carried it in and sprinkled the blood inside.  The priest represented Christ, our High Priest, who ministers on our behalf in Heaven.  Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the sanctuary would be cleansed of all the sin that was transferred to in by the confessed sins of the people.  The day was a day of judgment in which all the sins of the Israelites were either confessed, forgiven, and renounced or unconfessed, unforgiven, and cherished.  All who refused God’s call to confess their sins were banned from camp.  The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary takes place at the end of time and is the final judgment of sin.

Daniel 8:16, 17, 19 – And I heard a man’s voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision.  So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.  And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end [shall be].

Here we see that the vision that Daniel receives about the 2300 days is for the” time of the end” as the angel Gabriel puts it, who was sent to Daniel to help him understand.

Daniel 9:21-23 – Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.  And he informed [me], and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show [thee]; for thou [art] greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

Between the previous passage and the above one, Daniel fainted and then later Gabriel returned to help Daniel understand.  I don’t know how long Daniel’s prayer was, but apparently angels can move rather quickly.  Assuming Gabriel was next to God’s throne (as he replaced Lucifer when Lucifer became Satan) and he shows up on earth while Daniel is still praying equals some fast flying, but I digress.  We see that Gabriel came to give Daniel skill and understanding, this is something we should all pray for before studying the Bible.

Daniel 9:24 – Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Gabriel points Daniel to a portion of the vision that directly applies to his people.  The Israelites, because of the rebellion against God, had been taken into captivity by Babylon and due to prophecies by other prophets, Daniel had been seeking to understand when God would bring His people back to their country.  Here Gabriel points Daniel to that portion of the vision that he was seeking.  There were 70 weeks (490 days) of this prophecy that applied to the Israel out of the 2300 days.

Numbers 14:34 – After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, [even] forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, [even] forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

Ezekiel 4:6 – And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.

The above two verses show that God uses a day/year substitution when dealing with time in prophecy.  In these two particular verses the issue is with punishment.  Also at the time of the vision Israel was enduring punishment and Daniel was wondering when it would end.  The 70 weeks was a prophecy within a prophecy that related to when the punishment would end and the Messiah would come.  The entire 2300 days though leads us to the time of the end and the judgment.  There are no other time prophecies in the Bible that go beyond the timeframe of the 2300 day prophecy.

Daniel 9:25 – Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

So when is this time period supposed to begin?  It is from the command to rebuild Jerusalem.  Babylon had sacked Jerusalem, it was destroyed.  This was initially done in 605 B.C.by Nebuchadnezzar.  Then in 587 & 586 B.C. the city was mostly destroyed.  Medo/Persia conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. and Daniel became an official in that empire.  The tricky part is that there were three decrees to rebuild the city but the final one issued by Artaxerxes was the most complete and succeeded in completing the city.  Ezra 7:12, 13 records the decree.  After the decree is given it would be 69 weeks (a score=20) which is 483 prophetic days or 483 years until the Messiah would come.  Given the prophecy begins in 457 B.C. we subtract 483 and we end up with 26 A.D. but we need to add 1 year because there was no year “0” which brings us to 27 A.D. which is when Jesus was baptized.  One might note that Christ was how old when He was baptized?  That compared to 27 A.D. doesn’t match.  The reason for that is we haven’t always used this dating system that we in the western world use today.  It was created by a monk who did his best to determine when Christ was born and base the system off of that but was slightly off and so our dating system doesn’t exactly match as a result.

Luke 3:21, 22 – Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,  And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

Acts 10:38 – How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

When Christ was baptized the Holy Spirit anointed Him and His earthly ministry began.  Messiah means the anointed one.

Daniel 9:27 – And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Here we see that Jesus would cause the sacrificial system of the sanctuary service to end.  Jesus the true Lamb of God would die.  The object lesson of the animal sacrifices would meet their fulfillment in the life and death of Jesus.  This is why Christians do not offer animal sacrifices.  The first 69 weeks of the 70 week prophecy ended at Christ’s baptism.  One week (7 years) of the prophecy were left and in the middle of the week the Messiah would cause the sacrifices to cease by His death.  According to the prophecy, Jesus would be crucified 3.5 years after His baptism in A.D. 27.  This leads us to the spring of A.D. 31 when Jesus was crucified on the Passover as predicted.

Matthew 27:51 – And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW

From what I understand the veil that separated the Holy from the Most Holy places of the temple was a very heavy fabric, not something that would tear easily and it was tall.  The tearing of the veil signified the end of the sacrificial system.  The Passover was a feast that Israel kept to remember God’s work in liberating them from Egypt when they were slaves.  Part of that involved a lamb.  On the Passover of A.D. 31, Jesus Christ became our Passover and was crucified for us.  As a result the sacrificial system which God initiated at the fall of Adam & Eve and institutionalized with the sanctuary services lost its significance.  It has been replaced by the sacrifice of the true Lamb of God.  Historically the whole system ceased with the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D.  That leaves us with 3.5 years more after the crucifixion.  In 34 A.D. as the prophecy predicts, the Jews sealed their fate as a nation.  The high priest speaking on behalf of the Sanhedrin, the high Jewish Counsel, officially rejected Jesus and Stephen was stoned becoming the first Christian martyr.  A side note: at Stephen’s stoning was a man named Saul who was a participant in this and would later be converted and be known as the apostle Paul. As a result of Stephen’s death, the Gospel began to be decidedly preached to the gentiles.  Remember that the 490-year period is a smaller portion of the 2300 days.  The 490 years applies to the Jews and the coming of the Messiah.  As Gabriel told Daniel, the 2300 days leads us to the cleansing of the sanctuary and judgment.  So we have 1810 years left and we need to add to 34 A.D. which brings us to the year 1844.  Just as God’s word was sure in regards to the coming of the Messiah, His baptism, His death, and the Gospel going to the gentiles, so God’s word is sure that the judgment began in 1844.

Romans 13:11-14 – And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.  Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof].

As Paul mentions, it does matter how we live and it does matter knowing that we live in the time of judgment when the day of Christ’s return is at hand.

Hebrews 7:25 – Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

The wonderful news is that Jesus lives to make intercession for you and I!  If we accept Him, we have nothing to fear.  Judgment holds two connotations, one for God’s people and one for those who aren’t.  For those who belong to God, the judgment is in a sense vindication.  Imagine a courtroom and Satan is accusing you of all the sins you have committed as being the reason you should belong to him and not gain eternal life.  What are you to say?  Perhaps Satan embellishes a little but given Heaven’s record keeping of your life he probably has to keep his facts straight so he is probably accurately portraying all the sins you have done.  How are you and I as mere mortals to respond to the truth about our sinful lives?  We can’t, but if we accept Christ God is not only our Judge He is also our defense attorney and He pleads His blood on our behalf so when God the Father looks at us, at our case, all He sees is Christ.  Jesus, our High Priest, is able to save us from our sins through His blood.  He stands in our behalf in the Judgment, what hope!  We have the highest court in the universe stacked in our favor!  The Judge & our Defender is God!  Are you willing to accept Him?