The Architect's Plan
"For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.' "And the LORD said to me: 'What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. "And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:14-22)
You are not likely to hear this passage read in a church service this Christmas season. Nevertheless, it clearly portrays the plan God had established before the foundation of the world.
The setting is that of the rehearsal of the law and ordinances prior to the people of Israel crossing the Jordan to enter the land of promise. After forty years of being tested in the wilderness, God instructs them again through Moses. Let's see what we can glean from this passage.
The nations which God is removing from the land to make way for Israel were people who did not listen to Him but sought counsel from "soothsayers and diviners." That is not His will and the warning to the Chosen People should be clear.
Moses tells them that God has agreed not to speak directly to them as He did at Horeb. Instead, He will raise up a prophet from among them who will listen to Him and speak only what God commands.
Here we have the promise of Messiah in His role as Prophet. Anyone else who presumes to speak on God's behalf but prophesies other than what God has spoken will be put to death. Those professing themselves to be prophets are subject to a simple test: Are their prophecies fulfilled? This test needs to be applied to self-professed modern day prophets.
There isn't space here to even begin to address how the prophecies of Christ have been fulfilled or how the prophecies about Him have been fulfilled. It is enough for us to know that those who spoke of Him stand approved before God and He Himself stands supreme among the prophets.
"The LORD has sworn and will not relent, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.'" (Psalm 110:4). You will remember the story of Abraham and his meeting with Melchizedek. It is one of those places in scripture that has overtones of mystery and wonder. Scripture gives us little to work with in regard to the High Priest of Salem, but it seems evident that this is one of those places where Christ appears in the Old Testament: an event known as a theophany.
David recognizes that as much as Abraham is revered as the Father of the Faithful, he paid homage to One greater than himself. He recognizes that the coming Messiah is of the same type as Melchizedek; what an experience it would have been for him to understand that the coming Messiah had already appeared in select circumstances.
The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 110 in drawing his comparison of the better administration in which we live. While the priest of Israel served the type, The Messiah's priestly ministry is in the true temple.
Every priest served three functions: 1) to instruct those in their charge, 2) to make sacrifices on their behalf, and 3) to mediate between men and God. In each case, we find that Christ has fulfilled this ministry in a way that no one else could.
There were three orders of priests: 1) that of royalty, 2) that of the firstborn, and 3) that of the Levites. The last two terminated with the end of biblical Judaism in A.D. 70. Only the priesthood of royalty was perpetual and it is Christ alone who is supreme in this regard. Because He reigns, we are a "royal priesthood."
"Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. "Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. "Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. "Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory."(Psalm 24:7-10)
These verses bring us to the final aspect of the promised Messiah's role. He is King! In David's time, mortal men served in these roles, but a new day was coming.
A number of the carols we sing begin by describing the needs of the world: "Long lay the world, in sin and error pining....," "O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel ...." Indeed, "The hopes and fears of all the years..." were met in Bethlehem that night long ago.
We identify with those needs so deeply that our spirits soar as the theme shifts to "Glory to the newborn King!"
As you sing those songs this season, pay special attention to that word King. It was never God's intention for mankind to have an earthly king. His desire was for the earth to recognize Him as Sovereign. The world would have none of it. Even His chosen people were not content with that arrangement and insisted on an earthly king.
God granted their wish, but they suffered the abuses He said that king would lay upon them. In the midst of their oppression they clung to their hope in the promised Messiah.
As John the Baptist announced His arrival, the people were elated. When they learned Christ had no intention of reigning as King physically upon the earth, their mood changed and you know the rest of the story.
As we celebrate the King Who has come, there are many who are still looking for Him to establish His physical throne on earth at some future date. Like the Jews of old, they want God in the flesh. They are not content to have a King who rules on high in a realm that is not seen with human eyes.
The scripture is clear: Christ has come and all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him, "and He shall reign forever and ever." Come, let us worship the King!
The Carpenter's Corner
"Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." (John 8:54-59)
The Jews were more than a little upset with Christ's teaching that those who kept His word would "never see death." When they attempt to argue Abraham's superiority, Jesus absolutely shocked them by telling them that Abraham saw His day and rejoiced. What a preposterous claim!
But Jesus then makes a claim that sends them rock hunting, "Before Abraham was, I am." That "I am" business was more than they could take. They knew exactly what it meant. We do too. They knew the story of Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush. Jesus was proclaiming that He was God and to their ears that was blasphemy. They were ready to kill Him on the spot but His words are confirmed as He is hidden from their sight and leaves the temple unharmed. There surely must have been some discussion about that event!
"I Am." What power is sometimes demonstrated in simplicity. Perhaps I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating. The Greek word for authority is exousia. It is a compound word (ek-esthe) which could literally be translated as "out of, or from I am."
In one word (in the Greek), Jesus lays the cards on the table. He is Sovereign and His authority wasn't bestowed yesterday, it was established from eternity past.
He didn't travel the countryside proclaiming who He was. He frequently told those He touched not to tell anyone. Still, those whose hearts were turned to God recognized Him.
He entered the physical world over 2,000 years ago and that has forever changed the course of history. Today, those who refuse to acknowledge Him are offended by the way we have dated things (B.C. and A.D.) so they have revised it to B.C.E. (Before Common Era) and C.E. (Common Era).
In their deceived minds they think that diminishes the impact Christ had on the world. They fail to see that in their futile effort to erase Him from public view, the very fact that they show a division of time at His birth is compelling evidence that Christ's coming radically altered the history of the world.
The people of God have lived through dark times in the history of the church and dark days seem imminent even now. Nothing will ever diminish the reign of our Lord. Nothing.
We can rebel against His authority. The world can ignore Him and persecute those who honor Him, but His dominion is established and it will never fail. He reigns, "world without end. Amen."
The Foreman's Forum
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:12-16)
At the founding of this nation, the colonists expressed such confidence in God that one Crown-appointed Governor wrote of the condition to the Board of Trade back in England: "If you ask an American, who is his master? He will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ."
The Committees of Correspondence soon began sounding the cry across the Colonies: "No King but King Jesus!" They understood the significance of Paul's charge to Timothy. They understood that Jesus was on His throne ruling and reigning and that they were to be His ambassadors to the world. We need to recover their sense of Christ's lordship in our day.
Since this newsletter is a means of provoking discussion and thought, I want to invite you to consider a subject I have been studying for several months now. Paul's instruction to Timothy here brings it to mind.
I have not reached a conclusion in this matter but find it to be compelling enough to investigate more thoroughly. The subject is that of "last things" as taught in the scripture.
At this point, I see little need to talk about the popular view in the Christian world today except to say that it is largely a "futurist" view. That is to say that the biblical prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. It may come as a surprise to some, but that is not the only interpretation of these scriptures.
For most of my adult life, I have maintained the position that it really didn't matter what conclusion we reached in regard to last things because it was all going to happen just as God planned and there is nothing we can do to change that.
Over the past couple of years I have grown increasingly uncomfortable with that position, and I have since been able to identify the source of that discomfort: how we view "last things" has a significant impact on our biblical worldview. There are four basic interpretations: futurist, preterist, historicist, and idealist. Personally, I can dismiss the last two fairly easily so I won't deal with them here and they are not held by many people. I invite you to study them on your own.
The preterist view is that all the biblical prophecies have already been fulfilled. As soon, as you get over the shock of that statement read on.
For most of our lifetimes the futurist view has pretty much held sway in Christian thought, but it has not always been so. Most popular translations of scripture have been done by those who held a futurist view and certainly most popular teachers have held the view. Consequently, most Christians have not seriously considered whether that view is correct. That is what I am asking you to do with me.
If the futurist view is correct, we have serious obligations to the nation of Israel which was re-established in the last century (to mention just one significant factor that view suggests). On the other hand, if the preterist view is correct, it has serious implications for how we should be living today.
Like mine, your mind is probably rushing to dozens of scriptures which speak of future events. Having already done some investigation into the matter, I can tell you that there are very compelling arguments from scripture which deal with the objections I have raised. To be quite honest, I am shocked to find how little I know in this area and I suspect you will be too.
Did you notice the time frame in Paul's charge to Timothy? He told him to keep the commandment "until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Remember, Paul has been shown what is coming, and his charge seems to anticipate that Timothy will live until the Lord appears.
There are many things we must keep in mind as we study the Bible. Two important ones apply here. First, the scripture was written for us but it was not written to us. Second, though parts of the message were future to the intended audience, that does not necessarily mean they are future to us.
Many people think they can take anything recorded in the Bible and claim it for their personal situation. That is a serious mistake to make and has led to many wounded souls and some really bad theology. It is imperative that we understand the setting in which scripture appears. Who is the audience? What are the circumstances? Scripture is for our instruction but that does not mean that we can take what was said in one situation and apply to all people in all times.
Of course, the real debate arises when we discuss what prophecy is past and what is future. Our interpretation is largely determined by what we believe has already taken place. That is certainly reasonable, but what if all prophecy has been fulfilled and we simply have not been exposed to that teaching because it is not the currently popular view?
Diligent students of God's Word are not satisfied to just keep on believing what they have always believed. They study constantly so that the Holy Spirit can reveal those areas of their understanding where correction is needed.
I encourage you to consider taking a serious look at this subject with us. As Paul tells Timothy, Christ has eternal dominion over all things. If the preterist position is correct, we will find it adds a whole new dimension to the truth that Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords."
Now that I have your attention, let me say it is not my desire to be controversial, argumentative, or offensive by introducing this subject. It is just one aspect of our study and I think we will find it profitable. In coming issues, I will try to highlight some of what I am learning, but you need to do a systematic study of the subject in order to understand the position, even if you decide it is not correct. A good starting point is Beyond the End Times by John No . If you have Internet access, check out www.livingpresence.org and www.preterist.org for more resources.
The Carpenter's Toolbox
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us." (Isaiah 33:2)
If there is a message the church today needs to hear and believe, this is surely it. Our hope is in the Lord not men. If He is our King, He will deliverer us. Never forget that even death can be a deliverance.
My personal involvements regularly put me in contact with Christians whose trust is in men. Because it is, they give preference to transient things over eternal principles. Certainly God expects us to be wise and to be used by Him in accomplishing His purposes, but when He does that through those who sacrifice convictions for convenience, it is for their discipline or judgment, but never for their blessing. The King has come, may we fully trust in Him
The Apprentice's Journal As we come to the end of the second millennium, let me take this occasion to let each of you know how very much I have appreciated your comments, encouragement, and gifts which largely covered the cost of the newsletter this past year.
Thanks to you, The Carpenter's Apprentice now has readers from Connecticut to Hawaii. It is hard to believe that this first year has passed so quickly!
It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will use this small effort to your benefit and blessing. He has certainly blessed me in the study and preparation that is required. The study of God's Word is such a pleasure to me and it is truly a joy to be able to share what I am seeing with you. I am absolutely certain that I have a lot to learn and understand and I appreciate you allowing me to share my journey with you. Special thanks go to my wife who proofreads for me when I get things together on time. When you find typos you can be pretty sure Sharon didn't get to see the copy before it went out.
I also I appreciate the assistance of Charlen Bour who folds, seals, labels, stamps and posts the newsletter each month. Her labor of love is a gift to each of you and a special blessing to me.
We've just celebrated our first grandson's first birthday Dec. 2nd: a welcome addition to our calendar and a special blessing. Happy Birthday Geren!
God's gifts to us are incalculable and this season calls our attention to them in a special way. I pray that, in the midst of the demands of the holy-day season, you will take the time to pause and experience the peace and goodwill that is ours in Christ.
"Let earth receive her King!"