And His Name Shall Be Called . . .
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Isaiah lists but a few of the 226 names of Messiah listed in my Biblical Cyclopedic Index, but his short list presents a comprehensive summary of all the others.
Compare this description to the description of the kings Israel wrongfully desired and you will begin to get some sense of the longing of the Hebrew heart for the appearance of The Anointed One.
As God prepared the people to possess the land He told them what they would do, ""When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me. . . ." (Deuteronomy 17:14) Sure enough, the people, troubled by the injustice of Samuel’s sons, petition Samuel saying, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations." (1 Samuel 8:5)
Any outside observer would note this was a foolish request. Although God’s chosen order for the people was subject to the frailties of men, it was His order and He was in control in spite of appearances. Their real issue was with God, not Samuel’s sons.
To realize they thought they would get greater justice by following the ways of the heathen world than by honoring God’s chosen means of governance shows us just how far they were removed from the faith of their father Abraham.
God consoled Samuel saying, ". . . they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them." Samuel speaks God’s warning to the people, "This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. And he will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give to his officers and to his servants. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys, and use them for his work. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." (1 Samuel 8:11-18) [Any resemblance to present conditions whereby "we the people" have failed to obey God by restraining our servants should be an urgent warning to us]
In spite of the warning, the people insisted on doing things their way and the rest is history. The very system they thought would bring them happiness became the source of their greatest oppression. It is bad enough when your enemies abuse you, but there is no pain to compare to that of being abused by those in whom you have placed your trust.
Such betrayal can be rationalized for a time, but ultimately its nature becomes undeniable. We won’t detail how all of God’s warnings came to fruition, but do note it is this reality which fills the hearts of the righteous with a longing for justice.
In comparison to the kings of earth, the Promised King was described in terms which stirred the hopes and expectations of the faithful who understood the nature of the promise.
Those who sought earthly power, used the promise for their own ends, believing the coming King would lead them in political victory and establish THEIR authority. They even attempted to make him that king by force, but He refused.
The Redeemer had plans for a kingdom which reached far beyond the realm of Old Covenant Israel. This idea is seen in the phrase "there will be no END (border) to the increase of His government." His Kingship would be over all, not just the House of Jacob.
In contrast to the kings of old, the reign of God to come would be no interim measure. It was to last "From then on and forever more." We’ve talked about the word "olam" (forever) before and noted it doesn’t necessarily mean eternally. However, in this context it seems to me to take that meaning ("from then on" or "henceforth").
As a side note, 1 Corinthians 15:24 seems to indicate the throne of David and it’s kingdom would find consummation and consolidation with the kingdom of God and that Christ would reign with God as One. All rule and authority would be returned to the Father in Christ.
Others see things differently, but my best understanding is that "The zeal of the Lord of hosts" accomplished that work in the first century. Seeing things in this way has brought more hope and optimism to my outlook for this world than anything else I have embraced in this life.
"But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)
Paul and his audience did receive their adoption in A.D. 70 and we are among those who have "wash[ed] their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city." "And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it." Joy to the world! The Lord Has Come!
Every Eye Shall See Him
One of the frequent criticisms of covenant eschatology is based on Revelation 1:7: "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen."
There are really two issues here, cloud comings and those who witness the coming of Christ. We’ll deal with cloud comings another time, but in the meantime just take out your concordance and see how the scripture uses this language. You will find God coming with the clouds many times, but you will never find Him physically, visibly, present. Remember, no one has seen God at any time.
Moving on, lets consider the matter of the witnesses to this event. Without question, the language refers to the eye and sight; however, these words are used figuratively as well (just as they are in English. Do you see what I mean?) The traditional view has been that when Christ comes everyone living and dead will witness the event. A closer look at this text suggests otherwise.
Let’s take a look at the relevant text in the KJV to make a comparison, "...every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him..." [my emphasis]. Notice that in the NAS version in the opening paragraph, the word "even" appears where the KJV has an "and." Which is correct?
In a literal word for word translation the KJV would be; however, literal word for word translations are fraught with potential problems and this is a good example. The NAS properly translates the Greek kaí but the chosen "even" still leaves room for reader interpretation (which is why I suspect it was used rather than using language which would give the clear meaning of the text). For example, by using "even" the reader could understand the passage to be emphasizing the fact that those "who pierced Him" would see Him. That fits traditional views and leaves the reader comfortable, but no more the wiser in regard to the meaning of the passage.
The NAS doesn’t say "and" because this is a special usage of kaí known as the explicative usage. According to the Bauer/Arndt-Gingrich lexicon, kaí is used to connect two clauses in a special way: the clause following the kaí explains or defines the clause which precedes it.
In other words, "those who pierced Him" tells us who is meant by "every eye." A clear translation would be "...every eye shall see Him, namely those who pierced Him." Knowing the context of this passage is things which are to take place "shortly" leaves us with no defensible conclusion but that Christ was coming in the first century while some of those who pierced Him were still alive. (Matthew 26:64)
Josephus records reports of armies, horses, and chariots in the sky during the events surrounding A.D. 70. But, even if those reports were false, "those who pierced Him" still saw Christ come in judgment and fulfill His words that not one stone of the temple would be left standing on another
Though the obvious meaning of the text point to fulfillment in the first century, that understanding is not acceptable in traditional circles, so translational bias clouds the picture once again! But ... now you know better!
When it comes to reading your English Bible, one old saying comes to mind, "Trust, but verify." To borrow a more recent one, "Just Do It!"
When Was Jesus Born?
Last time I mentioned a series on the Jewish feasts by David Curtis. One of the musings of that teaching deals with the timing of Christ’s birth and I thought you might find it interesting speculation. The short version goes like this:
Zacharias was chosen by lot to serve in the temple (Luke 1:9) and his family would have served the second week of Sivan. Curtis assumes Elizabeth conceived about that time, and John was therefore born in the month of Nisan.
Curtis then posits John the Baptist was born on Passover (the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread season) because the people expected Elijah to come at the Passover. A place was set for him and someone always looked outside to see if he had come prior to starting the observance. A cup of wine was added to the table late in the history of this observance and was known as "Elijah’s Cup."
Since Mary conceived six months after Elizabeth, Christ was born six months later in Tishri or more precisely the 15th day of Tishri or the first day of The Feast of Tabernacles (Sept-Oct). In his gospel, John says "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...." As God had resided in the Tabernacle of old, Christ came and dwelt with mankind in human flesh: a lowly form consistent with the booths constructed at the Feast of Tabernacles. They were not five star accommodations! However, He would soon come in the glory of the Father.
While it would be unwise to insist on the exact dates with the information presently available, the precision which we see in God’s dealings certainly points to conclusions along these lines. Who knows what we’ll learn as the kingdom grows and God’s people learn more and more of what He has revealed to us in our history.
In the meantime, the world chooses to pay special attention to the birth of Christ in this season and I’m pleased to participate. Along the way, perhaps we can shed light where darkness yet prevails.
From The Mission Field
We recently had the opportunity to hear a report from a missionary family in Romania. They’ve been there since 1996 and now consider it home. So much of what they had to say spoke volumes to me about where we are as a country.
Did you realize Europe now has the lowest percentage of professing Christians of any continent on the globe? At just over 2% they are behind Asia (3%+) and Africa (13%+). That is an incredible indictment against the land of the reformation and it should be a powerful warning to us.
As this country rapidly sinks to such dismal levels of faith, the indictment is not against the culture, but against us as Christians in the culture. If we will be salt, and leaven and light, God can use us to make a difference.
On other fronts, Romania has the highest abortion rate in the world (75%). I would have guessed China since families are only allowed one child, and I’d still like to see some documentation. Nevertheless, 75% is extremely high. To make matters worse, many of the children which are born are neglected and die before age 20.
While this couple and their co-workers labor to bring relief to the misery which haunts the land both physically and spiritually, God has blessed their efforts by opening doors in the most unexpected places. Although 87% of the people are Romanian Orthodox, that is simply a matter of tradition, not faith. They are spiritual prisoners of a religious system gone bad and controlled by the state.
Since the demise of communism, the people see the need for direction in their affairs. Although few of the missionaries have training other than in theology, they are being asked to teach in the university master’s programs. As I recall they are presently offering degrees in political science and social work. However, both courses of studies are biblically based and are designed to impart a biblical worldview.
The group also opened a library with a number of training programs for Christians and the community at large. More and more it is opening doors to those who have never heard the good news of reconciliation in Christ.
It is tragically ironic our country moves further into the muck of socialism/communism every day (with the insistence of so-called conservative Christians who have forgotten their biblical heritage), while those who have lived in the cesspool of Godless government hunger to govern themselves aright. Dear God, may we quickly realize what we are doing and repent!
This couple now claims Romania as home. Who knows but what in a very few years they will enjoy liberty we can only remember with feelings of great loss.
Old Folks First!
I’ve never been a fan of "It’s for the children" but I am absolutely nauseated by recent displays of the elderly. Things really heated up over the Medicare prescription drug bill and I want to puke every time I see seniors telling how they got their scooter for free. Well, it cost somebody something and I know who that somebody is. Latest figures show annual federal spending amounts to an average of $21,000 per family! I happen to live where the median income isn’t much more than that. Why do we stand for this outrage?
In 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor commenting on "The Fall of the Athenian Republic" over 2,000 years ago said, "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."
The parade of AARP supporters across the TV screen begging for handouts from the federal government (i.e. taxpayers) made me so ashamed to be identified with seniors I wrote all my representatives. I told them I would rather die under a bridge from the complications of a common cold than steal from my children and neighbors to pay for my health care. My representative didn’t vote for it because he is a Democrat and thinks the bill doesn’t rob enough money from our families. Money which he would like to use to buy votes with even more benefits. What a racket!
Yes, I realize the government steals money out of our paychecks to pay for this. But the reality is that few people ever pay in enough to cover their own expenses, even with the interest it accrues. What’s more, many older Americans didn’t pay into Medicare in the first place. The program was bankrupt because there were no funds to sustain it. So a new tax was added to steal even more from the people and now everyone sees health care as an entitlement (a right). Health care has never been a right and still isn’t.
The harsh reality is we are entitled only to the health care we can afford. We should be willing to help one another as God moves our hearts, but the government has no lawful authority to rob any group of citizens to pay the way of others for anything.
Yet most Americans, and most Christians, have bought the socialistic bill of goods and now threaten their representatives if their benefits aren’t constantly increased. The thought of actually stopping this illicit activity never crosses their minds.
This country will never be free until the people are willing to make sacrifices. If I die years early because I can’t afford proper health care, I’ll die knowing I didn’t use the government to mug other people to pay my way. Yeah, I know I’m nuts. So be it.
Death of the Church Victorious
For my birthday recently, Sharon gave me this book by Ovid Need, Jr. It’s purpose is to trace the origin of millennial theology and demonstrate how, in the space of about 200 years, Christianity was transformed from a force which believed that by God’s grace it could overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21), into the dismal defeatist corpse it has largely become. Having no sense of victory in this world, most Christians only wish to escape. Need points out the problems with this approach and urges a return to an overcoming perspective.
I’ve only read a few chapters, but I want to share one passage with you. As dispensationalism appeared in Christian circles, it was rejected (at first) in America because the war for independence had recently been won and God was viewed as the source of that victory. However, in Europe the Napoleonic Wars and French Revolution had created an environment of defeat and despair. How could God let this happen? Europe was prime for a gospel of defeat and it sold well, especially in France where the revolution sought to eliminate Christianity.
Those who fled the country took the doctrine of defeat to the rest of Europe and later brought it to America after the civil war. It was encouraged and spread by John Nelson Darby and C. I. Scofield (of the Scofield Bible). The rest is history.
It is an interesting and enlightening story but the passage I want to share is particularly timely because it deals with the ideology behind the French Revolution, an ideology which has reappeared in our country at this time. Need takes most of the information directly from Robespierre:
"The religion of Patriotism replaced the church and Christianity: Patriots were seen as the social changing force rather than preachers proclaiming the Biblical Christian Gospel of Christ; the ‘Republic,’ France, became the new god, so accordingly, sin and blasphemy were defined as any move against the State; the mark of the true Patriot was swearing allegiance to the new god, the ‘Republic’s’ Constitution; Left, Right and Center became political terms; ‘purge’ changed from a medical to a political term; poverty was considered as proof of one’s sincerity and virtue, and thus ‘lack of success was not due to inability but to injustice’; conspirators were the source of the nation’s ills, so vague charges of secret conspiracies at work were used to unite the people to follow those making the changes." (p.17-18)
If you can’t see the similarities in America today, let me know and I’ll connect the dots for you. Defeatist theology is largely responsible for the decline of Christianity in our country. I pray we can recover the faith of our fathers which will overcome the world.
The Apprentice’s Journal
The grandsons just left after their annual visit to celebrate my birthday and help us decorate for Christmas. Geren, the oldest, just turned four and he is really starting to get into the swing of things. Unfortunately, he got sick while he was here and we really didn’t get to enjoy the time as we have before. Little Joshua was sick one day but bounced back quickly. He’s getting big enough to hold his own with Geren and that is a big adjustment for everyone. Still, they are a delight.
Laura told us how Geren really got into the singing of Majesty! one Sunday morning recently. He told her later he really liked singing about "Magic Steve." We all got a chuckle out of that one.
Ah the innocence (?) of youth! Geren has not yet discovered what we as adults know, namely that sometimes hedging on the truth makes things easier (at least in the short term). The boys were playing pretty rough one day a few weeks ago and Laura heard Joshua begin to cry.
When she went to check things out, she asked Geren what happened. He said, "I decided I didn’t want a little brother anymore so I tried to break him." Laura assured him Joshua was there to stay and that breaking him wasn’t acceptable.
When I remember how excited he was at the prospect of a new baby in the family, I can’t help but reflect on how quickly the allure of something new fades in our eyes.
This time of year is filled with almost unrestrained desire for things which by the end of the year will have lost much of their appeal. They will be casually cast aside as affections are set on something someone else got which we like better. Will we ever learn to seek that which is of lasting value?
I pray we can use this season as an opportunity to reassess the value of what we possess. Financially, even the poorest among us in this country have more than most people who have ever lived in the history of the world, but I speak of assets of much greater worth.
Immanuel is a simple word of tremendous value. The Jews had the Table of Shewbread (or Presence, literally "faces") as a symbol of God’s presence. That Presence, though in symbol, was their assurance of being His people. They lost it.
What they lost was the world's gain: God with us. We give lip service to the concept but do we really believe He is present with us right now? Proclaim it: GOD...WITH...US!
I pray we can see His glorious reign and proclaim for all to hear, "Glory to God in the highest and on the earth peace, goodwill toward men."