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Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Discussion on Strait and Narrow

Yes, it is understood that the narrow path is considered to be a metaphor for the entrance into the kingdom of heaven, which only occurs to those who are born again. Many are called, but few are chosen. Once Jesus has got you, you are in. But even so, consider Paul's admonition to Christians at Corinth whom he called babies. They were still on spiritual baby food, and not consuming adult spiritual fare. These Christians were not making much progress spiritually. Get a move on! Paul was saying.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1. And I, brothers, was unable to speak to you as I would to spiritual people, but spoke to you as flesh-driven people – babies in Christ.
2. I have fed you baby food, not food for adults, because you couldn't handle it. And you still can't handle it,
3. because you are still flesh-driven. That is, doesn't the envying, strife and divisiveness among you show that you are flesh-driven, no different from non-spiritual people?

Here we should observe that Paul need not have worried overmuch, as Jesus himself said that persecution would afflict (and discipline) his real followers.

The "old man" (another Paulism) within the true Christian was hanging back, avoiding the narrow path. It seems quite probable that some of the early congregants were not believers, but people who had joined for social reasons. Those congregants would have had a tendency to hold back the others, cajoling them to just hang about and "play church."

Recall the married couple Ananias and Sapphira who had the misfortune of lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-10). No doubt they knew no better because they did not know Jesus.

Surely an example of someone who took the narrow path was Paul. Paul gave up all comforts and went all out to serve God and bring in an enormous harvest of souls for Jesus.

2 Corinthians 11:24-28

24 Under Jewish rulers, I have received the maximum of 39 stripes [more than that required Roman approval].
25 On three occasions I was beaten with rods, another time I was stoned and three times I was shipwrecked, spending a night and a day in the ocean.
26 In my many travels, I have been in peril of waters, in peril of robbers, in peril from my own countrymen, in peril by the pagans, in peril in the city, in peril in the wilderness, in peril at sea, in peril from false Christians.
27 Tired and hurting, often on the lookout, hungry and thirsty, often fasting, cold and badly clothed.
28 Aside from all those sort of things that befall me every day, I also have concern for all the church groups.

Yet, with all that, Paul is hardly the only fiercely determined Christian in the annals of faith. Many are the unsung heroes who have endured all manner of troubles as they labored in the fields of the Lord. They have forgone everything and have done and are doing amazing things under Jesus' authority – even though many such works are hidden for now.

You might think of such Christians as the elite special forces for the Lord. But they are people who in fact, not only in word, have surrendered all. Those Christians who have yet to find this very narrow path will, I suspect, still be walking a path off the big highway, where all the world walks. That is to say, even a reluctant Christian must show himself different from ordinary worldlings. The Spirit within him will at least nudge him "go this way, duck that." The Spirit within him will lead him, by degrees perhaps, to take a narrower way. The Christ within him will master the darkness of the old man, though the old man, abetted by Satan, puts up a ferocious struggle. If necessary, God can even drag the troubled believer into the wondrous New World.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Appendix J. From the days of John until now

For a bit more insight into the idea of the heavenly realm, consider

Matthew 11:11-15

11 I mean it when I tell you, among those born of women, there has not arisen anyone greater than John (the Baptist) [LP.1a]. Even so, he that is least in heaven's kingdom is greater than him.
12 From the days of John [the Baptist] until now, people have been beating on the gates of heaven's kingdom and storming in.
13 All the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
14 And if you can accept it, he is Elijah, who was to come.
15 He who has ears to hear, listen up!

John made the hearts of the common people ready to receive the message of salvation; they rushed eagerly to obtain that salvation, which could be fulfilled once Jesus was crucified and resurrected. Though Jesus had not yet sent them the Holy Spirit, many of these believers were as good as "in." They would, after the Resurrection, receive the Spirit in return for putting their trust, even before the Resurrection, in Jesus. Of course, we must assume that the belief of many who had stormed into the kingdom faltered when Jesus died, as did the belief of the inner circle of disciples. But just as the resurrected Jesus restored the belief of the inner circle, so he would have revived the hope of the many others – no doubt via the proclamation by the reinvigorated disciples.

Here we may speculate that perhaps the Sermon's main compiler did not yet have a full comprehension – though still very good – of what Jesus was driving at in his earthly ministry. I interpret 11:11-15 to mean that John was the greatest prophet born in a natural way. In fact, he was so great that he fulfilled the role of Elijah, [LP.3] who was thought by many to be someone who would return to pave the way for God's saving reign on earth. Yet, John was not born again. Those who have been born by the Spirit from above are much, much more fortunate than someone who remains in the natural state, born only in the natural way.

Verse 12, while praising John, also seems to imply a conflation of ideas. How could John's ministry set off a wild scramble to get into heaven's kingdom, and yet John himself be excluded?

Two, not necessarily mutually exclusive, possibilities come to mind:

i. At this stage Matthew's principal author was -- in some sense properly -- implying that the people who had rushed out to obtain John's baptism for repentance of sin had begun to enter God's kingdom, which Jesus would reign over. But this leaves a question about John's inferiority.
ii. John's role was to pave the way for the Messianic kingdom. It was necessary that his role as a natural man cease, to be replaced by the realm of supernatural men (the born again). We may also read into this the end and fulfillment of Israel's "natural man" path, now to be replaced by the New Israel.

By the words of Matthew 11:11-15, Jesus was indirectly announcing that he was the expected Messiah, as he did in previous verses in which he pointed out the works of wonder to the puzzled John.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

The key to understanding the Sermon

For a better perspective on what Jesus had to say in the Sermon, it is helpful to consider two stories found in John, chapters 3 and 4, along with an excerpt from John 6, which make plain the need to be forgiven one's sins and to be born again as a new creation now united to God the Father and Jesus the Son. As we read through the Sermon, these other words of Jesus may come to mind to aid our comprehension.

One night after Jesus had been teaching during the day, an influential Pharisee named Nicodemus came to see him.

"Teacher, we know you are a teacher who has come from God," said Nicodemus. "No one could do the signs you do without God."

"Very seriously I tell you," said Jesus, "unless a person is born again [ff.1], he cannot see God's kingdom."

"What!? How can someone be born when he is older? Can he go back into his mother's womb for a second birth?"

Jesus replied, "Very seriously I tell you, unless a person is born of the Spirit [ff.2], he cannot enter God's kingdom. What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't wonder about me telling you, you must be born again. The wind [ff.3] blows wherever it leans. You hear its voice but you don't know where it came from or where it is going. That's how it is for everyone born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus was perplexed. "That's very hard to understand."

"You are a teacher of Jews and you don't know this?" said Jesus. "We speak what we know and report what we have witnessed. And yet, you do not receive our testimony." Jesus added, "If I tell you about simple things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about higher things?" [ff.4]

John continues with important insights into who Jesus is:

No one had ascended to heaven [ff.5] except he who descended out of heaven – but who is still human. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up so that whoever trusts him may have eternal life. [ff.6]

God loved the world so much that he gave his precious firstborn son so that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to judge it, but to save the world through his son. This is how that works: He who trusts in the son has eternal life, but he who does not is under the judgment caused by failure to accept the son.

That is, the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light. When you keep doing wrong, you are dodging the light. You know that if you let the light shine into your mind, you will feel guilty about what you've been doing. But, if your heart is now true, you like the light and don't mind God seeing what you do, since it comes from God. [ff.7]

He that is of the earth talks about earthly things. But he who comes from heaven is above everything. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, and no one believes him. But he who has believed his testimony affirms this: God is true. The one sent by God speaks God's words; God gives him unlimited Spirit. The Father loves the son, and has put everything under his control. He who trusts the son has eternal life. He who won't do so will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

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Once, when Jesus was traveling the Samaria [ww.1] road between Jerusalem and Galilee, he arrived at Sychar, not far from the parcel of land Jacob had given his son Joseph. That's where Jacob's well is.

Weary from his journey, Jesus sat down by the well while his disciples went into town to purchase some food. At about the sixth hour [probably noon], a Samaritan woman came up to draw water from the well.

"Give me something to drink," Jesus said.

The woman was surprised. "You're a Jew and you're asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?"

Jews and Samaritans did not get along well in those days [ww.2].

"If you knew the gift of God, and who asked you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water," [ww.3] Jesus replied.

"What? You don't even have a jug. What are you talking about? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and provided water for himself, his family and all his cattle?"

Jesus replied, "Everyone who drinks that water will thirst again. But whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst again – this water will be like wellspring water, bubbling up forever."

"Sir," she said. "Give me that water so that I won't have to come all this way to draw it up."

Jesus replied, "Go call your husband and bring him here."

"I don't have a husband," she said.

"You said that right: I have no husband. You have actually had five husbands, and your current man is not your husband. So, you spoke the truth."

Startled, she said, "I can see that you are a prophet!" Immediately, she wondered about different religious practices. "Our fathers have always worshiped on this mountain [ww.4] but you Jews say Jerusalem is the right place."

Jesus said, "Woman, believe me, the time is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know – for salvation comes from the Jews. But the time is coming, and now is here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. These are the kind of worshipers the Father wants. God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

The woman replied, "I know that when Messiah comes, he will reveal everything to us."

"I am speaking with you," said Jesus [ww.5]. (This was a way of quietly saying, "The I Am speaks.)

At this point, his disciples returned and were amazed to find him speaking with a woman. Yet not one of them asked, "What are you doing? Why are you talking to her?"

The woman left her jug and hurried back to town, where she told everyone, "Come see a man who told me everything about my past! Is this the Messiah?"

The townspeople decided to have a look and came out to the well.

But in the meantime, his disciples urged him to have some food.

"I have food that you don't know about," Jesus answered.

The disciples were puzzled. Has anyone brought him something to eat? they wondered.

"My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work," said Jesus. "Don't you say, 'In four months it will be harvest time?' But I say, look around. The fields are right now ready for the harvest."

He added, "He who reaps is paid for the crop of eternal-life fruit. But the sower also enjoys this harvest. So here the saying applies, 'One reaps where another sows.' I send you to reap where you have done no work. But now you join in the labor of others."

When the Samaritans of Sychar came out to him, they urged him to spend some time with them. This he did, staying two days.

Many of the townspeople put their trust in him after hearing him teach. Some told the woman words to the effect: "At first, we believed this man is someone special because of what you told us. But now we believe he is the Messiah because we have heard him ourselves." [ww.6]

————————————————————

At another point, Jesus surprised people with these words:

"I am that bread of life.

"Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, and they are dead.

"But this bread comes down from heaven so that a person may eat it – and not die.

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Appendix F. Where is Zion?

A theological inquiry

Use Control f and type prophecies interpreted to reach the section that interprets individual references to Zion.

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? — Isaiah 2:22

Many wonder about the emergence of the modern state of Israel. What is the divine purpose? Is this reconstituted Jewish state a sign of the end times? How should Christians deal with this situation?

The believer is admonished by Scripture to beware false prophets, who tend to present themselves as born again 'angels of light,' teaching demonic theories intended to hinder the work of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ [2 Corinthians 11.13]. Peter also warns that unspiritual people can falsely interpret the word of God [2 Peter 1.20]. Therefore, it is important that the believer, with the aid of the Spirit, examine the basis for various apocalyptic theories and timetables that are popular these days -- rightly and diligently dividing scripture [2 Timothy 2.15]

In accord with Christian precepts that anything can be tested against the Bible and because many of those who adhere to such theories are known as Christian Zionists, it seems appropriate to examine the concept of Zionism from the point of view of gospel-centered, born-again Christianity.

As Paul wrote, 'All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.' [2 Timothy 3.16,17]. When the flesh interprets Scripture, however, the result is dead wrong, as we know from Satan's temptation of Jesus. Peter, in his struggle against false prophets, said that 'no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of personal opinion,' not being an act of human will but rather of the Holy Spirit motivating the speaker [2 Peter 1.20,21].

EARLY IDEAS OF 'ZION'
The first biblical mention of 'Zion' is Deuteronomy 4.48 and is another name for Mount Hermon in Lebanon. This 'Zion' derives from 'Sirion,' a name given to the mountain by the Sidonians. This Zion is referred to again in Psalm 133.3 when the poet compares brotherly love to 'the dew of Hermon coming down on the mountains of Zion.'

'Zion' is next cited in 2 Samuel 5.7, where it is reported that 'David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).' This was a fortified enclave held by the Jebusites on a site later known as Jerusalem. David built his palaces in this fort and laid the groundwork for the first Temple, which was built by his son Solomon, on a nearby hill. The term 'Zion' then came to refer to the entire palace and Temple compound. It was often used specifically for the Temple or the Temple and its hill. In fact, scholars think 'zion' was originally a word for 'hill.'

The word 'Zion,' however, was often extended in the Bible to mean the entire city of Jerusalem, where the general populace lived adjacent to the palace-Temple compound. In fact, sometimes the Old Testament Bible extends the definition of 'Zion' to include the people of Israel or a remnant of that people.

THE CONCEPT OF TIME
Some Bible commentators seem to unconsciously believe that, when it comes to time, God is not as subtle as he is in other matters. They would have the anticipated fulfillments of prophecies fit nicely onto a 'railroad timetable.'

However, this illusion is refuted directly and indirectly by Scripture.

Joshua 10.13, describing the halting of the sun and moon, may be read literally or figuratively. The author may have meant that the victory was so astonishing that it was tantamount to the sun and moon standing still (and this may have been a jibe against a monarch whose authority supposedly included the sun and the moon).

Or, he may have been recounting that the sun, along with a pale daylight moon, stood still during the battle. If literally interpreted, then we see that God may extend a day's duration at will. If figuratively interpreted, then the author says that God is so powerful he could, if he wished, make the sun stand still, meaning that in God's hands time is truly flexible, a point made by the prophet Daniel, who lauded God as one who 'changes times and the seasons' [Daniel 2.21].

God's control of time is demonstrated in Isaiah 38.8, when God told Hezekiah that the sun's shadow would go back ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz, which is what then happened. God showed that he erased a period of history that led up to the point in time of Hezekiah's death. He gave Hezekiah a new lease on life by bypassing a sin-laden time in this man's life.

The disciples found that their concepts of space gave way to the power of God when they were with Jesus in a boat in the middle of the Sea of Gallilee and suddenly found themselves at the shore. The time it takes to cross that space was voided. So, we can accept that God can and does compress time. Likewise, he can expand it, as we know from Hezekiah's experience.

Of a prophecy given to Habakkuk, God said, 'For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay' [Habakkuk 2.3]. Note that the appointed time may seem, to human observers, to be close at hand or even overdue. So we can see that if the prophecy isn't fulfilled at an expected time, then it must be fulfilled in an unexpected way.

This point is driven home by the chronologically inconsistent narratives found in Genesis and elsewhere. For example, ages of Abraham and his family at key points don't jibe – if we use modern western definitions. The number for age represented a benchmark, such as '40' representing the period of mature manhood, rather than a specific year.

But even if we 'solve' this difficulty, others remain: for example, when were born the people of Earth who married into the family of Adam and Eve?

What happened to the giants (the nephilim or 'fallen') when the flood hit? These demon-people appear again after the flood. Could it be that time is not really representable as a real number line? Should we accept that perhaps the Bible contains serious errors (we certainly know that different versions contain minor errors that Bible scholars are continually attempting to correct), or might we conclude that there is simply much that we don't fully understand?

So then, if the Bible itself demonstrates the impossibility of drawing up a superficially logically consistent timeline of events of old, what makes us think we can use biblical references to map a 'logically consistent' history of the future?

Often in Scripture, a time is said to arrive when the measure of something (such as sin or wrath) is full. The Greeks had two words for time: kronos and kairos. Kronos is the chronological time of clocks and astronomical cycles. Kairos implies the propitious time. It is more spiritual in nature. A kairos time may be thought of as a balloon that fills up with a gas, perhaps quickly, perhaps slowly, until the point of bursting. That is when the consummation of the kairos time has arrived. We might consider the second coming as a the consummation of a kairos time.

Even atheists who seek the truth in modern physics have found that time is supple and relative, and not at all like the typical person's view of it. At extremely short intervals, time can be said not to exist. On larger scales, as Einstein proved, time is relative to the observer. Here's an idea of what that means: If you left earth on a starship traveling near the speed of light and traveled deep into space and then back, you would find that your twin brother was substantially older than you upon your return. In fact, you could conceivably return to an earth where centuries had elapsed, though for you only months had elapsed.

When Martha was grieving for Lazarus, dead for four days, she told Jesus she believed Jesus could get any favor from God. Jesus then told her that her brother would rise again. 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the Last Day,' she answered. 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never perish. Do you believe this?'

You see, Martha had the traditional Jewish understanding of the Old Testament prophecies, but she was hoping Jesus would find a way to revive her brother anyway! Her faith was honored when Jesus said, in effect: Don't stand on tradition! Just BELIEVE! This is GOD talking! [John 11.22-26]

The great and awesome day of the Lord had arrived for Lazarus and was witnessed by Martha.
>It wasn't the sidereal day that counted, but rather belief when the word came. The awesome day of the Lord is on a spiritual (which does not mean 'unreal') plane: 'SEE IT NOW! ETERNAL LIFE!'

In general, we may say that the launch of Jesus' salvation mission was indeed the dawn of the great day.

The malleability of time and the physical world is indicated in the variant accounts of the Resurrection. Some skeptics see these seemingly irreconcilable versions as proof of biblical error. And, it is conceivable that God permits minor structural or form errors on the basis that it's the spirit that counts, just as when one hears a spirit-filled person give the word, even though he makes some grammatical or even factual slips. The slips are not important; it's the spirit, the word, that counts.

Even so, there is a serious school of thought among physicists known as the 'many worlds theory' – reflecting Jesus' word, 'In my father's house are many mansions [possibilities]' [John 14.2] – in which alternate realities can coexist. In some related areas of scientific conjecture, such alternate realities are thought to interact strongly rather than weakly.

Mathematicians are accustomed to dealing with 'projection,' in which a more complex form is projected as a set of simpler forms. For example, if you shine a flashlight above a globe, you will see an elliptical or circular shadow below.

Suppose we think of a unified event occurring in a purely spiritual dimension, such as heaven or hell, as being projected into the earthly dimension where man lives. It is quite reasonable to suppose that its projections, or reflections, will be fragmentary, meaning that, from a human perspective, the one 'higher dimension' event is seen in various ways at different times and places on the earthly plane.

You needn't believe that this idea is correct to see the point that the commonplace idea of linear time may not suffice for prophecy.

Earthbound people can be misled by a spirit of deception that puts falsehoods into the mouths of wicked prophets [1 Kings 22.22] and thus blinded by a 'strong delusion' [2 Thessalonians 2.11]. While it is true that the born-again believer is fit to understand Scripture, as illuminated by God's Spirit, it is still possible for the believer to be influenced by the delusive nature of this world.

DEAD LITERALISM
As Christians, we are strongly advised to study Scripture [2 Timothy 2.15]. We cannot however understand what we read without the help of the Holy Spirit. Though Scripture was written in Hebrew and Greek (with a dash of Aramaic), its origin is divine, and divine language is beyond human ken [Romans 8.26]. Scripture means what God says it means.

Who has plumbed the mind of God? Who has exhausted the deep well of the wisdom of God? [Romans 11.33,34]

God's thoughts are far above our thoughts [Isaiah 55.9]. We must beware assuming that we can know the full meaning of a Scriptural passage or group of Scriptural passages.

Dead literalism is effectively refuted by Jesus in a number of places, such as when he healed on the Sabbath day and when he upbraided the scribes and Pharisees for focusing on technicalities rather than on the point of God's teachings: love of God and for one another.

Jesus, obeying the Spirit, told his hearers that a Scripture from Isaiah that he had just read had been 'fulfilled in your hearing' [Luke 4.21]. Halting his reading at 'to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord,' he left unread the other part of the couplet 'and the day of vengeance of our God.' [Isaiah 61.1-2]

Does this mean the unquoted prophecy is untrue? No, but we can assume that the fulfillment of the entire passage from Isaiah does not necessarily follow a simple human schedule.

After the long-lost Book of the Law was recovered, it was read to the people and interpreted for them by the Levite priests [Nehemiah 8.7]. Language and custom had evolved, so that strict literalism would have left the hearers perplexed. The Bible here shows that, without inspired interpretation, we have the dead letter of the Law.

The word of God is 'alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart,' says the writer of Hebrews [Hebrews 4.12], after quoting several Old Testament passages.

So if a man is to understand the word, he cannot rely on human wisdom [1 Corinthians 1-9]. Just as the spirit within a man knows his thoughts, the Spirit of God knows God's thoughts [1 Corinthians 2.11]. In fact, the Spirit reveals Scriptural meaning to believers 'for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God' [1 Corinthians 2.10].

Or, as Paul wrote elsewhere, the new arrangement for Christians is 'not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.' [2 Corinthians 3.6]. So the assertion that 'the Bible is literally true' should perhaps be changed to read that 'the Bible contains no error.' Since God 'makes all things work together for the good' for his chosen [Romans 8.28], he is able to make human missteps into divine truth. We know this from Caiaphas, who, as high priest, spoke a truth, though he had no idea of the divine profoundness of his words [John 18.14].

An example of literalness is the Mosaic command for Jews to put symbols of God's word on their foreheads and hands [Deuteronomy 6.8]. Some Jews to this day observe this custom. But, isn't it plain that the real point of this thought is that the Jews were to think about God's word and practice it? Why would God want people to honor this custom but not honor God's will in the more important area of behaving on the square with one's neighbors?

People who want to be excessively literal may not be aware that Jewish and Christian editors have over the centuries sifted ancient writings in efforts to obtain God's word at its purest. The fact that the Bible is such an authoritative source of truth and wisdom shows that many of these editors were, like Paul who rightly divided the word of truth [2 Timothy 2.15], divinely inspired.

Some modern printed Bibles identify words attributed to Jesus with red type or quotation marks. The Greek texts have no such graphical devices. This means that there are some passages sometimes attributed directly to Jesus that might actually be divinely inspired editorial comments. Also, there are variant literal versions of some of the words attributed to Jesus, though they are close in substance. With the aid of the Spirit, it is possible for the contemporary mind to understand the meaning of these words.

And the sayings of Jesus clearly were compiled early on and later woven into the gospel accounts. Does this make the gospel accounts wrong? Only if one insists on literally precise chronological narratives. Otherwise, they are rather like the modern newspaper report that lays out the relevant details in a way that 'tells a story.'

If a newspaper reporter extracts a couple of relevant sentences from some document and includes a one-sentence paraphrase in his story, he could not fairly be accused of improperly quoting the document. We should give Bible writers the same leeway. To wit, Paul, whose eyesight was poor and who probably relied on memory, in several places conflates Scriptural passages in order to make a point. For example, Romans 9.33 apparently splices Isaiah 28.16 and Isaiah 8.14. This splice is easily defended as summarizing later prophetic fulfillments. So Paul is not in error, but we would be foolish to be excessively literal: there is no single such passage in the Septuagint (the Greek-language Bible in use at the time).

In Romans 11.26, Paul quotes Scripture thus: 'The deliverer will come from Zion, he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.'

The quotation is more a paraphrase than an exact quote. In fact, some might argue that the paraphrase misquotes Isaiah 59.20,21 to give it a meaning it does not have. But the import of the paraphrase is justified elsewhere, such as at Psalm 14.7 and Psalm 15.

I sympathize with the apostle. I had in my mind that Jesus had, in assuring believers of his steadfastness, asked rhetorically whether a mother could forsake her child. Yet it turns out that the relevant verse is Isaiah 49.14, written long before Jesus' earthly ministry. I was hearing the voice of the Messiah through that Scripture.

Consider Matthew 21.5, which tells of Jesus' triumphal donkey ride into Jerusalem. Two Old Testament Scriptures, Isaiah 62.11 and Zechariah 9.9, are spliced together here, illustrating that different prophetic utterances can be fulfilled in one action.

Or consider John 12.15 which quotes Zechariah 9.9 but omits 'shout, O daughter of Jerusalem.' Yet, the omission is inconsequential. The meaning of Zechariah 9.9 is faithfully preserved. Writers of the period did not follow rules of quotation used today. So we cannot easily ascribe error here.

When we are told that 'the Scripture cannot be broken' [John 10.35], the Old Testament was meant (specifically, Psalms 82.6). So then, what do we make of Jude's citation from the Book of Enoch, which is regarded by Jewish and Christian scholars as largely a group of entertaining tall tales that on the whole lack divine inspiration?

Accepting that the Book of Jude is Scripture, then is the Scripture broken if Jude cites a non-Scriptural source? [Jude 1.9]

Firstly, Jude was using an example from a book familiar to his contemporaries in order to make the moral point: If even Michael, in his dispute with Satan over Moses' body, wouldn't revile the devil himself, who are we to revile anyone at all? Now, regardless of the Scriptural accuracy of this story, the moral point is substantiated by the words of Jesus, who occasionally alluded to the Book of Enoch.

And, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Book of Enoch contains fragments of real Scripture and that Jude cites such a fragment.

New Testament writers cite numerous passages from the Old Testament in order to make their case about Jesus. Yet, if one were to apply the railroad timetable technique to the Old Testament writings, one would doubtless be able to argue that the writers were taking Scripture out of context in order to justify their pet theories. But, the reality is the reverse: the Spirit illuminated the authors' minds as to how the written word was being fulfilled in their day. The human wisdom – railroad timetable analysis – was to be scorned. As Paul said to the Corinthians, he decided to put Jesus first and then see what the Spirit revealed.

He always respected Scripture, but insisted that the Spirit should lead in its interpretation.

So it is that sometimes a person apprehends a spiritual reality to such an extent that, for him, prophecy is being fulfilled. One wakes up to a truth, which was there all along, previously unnoticed. It's like suddenly seeing the solution to a math problem. The solution always existed, independently of the observer, but now that solution has become a potent part of the observer's reality.

Paul, when caught up to the third heaven, could not tell whether he was in the body or out of the body [2 Corinthians 12.2-4]. That is, the spirit world was so intense that the material world faded out, a non-issue. In paradise, Paul heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. That is, the language of heaven far exceeds the capacity of the earthly vessels. So we should be careful about trying to interpret spirit reality according to earthly standards.

Now Paul's experience here is echoed elsewhere in Scripture: For Paul, sky (heaven) and earth had passed away! The sky was torn asunder and rolled up like a scroll! The stars fell from their places and sun and moon became nothing in comparison with God's glory [Isaiah 34.4]! He was in paradise and his world was gone in the blink of an eye! Yet, we can expect that such Scriptures will be fulfilled again in other ways.

Consider the believer contented in Christ and filled with the Spirit not even noticing supposed bodily hardships. Sky and earth have begun to pass away, as with Stephen during his martyrdom. Or think of Jesus in the desert being comforted by angels following his victory over Satan. That desert was no desert! It was gushing with refreshing streams and blooming with beautiful flowers!

So we can see that fulfillment of Scripture is not naively chronological but comes in surprising ways. Often a prophecy had already been in part fulfilled in the shadowy pre-gospel sense but awaited complete fulfillment in Jesus. Also, even when a prophecy is being fulfilled at the dawn of the Christian era, that does not mean there isn't more to come. For example, take Acts 2.17,18 when the spirit-filled Peter quotes Joel's prophecy that in the last days God will pour out his spirit on all flesh [WIZ.1].

And indeed, since that time that prophecy has been fulfilled by God granting his Spirit to people of every race and background. And its fulfillment is not yet complete.

As Paul said, human wisdom is insufficient for understanding God. So we can appreciate that when God speaks to man through prophetic Scripture, he is infusing man's tribal viewpoint and his local legends with the Spirit in order to lift the hearer into an expanded consciousness. He is using man's language and man's way of thinking to reflect God's thoughts.

Because of this, the word of God may seem to some to be ambiguous or inconsistent. Also, linear history seems to matter to modern humans far more than it does to God, who is focused on spiritual growth.

Our ability, even with the Spirit, to comprehend prophecy 'through a glass darkly' [1 Corinthians 13.12] (as a dim reflection) has a counterpart in modern astronomy. Before powerful telescopes made a vast portion of the physical cosmos observable, one could only make educated guesses as to what was out there, even though scientists had Einstein's highly accurate general theory of relativity as their 'bible.'

Though the theory's general predictions are repeatedly verified as astronomy progresses, no one in the early years of the 20th century anticipated the fantastic view of the cosmos that eventually unfolded as astronomical technology progressed.

Previously, scientists had the physical truth, and yet they still perceived the cosmos 'through a glass darkly' before having their consciousness expanded to a much bigger reality (and this reality is nothing in comparison to what God has in store).

The Book of Revelation can be thought of as the Big Picture of spiritual reality. It gives a panoramic sweep that includes events of the past and of the future. We can think of it as a completed picture of a jigsaw puzzle. But, try as we might, our human mental strength does not suffice to perfectly match puzzle pieces found elsewhere in Scripture and in contemporary events to that Big Picture.

Yet that does not mean we should ignore various 'end times' events unfolding about us. We should indeed use these events to toughen up in our Christian walk. Why are we being so worldly? Can't we see the Bible is right?

THE TRUE ZION
The issue of Judaism's primacy was addressed by Jesus and the apostles with such sayings as

   'Salvation comes through
the Jews' [John 4.22]
   'to the Jew first, and then to the Gentile' [Roman 2.9,10]
   'the first shall be last and the last shall be first' [Matthew 20.16].

The Samaritan woman was puzzled by religious differences. 'Our fathers worshiped in this mountain,' she said, 'and your people say that in Jerusalem [on Mount Zion] is the place where men ought to worship.' Jesus replied, 'Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.' [John 4.20-23].

In other words, God was creating a new world, or covenant, where the heart of the believer was the issue, as opposed to a particular geographic location.

In that same chapter, Jesus – who was breaking the Middle Eastern taboo of conversing with a woman without her male folk present – tells her that he would be happy to fill her up with 'living water' from a spring that won't run dry. 'Living water' (what in English is called 'running water') is a poetic description of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was bringing salvation to a hapless, roughly handled Palestinian woman.

The Lord was not terribly interested in geography or property rights [Luke 12.14]. His aim was and is to confer the gift of salvation and eternal life. Recall his assertions that 'the kingdom of heaven is within you' [Luke 17.21] and 'my kingdom is not of this world' [John 18.36].

The writer of Hebrews says that Jewish religious customs are a 'copy and a shadow of heavenly things.' [Hebrews 8.5]. Likewise, Paul wrote that the Jewish law, including the ten commandments, was intended to school the Jews as to the meaning of right and wrong so that they would become aware of how much they needed the unmerited favor of salvation [Galatians 3.24].

A new order replaces the old order, as Hebrews 8.8-13 says, quoting prophecy [Jeremiah 31.31]:

'"Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah; not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and I did not care for them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God. And they shall be my people..." When he said, "a new covenant," he made the first obsolete.

But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.'

And when does the new covenant appear? That covenant is made evident at the Feast of Pentecost, when, as Peter said, quoting from Zechariah, Jerusalem became 'the city of truth.' That passage [Zechariah 8.2-17] also says that the Lord is 'exceedingly jealous for Zion.' The covenant dawned at Pentecost and is still in process of fulfillment.

Or, as Hebrews 12.22-24 points out, the terrifying experience of Mount Sinai is no more, but rather, 'you have come to Mount Zion and the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant...' Plainly, Zion here is a spiritual place, the realm of salvation. The old world of the old covenant will be shaken and only what is unshakable will remain, but 'we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken' [Hebrews 12.27,28].

Paul says that eventually 'all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "The deliverer will come from Zion, he will remove ungodliness from Jacob." "This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins" [Romans 11.26,27]. Paul adds, 'From the standpoint of the gospel, they [the Jews] are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable' [Romans 11.28,29].

He is explaining that the Jews have been partially hardened in order to permit the 'fulness of the Gentiles to be gathered into the body of Christ' (indicating that many who perished without seeing Jesus must still arise to meet him as their Savior).

A recurrent theme of Paul is the unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ. In God's eyes, there is no distinction. 'For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks [Gentiles], whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.' [1 Corinthians 12.13].

So then the new Zion is filled with the new Israel, the redeemed Jews and Gentiles. Under the new covenant, 'the virgin daughter of Zion' [2 Kings 19.21] has become the bride of Christ [2 Corinthians 11.2, Revelation 21.9,24]. 'For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion, survivors' [2 Kings 19.31]. This prophecy was fulfilled by the fact that the Jewish identity survived Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem, but that specific prophecy is fulfilled in an expanded sense by the fact that born-gain Jewish Christians, the ultimate survivors, fanned out from Jerusalem.

A MAJOR SIGN
Though interpretation of end-times prophecies requires a special gift, there is one prophecy that stands out as a beacon in our time. Luke 21.24 quotes Jesus thus: 'and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.'

After the Romans led the Jews away captive, Jerusalem remained under Gentile domination for nearly 2,000 years. Upon Israel's re-founding in 1948, Jerusalem became the Jewish state's capital, though this status has long been a diplomatic sore point. After a fight, Jordan occupied East Jerusalem, but then lost that sector during the 1967 war.

So then, it is fair to say that the times of the Gentiles are about over. Yet even so, we might also note that Arabs predominate in East Jerusalem, possibly indicating that the Gentile era is not quite over. Certainly, the Israeli government cannot end the Gentile era by trying to complete this prophecy.

For one thing, the Gentile era is the period when the message of salvation is going out to the Gentiles. Once the full complement of Gentiles destined for salvation has been reached, then the Gentile era ends, according to Paul, writing in Romans 11.11-32 – in particular Romans 11.25. Once this occurs, Paul says, Jews who had been unable to receive the gospel will be saved.

Of course, that implies that a powerful evangelical campaign must come in Israel, accompanied by great pressure to thwart the gospel.

Further light on the Gentile era is shed in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 11.2) where John is told not to measure the outer court of the Temple, which is given over to the Gentiles, who will tread Jerusalem underfoot for 42 months (three-and-a-half years).

Two witnesses will prophecy for 1,260 days (three-and-half years), clothed in sackcloth. They have tremendous power, and can kill with the fire of their mouths [Revelation 11.3-6].

In Revelation 12.14, we are told that the woman flies from the serpent's presence to the wilderness to be nourished for three-and-a-half times.

This echoes Daniel 12.7, where it is prophesied that wonders would cease – the world would end – after three-and-a-half times. A general resurrection occurs after the holy ones are overcome, a theme found in Revelation 11 and in Jesus' end-times discourse.

In Scripture, a 'time' can be taken to be a solar year. And it is interesting that the first Roman-Jewish war lasted about three-and-a-half years, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem.

In any case, we should, as mentioned above, recognize that the Greeks had two concepts of time: kronos, which we would think of as "clock time" and kairos, which is spiritual time, which we might think of as indicating a spiritual period in which certain trends accumulate until reaching a critical point, which ends that period (parallel to the Hebraism rendered fullness of time). So then, we might interpret the three-and-a-half years of Revelation as three-and-a-half kairos times, meaning that the era of the Gentiles ends amidst some other era – perhaps the age of grace, which must still be extended to the Jews.

Here we have another argument against eschatological timetables, since kairos eras can overlap. On the other hand, it should be acknowledged that some accept that Jeremiah's prophecy – that Jerusalem would be resettled by the Jews after 70 years of desolations by Gentiles – was fulfilled after about 70 solar years (Jeremiah 25.11,12, Jeremiah 29.10). Still, Daniel, in Babylon, seems to have been perplexed that the 70 years was up and the prophecy in need of fulfillment, if solar years were meant. The angel Gabriel responded by giving Daniel a vision of the Messianic era to come, and explained that this era would begin after '70 weeks.'

Interpreting a week as seven years, the kronos time of 490 years seems to accord with the Jewish resettlement of Jerusalem in 538 BCE and the ascension of Jesus around 34 CE (about 496 years), though the Messiah was also supposed to be cut off after 62 weeks – in kronos time, 434 years, which does not jibe.]

Realizing that the Spirit can cause believers to see a Scripture or set of Scriptures as being fulfilled in many ways, we offer this scenario as a possibility:

In Revelation 11.2, the Gentiles are in the outer court of the Temple. That is, these are the Gentiles being brought to salvation; meanwhile, the Gentiles are walking all over the holy city. Now, the 'holy city' may signify the kingdom of God – which they, like the prostitutes, are storming into – and-or it may signify earthly Jerusalem, which seems likely, since Jesus in Luke 21.24 certainly was talking about earthly Jerusalem. So then, we would assert that once earthly Jerusalem came under Jewish rule, the times of the Gentiles begin drawing to a close. Now which times are meant? One time evidently is the era for the gospel to the Gentiles; another time apparently is the era of Gentile rule over earthly affairs.

Now the two witnesses of Revelation 11 may mean the Jewish Christian and the Gentile Christian components of the body of Christ. True Christians have tremendous power, as the gospel accounts and the Acts of the Apostles, show. But they are at their best when they are humble, eschewing earthly wealth. They are 'in sackcloth' during the age of witness, but eventually they will wear divine apparel. Granted, such an interpretation might constitute a partial fulfillment of prophecy, with a complete fulfillment to come.

We are now in a position to suspect that the three-and-a-half times of Daniel may correspond with the three-and-a-half years of Revelation 11. Similarly, we can interpret the woman of Revelation 12 as the church – the body of born-again believers – who, harshly persecuted in Judea, escaped to the 'wilderness' of Gentile lands, where she has been nourished for three-and-a-half times.

But I am uncertain as to what three eras are meant, though I would guess that the 'half-era' refers to the age of grace.

At various points, the Bible says that the coming of the last days is accompanied by birth pangs. Severe stress presages the birth of a new world era.

I suggest that the closing days of the age of the Gentiles mean great suffering on the part of the Gentiles. The plague of AIDS appears poised to sharply reduce the earth's population, possibly by 2028 [WIZ.2]. Poor nations are ill-equipped to combat this disease, which has already devastated sub-Saharan Africa – leaving 11 million AIDS orphans – and which is on the verge of bringing about a similar catastophe across Eastern Europe, Russia and Asia. In addition, the rapid increase in global warming is likely to have numerous calamitous effects, including triggering devastating malarial and ebola epidemics.

We also cannot rule out the possibility that weapons of mass destruction may yet be unleashed on a genocidal scale. But, even if such arms are contained, pandemics and related famines are likely to promote civil disorder and war. The developed nations can no more escape the judgment than the Titanic could escape sinking. The great distress will cross borders, despite all efforts, and then spiral out of control in the supposedly safe areas.

We cannot say that the state of Israel will be unaffected. Certainly a remnant of Jews will remain, perhaps still in control of Jerusalem. Yet, the scepter of world rule will not be passed to earthly Israel. If so, why would the Bible repeatedly point to a Messianic era as the culmination of Jewish aspirations? My guess is that, while the distress of nations is under way, Israel will undergo a harsh internal fight as Christian Jews begin to make headway.

At some point, the Christian Jews will be eradicated. BUT, we cannot assume that this will occur at any particular time.

The scenario I have outlined is plausible, but I do not claim that I am correct in every jot and tittle.

A NOTE ON THE ABRAHAMIC BLESSING
An important topic of end-times discussions is the blessing given to Abraham, which was routed through the Jews.

'And I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed' [Genesis 12.3].

Abraham's real descendents are those who heed God, not merely people with certain DNA characteristics who have been circumsized [John 8.39]. Obviously, the blessing points to Jesus, who blesses all the nations of the earth. Those who bless Abraham will be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. This certainly applies to Abraham's spiritual progeny, the born-again Christian.

But supposing that God's pledge also applies to Abraham's descendents in the flesh, a question must be posed: does the pledge apply to the state of Israel, the Israeli government, Jewish residents of Israel, or Jews in general, wherever they live? I raise that question because some seem to equate any criticism of Israeli government policies as tantamount to invoking a curse against onself. I don't wish to attempt to neutralize the potency of that Scripture, but I am concerned that some are deploying it for propaganda purposes.

THOUGHTS ON 'ELOHIM'
A verse in the Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:8, reads:

'When the Most High apportioned the nations,
when he divided humankind,
he fixed the boundaries of the peoples
according to the number of the sons of God.'

The phrase 'sons of God' was rendered 'sons of Israel' in the traditional Jewish Bible, but a fragment from the Dead Sea scrolls attests to the former.

Who were these sons of God? Were they related to the sons of God who intermarried with earth women and spawned demonic offspring? What is known is that various non-canonical writings, along with some clues in the Bible, indicate that these were the 70 (probably a symbolic number) angels who led the nations surrounding ancient Israel. The highest of these divine beings, who came to be known as Elohim and also YHWH (roughly: 'Yahweh' or 'Jehovah'), chose the nation of Israel for himself.

Scholars have found that, though 'Elohim' is used in the singular in the Hebrew Scripture that we have now, the word itself is a plural form of 'El,' which was the name of the Canaanite's chief god. So 'Elohim' simply means 'the gods.'

But the Hebrews were forbidden to worship any God but Elohim – which evolved into a a generic name for God – who eventually revealed his special name to them as YHWH, just as he has revealed to Christians his special name of his son Jesus. Elohim brooked no competition from his 'sons.'

So it is apparent that the Hebrews knew of the Canaanite pantheon – which is similar to other pantheons, in which one god is chief of the others.

But as Hebrew religion and language evolved, we find that the Canaanite 'sons of El' – which is equivalent to 'the gods' – becomes 'sons of Elohim,' which is later rendered as 'angels,' which are directly created divine beings (note that this makes Jesus a hybrid of son of man – because born of a woman – and angel, or son of God, because directly created, which is also what born-again believers are). Angels could have god-like power but were not to be worshiped. The theological issue bothered the Pharisees, who sometimes took 'son of God' to mean a god who must not be worshiped.

Elsewhere we learn that Michael is Israel's special protecting angel (whose name means 'Who is like God?'). So then he is, possibly, identified as a projection (message) of Elohim. In addition, we learn in Daniel and Revelation (and in extra-biblical texts) that Michael is waging war with the devil and his angels. In particular, we find that the prince of Persia is a demonic angel. So we can guess that the angels that lead the nations are demonic, or at any rate inferior, angels, perhaps those who intermarried with earth girls.

We might think of the pantheon of the gods as a muddled (reprobate) intuition of a situation in which the human soul is a projection of a particular angel. So all those who are a projection of a particular angel are in the 'nation' ruled by this angel. But Jesus taught that those who are not ruled by the Father must be ruled by Satan, implying that the unregenerate are either reflections of fallen angels, or, are tares that have been planted by an enemy.

Be this as it may, plainly some will suspect that the Jewish religion is simply a variant of the older Canaanite religion with which it clearly has similarities. Scholars would add that as Jewish theology evolved, it took on some of the imagery and concepts of Zoroastrianism, a Persian religion of great antiquity. (A number of Zoroastrian concepts make sense in terms of Judaeo-Christian traditions. Take, for example, 'the Lie,' which can be thought of as a place where many are headed. It is also the pull to proceed into such a place. The Lie is the door opening to one of the 'many mansions' in God's universe, as well as the pull toward that door. The Lie is the pull toward Death, death itself being a lie.)

So my thinking is that God was using the imagery with which the Hebrew tribesmen were familiar in order to gradually unveil the higher things of God. Recall Paul on Mars Hill, when he preached to the Athenians on the 'unknown God.' The monument to which he referred was put there in the event that the polite and cosmopolitan Athenians had neglected to honor some visitor's god. Yet Paul used the concept of 'unknown God' as a jumping off point to preach the good news that the way to know God was via Jesus Christ. Similarly, we can see that God could have used old stories, imbuing them with his spirit, in order to reveal some of the depth and magnitude of the true God.

Think of the transfiguration:

Jesus had previously quoted a Scripture that said 'you are gods' (or possibly 'you are as gods') and had held that if God IS the God of Abraham and Isaac, then God is the God of the living.

On the mountain, his disciples saw him with Moses and Elijah, all blazing with unearthly light, and then, after closing their eyes in fear, saw only Jesus.

That is, these divine beings were united by a single Spirit.

As Paul says, born-again believers are heirs with Jesus of the kingdom [Ephesians 3.6], sons of God that is. In fact, they are as gods, indeed they are gods. Nevertheless, they, who are junior partners of Christ, are certainly not to be worshiped.

The promise to the believer is that, as he becomes more Christ-like, he will become one with God – though he actually is already one with God, just as Jesus is one with the Father.
In any event, we can see that the Hebrew word 'Elohim,' though it stemmed from a pagan theory, fits well with God's revelation to the Jews, whom he indeed chose as his special people, even though their theory of God is past its prime.

Zion prophecies interpreted

Following are my interpretations of a number of scriptures concerning Zion:

Psalms 9.11
'Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.'
***
Under the old covenant, the invisible God dwelt in the ark of the covenant. Within that ark were the stone tablets on which God had personally inscribed the 10 commandments. The two stones can be viewed as a token of God's covenant with the children of Israel. But also we see that the Lord himself was the true covenant – the word and the guarantor of that word.

Under the new covenant, the invisible God – the Spirit of God – dwells in the mind of the believer, making the believer's body, 'the temple of the Holy Spirit' [1 Corinthians 6.19]. So then, would God go back to the old covenant in order to take up residence in another stone temple?

Psalms. 14.7
'O that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion, when the Lord restores his captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.'
***
Jesus rose to heaven out of Jerusalem, where he could then send the Spirit to the Jews – and Gentiles – who were to be set free. 'Whom the son sets free is free in deed' [John 8.36].

Psalms 65.1
'silence before you and praise in Zion'
***
Or, 'be still and know I AM' [Psalms 46.10]. This intimacy with God requires the presence of Jesus in the believer, who then can enjoy God.

Psalms 69.35,36
'For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it. The descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell in it.'
***
Zion and the cities of Judah are reserved for the descendants of his servants and those who love God's name. A true descendant of God's servant is also God's servant. Otherwise the devil is his father [John 8.44]. So is earthly Jerusalem filled with God's servants?

The 'cities of Judah' needn't refer to old Middle Eastern towns; instead what is indicated is a land where the redeemed, who love the name Jesus, can enjoy life.

Psalms 78.67,68,70
'He also rejected the tent of Joseph, and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which he loved.'... 'He also chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds.'
***
Though this refers to the preservation of David's tribe, Judah, after the destruction of the other 11 tribes, these words are fulfilled by Jesus, the good shepherd descendant of David, who established spiritual Zion by his conquest of evil at the cross.

Psalms 84.5,7
'How blessed is the man whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways (to Zion)... every one of them appears before God in Zion.'
***
Those who love God are approaching Zion.

Psalms 87.2
'The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.'
***
English-language translations of the Bible customarily italicize words not found in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures but that seemed necessary. In this case, if we omit 'other,' we can interpret this passage to say that 'Jacob' refers to the unregenerate Jew. He cannot enter Zion until he has been transformed, by the renewing of his mind [Romans 12.2] into 'Israel.' The name 'Israel' means 'wrestler with god' and the name 'Jacob' means 'he who grabs by the heel' or more generally 'trickster.'

Recall the encounter between Jesus and Nathanael, who knew salvation was to proceed from Jerusalem. Nathanael's question 'Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?' was followed by Jesus' retort: 'Look, a real Israeli, in whom there is no guile.' Or, that is: 'Look, a real contender with God, in whom there is no Jacob' [John 1:46,47].

Psalms 87.6
'The Lord will count when he registers the peoples, "This one was born there [in Zion]."
***
As Jesus said, the birth that counts is the spiritual birth. Those written in the Lamb's Book of Life [Revelation 20.12] have been born of the Spirit, not of flesh and blood [John 3.5,6]. So there is no use having been born in Jerusalem if one hasn't been born again, saved by the intervention of Jesus Christ.

Psalms 97.7
'Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, who boast themselves of idols ... Zion heard this and was glad.'
***
The real Zionists are glad when God shames the money-worshipers and their type.

Psalms 99.2
'The Lord is great in Zion'
***
Or, Zion is a place where the Lord's glory shines brightly. And isn't that in the hearts of those who worship God 'in spirit and in truth'?

Psalms 102.21
'that men may tell the name of the Lord in Zion'
***
Utterance of that name – as represented in Scripture by the Hebrew letters YHWH – came to be forbidden to Jews of old and such utterance is still considered impious for Jewish residents of modern Jerusalem, assuming anyone could be sure of the pronunciation.

The name of the Lord, under the old covenant, is not, under the new covenant, fully revealed since the name of 'Jesus' suffices as the name of the Lord.

It has become possible to tell the name of the Lord openly, even if with difficulty.

'Jesus' or 'Yah shua' means 'Yaweh saves.' Knowing this name suffices just as seeing Jesus sufficed for seeing the Father [John 14.8].

Psalm 110.1,2
'The LORD says to my Lord: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. The LORD will stretch forth your strong scepter from Zion...'
***
Jesus cites this passage [Matthew 22.44] to show that David calls his son, the Messiah, his lord. So then we can be sure that Jesus is one with YHWH (the name of God using only consonants, as translated from Hebrew) whose great power over heaven and earth extends from the kingdom of God, which is Zion.

The fourth verse of this psalm says that God has determined that this Savior is 'a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,' a passage that Hebrews 7.21 says refers to Jesus, the consummate priest.

Psalms 129.5
'May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward.'

Those who love their sin more than the light remain under judgment and are continually injured by their own willfulness [John 3.18], since they reap what they sow [Galatians 6.7].

A specific instance of this Scripture being fulfilled occurred when an armed troop came to arrest Jesus. Jesus asked whom they sought. When told, he replied, 'I am he.' On hearing 'I am,' which is a name for God, the men stumbled backward in confusion and were then only able to proceed with God's permission [John 18.4-6].

Psalm 135.21
'Blessed be the LORD from Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem.'
***
The writer was likely thinking of the Temple in Jerusalem. Yet, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the Temple was torn apart, indicating the departure of God's Spirit from the veiled ark of the covenant. Where does the Lord dwell today? Within those who put their trust in Jesus.

Isaiah 1.27
'Zion will be redeemed with justice and her repentant ones with righteousness.'
***
Justice was served by the sacrifice of Jesus, the son of God, whose crucifixion paid in full the price of all sin.

Those who humbly turn to him will be made right with God.

Isaiah 8.18
'Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.'
***
Hebrews 2.13 takes this passage to refer to Jesus.

Isaiah 24.23
'The LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem.'
***
We know that Mount Zion is a spiritual place and the Book of Revelation tells us to expect a new, heavenly Jerusalem [Revelation 3.12].

Isaiah 28.16,18
'Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed [moved].'
***
'Your pact with Sheol will not stand.'

Paul in Romans 9.33 and Peter in 1 Peter 2.6 say Isaiah 28.16 refers to Jesus. Now the old, earthly Zion was overthrown by the Romans in AD 70. So the new Zion is the kingdom of God that Jesus is yet bringing forth.

Jesus will cancel the sin-sick soul's contract with death.

Isaiah 29.8
'It will be as when a hungry man dreams–and behold, he is eating; but when he awakens, his hunger is not satisfied, or when a thirsty man dreams–and behold, he is drinking, but when he awakens, behold, he is faint and his thirst is not quenched. Thus the multitude of all the nations will be who wage war against Mount Zion.'
***
Anybody who fights God is deluded. Any 'victory' over the LORD is hollow.

Though this passage specifically refers to Gentiles, certainly it also holds for Jews.

A nearby passage [Isaiah 29.10] says that God 'has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep [or 'strong delusion']' blinding the prophets and the seers. Paul [Romans 11.8] says this Scripture applies to the bulk of the Jews, who 'were hardened.'

That is, those who resist God, and his works, are turned away from his kingdom by a strong delusion, reminiscent of the angels guarding the gates of Eden.

Isaiah 30.19-21
'O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, your Teacher will no longer hide himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.

Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or the left.'
***
God will comfort his people. Yet, who can see God? Nevertheless, his people will see the Teacher, who will guide their minds. Those who walk with Jesus recognize the Teacher's voice [John 10.27], which can only be heard via the Holy Spirit. He is the road and he makes sure that every follower will learn more and more about God.

Is 31.4,9
Like a lion with its prey unworried by the shepherds, so will 'the LORD of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.'

'whose fire is in Zion and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.'
***
Have you ever noticed that on occasion titanic contests occur with little recognition of what is going on – hardly anyone is paying attention?

Jesus was sent by the Father to wage spiritual warfare against the devil and his hordes. A scene in that struggle occurred when he picked up a whip and drove the businessmen from the Temple.

Certainly Jesus could not be deterred from achieving his victory over hell.

That victory was exemplified when, during the feast of Pentecost, tongues of fire descended upon the apostles in Jerusalem to launch the true church.

Isaiah 33.5
'He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.'
***
Not much of that in wordly Jerusalem. But Jesus embodies the phrase 'justice and righteousness.'

Isaiah 33.20
'Look upon Zion... Your eyes shall see Jerusalem ... a tent which will not be folded; its stakes will never be pulled up. No oarboat or warship will pass on its great streams.'
***
What great streams? These must be streams flowing in the heavenly Jerusalem of Revelation 3.12, where commerce and war are no more.

Isaiah 35.5,6,10
'Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.'

'And the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads.'
***
When John the Baptist queried Jesus as to whether he was the Messiah, Jesus replied: 'Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the good news preached to them.'

All of Isaiah 35 foretells, in rhapsodic imagery, Zion's wonderful future. From Jesus' response, we can see that he was a sign of the true Zion. And a person who has truly received Jesus as Lord has entered that Zion, the land of eternal bliss, and, despite hardships, will shout for joy at the wonder of this event.

Isaiah 37.32
'For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant and out of Mount Zion, survivors.'
***
Those who have been born by the Spirit.

Isaiah 40.9
'Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news ... say to the cities of Judah "Here is your God."'
***
Jesus was lifted up on Mount Calvary with the inscription: 'King of the Jews.'

Isaiah 49.14
'But Zion said, the LORD has forsaken me...'
***
Jesus cried out on the cross: 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' [Mark 15.34]

Isaiah 51.3
'Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion...and her wilderness he will make like Eden.'
***
How sweet it is to follow Jesus.

Isaiah 51.11
'So the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion.'
***
How wonderful to have your sins paid for by Jesus.

Isaiah 52.3
Zion 'will be redeemed without money.'
***
Those destined for eternal life have had their sin paid for by the blood of Jesus.

Isaiah 52.7
'How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"'
***
Jesus announced the good news of salvation, and so do his followers.

Isaiah 52.8
'For they will see with their own eyes when the LORD restores Zion.'
***
Witnesses saw the works of the Nazarene -- though many of those suffering spiritual blindness were unable to see that Zion was being restored by the man Christ Jesus. Isaiah begins his description of the suffering servant with 'who has believed our report?' [Isaiah 53.1]

Isaiah 61.2,3
'...to comfort all who mourn, to grant all those who mourn in Zion...'
***
Jesus tells us to fear not, to be cheerful, because he has overcome the world [John 16.33].

Jesus told his hearers [Luke 4.21] that Isaiah 61.1,2 had been fulfilled in their hearing.

Isaiah 62.1,2
'For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not rest' until the 'nations [Gentiles] will see your righteousness...and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will designate.'
***
The name of Jesus is lifted up among the Gentiles.

Isaiah 66.8
'Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.'
***
The new Zion was brought forth by the sacrifice of Jesus and began in power on the day of the feast of Pentecost, when immediately thousands turned to Jesus for salvation [Acts 2.41].

Jeremiah 3.14
'...return O faithless sons...and I will take you one from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.'
***
Many are called, but few are chosen for Christ's kingdom.

Joel 2.32
'And it will come about that whoever calls upon the name of the LORD will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape.'
***
Paul in Romans 10.13 applies this Scripture to anyone who calls on Jesus, who will then escape hellfire. Joel 2.28 – 'I will pour out my spirit on all mankind' – is cited by Peter during the Pentecost speech.

Had Jesus' warning been remembered [Luke 21.20], those in Jerusalem during the Roman-Jewish war would have known it was time to flee when they saw the Temple profaned by Jewish rebels.

In the case of the prophecies of Joel and of Jesus, we can see that they may be specifically fulfilled and yet we cannot rule out their being fulfilled again. Nevertheless, Paul is less interested in 'future history' than in getting people to see the main point: the salvation provided by Jesus more than fulfills Scripture.

Obadiah 17
'...on Mount Zion will be those who escape...'
***
Those who escape the wrath to come [Matthew 3.7] are those who put their trust in Jesus.

Micah 4.2
'Many nations will come and say, Come let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us about his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.'
***
Some may read this passage literally, but I see it as fulfilled by non-Jews who are able to get into the kingdom of God through the mercy of Jesus, who is the word of the LORD personified and who is the fulfillment of the law of the LORD. As Jesus taught at age 12, the House of God is the work of the Lord [Luke 2.49] and for humanity the greatest work is salvation.

Zephaniah 3.12-15
'But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the LORD.
The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.
'Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel!...The LORD has taken away his judgments against you, he has cleared away your enemies.'
***
Jesus told us to learn of him, who is humble and lowly [Matthew 11.29]. Those who trust in Jesus, who paid for all crimes against God, no longer need fear anything at all, and as they are perfected, they become less and less prone to wrongdoing. And God does not look upon sin because the believer has been pardoned by Jesus. So those put right with God through Jesus have every reason to shout for joy.

Zechariah 9.9
'Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion...Behold your king is coming to you; he is just and endowed with salvation, humble and mounted on a donkey...'
***
Fulfilled by Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was greeted as the son of David – the Messiah.

Zechariah 9.10
'I will cut off the [war] chariot from Ephraim and the [war] horse from Jerusalem; and the war bow will be cut off. And he will speak peace to the nations; and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.'
***
Jesus, who has been granted all power in heaven and earth, gives his followers the 'peace of God, that passes understanding' [Philippians 4.7]. Once his kingdom has spread everywhere, warfare will cease.

First published ca. 2005

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Matthew 7:15-23. Workers of iniquity

Matthew 7:15-23

15 Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath they are ferocious wolves.
16 You can tell who's who by their fruits. Does anyone gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistle plants?
17 A good tree yields good fruit, but a rotten tree yields bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot yield bad fruit nor a rotten tree good fruit.
19 Any tree that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.
20 So, again, you can tell who's who by their fruits.
21 Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" to me will enter heaven's kingdom. A requirement is to do what my heavenly Father wants.
22 Many will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have we not cast out devils? And in your name have we not done many works of wonder?"
23 And then I will tell them, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you who do works of iniquity."

It must be emphasized that Jesus is not denying Paul's doctrine of grace here. Jesus means, I suggest, that those who really love him won't be able to help but stick to the strait and narrow path of seeking and carrying out God's will. A real Christian knows that "my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30) and so will want – perhaps with some hesitancy – to draw closer to Jesus.

How can we tell the difference between a true disciple of Jesus and a fraud? Know them by their fruits. The fraud is in it for himself, which is to say, in it for the money. A fraud may have all the outer trappings of a born-again believer, but if you watch him closely you will see what he is up to. Is he constantly exhorting his hearers to give money "for the work of God"? Does he show up with overly attentive subalterns as he is squired around in a luxury vehicle? Is he a multi-millionaire (because "God has been good")? If his heart is on money, how can it be on Jesus?

Does he stroke the flesh, so to speak, of hearers with a so-called abundance gospel? He says you can be affluent, having overflowing material goods, if you will only have faith. Whatever happened to storing up riches in heaven and letting go of what moth and rust destroy? The purpose of this line is to attract large audiences who then can be urged to donate handsomely to the charlatan's ministry. If you do that, why clearly you will get a big material reward, pressed down and spilling over! The Bible says so!

The money grubbers say "Lord, Lord" with their lips, in front of people. But that doesn't mean they say "Lord, Lord" in their hearts, with a respectful and loving attitude, or at least a sincere attitude. Primarily, these folks are out for the money, which these days is a rather big temptation for evangelists who can reach massive broadcast and internet audiences.

Certainly, you are right to have faith that God will provide, as you go about doing his will. A real Christian will have abundance, whether he has money in his pocket or not. Why? Because he is happy in Jesus. And to be happy in Jesus, there is no other way, but to trust and obey. Awareness of the love of Jesus and of God's kingdom all around IS life more abundantly! Doing God's will on behalf of the perishing, with plenty of God's Spirit – that's life more abundantly! That's the big difference between worldly material abundance and true abundance, filled up and spilling over.

What of those preachers and others who seem to, and perhaps do, bring about remarkable cures? Is faith healing sometimes real, sometimes false? Undoubtedly some faith healers engage in chicanery. But quite possibly a healing comes about when the healer convinces an ailing person to BELIEVE in recovery. The patient's belief is what can very often effect an amazing cure – possibly even ejecting a demon that has gripped and crippled the sufferer. So a bad apple may, by invoking the name and power of Jesus, effect some surprising results – because Jesus' name has power. Yet, that healer is only in it for the money, and despite his words, doesn't believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and laughs at people's credibility.

If such a person is from time to time effecting such miracles in Jesus' name, how can you tell he is a phony? Believe me, his greed will become apparent rather quickly. Why does he need so much money for "the ministry" that he never ceases to dun his audiences for money, money, money? Why does he live in such palatial style when he is supposed to be dispensing the free gift of the grace of God? Notice that he acts nothing like Paul, who picked up odd jobs making tents when he needed some cash. No doubt you will notice other actions that don't seem to match a Christian walk.

Don't get me wrong. Everyone makes mistakes in life. But a true Christian repents, and does what he can to clear the damage. Not so the gospel phonies. They never quit going for the gold – the wrong gold, fool's gold.

Recall that when people from his old neighborhood saw Jesus, their familiarity bred contempt. They disbelieved in him and his power and as a result they received very little in the way of miraculous blessings (this is why hell is such a terrible fate: there is no Savior on hand in whom to believe). Jesus taught over and over again that belief is the key. Put your faith/trust in him or in God in the name of Jesus and you can expect enormous results. So in some cases, people are cured because the phony money grubber preacher convinced them to believe that Jesus would effect a cure. So what counts is their belief!

Mark 6:5

And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

We can look back to the period when Franz Mesmer healed many people by causing them to believe in his peculiar idea of "animal magnetism," now known as hypnotism. [1] Those cures convinced medical scientists that these people had been suffering from forms of hysteria which cause bodily disorders that are non-organic in origin. Yet we should recognize that all disabilities and diseases have strong "psychosomatic" components. Thus, we should not dismiss Mesmer's cures as all of the lightweight variety. While I am not recommending hypnosis as a means of therapy, I am suggesting that the belief of these poor people that they could be cured contributed strongly to their recoveries. [2,3]

The Sons of Sceva

Acts 19:13-16

13 Then a group of traveling Jewish exorcists [who made their living as healers] decided to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when they were performing an exorcism: "We adjure you by Jesus, the one preached by Paul..."
14 (These were the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest and leader.)
15 The demon answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?" The demon-possessed man then leaped up and attacked the whole group, overcoming them so that they fled from the house naked and wounded.

These fellows were just doing their customary trade, assuming, after what they had seen Paul do, that the invocation of the name Jesus ought to assure them a profit. We learn from the previous passage of Acts:

Acts 19:11-12

11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.
12 Sick people would recover – their diseases and demons leaving them – after handkerchiefs and aprons he had worn [used in his tent-making work] were brought to them.

But the aforementioned gentlemen did not realize that their own spirits were unclean. The invoking of Jesus' name in this case not only did not work, it actually backfired. Yet, we always have the possibility of a charlatan doing "lying wonders." Recall Pharaoh's magicians versus Moses. These wonders need not be the simple sleight of hand, misdirection and clever chicanery of the professional magician entertainer. The power could come from a demon or demons. (But, as Jesus said, a house divided won't stand.)

Many "miracle workers" will be able to plead that they have served God with their many cures and exorcisms. But Jesus cuts to the quick: "Those weren't works of wonder. They were works of the devil." Or, "You don't work wonders. You work mischief."

Draft 6

Matthew 5:3-12. The Beatitudes

Matthew 5:3-12

3 How wonderful for the poor in spirit. Theirs is heaven's kingdom!
4 How wonderful for those who mourn. Comfort is on the way!
5 How wonderful for the meek. They will inherit the earth!
6 How wonderful for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They will be filled!
7 How wonderful for the merciful. They will receive mercy!
8 How wonderful for the pure-hearted. They will see God!
9 How wonderful for the peacemakers! They will be called God's children!
10 How wonderful for those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Theirs is heaven's kingdom!
11 How wonderful for you when, on account of me, people revile you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil about you.
12 Rejoice and be extremely happy! Your heavenly reward is great. This is how the prophets were treated.

I see these opening words of the Sermon [1]. as promises to the meek, especially those who suffer for doing God's will. What is coming is well worth the trouble and the wait! Jesus is assuring us that those who turn away from old ways and begin acting in a manner fit for a true worshiper of God will be very satisfied. But let us not hold the conceit that we can work our way into God's favor. Jesus is talking about the "be-attitude" [2*] we should have. He has come to obtain followers who will become good servants after receiving a mind/spirit makeover.

Consider Paul. He did not fit the mold for any of those promises. In fact, after his conversion he looked back on his old self as having been the worst of sinners. Yet after Jesus' stunning intervention, Paul became a worshiper of God in spirit and in truth. We can tell from the humble spirit and content of Paul's letters that, after his conversion, he personally dovetailed very well with all the beatitudes. Or take the case of Peter. He may not have been as sin-sick as was Paul (though, who knows?). But at one point he urged Jesus to part from him because he felt his sin so deeply in the Lord's presence (Luke 5:8).

Matthew 5:3

How wonderful for the poor [3*] in spirit, for theirs is heaven's kingdom!

Being poor in spirit is the necessary condition for entry into heaven's kingdom! In order to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you must humble yourself before God. Fortunate are you when you do so, rather than carrying on as a routine frightened, though prideful person.

Matthew apparently amplifies "poor" with the phrase "in spirit," a phrase that does not occur in Luke 6:20, which quotes Jesus thus:

Luke 6:20

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

In both cases, this is the opening concept for Jesus' discourses or "sermons." As we read other parts of the sermons and other sayings, we realize that Jesus puts a high premium on being able to be fully reliant on God's ability and willingness to provide. Poverty is a good thing for his real followers (which should not be taken as justification for being stingy with members of the clergy or missionaries).

While it is true that in general God, as a father to the fatherless (Psalms 68:5-6), cares for the poor, yet we can see from Luke's use of "you" that Jesus seems to be primarily addressing his students, as Matthew indicates in 5:1. Poverty, and the associated humility, permits disciples to start their journey with God, who opens to them the kingdom of heaven. Matthew's amplification tends to underscore this point: simply being impoverished is surely not the only condition for entry into God's kingdom. But even so a disciple's poverty bespeaks an attitude of humble reliance on God.

In this connection, we can see Luke's "good news to the poor" as embracing the anawim, the mass of the people who had nothing and were bent over under the weight of life. They had never had anyone to lean on but God. Now Jesus was saying, "Come to me and you will be in excellent shape!"

In fact, don't even worry about material poverty. If you wish to follow me, Jesus is saying, forget about chasing money.

The Lord is seeking people who are willing to get radical, to defy all social and family expectations, as is brought out elsewhere in the Sermon and throughout the New Testament.

The main purpose of the sayings in the Sermon is not, as many have assumed, to create a legal code to which one must adhere or face hellfire. They already face hellfire – though God is the final judge – and there is no human means of escape. Whatever Matthew's principle author or some early editor may have been thinking, I strongly suggest that a main purpose of the sayings is to prod people to realize that they have sinned, no matter how "good" they think they are, so that they may become eager to receive God's salvation.

In that case, also holding true is that those who acknowledge how poor they are spiritually, that their "righteousness" is nothing but filthy rags in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6), are in a position (contrite and self-abasing) to receive God's salvation, to receive God's kingdom.

Matthew 5:4

4 How wonderful for those who mourn! Comfort is on the way!

Are you suffering? Comfort is on the way, right now! Death, pain and suffering were then, as now, conditions that so often drain life of joy. Jesus overcame death, so that those who trust him gain eternal life. Even in this life, they are to count their troubles as joy (James 1:2-3 and Matthew 5:10-12). Those who are in despair, who see their lives as worthless and hopeless, are about to get a new deal! Throw yourself on the mercy of Jesus and you will be comforted! Once you do this, and mean it, Jesus sends you the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to refresh you and revitalize you, to make you a new, and fundamentally happy, person – regardless of afflictions that are very likely to come.

Salvation comes to reverse the agony that entered the human world with the Fall. We mourn, or feel depressed, because we are very locked in to this old world – in fact, trapped. But the eternal life made possible by Jesus' sacrifice makes our current misery of little account – if we avail ourselves of him.

Matthew 5:5

5 How wonderful for the meek! They will inherit the earth.

God turns everything upside down! The lowly own everything in sight. That is, the born-again person, as a son of God, shares ownership of the universe with God. The grace of God never runs out. God always provides. The believer is one of God's princes, even though he is to be the servant of all.

One might interpret this promise as a forecast the of the Millennium, the reign of Christ on earth, when there will be heaven on earth. Those who are meek enough to see their need of Jesus and receive his word will be those chosen to stay on earth until the end of time.

One commentator says the Greek word translated "meek" implies "gentle but strong." Such a description well suits the true follower of Jesus, who is to be "meek and lowly" (Matthew 11:29) but who is nevertheless "more than a conqueror" (Romans 8:37), who can do "all things through Christ who strengthens" him (Philippians 4:13).

We may infer from this assurance that a Messianic Millennium (=heaven on earth) is in store. But even before that great event, once a person has meekly asked Jesus to save him, or has asked the Father for salvation in the name of Jesus, he receives the Holy Spirit and becomes a son of God, not in theory but in truth. As a son, he is given the keys to the kingdom – though, as a beginner, he has much to learn about use of the keys. Wherever he sets his foot, he owns that ground (Genesis 13:4; Joshua 1:3) – because God owns it. Further, wherever he goes, God's mercy and grace go with him – so that all his spiritual and material needs will be met (as we will hear in other Sermon teachings).

In other words, those who are meek enough to receive Christ become sons of God and thus share in all God's possessions, including "the land," meaning the Promised Land of God's kingdom, wherever that might be. (There is little if any distinction between the words "land" and "earth" in the gospels.)

(See Psalm 97, verses 9,11,29. [GB1] )

Matthew 5:6

How wonderful for those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They will be filled!

People who are yearning for a state of affairs in which right prevails over wrong can have their dream come true! Ask Jesus into your heart and an interior revolution occurs and will keep occurring. You will receive the Holy Spirit into your being along with Jesus and the Father. So, though you have no power from your old self, you now have power from God to imitate the ways of Jesus – and like it!

When you have been made right with God by being washed in the blood of Lamb, that is righteousness to the nth degree, as far as you are concerned.

No one can be righteous on his own account. The burden of sin is too great (Romans 3:23, Psalms 53:3). Yet those who place their trust in Jesus are accepted by the Father on Jesus' account. Jesus wraps them in his robe of righteousness so that they may commune with God as friends. "Any friend of Jesus is a friend of mine," says God. That robe is like the "wedding garment" spoken of in Matthew 22:1-14.

Once a person has thrown in his lot with Jesus, he receives the Holy Spirit. The goodness of God indwells him, and he will be on his way to acting in spirit and in truth to do the works of righteousness (actions that God sees as worthy).

Matthew 5:7

How wonderful for the merciful. They will receive mercy!

You can't enter God's kingdom if you are so full of pride that you lack a merciful attitude toward others. In other words, if you are to become reborn in a new spirit, then you must fall on your knees and truly admit to God what a rotten shame you've made of your life. But, if you hold on to a major grudge against someone, are you not being rather haughty? "Too good" to forgive? But if you show those who have wronged you mercy, then you can be welcomed into God's personal family!

Mercy does not come easily to one whose mind is absorbed with self or is racked by a desire for revenge. Recall all the people who strode by the injured robbery victim. Only the heart of the despised Samaritan was filled with mercy for the man. The others were too busy – driven by needs of self.

And those who thirst for revenge are, at root, being driven by "the flesh" (the corrupt natural mind), which asserts its need to be boss and which fears and loathes humiliation (Luke 10:25-37). Such attitudes may make some sense out in a Darwinist jungle somewhere (though I doubt that), but they are the hallmarks of the lost, whose minds cannot operate well because of the rampant sin-sickness that so afflicts the world.

Consider the author of "Amazing Grace," John Newman. He was a cruel 18th Century slave-trader. Those slaves got little mercy from him. Yet, when Jesus got hold of his heart, Newman repented and became a man of mercy, who vigorously fought the slave trade.

I doubt that Matthew 5:7 should be read to mean that nice people will go to heaven. I believe the verse implies two ideas:

¶ All those kindly people of ancient Judea who had despaired of anything much for themselves were in for a surprise! God's kingdom was at hand for them. The Millennium, so to speak, was dawning.
¶ Once a person is born again, his heart becomes merciful. And whenever he misses the mark in that respect, God lets him know. He has already received mercy, and he will receive unlimited mercy as he goes along. Jesus daily "washes his feet" in order to take away the sin that occurs during his walk through this world (John 13:1–17). When he is in need, he receives mercy as his needs are met.

Matthew 5:8

8 How wonderful for the pure-hearted. They will see God!

Those with an impure heart can't look God in the eye. When an unclean spirit sees god, it dies. But when Jesus and the Father come in to sup with the repentant person, the spiritual heart is made brand new. God sees that believer's heart as pure because the person has been justified (made right) by faith in Jesus.

As the psalmist said, "a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalms 51:17).

The first step to "seeing" God is to cast aside self, which occurs when one realizes the depth of one's degraded state.

Generally, unregenerate man cannot see God. Recall the Israelites requiring Moses to veil his face because the brilliant shekinah light radiating from his face was unbearable. That much direct connection to God was more than they could tolerate. People who saw God would die, according to Israelite beliefs. [7*]

Consider the fact that unregenerate, fallen man has an unclean spirit – which is to say, his own spirit. If that unclean spirit were to look God in the eye, it would die (what happens on Judgment Day). In fact, Adam's disobedience made him unclean and he died immediately, as did his wife Eve. Earthly descendants of Adam, being influenced by this fallen world, grow up askew – even when parents have very good intentions – and find that sin has a hold on them.

The spirits of the fallen are dead. They are prohibited from direct contact with God, who does not look upon sin. Thus, the angels with the flaming swords bar the way back to the garden of Eden. There is only one ticket to paradise: to receive Jesus as a personal rescuer. He has paid for your spirit and soul by his enormous sacrifice so that you can be declared "clean" in God's eyes. You become transformed by the renewing of your mind and being, as Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit come in to sup with you. You are no longer dead, but alive with a transformed spirit, able to worship God in spirit and in truth. You have been born again, this time of the spirit.

Once a person has been reborn in spirit, he is able to "see God" without perishing. Consider Thomas, who was gently chided by the risen Jesus, for his inability to perceive that "the Father" was standing right there looking at him in the person of Jesus the son (John 20:24-29).

Once Thomas had received the Spirit (if he hadn't yet, he soon would), he not only could "see God," he could do so forever. There was no need for spiritual death. That would be impossible once Jesus had chosen him. True, the son of perdition – a strange soul not truly made in the image of God – was chosen for the role of traitor, but he was not chosen, like the other 11, for eternal life.

To recap: as the believer walks with Jesus every day, Jesus washes his feet spiritually. In other words, the false moves, bad habits, puzzlements, impure reactions and routine mistakes that ensnare every believer walking through this world are dealt with by the Lord so that the believer can walk again tomorrow, whether in this world or the next.

Matthew 5:9

9 How wonderful for the peacemakers! They will be called God's children!

The born-again believer who proclaims the gospel of salvation is a peacemaker in the most fundamental sense. He is a son of God both in the sense of being one of God's real servants and in the sense of having being made part of God's true family.[GH1]

Though certainly Jesus was extolling peace as something of high value, he is forecasting here what is soon to occur: his followers will start broadcasting the fantastically good news that God, via Jesus, will give his people rest from all their cares and troubles. Communities of true Christrians will have great peace even in the face of persecution.

Compare verse 5:9 with

Matthew 10:34-36

34 Don't think I am here to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I come to set a man against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And a man's foes will be those of his own household.

Also:

Luke 12:49

I came to throw fire onto the earth – and I strongly wish it already torched!

So on the one hand Jesus proclaims the excellence of being a peacemaker, which fits right in with the theme of the Sermon, and on the other he tells us he is quite the troublemaker.

The proper attitude is love for one another. Yet, the fire – the message of salvation – the Word of God – was already crackling, and the Holy Spirit was about to fall onto the earth or onto "all flesh" – all sorts of people. The worldly will recoil at those who join up with Jesus. Families will make life difficult for those who do not play by the old rules. Society will do likewise, because the world, once it takes notice, sees true Christians as aliens who are intolerable to be around. [3a*]

Jesus is being very serious.

Think about this saying:

Luke 14:26

If anyone [as an adult] comes to me, and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. [4i*,4ii*,4iii*,4iv*]

The word "hate" here does not imply ferocious rage against someone. It is like Abraham "hating" his son Isaac when he obeyed God and prepared to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham loved his son. But he knew that obedience to God had to take precedence over his feelings. Faith in God was paramount. Jesus is saying that the real Christian must be so devoted to him that if his family turns against him, if his wife leaves him and his children are taken away, he is to stick with Jesus, to never let go – even if that means his own life. In fact, a person who submits fully to Jesus must, one way or another, die to self.

If he is like many of us, and finds that too tall an order, he is to keep asking God for help in the extinguishing of self. Never fear; that is one prayer God hears! It means God's will be done, no matter what I would like!

Matthew 5:10-12

10 How wonderful for those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Theirs is heaven's kingdom!
11 How wonderful for you when, on account of me, people revile you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil about you.
12 Rejoice and be extremely happy! Your heavenly reward is great. This is how the prophets were treated.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Those words of Paul the Apostle in Romans 8:18 elicit little confidence among those who are still hiding from God, like Adam and Eve cringing among the trees in the garden. But once you have received Christ into your heart, you gain the courage of a lion. Like Jesus who unswervingly followed God's lead, nothing will deter you, nothing dissuade you from following Jesus and telling others about him! You have all the courage you need. If, perhaps, you falter, that hesitancy won't last. As Peter said, "Who else can we go to? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

We need not give up when hounded and harassed for doing right, especially not if we are laboring to advance the message of salvation. Heaven is coming our way. Just as Stephen looked up into paradise to see Jesus' smiling face as murderous stones rained down on him, we can expect a similar reception as we persist in spite of cruel opposition, even if martyrdom is not our lot. Yet, many of us do fear persecution [5*] and are unwilling to receive the idea of one's own martyrdom.

Why is that? Because our trust in Jesus is not all that it should be. We still cling to this life and its attractions. This life is to be lived – and lived more abundantly. But if we are not willing to die for Jesus, then we cannot be his true disciple. And so many who say they are disciples are not. They are double-minded, pulled between the devil and the deep blue sea, so to speak. When one is single-minded, able or at least willing, to surrender all and go flat-out for Jesus, then one is a disciple (=student).

LK 14:33

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Yet, how many of us cannot even take a lesser level of persecution: shunning – as happened to the Jews who professed Jesus; they were shunned from synagogues and hence all social life during the first century. Many people worry about what "they" will think, in what the psychologist Thomas Szaz called "the dictatorship of the They." Our acceptance by our social groups is so important that many of us are easily swayed by pressures to conform to group norms. Such group psychology is easily manipulated by clever people, as we know from history's sad record of demagoguery.

The Christian is to be "in the world" – the system of humans dominated by Satan – but not "of the world" (John 17:16-27). He is supposed to be different, as coming verses show. Otherwise, he is like unsalty salt: Worthless. (See sidebar: Matthew 5:13-16.)

The Christian is assured that, despite his troubles, his journey is worthwhile! All's well that ends well! (Romans 8:16-18). [5*]

So when persecution strikes:

Whoopee! Now you can be sure that God chose you for a wonderful destiny! Plainly, when the unpleasantness hits, we are liable to wince, mutter, groan and complain. But we have nothing to complain about. We "asked for it," by siding with Jesus. And he won't give us – that is, born-again Christians – more than we can handle. After all, this persecution is for our own good (whatever our adversaries intend).

We have

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Sometimes persecution comes in the form of temptation: a bribe in the form of a promotion or access to a cute "girlfriend" or "boyfriend." But, as Paul observes, such temptations are the human lot. [6*] In any case, God always provides an escape route so that the improper offer does not overwhelm you. [6*] Of course, if you "romance" the tempting offer, then you are not availing yourself of the fire exit so as to escape the flames of desire.

In any case, the world turns against you because it cannot stand your light, which is the light of Christ. Let us reflect again on Moses descending Mt. Sinai, his face glowing with divine light. The people recoiled to such an extent that he was forced to wear a veil in order to protect them from too much God. [8*] Those people were not ready for that much God.

We can learn something from this veiling. A Christian can make an effort not to throw his "holy" around by instead striving for a humble attitude, always considering as better than himself those who are less fortunate in not yet having the light. After all, they are weaker and so are asked to endure more; they are heavy laden by the sufferings due to blindness and their situation as spiritual zombies. Much of the time a Christian who keeps a low profile will avoid trouble. But every now and then – and this could include the act of going to church or of giving someone a Christian tract – the Christian's light sets off anger (=fear) in the worldling. Though somewhat paradoxically, a Christian who maintains a lowly profile is letting his light shine – on those who can receive it.

Matthew shows right up front that true disciples are expected to face abuse from unbelievers who would be in a position to hurt them.

In fact, if a Christian suffers no persecution, one may wonder just how sincere he is. A problem has to do with the division of Christianity into the "professional clergy and missionaries" and everyone else. It's as if everyone else merely audits a class in Christianity weekly or biweekly but is sufficiently conformist to avoid the wrath of people with power to disrupt their lives.

On the other hand, a common form of persecution, or abuse, is the bypassing of sincere Christians for promotion at their job sites. Executives tend to be more comfortable with people like themselves, avoiding as much as possible, "Jesus freaks." If the Christian is the best qualified for the better-paying job, it is abusive to pass over him because of his religious views.

In any case, Jesus is saying, why grieve over such wrongs? You have a wonderful payoff coming!

Some who turn to Christ fall away when persecution comes. They have not considered that following Jesus requires the total commitment of one's being. [4i*]

You must be willing to turn away from those who seek to impede you from following Jesus with all your heart, soul and mind. If not, you will be torn between two masters (see upcoming: Matthew 6:24).

All this sounds like a very tall order. But, because of the grace of God, it is not really too hard. In fact, "my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30) [4iv*]

Let us pause for a moment to think upon the numerous horrendous persecutions of the past, along with many that occur in modern times in places other than America. Right from the gospel's Roman beginnings, Christians endured unspeakable atrocities as the authorities made strenuous efforts to exterminate the new faith. Yet, the gospel was unstoppable, in those years spreading without use of the sword and in the face of severe sanctions.

Eventually, the church prevailed, only to find that the mix of temporal and spiritual power that followed brought great difficulties. In fact, some sincere believers, over the centuries, were martyred for refusing to recant under pressure from ecclesiastical authorities.

†.

Isaiah 2:4

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 9:6-7

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Draft 6