Jim's Footnotes

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Our Adversaries (9-24-06)

Our Adversaries
Bible Study Time 9-24-06

In I Peter 5:8, Peter spoke to the Jewish dispersion and said:

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJ)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

At this point in Peter’s life, it was particularly appropriate for Peter to speak of the devil as a roaring lion because he was anticipating the tribulation period in which the devil will rule the world through the antichrist in a reign of terror. During those days of the tribulation period, the wrath of the antichrist will be aimed particularly at the nation of Israel.

Revelation 12 encapsulates Satan’s conflict with Israel through the ages. Verse 1 says:

Revelation 12:1 (NKJ)
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

This woman is the nation of Israel, and the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Verse 2 says:

Revelation 12:2 (NKJ)
2 Then being with child, (the woman) cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

The child to whom Israel gave birth was the Lord Jesus, but then:

Revelation 12:3 (NKJ)
3 . . . another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

The fiery red dragon is the devil, and he has seven heads because he is the spiritual power behind the Gentile empires that have had and will have dominion over Israel from the time of her first captivity 600 years before Christ to the reign of the antichrist. These Gentile empires are Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the empire of the antichrist. The ten horns are the ten nations that make a league with the antichrist during the tribulation period. Verse 4 goes on to say that:

Revelation 12:4 (NKJ)
4 (The dragon’s) tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

This makes it clear that the devil was behind Herod’s plot to kill all of the baby boys after the wise men failed to bring him the details concerning the birthplace of the King of the Jews. Verse 5 says:

Revelation 12:5 (NKJ)
5 (The woman) bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

The Lord Jesus came to establish the earthly kingdom and rule over all nations with a rod of iron, but instead, He was rejected by the Jews and crucified. After His crucifixion, He was raised from the dead and taken up into heaven where He was given a place of exaltation at the Father’s right hand.

Then, because the Apostle John was not called to reveal the mystery concerning the Church age in which we now live, he went straight from Christ’s ascension to the tribulation period, saying:

Revelation 12:6 (NKJ)
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

According to the Jewish calendar, 1260 days is three and a half years. So God is going to protect the believing Jews from the terrors of the antichrist for three and a half years. Then we read that:

Revelation 12:7-9 (NKJ)
7 . . . war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then the book of the Revelation goes on to describe Christ’s return to the earth to defeat the antichrist and the dragon before He rules and reigns over the nations in a world wide kingdom of peace and righteousness.

But we can see that during the tribulation period, the devil will definitely be going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and Revelation 12 says that the fiery, red dragon is none other than the serpent of old who suddenly appeared in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve.

In the Garden, the serpent did not come to Eve as a roaring lion. On the contrary, he came to her with subtle craftiness. He did not try to intimidate her with a frightening roar, but he seduced her with gentleness and flattery. After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam also ate, and the curse of death came upon all mankind.

In parts of our world today, the devil is already roaring like a lion, terrorizing believers with overt persecution and threats of death, but there are other parts of the world where Satan is still working in very subtle ways. In either case, we know that the devil is still a fierce adversary.

Today, Satan still resides in the heavens as the prince of the power of the air, and He will not be expelled from the heavens until half way through the tribulation period. At that time, there will be a loud voice in heaven, declaring:

Revelation 12:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Indeed, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. The book of Job says that:

Job 1:6-7 (NKJ)
6 . . . there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

Here, Satan indicates that he had been quietly stalking the inhabitants of the earth.

Job 1:8 (NKJ)
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

God mentioned Job by name to Satan, and Satan’s response reveals that he was very much aware of Job and of Job’s powerful testimony for the Lord. Clearly, Satan had looked for opportunities to attack Job but had found none for the Lord had set up a hedge of protection around Job.

Job 1:9-11 (NKJ)
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 "But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

As we know, the Lord did allow Satan to afflict Job, but Job was faithful to God through all of his afflictions. At one point, Job said:

Job 1:21 (NKJ)
21 . . . "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Then another time he said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”

Obviously, Satan is a powerful adversary, but God is an ally with much greater power. Job knew that he could put his trust in the Lord.

The Lord Jesus, Himself, gave us the supreme example of what it means to trust the Lord in times of adversity. Isaiah spoke for the Lord Jesus in Chapter 50 of Isaiah and said:

Isaiah 50:6-10 (NKJ)
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 "For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me; who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.

So, the Lord God can be trusted even in the darkest hour, but Isaiah 50 also indicates that God is not someone you want as your adversary. Yes, God is a wonderful ally, but He can also be your worst possible adversary. Isaiah 50, verse 1, says:

Isaiah 50:1-3 (NKJ)
1 . . . For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, and for your transgressions (Jerusalem) has been put away.
2 Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."

King Ahaz of Judah found God to be a formidable adversary. II Chronicles 28 says that:

2 Chronicles 28:2-4 (NKJ)
2 (King Ahaz) walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals.
3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

King Ahaz knew the terms of the covenant that God had made with Israel. He had been told about the fact that faithfulness to God would result in blessing but that rebellion would result in desolation. In spite of this covenant, Ahaz rebelled against the Lord and refused to worship the Lord.

2 Chronicles 28:2-5 (NKJ)
5 Therefore the LORD his God delivered (Ahaz) into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.

Then, when the Edomites and the Philistines attacked him, he called upon the kings of Assyria to come and help him. However, when they arrived, they too attacked him and carried away many of the treasures of the temple.

God brought misery and destruction upon Ahaz and the people of Judah because he refused to follow the Lord, and let me just say this to you this morning, if you don’t know the Lord, if you have refused to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, God can be a terrible adversary. No one can ride the fence when it comes to faith in Christ. Jesus said:

Matthew 12:30 (NKJ)
30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Either you’re saved or you’re not saved, and if you’re not saved, Jesus Christ is your adversary. When Jesus was teaching in Luke 12, He said:

Luke 12:58 (NKJ)
58 "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

There will be serious consequences for all of eternity for those who refuse to settle, or reconcile, with Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus was crucified, He said:

John 12:31-32 (KJV)
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

If you’re not saved, God is drawing you to Himself, convicting you of your sin and pleading with you to accept Jesus Christ so that you can be reconciled to God through faith in Christ.

We see extreme examples in our world today of people who refuse to accept Christ to their own destruction. We have seen example after example of people who are willing to blow themselves up in suicide bombings rather than turn their hearts over to Jesus Christ. Rebelling against Jesus Christ has serious consequences for all of eternity.

King Ahaz was one of those who refused to be reconciled to God. He was warned many times that his failures as king were a result of His rebellion against God, but He continued on in his path of destruction. II Chronicles 28 tells us that:

2 Chronicles 28:22-24 (NKJ)
22 . . . in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD . . .
23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.
24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

King Ahaz was traveling through life with God right by His side, but He fought God all the way. He could not bring himself to settle with his adversary along the way.

Praise the Lord, no one has to live that way. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

Thursday, September 14, 2006

The Creation (9-17-06)

The Creation
Bible Study Time 9-17-06

In the first verse of the Bible, God declares Himself to be the creator of all things. It says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Adam, of coarse, was created on the sixth day, and he personally passed down to his descendants the facts of the creation as long as he was alive, and he lived until Noah’s father was 56 years old.

Three generations after Noah, Nimrod built the Tower of Babel and introduced his clan to the worship of the sun, the moon and the stars, as well as the forces of nature. They saw the forces of nature as the mysterious force behind the evolution of the universe. As a result, they increasingly saw the story of creation, which had been handed down to them since the time of Adam, as just a myth.

When God called Abraham out from among the moon worshipers in Ur of the Chaldeans, He revealed Himself to Abraham as the God the creation. Abraham knew that God was the creator of the universe and that He was sovereign over all of its events.

From Abraham to Moses the faith of Abraham and the story of the creation were maintained and taught by men such as Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, but finally Moses was instructed to write it all down and preserve it for all mankind.

In recent years, man has taken a giant step backwards to the time of the Tower of Babel, preferring to believe that the forces of nature have acted independently from any personal God to orchestrate the evolution of the universe through the course of millions of years.

However, the creation itself bears witness to the Genesis account of creation. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 19:1-4 (NLT)
1 The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies;
4 yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world . . .

God assembled the molecules of creation so that they join together in a chorus that declares the glory of God. It could be that this molecular refrain rang out with greater clarity in ages past before the Bible was written.

It was probably through the message of the stars that the wise men heard about the birth of the King of the Jews. Since the Chaldeans are thought to have developed the science of astronomy, it may be that God first revealed Himself to Abraham through the stars of heaven.

We have no way of knowing the full effect of heaven’s voice in ages past, but we do know that even today, with the full revelation of God’s word at hand, the heavens still bear a powerful testimony to the glory of God. Paul warned the Roman believers that even today:

Romans 1:18-20 (NKJ)
18 . . . the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

All created beings are left without excuse before God because His eternal power and Godhead have been seen in the creation from the beginning. Today, however, the greatest testimony concerning the credibility of the word of God is the vibrate testimony of the millions of people through the years who have come to the living waters of Jesus Christ.

Those who have tasted the living water have found the peace that passes understanding and the joy that defies description. Those who drink from those waters know from experience that the Bible is the word of God and that when the Bible says, “God created the heavens and the earth,” that’s exactly what happened. Paul told Timothy to watch out for those who try to twist the facts of science to deny the word of God. In I Timothy 6, Paul said:

1 Timothy 6:20 (NKJ)
20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge – (then Paul goes on to say that)
21 by professing (this false knowledge) some have strayed concerning the faith . . .

There are those who think that the creation is a peripheral issue for Christians and that it really makes no difference whether we believe in creation or evolution. But make no mistake about it, false doctrine always has serious consequences. Paul said that he even knew of some who were being led astray in matters of the faith by pseudoscience.

The devil works very hard and very effectively to disguise the truth so as to make it look unintelligent or unsophisticated, but the word of God breaks through Satanic deception and gives us strength to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free. The Lord Jesus said:

John 8:31-32 (NKJ)
31 . . . “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

When the first verse of Genesis 1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” we not only learn that God created all things, but we learn that God is eternal. God existed before the heavens and the earth existed, before the beginning. To create means to make something out of nothing. Therefore, God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. There were no raw materials for Him to work with, and there was no one else there to supervise or lend a helping hand. In Job, Chapter 38, God asked Job:

Job 38:4-7 (NKJ)
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

No, Job wasn’t there in the beginning with God, but Paul tells us that the God who did create all things is someone that mankind has gotten to know a lot better through the ages. Paul said that the One who created all things is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1:15, Paul said:

Colossians 1:15-17 (NKJ)
15 (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Jesus Christ was there as part of the Godhead before anything was created. He is eternal. He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. The Apostle John confirmed the fact that Jesus Christ was there in the beginning and that He is the creator. John 1 speaks of the Lord Jesus and says:

John 1:1-3 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

We know that the Word is Jesus Christ because verse 14 of John, Chapter 1, says:

John 1:14 (NKJ)
14 . . . the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus Christ was and is a member of the Godhead, and as such, He is eternal. Therefore, Paul could say in Romans 1 that all created beings have witnessed since the time of the creation the invisible attributes of God, such as His eternal power and Godhead.

If we go back to Job, Chapter 38, we see that God said something very interesting to Job. He said that when the cornerstone of the foundation of the world was laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”

First, what was the song that the morning stars were singing? Was it the song of praise that is spoken of in Psalms 19 where we read that the heavens declare the glory of God? Was it the song that spoke to Abraham and the wise men? It very well could have been.

Second, who were the sons of God that shouted for joy? Most agree that these sons of God were the angels, but when were they created? There is no mention of the creation of the angels in Genesis, Chapter 1, when everything else was created. Were they created before God created the heavens and the earth? That’s unlikely because after the creation Moses referred to the angels as the host of the heavens and the earth. Genesis 2:1 says:

Genesis 2:1 (NKJ)
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

The host of the heavens and the earth must have been created at some point after God created the heavens and the earth. They were created to serve and worship the Lord. When the Prophet Micaiah was brought before King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat, he said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.”

We know that some of the host of heaven followed Lucifer in his prideful rebellion against the Lord. These demonic forces have through the ages conspired to rob God of His glory as the creator of the universe. They were no doubt the spiritual force behind the Tower of Babel and the system of idol worship which developed there in the plain of Shinar. They were the spiritual force behind the idols of the nation of Israel. II Kings, Chapter 17, speaks of the ten northern tribes of Israel and says:

II Kings 17:16 (NKJ)
16 . . . they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven . . .

Paul said that we today still:

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The angels must have been created at the time that God created the heavens and the earth. Then as a result of Lucifer’s rebellion:

Genesis 1:2 (NKJ)
2 The earth (became) without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep . . .

Lucifer and his rogue angels were cast out from the presence of the Lord, and Lucifer became known as Satan or the devil, who is the archenemy of God and the chief architect of all unrighteousness.

The devil and his legions must have watched with morbid curiosity when one day God exclaimed, “Let there be light.” Their hearts and minds must have burned with envy as God created man and gave man dominion over all of the beautiful things of the restored earth.

The Bible says that the devil, even then, was “more cunning than any beast of the field,” and with his subtle powers of deception, he tricked Eve into eating the fruit of the one tree which was forbidden, knowing that God had promised death in the day that they ate its fruit. True to His word, God pronounced the curse of death upon Adam and all of his descendants.

However, at the time that God pronounced the curse, He gave the prophecy that someday Satan would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but that the seed of the woman would ultimately bruise the head of Satan.

Jesus Christ, the One who created all things, was willing to leave the glory of heaven to become the seed of the woman. Satan bruised the Lord’s heel at the time of the crucifixion, but the Lord Jesus bruised the head of Satan when He was raised from the dead.

Jesus Christ conquered death, hell and the grave so that all who believe in Christ and the power of His death, burial and resurrection could have eternal life. Paul said that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The heavens and the earth that we see today are still suffering from the terrible curse of sin, but the Bible tells us that someday this curse will be lifted by the same power that raised Christ from the death. We can not even imagine how beautiful that New Heaven and New Earth will be.

Today, we who believe in Jesus hold the down payment for that beautiful New Heaven and New Earth, and that down payment is a new heart. We are born with hearts that are desperately wicked, but through faith in Christ, we are born again with a new heart, so that old things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new. If you don’t know Christ as your personal Savior this morning, won’t you put your faith in Him right now and discover for yourself the spiritual glory of the new creation.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The Gospel of Jesus Christ (9-10-06)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Bible Study Time 9-10-06

When we look at the Old Testament scriptures, we find only two chapters devoted to the creation of the universe while more than fifty chapters are devoted to the Tabernacle and its rituals. Similarly, we find that the first 2000 years of human history is recorded in the first 12 chapters of the book of Genesis while the last fourteen chapters of Genesis are devoted to the life of Joseph.

Obviously, God had a specific purpose in mind when He wrote the Bible, but what purpose would dictate spending so much time on the tabernacle and the life of Joseph. The Tabernacle was just a tent which was moved from place to place as the children of Israel traveled through the wilderness. Joseph was not even in the bloodline of the Lord Jesus and no eternal promises were given to Joseph.

The reason that there is so much attention paid to the life of Joseph and the Tabernacle is that they were both detailed pictures of Jesus Christ, and in this we see the purpose or the theme of the entire Bible. God gave the Bible to reveal the full glory of Jesus Christ.

The Bible reveals the life of Christ with the Father before the creation. It reveals His interaction with the nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament. It reveals His willingness to accept a body of flesh so that He could die for the sins of the world, conquer death by means of the resurrection and then be exalted in heaven where He sits today at the right hand of the Father. Finally, it reveals that someday Christ will return to the earth to rule in a kingdom of righteousness and peace.

The Tabernacle with its courtyards, sanctuaries, furniture and vessels presented a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ. The bronze altar (Exodus 27:1-8) was a picture of the cross on which the Lord Jesus was offered as a whole burnt offering. The laver, in which the priests washed before entering the Holy of Holies or before approaching the altar was a type of Christ cleansing the believer from the defilement of sin (John 13:2-10) and from every spot or wrinkle or any such thing, as Ephesians 5 puts it. The golden lampstand pictured Christ as the light of the world while the showbread pictured the fact that Christ is the Bread of Life.

Then, of coarse, the veil in front of the Holy of Holies pictured the spiritual separation which existed between God and man until Jesus Christ entered the Holy of Holies to place His blood upon the mercy seat. When He entered, the veil was torn from top to bottom to show that mankind now has access to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.

Everything about the Tabernacle pointed to Jesus Christ and the work that He was to accomplish upon the cross. The Bible places such an emphasis on the Tabernacle because the purpose of the Bible is to reveal the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Fourteen chapters of the Bible are devoted to the life of Joseph because his life is a picture of the life of Christ. Jacob had to wait a long time for the birth of Joseph. Joseph was called the son of Jacob’s old age. Accordingly, the nation of Israel had to wait for two thousand years for the birth of Jesus Christ.

Joseph was rejected by his brothers just as Jesus was rejected by the Jews. John said that Jesus came unto His own, but His own received Him not. Joseph was falsely accused and was sent down into prison only to be raised up out of that prison to become the ruler of Egypt. Likewise, Jesus Christ was sentence to death on the basis of false testimony. He was crucified and buried, but after 3 days He was raised from the dead to a place of exaltation and glory at the right hand of the Father. Time and time again we see the person and work of the Lord Jesus in the life of Joseph.

Though it is not a history book, the Bible is accurate in all of its historical facts. The Bible is accurate in all of its scientific details, but it was not given as a science textbook. The Bible was written by men, but it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the overall theme of the whole book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. In John 5, the Lord Jesus chastised the Pharisees, saying:

John 5:37 (NKJ)
37 " . . . the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

In other words, they had never seen God, the Father, or heard His voice, but the Father had given clear testimony concerning the Lord Jesus through the prophets. Then Jesus said:

John 5:38 (NKJ)
38 " . . . you do not have (the Father’s) word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

Obviously, God’s word was not abiding in the Pharisees because they did not believe in Jesus Christ. Those who have the word of God abiding in them are the ones who believe in Jesus Christ. Then Jesus said:

John 5:39 (NKJ)
39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

All of the Bible from the book of Genesis to the book of the Revelation was given to reveal Jesus Christ, but as the natural man reads the scriptures, his mind can not comprehend the glory of that revelation. It was not until after the Christ’s resurrection that He personally opened the eyes of His disciples so that they could see Christ in the scriptures. In Luke 24, Jesus said:

Luke 24:44-46 (NKJ)
44 . . . "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

The disciples could not understand the prophecies concerning Christ in the Old Testament until the Lord opened their understanding, and people today are no different. Without supernatural intervention, we can not see the glory of Christ in the Bible. But Paul says that we who believe have this supernatural intervention through the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians, Chapter 2, says:

1 Corinthians 2:12-14,16 (NKJ)
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned . . .
16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

The Holy Spirit reveals the mind of Christ to us and creates the mind of Christ within us. We come to know Christ as the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His essential nature and character never change. He is always faithful, gentle, kind and loving. However, as we read through the scriptures, we see that the Lord Jesus is presented in different ways in the different programs of God.

In most of the Old Testament scriptures, God was dealing specifically with the nation of Israel, and there Christ is presented there as Israel’s coming Messiah. He is seen as the Anointed One who will someday serve as Israel’s Prophet, Priest and King. We see Christ in the types or pictures such as the Tabernacle and the life of Joseph, and we see Him in the promises and the prophesies as well.

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Lord Jesus is seen as the One who came down out of heaven to become a man. He is the Son of God who became the Son of Man so that He could reign as King over all the earth. At one point Isaiah prophesied about the Lord Jesus and said:

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJ)
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder . . .

As the Son of Man, Jesus was born as a child, but as the Son of God, He is eternal and could not be born. Therefore, as the child He was born, but as the Son, He was given. He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom, saying, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He did miracles, wonders and signs to prove that He was the Son of God, but in spite of His gracious words and His stunning miracles, He was rejected and crucified upon the cross of Calvary.

During the Acts period, the Lord Jesus is presented as the resurrected and ascended Christ who is waiting in heaven for Israel to repent of their sin of unbelief so that He can return to the earth and establish the kingdom. In Acts, Chapter 2, Peter said:

Acts 2:22-24,36 (NKJ)
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--
23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it . . .
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

During this time period, the apostles also did many miracles to validate their message, but again, the nation of Israel refused the kingdom which God was graciously offering to them.

With Israel’s rejection of Christ complete at the end of the Acts period, God temporarily set aside Israel’s kingdom program to call out the Church which is the Body of Christ. This new program is revealed by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians and in His pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus. Paul wrote these epistles after the Acts period while he was still in his Roman prison. In these epistles, Paul revealed the Lord Jesus as the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. In Ephesians, Chapter 1, we read that:

Ephesians 1:20-23 (NKJ)
20 . . . (God) raised (Christ) from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Then in Colossians, Chapter 1, Paul said:

Colossians1:24-26 (NKJ)
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

The prophets never spoke of this church to which we belong today because they knew nothing about it. Paul said that this truth was a stewardship which was given to him but had been hidden from the previous generations throughout the ages.

The prophets who knew about the death of Christ, envisioned a scenario in which the resurrected Christ would be accepted by Israel during the tribulation period. The fact that Israel was going to reject the resurrected Christ was a mystery, and therefore, the Church which came about as a result of their rejection was also a mystery. In Ephesians, Paul said:

Ephesians 3:3,5,6 (NKJ)
3 . . . (God) made known to me the mystery
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

When Paul revealed the program for the Church, the Body of Christ, he revealed that the Church will be caught up to be with Christ in heaven before the tribulation period begins. But what about those who believe during the tribulation period? God has a word for them in the scriptures as well.

From the book of Hebrews to the book of the Revelation, we see Christ presented once again as Israel’s Messiah. In these books, the believing Jews of the tribulation period are encouraged to endure with patience the suffering which is caused by the antichrist. Finally, in the book of the Revelation, we see the second coming of Christ as He returns to the earth to defeat the forces of the antichrist before He rules over the earth for a thousand years and then on into eternity.

The purpose of the Bible is to reveal the full glory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God whose name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He is the One who is today exalted in heaven and who has been given the name which is above every name.

Someday every knee shall bow at the very mention of the name of Jesus, and before we close this morning, I’d like to just say that if you don’t know the Lord Jesus today, you can bow before Him right now. You can bow before Him in a spiritual sense. Even today, you can humble yourself before the Lord Jesus and call upon His name. If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, that He was buried and that He rose again the third day, God will give you everlasting life. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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