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Revelation, and Special Topics concerning the Superior Word

The Timing of the Rapture

Charlie Garrett Other, Special / Holiday, Writings 0 Comment

These are the notes from the Prophecy Update entitled The Timing of the Rapture

1 Corinthians 15 speaks of the resurrection and it details the rapture, explaining what will happen to the body we have and what will come next and why. 20-23 (resurrection) / 35-49 (type of body) / 50-53 (how the event will occur).

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (order of the actual rapture events)

5:1-3 (Times and Seasons repeat from Jesus – Acts 1:6, 7 / Day of the Lord warning; thief in the night)

5:4, 5 (not in darkness; sons of the light – this is an obvious pretrib inference. If the Day of the Lord – the Tribulation period – is darkness, and we are sons of the light, then we are not to be found in darkness).

2 Thess 1:6-10 refers to the tribulation coming upon the world. After that, 2 Thessalonians 2 gives the timeline for what will occur as laid out next… 

2:1 – Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, This is an issue which he has already addressed in his first letter, especially in Chapter 4 of it. Therefore, his words are to be taken along with what he said there. Without getting too far ahead, it is evident from his coming words that people were making false claims about the events of 1 Thessalonians 4, and these statements were troubling the fellowship. Paul wants them (and thus us!) to know the proper sequence of events which will occur in and around the Lord’s coming “and our gathering together to Him.”

The word Paul uses, translated as “gathering,” is found only here and in Hebrews 10:25 in regards to Christians assembling together for worship and instruction. In this case, it must be referring to all who are in Christ, both the dead and the living. The words of 1 Thessalonians 4 are being further explained. Therefore, it is certainly referring to the time of the rapture at the Lord’s coming for His church.

2:2 – not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. First he says that those in Thessalonica are “not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled.” This is based on what he said in verse 1 about the rapture. He is asking them to be sound in their doctrine, and thus they will not be led astray in their minds. Their hope will remain steadfast, and their faith will not be weakened.

He then says that this should be the case if presented with a false claim “either by spirit or by word or by letter.” The reason why it is false lies yet ahead in Paul’s words, but if a claim is made which contradicts the word of the Lord, then it is false.

Such a claim could be “by spirit.” This would be a supposed “prophetic utterance” by someone in a Christian setting. It would be a claim to divine revelation. Today we have the word of God. We do not need, nor will we receive, such a word of “prophetic utterance” concerning the rapture. Any claim of such a prophecy is to be rejected, and the supposed recipient is to be disregarded as a lunatic.

Next, Paul says, “by word or by letter.”  If a supposed letter or writing is received which contradicts what Paul will say, then it should be tossed into the garbage can, soaked with gas, and lit on fire. Be careful to not burn down your house in the process!

With this thought of the importance of what he will now say out of the way, he finishes the verse with, “as though the day of Christ had come.” The focus here is on the day of Christ. This is the main thought of Paul’s words of this section. The “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering to Him” is being set in relation to “the day of Christ, not the other way around. If one does not properly follow this thought, then there will be confusion in end-times theology. When is the rapture? When is the anti-Christ revealed? These things have to be taken in connection with what is now said by Paul. Otherwise, an incorrect analysis of the timing of these events is inevitable. This is why Paul has specifically started with the rapture, and then set it in relation to “the day of Christ.”

What is “the day of Christ’ then? It needs to be understood that various manuscripts say “day of the Lord” and “day of Christ.” They both have the same meaning. Christ is the Lord. This is speaking of the 7 years of tribulation which are coming upon the world. It is not merely the last 3 ½ years of this period. These seven years are what are spoken of in Daniel 9:24-27. The details of these seven years are given in numerous places in the Old Testament, and they are described in greater detail in Revelation 4:2 – 19:10. This is what Paul is referring to.

2:3 –  Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, The opening clause of this verse, “Let no one deceive you by any means,” is based on what was said in the previous verse. They were “not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us.”

At that early day in church history, there were deceivers who were making crazy stuff up out of their own heads, and passing it off as prophecies from the Lord. Paul is showing those at Thessalonica (and thus us!) that only the instructions of true apostles were to be regarded as authoritative. Now that the apostolic age is over, our only source for divine revelation is the word of God. Any supposed word from the Lord, or any supposed divine instruction apart from the Bible, is to be wholly rejected.

Paul’s next words have a thought inserted in them by the translators, “for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first.” The Greek simply reads, “because if not shall have come the apostasy.” However, the words which were inserted by the translators are rightly supplied. It is speaking not of the rapture of verse 1, but of the “day of Christ” (or day of the Lord) of verse 2. The day of Christ (meaning the tribulation period) will not come “unless the falling away comes first.”

It has become common to teach that this word, apostasia, or “falling away,” is actually speaking about the rapture because the word signifies “leave” or “depart.” However, this is an unnecessary stretch of the intent of his words. The word is only used elsewhere in Acts 21:21 when speaking of forsaking Moses, meaning the Law of Moses. The departure is one of purposeful turning away from set doctrine.

There will be a falling away from the true faith of Christ before the day of Christ comes upon the world. What is implied here is that the true church will be gone by then, but that will be explained in verse 7. It is not explained by the word apostasia of this verse. Along with this thought, Paul finishes the verse with, “and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”

Here he speaks of “the man of sin.” The term is unique in the NT. It is applied to a specific person who will be a man of lawlessness, as the word anomia implies. The word signifies “the utter disregard for God’s law (His written and living Word). Paul further describes him as “the son of perdition.” This is a term used only one other time in the Bible, in John 17:12, when speaking of Judas who betrayed Jesus.

Judas, in essence, “fell away” from the truth of the apostolic office which otherwise could have been his. He chose the evil path, and he was essentially born to be destroyed. Like Judas, this person will be set on a course which can only lead to ruin. The word Paul uses which is translated as “revealed” is apokaluptó. It will be as if a covering is pulled away and this person, bent on disregarding God’s law, will be unveiled. He then is a counterfeit to Christ, and thus he is known to us as the Antichrist. What we have so far is the understanding that the day of Christ (the day of the Lord), will not actually commence until the Antichrist is revealed. However, he will not be revealed until after the rapture, as is implied in this verse, but which will be made explicit in verse 7. And so thus far, we see the sequence of events – 1) Rapture of the church; 2) The falling away and the revealing of the Antichrist; 3) Day of Christ (Day of the Lord)

2:4 –  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.  The words which begin this verse are actually in the present tense. Rightly translated, it says, “…the [one] opposing and exalting himself.” If taken substantially, it would read “…the opposer, and exalter of himself.” It clearly references the Antichrist. The words are reflective of Satan himself, but are being applied to a man; and so it is one who is wholly in league with the goals and intents of Satan. It is this man of lawlessness who places himself “above all that is called God or is worshiped.”

In this phrase, it is understood that the Antichrist will place himself above the true God as well as all other false gods. Total allegiance to him will be required. In essence, he will be believed to be the fulfillment of whatever hope is laid out in any religion. For those who say they are Christians, he will appear to be their Christ. For the Jews, he will appear to be their Messiah. For the Muslims, he will appear to be their Mahdi, etc. But he will even exalt himself above the God or gods that he claims he is from, demanding worship of himself only.

There are things that are not “gods” which receive worship or adoration, but he will exalt himself above any such thing. This self-exaltation will be seen in a demand for total allegiance above power, money, or even life itself. This will be fully seen and realized on the day that “he sits as God in the temple of God.” These words, for countless years of the church age, have been taken to mean something other than a Jewish temple.

That temple was destroyed, and there seemed no chance of one ever being rebuilt. Some have taken this to mean “the Vatican” where the pope sits. Others argue it is referring to the Christian church in general. Charles Ellicott took it to mean “a poetical or prophetical description of usurping divine prerogatives generally.” These and other analyses were based on a misunderstanding that the church had somehow replaced Israel, or that there would never be a “temple of God” in Jerusalem again.

However, it is understood from the dispensational model that the Jews do have another temple coming (Daniel 9:24-27), and that is now possible with Israel back in their land. The temple implements are ready, and the temple itself will be built. This is actually in accord with Revelation 11:1 where John was told to “measure the temple of God.” One doesn’t measure a universal church or a “poetical or prophetical description,” and the Vatican doesn’t sit in Jerusalem. Paul’s words, combined with those of Daniel and John, clearly indicate a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem. It is in this temple that the Antichrist will sit “as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

To sit in the temple, where only God is allowed to reside, is to claim the authority and personage of God. No priest is said to sit in the temple. There are duties to be conducted and then they are to depart. No such furniture exists for the priests to sit down. Only in the Holy of Holies of the temple was there a place of rest. This is where God dwelt above the cherubim on the mercy seat above the ark. The high priest would enter behind that veil once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people, but other than that, there was no sitting of any kind involved in temple duties. (See Hebrews 10:12 & 12:2!)

Antichrist sitting in the temple will be his claim that he is entitled to sit there because he is the one who “is God.” As it is known that Jesus is God incarnate and the Christ, this then is the “Antichrist.” He will make a false claim against the true God who has revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus.

2:5 – Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? here Paul takes time to upbraid the church at Thessalonica, and he does it in the form of a question. Further, in a change unique to this verse alone, he switches from the third person to the first person. Whereas he has been saying “we” to include those with him, he now departs from that in his zeal to correct his audience and says, “I.”

He begins with, “Do you not remember.” It is a way of saying, “You obviously didn’t pay attention.” Jesus used this same type of questioning in order to rebuke the disciples. Paul has done it elsewhere as well, such as in his letters to the Romans and those at Corinth. Now, having chided them for not having remembered, and for instead having become shaken by someone’s introduction of false doctrine (see verse 2), he goes on to say, “that when I was still with you.”

As noted, he speaks here in the first person – “I personally was there, and I personally instructed you on this matter.” Paul’s frustration is obvious. He wanted soundness of mind for his beloved brethren, but they had instead been disturbed in their thinking because of the introduction of incorrect information.

To finish the verse, he says, “I told you these things.” The word translated as “told” in the Greek is in the imperfect tense. In other words, “I repeatedly told you these things.” The use of the imperfect, when read by the church, would be an embarrassing moment for them. Paul had spoken of the end times as a core part of his doctrine, and one of the things he told them was that it would probably be a long time before the Lord returned. Further, before “the day of Christ” came, certain things would precede it.

If they had paid attention, they would not now be unsettled. The same imperfect tense is used in 1 Thessalonians 3:4 when reminding them that they would face tribulation. Paul and those with him didn’t just tell them this, they told them it often. The same is true with his words of end-times events. The entire thought of this verse is reminiscent of that of Hebrews 5:12 –

“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.” Hebrews 5:12

There are things which people hear, and of which they should pay close attention, but they instead take brain-naps while the instructor is imparting his wisdom to them. In this, they are only harming themselves. HEY YOU…WAKE UP !

2:6 – And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. Paul continues with his thoughts on the revealing of the Antichrist. He said that the Antichrist would not be revealed until after the rapture of the church. This is implied in the previous verses, and it will be implied again in the coming verses. Only then will Antichrist be revealed, and the world enter the day of Christ (the Lord). But something is restraining that from occurring, something they have already been told about. This is reminded to them with the words, “And now you know what is restraining.”

The words, “And now” are not speaking of anything he has said in this letter. Instead of being in a temporal sense, the word “now” is being used in an introductory sense. They are being asked to call to memory what had already been told them. The reason for explaining it this way is because the church had been fooled; they had been misdirected by false information claiming that “the day of Christ” had come. The reminder now is that the revealing of the Antichrist is actually purposefully hindered, and it would continue to be so until the right time arrived.

The words, “what is restraining” are insufficient here. There is a definite article in front of  “restraining” in the Greek. This is not a mere doctrine that they are aware of, but rather of a specific and familiar object. It should say, “that which is restraining.” A known entity is restraining the coming of Antichrist, and the time for that entity to cease restraining will come as planned by God. And so there was absolutely no reason for those in Thessalonica (and thus us!) to speculate about having already entered into the tribulation period.

The truth holds for us even until this day. And yet, how many have claimed that the day of Christ (the day of the Lord) has arrived? How many speculations about the tribulation period have been laid out in chart upon chart! But there is one restraining, and that will continue to be the case so “that he may be revealed in his own time.” The “he” is speaking of Antichrist.

What is restraining the revealing of the Antichrist is not specifically mentioned, but it can be readily inferred based on several things in the verses to come. But suffice it to say that 1) the Antichrist is one who stands in opposition to Jesus. If this must be restrained for even 2000 years now, it shows that even though Antichrist is a person, there is more involved. He is a person who will be specifically filled by Satan. And 2) if this could be at any given time, then there is a set time – known even 2000 years ago – when this would come about. What could could restrain Satan from so filling whatever person he chose for that long? Stay tuned.

The words, “that he might be revealed in his own time,” have the meaning of “with a view to.” What this means is that God’s purposes will come about because the power of Antichrist will stop being restrained when He sees fit. Just as God ordained Israel to be exiled to Babylon for 70 years, and then that exile ended as prophesied, and then just as the same is true with the ending of their second exile at a pre-prophesied moment to effect His purposes, the ending of the restraint of the power which will be given to the Antichrist is intended to meet God’s purposes for judgment on the unrepentant world.

The word translated as “time” indicates a set and purposeful time. It is a particular season. Just as Christ Jesus was said to have come in the fullness of the time set by God, so Antichrist will come at a particular season to fulfill God’s purposes.

2:7 – For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.  The word “For” is given based on the words of the previous verse. Paul said something was restraining the Antichrist. This was “that he may be revealed in his own time.” From this, Paul continues with “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” A mystery is something not revealed. There is a lawlessness which is working (and it has been working for 2000 years or more) which is not yet fully revealed. It has been slowly working out a plan. In the Greek, there is an article in front of both “mystery” and “lawlessness.” It reads, “For the mystery of the lawlessness.”

The state of lawlessness which is still not fully revealed is “already at work.” The idea of the work is that of an inward action, as if yeast causing bread to swell. It is an infection, not a personal thing. It is a state of lawlessness which is working, and which will eventually be revealed. This mystery is then sharply contrasted to the word “revealed” which is found in verses 6 & 8. There is a time when the lawlessness will come forth to effect its purposes on earth. It will be when the Antichrist is revealed, because he will then embody this lawlessness. This working of lawlessness, however, is kept in check until the appropriate time.

At some point, the restraining force of verse 6 will no longer restrain. As it says, “only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” Here, the words “will do so” are supplied by the translators for clarity. The use of the masculine word “He” is based upon the masculine, singular article in the Greek. In verse 6, the restraining force was described with a neuter article, “that which restrains.” That is converted now to a masculine noun. The question is, “Who is He?”

The NKJV capitalizes the word. This is a presupposition that it is speaking of the Holy Spirit. Others continue to translate this as “the one,” “he” (not capitalized), “that which,” “the person,” etc. Each translation is based on a best guess of the nature of this “restrainer.” But Paul uses the masculine here for a reason, and so it is not appropriate to continue to translate it in the neuter. Further, this cannot be a “person” in the regular sense. The restraining has gone on for millennia. It is also not something belonging to the lawlessness. To be restrained is an external force, not an internal one.

Therefore, the NKJV is correct. God is restraining. However, and more specifically, it is the restraining power of the third member of the Godhead – the Holy Spirit. One analysis is that the restrainer is the church itself, but as the word is masculine, it is more appropriately the One who is intimately identified with the true church. The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Christ (Ephesians 1:13, 14). As this is so, the church is involved in the restraining process, but it is the Holy Spirit who is the one who actively restrains the lawlessness. And He will do so “until He is taken out of the way.”

What this means is that there is a time when the Holy Spirit’s restraining influence will no longer be effected. A releasing of the restraint will come about, and then only will the lawless one be revealed. What is certain then is that if the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, the church too must be taken out of the way. If the effect of the Holy Spirit is to end, and the church were to remain, then the “guarantee” of the sealing of the Spirit which Paul notes in Ephesians 1:14 would not be a sound “guarantee” at all. We would be left abandoned. This is completely contrary to the nature of God and His word. Thus, this taking “out of the way” of the Holy Spirit is simultaneous with the taking away of the church at the rapture. Both occur, and only then will the mystery of lawlessness (and thus the Antichrist) be revealed. This is explicitly stated next…

2:8 – And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.   “And then.” In Greek it is kai tote. It is correctly translated… “And then.” So here we have a clear sequence of events –

1) The Restrainer (meaning the Holy Spirit, and thus the body of believers whom the Holy Spirit has sealed) will be “taken out of the way.” 2) And then the lawless one will be revealed, which will be in conjunction with… 3) The tribulation period (the day of Christ/the Lord)

The timeline is set. There is no reason at all to debate who the Antichrist is, and there is no need to wonder if Christians will have to endure some (mid-trib) or all (post-trib) of the tribulation period. Paul is the one to define these things. Going to the words of Jesus in the synoptic gospels to determine the timing of these events is inappropriate, because Jesus is not speaking to the church about these things. He is speaking to Israel about things which will affect them, including the tribulation period.

In using the words of the gospels to form a prophetic timeline for the church, one mixes dispensations. In doing so, a convoluted theology will always result. We are to stick to the epistles of Paul for proper church-age doctrine. It is only after the removal of the Restrainer that “the lawless one will be revealed.” It is this Satan-filled person “whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth.” This is alluded to by John in the book of Revelation – “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations.” Revelation 19:15

Isaiah 11:4, which Paul is actually loosely citing, is another reference to this –

“But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.”

One can see that this doesn’t merely mean that Christ will exhale and the Antichrist will evaporate. Rather, the symbolism of the sword and the rod reveals a destroying weapon which will come against the forces of Antichrist and destroy them all. They will be destroyed so easily that it will be as if He simply breathes out and they are vanquished. The details are explained in Revelation 19:19 & 21. It also is further defined by Paul with the words, “and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” The supposed power and majesty of the Antichrist will pale in comparison to the glory of Christ Jesus. After defeating the armies gathered together to make war against Him, it then says in Revelation 19:20 –

“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Bad times lay ahead for this sick dood. Instead of ruling the world, he should have been reading his Bible. Jesus said as much to us in Matthew 16:26. There he asked an obvious question, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” The answer is, “None.” This vile person will have gained the whole world, and yet his soul will be eternally condemned. Not a very bright choice in the end.

2:9-12 will give details about the time after the rapture and what it will be like for those left behind.

3:6-12 sums up Paul’s thoughts concerning rapture date setters who spend their time in that insanity instead of remaining productive people of God. Verse 10 is how they should be treated.  For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

Revelation 1-3 are addressed to the church. Revelation 4:1 is the rapture. The church is not mentioned at all from 4:2 until 19:10. In 19:11 is the return of Christ. Rev 19:14 notes that we are there with Him in this return.

NOTE: Not a single word of the three synoptic gospels are spoken to the church, and Matt 24:36 is spoken to Israel, while under the law and has nothing to do with the rapture. The rapture was a “mystery” only revealed by Paul in 1 Cor 15:51. This was the first time it is ever directly and explicitly addressed in human history and to the redeemed. That was 20-25 years after Christ’s ascension.

Pictures of a pretribulation rapture are carefully recorded in the Old Testament. If you want to see them, email me for the sermon link.

Lord Jesus has made us His pledge / By rapture surround us with hedge / We don’t know the date

He’ll never be late / But the world is surely on edge. // It is fact and not theory, pre-trib / To say anything else is a fib / If you think it’s absurd / To be truth of the Word / You best don a big diaper and bib

Such is the world in which we live… From Sarasota, Florida to UB Mongolia (),  I’m Charlie Garrett, this is the Superior Word, and that’s your PU for the Week

 

Chiasms in the Bible

Charlie Garrett Chiasms 0 Comment

Something fun from the Bible and a refutation of the Documentary Hypothesis – I hope you’ll enjoy it. It’s a pattern known as a Chiasm. “Chiasm” comes from the Greek letter Chi which is shaped like our “X.” It’s a pattern which starts in one direction and then turns around and repeats itself in the opposite direction.

I found most of them in this list. Any not found by me are noted as such. I hope after you see these, that you will look for them yourself and share them with me if you find any. Remember, these have been right in plain sight – for up to 3500 years. What a joy it is to share it with others – we are the recipients of God’s favor!

These first two are actually one inside the next, showing great intricacy –

 

Genesis 3:5 – 3:22 – That Serpent of Old, called the Devil and Satan.
The Fall of Man (4/8/2008)

a 3:5  You will be like God, knowing good and evil
—–b 3:7  They made coverings of fig leaves
———-c 3:8  Wife as yet unnamed
—————-d 3:9  Adam questioned
——————–e 3:12-13a  Eve accused and questioned
————————-x 3:13b  Serpent accused
————————-x 3:14  Serpent’s curse
——————–e 3:16  Eve’s curse
—————-d 3:17-19 Adam’s curse
———-c 3:20  Wife is named Eve
—–b 3:21  The LORD God made them tunics of skin and clothed them.
a 3:22 Man is like one of Us, to know good and evil.

 

Genesis 3:6 – 3:22 – Where are you?
Hard Questions (4/8/2008)

a 3:6  She ate the fruit from the tree and then gave it to her husband.
—–b 3:7  They realized they were naked.
———-c 3:8  Adam and Eve hid themselves.
—————x 3:9  Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
———-c 3:10  “I hid myself.”
—–b 3:11a  “Who told you that you were naked?”
a 3:11b  “Have you eaten from the tree?”

 

Genesis 19:10-16 (Sergio Voitenko, 3 January 2021
a Angels grabbed and saved Lot from the angry mod (v10-11)
—–b Angels inquire Lot about sons-in-law (v12)
———-c Destroy the place (v13)
—————x Because the outcry against it is so great (v13)
———-c Destroy it (v13)
—–b Lot begs sons in law to get up (v14)
a Angels grabbed them and saved them from destruction (v15-16)

Genesis 23:7-18 – Abraham Buries His Dead
A Purchase of Land (10/15/2012)

a (7) sons of Heth
—–b (9) the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field
———-c (10) in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city
—————d (11) the field and the cave that is in it
——————–e (11) in the presence of the sons of my people
————————-f (11) Bury your dead!”
——————————g (12, 13) Abraham spoke to Ephron
———————————–x (13) “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you
———————————–money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.”
——————————g (14) Ephron answered Abraham
————————-f (15) So bury your dead.”
——————–e (16) in the hearing of the sons of Heth
—————d (17) the field and the cave which was in it
———-c (18) in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who entered at the gate of his city
—–b (19) the cave of the field of Machpelah
a (20) sons of Heth

 

Genesis 23:17-20 – Abraham Buries Sarah
A Purchase of Land (10/16/2012)

a so the field of Machpelah… before Mamre…the field and the cave in it… were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth
—–x And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah
a so the field of Machpelah… before Mamre…the field and the cave in it… were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth

 

Genesis 37:5-8 – Joseph’s Dream
Israel Bows to the King (08/26/13)

a Concerning Joseph’s dream spoken to his brothers
—–b they hated him even more
———-c So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: (giving of the
———-dream)
—————x There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and
—————also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed
—————down to my sheaf.”
———-c And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you
———-indeed have dominion over us?” (explanation of the dream)
—–b they hated him even more
a Concerning his dreams and his words to his brothers

 

Genesis 50:22-26 – Joseph Made the Sons of Israel Swear
The years of Joseph (Found by Sergio Voitenko – 01/25/2017)

a Joseph stayed in Egypt (v22)
—–b Joseph lived 110 years and is about to die (v22-23)
———-c God will help his brothers to go to Israel (v24b)
—————x Joseph made sons of Israel swear (v25a)
———-c God will help his brothers take his bones to Israel (v25b)
—–b Joseph dies at 110 (v26a)
a Joseph placed in a coffin in Egypt (v26b)

What is special about this chiasm concerning Joseph is that the last words of Joseph’s life are not only recorded in the hall of fame of faith but they are also the center of the chiasm that ends the book of Genesis.

 

Exodus 3:8 – 3:17 – I AM WHO I AM
The God Who Sees Promises Deliverance (8/22/2011) (Susan Garret and Charlie Garrett)

a 3:8(a) a land flowing with milk and honey
—–b 3:8(b) to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the
—–Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
———-c 3:9(a) the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me
—————d 3:9(b) I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
——————–e 3:10 I will send you to Pharaoh
————————-f 3:12 this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you
——————————g 3:13(a) The God of your fathers has sent me to you,
———————————–h 3:13(b) What is His name?
—————————————-i 3:13(c) What shall I say to them
———————————————x 3:14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”
—————————————-i 3:14(b) Thus you shall say to the children of Israel,
———————————–h 3:14(c) I AM has sent me to you.
——————————g 3:15(a) The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the
——————————God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.
————————-f 3:15(c) This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all
————————-generations.
——————–e 3:16(a) Go and gather the elders of Israel
—————d 3:16(b)I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt
———-c 3:17(a) I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt
—–b 3:17(b) to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the
—–Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites
a 3:17(c) a land flowing with milk and honey

 

Exodus 6:1-11 – Words of Covenant Surety (Seven “I Wills)
A Promise of Redemption and Inheritance (1/5/2015)

a (vs 1) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
—–b (vs 3) I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
———-c (vs 4) I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of
———-Canaan,
—————d (vs 5) The groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in
—————bondage,
——————–e (vs 6) ‘I am the Lord;
————————-f (vs 6) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
————————-x (vs 6) I will rescue you from their bondage,
————————-x (vs 6) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great
————————-judgments.
————————-f (vs 7) I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.
——————–e (vs 7) Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God
—————d (vs 7) The burdens of the Egyptians.
———-c (v 8) And I will bring you into the land
—–b (vs 8) I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage
a (vss 10, 11) And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

 

Exodus 6:12-30 – The Family of Moses and Aaron
A Foreshadowing of the Coming Prophet and Priest (1/12/2015)

a (vs 12) And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”
—–b  (vs 13) Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron … for Pharaoh king
—–of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
———-c (vss 14-15) Families of Reuben and Simeon (rejected as leaders)
—————d (vss 16-19) Genealogies of Levi “according to their generations.”
——————–x. (vs 20) The family of Moses and Aaron
—————d (vss 21-25) Houses of Levi “according to their families.”
———-c (vss 26, 27) Moses and Aaron (selected as leaders)
—–b (vss 28, 29) The Lord spoke to Moses … “Speak to Pharaoh king of
—–Egypt all that I say to you.”
a (vs 30) But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

 

Exodus 9:33, 34 – A Heavenly Plague
Pharaoh Changes His Mind

a thunder
—–b hail
———-c rain
—————x Pharaoh
———-c rain
—–b hail
a thunder

 

Exodus 13:21-14:20 – In the Wilderness (4/23/08)
Miracles and Complaints

a 13:21, 22 The pillar of cloud/fire led the way.
—–b 14:4 Harden Pharaoh’s heart to gain honor over him.
———-c 14:9 Israel lifted their eyes and were very afraid.
—————d 14:11 …to die in the wilderness
——————–e 14:11 Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
————————-f 14:12 Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians
——————–e 14:12 It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians
—————d 14:12 … we should die in the wilderness.
———-c 14:13 Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.
—–b 14:17 Harden Egyptians hearts to gain honor over Pharaoh and all his army.
a 14:19, 20 The pillar of cloud went behind them.

Exodus 14:21-31 – Stretch Out Your Hand Over the Sea (4/23/08)
The Great Miracle

a 14:21 LORD produced miracle through Moses.
—–b 14:22 Through sea on dry ground, the waters a wall to their right and left.
———-c 14:23-25 Army of Pharaoh troubled
—————d 14:26 “Stretch out your hand over the sea.”
——————–x The waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots,
—————and on their horsemen.
—————d 14:27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea
———-c 14:28 Army of Pharaoh destroyed.
—–b 14:29 Through sea on dry ground, the waters a wall to their right and left.
a 14:30, 31 Israelites saw the miracle and feared the LORD and Moses.

Exodus 22:28-23:13 – Help your enemy if his donkey/ox is in trouble
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (01/30/13)

a 22:28 shall not revile God
—–b 22:30 oxen and your sheep shall be with its mother seven days
———-c 22:31 “you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field”
—————d 23:1 “You shall not circulate a false report.”
——————–e 23:3 not to show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.
————————-x 23:4 enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, help him
————————-x 23:5 donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, help him
——————–e 23:6 not to pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.
—————d 23:7 “Keep yourself far from a false matter;”
———-c 23:11 “and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat.”
—–b 23:12 rest on seventh day, so ox and donkey may rest
a 23:13 no mention of the name of other gods

 

Exodus 23:24-33 – Covenant Promises and Expectations
Upon Entering the Land of Canaan (2/9/2016)

a v.24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works
—–b v.24 You shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred
—–pillars
———-c v.25 So you shall serve the Lord your God
—————d v.25&26 (Blessings of prosperity within the land)
——————–e v.27 I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all
——————–the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies
——————–turn their backs to you
————————-x v.28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the
————————-Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you
————————-x v.29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the
————————-land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too
————————-numerous for you
——————–e v.30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have
——————–increased, and you inherit the land
—————d v.31 (Blessing of boundaries of the land)
———-c v.32 You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods
—–b v.33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me
a v.33 For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you

 

Exodus 24:1-9 The Cutting of the Covenant
Israel’s Verbal Agreement to the Words of the Lord (2/9/2016)

a v.1 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel…”
—–b v.3 Moses submits the covenant for acceptance
———-c v.3 “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.”
—————d v.4 Wrote out the words of the Lord.
——————–e v.4 Built an altar
————————-x v.4 The twelve tribes of Israel
————————-x v.5 The children of Israel
——————–e v.6 Sanctified the altar
—————d v.7 Read the words of the Lord
———-c v.8 “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”
—–b v.8 Moses seals the covenant after acceptance
a v.9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel

 

Exodus 24:9-18 Moses Went Up
Designation of Aaron and Hur to Lead During Moses’ Absence (3/2/2016)

a 9 Then Moses went up
—–b 10 (Description of the Lord’s glory)
———-c 12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there;
—————d 13 Moses went up to the mountain of God.
——————–x 14 (instructions to the elders/designation of Aaron and Hur as leaders
—————d 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain,
———-c 16 And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
—–b 17 (Description of the Lord’s glory)
a 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud

 

Exodus 29:43-45 – Sanctified by My glory
I Will Dwell Among Them and be Their God (05/25/2016)

a And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and they shall be sanctified by My glory
—–x So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar
—–x I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests
a I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God

 

Exodus 31:13-17 – The Sabbath Rest
A Sign between the Lord and Israel (7/11/2016)

a Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep
—–b For it is a sign between Me and you
———-c Throughout your generations,
—————d You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you
——————–e Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death
————————-f For whoever does any work on it
————————-x Work shall be done for six days,
————————-but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord
————————-f Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day
——————–e He shall surely be put to death
—————d Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the
—————Sabbath
———-c Throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant
—–b It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel
a On the seventh day He rested and was refreshed

 

Exodus 32:1-34:17 – The Glory of the LORD (8/31/11)
A Call to Holiness

a 32:1-35 Example of idolatry.
—–b 33:2 And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the
—–Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
———-c 33:3 for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are
———-a stiff-necked people
—————d 33:7-11 Moses meets the Lord in the Tent of Meeting.
——————–e 33:12 You have said, “I know you by name.”
————————-f 33:12 You have also found grace in My sight
——————————g 33:13 Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight,
——————————show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may
——————————find grace in Your sight.
——————————h 33:13 And consider that this nation is Your people
—————————————-i 33:14 And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will
—————————————-give you rest.”
———————————————x 33:15 If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring
———————————————us up from here.
—————————————-i 33:16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I
—————————————-have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?
——————————h 33:16 So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the
——————————people who are upon the face of the earth.
——————————g 33:17 I will also do this thing that you have spoken
————————-f 33:17 You have found grace in My sight
——————–e 33:17 I know you by name
—————d 33:18-34:8 Moses meets the Lord on Mt. Sinai.
———-c 34:9 O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked
———-people
—–b 34:11 Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and
—–the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
a 34:12-17 Warning against idolatry.

 

Leviticus 6:9-13 – Handling of the burnt offering and its ashes (5/13/08)
The Burnt Offering
a 6:9 The fire shall be kept burning
—–b 6:10 The fire shall be kept burning/the ashes of the burnt offer shall be taken up
———-x 6:11 Carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
—–b 6:12 The fire shall be kept burning; and the burnt offering shall be lain on it
a 6:13 The fire shall be kept burning; it shall never go out

Numbers 9:18-23, Traveling by the Cloud;
A chiasm of obedience.

a At the command of the LORD the people would camp (18).
—–b The people would not journey as long as the cloud continued (19).
———-x So it was, they would remain and they would journey by the cloud (20).
———-x So it was, they would remain and they would journey by the cloud (21).
—–b The people would not journey as long as thc cloud continued (22).
a At the command of the LORD the people remained encamped (23).
Vince found this one.

 

Numbers 9:18-23 (The Charge of the Lord)
Should we stay, or should we go?

a at the command of the Lord
—–b v. 19 Israel kept the charge of the Lord
———-c  v. 20 according to the command of the Lord they would remain encamped, and
———-according to the command of the Lord they would journey
—————d  v. 21 when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey;
——————–x v.22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained
——————–above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not
——————–journey
—————d v. 22 but when it was taken up, they would journey
———-c v. 23 At the command of the Lord they remained encamped, and at the command of
———-the Lord they journeyed
—–b v. 23 they kept the charge of the Lord
a at the command of the Lord

 

Deuteronomy 3:18-20 – Much Livestock
A Chiasm of Contrasts (23 March 2020)

a “Then I commanded you at that time, saying (Moses’ command)
—–b ‘The Lord your God has given you this land to possess (east of Jordan)
———-c All you men of valor shall cross over armed before your brethren,
———-the children of Israel (prepared for battle)
—————d But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (needing security)
——————–x (I know that you have much livestock)
—————d shall stay in your cities which I have given you (given security)
———-c until the Lord has given rest to your brethren as to you (given rest)
—–b and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them
—–beyond the Jordan (west of Jordan)
a Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you
(Moses’ command)

 

Deuteronomy 3:25-4:22 – Call upon Him.
Israel’s Instruction (11/07)

a 3:25  Moses wants to cross Jordan
—–b 3:26  Lord angry with Moses
———-c 3:27  “Lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east.”
—————d 4:2-4  Example of apostasy (idolatry)
——————–e 4:5  Taught statutes and judgments
————————-f 4:6  Be careful to observe them (judgments)
——————————g 4:7  Great nation
———————————–x 4:7  Call upon Him
——————————g 4:8  Great nation
————————-f 4:9  Diligently keep yourself (judgments)
——————–e 4:10-14  Taught statutes and judgments.
—————d 4:15-18  Warning of apostasy (idolatry)
———-c 4:19  “Lift your eyes to heaven.”
—–b 4:21  Lord angry with Moses
a 4:22  Moses must not cross over the Jordan

 

Deuteronomy 5:23-5:27 – A Consuming Fire
When God Speaks with Man (06/22/20)

a “So it was, when you heard (shama) the voice from the midst of the darkness,
—–b while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me (qarav)
———-c His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man;
———-yet he still lives.
—————d Now therefore, why should we die?
——————–e For this great fire will consume us;
—————d then we shall die
———-c the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
—–b You go near (qarav) and hear all that the Lord our God may say,
a and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear (shama) and do it.’

 

Deuteronomy 6:17-25 – What is the Meaning?
To Keep is to Observe (17/8/2020)

a You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, His testimonies, and His statutes
—–b That it may be well with you
———-c Possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers
—————d To cast out all your enemies from before you (The Lord’s action)
——————–e When your son asks
————————-x What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the
————————-judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?’
——————–e Then you shall say to your son
—————d  He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in (The Lord’s action)
———-c To give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.
—–b For our good always, that He might preserve us alive
a If we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God

 

Deuteronomy 7:9-12 – The Covenant and the Mercy
A Promise and a Warning (08/31/2020)

a He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy
—–b For a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His
—–commandments
———-c And He repays those who hate Him to their face
—————x He will not be slack with him who hates Him
———-c He will repay him to his face
—–b Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments
—–which I command you today, to observe them
a That the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy

 

Deuteronomy 8:3-16 – Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God
In Abundance, Keep his Commandments, Judgments and Statutes (Discovered by Sergio Voitenko – 03/09/2016)

a 3 “humbled you.. And fed you with manna.. Nor did your fathers know”
—–b 4 garments did not wear out, foot didn’t swell for 40 years
———-c 6 “Keep the commandments of the Lord, walk His ways, fear Him”
—————d 7-9 you will lack nothing
——————–e 10 “when you have eaten and are full”
————————-x 11 “beware that you do not forget the LORD your God”
——————–e 12 “lest when you have eaten and are full”
—————d 13 when in abundance of everything
———-c 14 “when you forget the Lord your God”
—–b 15 the Lord who led you through the great and terrible wilderness
a 16 “who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know.. And Humbled you”

 

Deuteronomy 9:6-13 – Breaking the Covenant
While Moses was on the mountain of God (6/3/2008 – refined in 2020)

a 9:6 You are a stiff-necked people
—–b 9:7, 8 You who came out of Egypt provoked the LORD to wrath
———-c 9:9, 10 I received two tablets of stone when on the mountain 40 days and nights
—————x 9:10 the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the
—————midst of the fire
———-c 9:11 At the end of 40 days and nights, the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone
—–b 9:12 The people who came out of Egypt acted corruptly and disobeyed the LORD
a 9:13: Indeed, they are a stiff-necked people

 

Deuteronomy 11:1-8 (The Acts of the Lord)
From Egypt to the Bank of the Jordan (11/9/2020)

a “Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments,
and His commandments always
—–b And you have known today … His greatness and His mighty hand and His
—–outstretched arm—His signs and His acts which He did
———-c in the midst of Egypt
—————d to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to all his land; what He did to the army of
—————Egypt, to their horses and their chariots: how He made the waters of the
—————Red Sea overflow them as they pursued you, and how the Lord has
—————destroyed them to this day (judgment on Egypt via the waters)
——————–x what He did for you in the wilderness until you came to this place
—————d and what He did to Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, the son of
—————Reuben: how the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, their
—————households, their tents, and all the substance that was in their
—————possession (judgment on Israel via the earth)
———-c in the midst of all Israel
—–b but your eyes have seen every great act of the Lord which He did
a “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today

 

Deuteronomy 11:17-21 (Instruction of the Word)
Truth or Consequences (11/16/2020)

a and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain
—–b and the land (ha’adamah) yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good
—–land which the Lord is giving you
———-c “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul,
———-and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between
———-your eyes.
—————x You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your
—————house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up
———-c And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
—–b that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land
—–(ha’adamah) of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them
a like the days of the heavens above the earth

 

Deuteronomy 12:12-18 (Rejoicing Before the Lord)
Allowances and Prohibitions (12/7/2020)

a And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.
—–b You and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite
—–who is within your gates.
———-c In the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer
———-your burnt offerings.
—————d And there you shall do all that I command you.
——————–e “However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates, whatever
——————–your heart desires.
————————-x The unclean and the clean may eat of it.
——————–e Of the gazelle and the deer alike. Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall
——————–pour it on the earth like water.
—————d (Commands) You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your
—————new wine or your oil, of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, of any of your
—————offerings which you vow, of your freewill offerings, or of the heave offering of your
—————hand.
———-c But you must eat them before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord your ———-God chooses.
—–b You and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the
—–Levite who is within your gates.
a And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.

 

Deuteronomy 13:2-5 – You Shall Walk After the Lord Your God
Contrasts and Confirmations (12/21/2020)

a he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us walk after other gods’
—–b which you have not known (unknown)
———-c you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams
—————d for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord
—————your God with all your heart and with all your soul
——————–x You shall walk after the Lord your God
—————d fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve
—————Him and hold fast to Him
———-c But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death
—–b the Lord your God (known)
a to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk

 

Joshua 22:10-34 – The LORD, God of gods.
A great misunderstanding. (11/22/07)

a 22:10  Impressive Altar
—–b 22:12  Preparation for war against tribes across Jordan.
———-c 22:13  Phinehas sent.
—————d 22:16-18  Turn away from following the LORD; He will be angry with us.
——————–e 22:18  Discussion of rebellion.
————————-f 22:19  The land is defiled by an unauthorized altar.
——————————g 22:20  Wrath on Israel because of Aachan’s trespass.
———————————–x 22:22 – The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods.
——————————g 22:23  “If because of trespass, let God require it of us.”
————————-f 22:26-28  The land is not defiled; it is not an altar for sacrifice.
——————–e 22:29  Denial of rebellion against the LORD.
—————d 22:31 The LORD is among us; we are delivered from His hand.
———-c 22:32  Phinehas returns.
—–b 22:33  Cancellation of war preparation against tribes across Jordan.
a 22:34 – Altar called “Witness”

Judges 1 – So the LORD was with Judah.
A Chiasm of Contrasts – Judah Prevails (11/26/2007)

a Judah/Simeon overcome Canaan’s inhabitants.
—–b 1:6  Adoni-Bezek has thumbs and toes cut off.
———-c 1:8  Jerusalem taken by Judah.
—————d 1:10  Sheshai, Ahiman, Talmai killed.
——————–e 1:15  Caleb’s daughter given land in the South.
——————————f 1:15  Upper springs/lower springs.
———————————–x 1:19  So the Lord was with Judah.
——————————f 1:19  Mountains/lowland.
——————–e 1:20  Caleb given Hebron
—————d 1:20  Three sons of Anak killed.
———-c 1:21  Jebusites in Jerusalem not driven out by Benjamin.
—–b 1:24  Man shown mercy at destruction of Beth’el.
a 7 other tribes fail to overcome Canaan’s inhabitants.

 

1 Samuel 18:11–19:1 – David – Saul’s Son in Law.
The price of obtaining a bride. (12/12/07)

a 18:11 Saul tries to kill David
—–b 18:14 David behaved wisely
———-c 18:15 Saul afraid of David
—————d 18:16 All Judah and Israel loved David
——————–e 18:17a Saul Promises Merab, his daughter, to David
————————-f 18:17b Saul sets David against Philistines
——————————g 18:18 David questioned right to be son-in-law
——————————h 18:21 Saul sets David against the Philistines
—————————————-i 18:22a Saul commands his servants
———————————————x 18:22 David told to become Saul’s son-in-law
———————————————x 18:23 David questions right to be son-in law
—————————————-i 18:24 Saul’s servants respond to him
——————————h 18:25 Saul sets David against the Philistines
——————————g 18:26 David pledged to become Saul’s son-in-law
————————-f 18:27a David fights the Philistines
——————–e 18:27b Saul gives Michal, his daughter to David
—————d 18:28 Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David
———-c 18:29 Saul afraid of David
—–b 18:30 David behaved wisely
a 19:1 Saul instructs that David be killed.

 

2 Samuel 7:19-29 – Prayer for the Davidic House
King David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving (04/03/2011)

a 7:19 “You have spoken about your servant’s house in the distant future”
—–b 7:21 You have revealed all these great things to your servant.
———-x 7:24 God establishes the people Israel
———-x 7:26 God establishes the House of David
—–b 7:28 “Your words are true and you have promised grace to Your servant.
a 7:29 “You have spoken and Your servant’s house will be blessed forever.

 

1 Kings 1:10-19 – Awaiting the king’s decision.
Adonijah’s attempt to usurp the throne. (12/17/05)

a 1:10 Strategic guests not invited to Adonijah’s party, including Solomon.
—–b 1:11 Nathan tells Bathsheba Adonijah has become king and David doesn’t know it.
———-c 1:13 Bathsheba told to remind king that Solomon was to reign after David.
—————x 1:15 Bathsheba appears before the king.
—————-x 1:16 Bathsheba pays homage to the king.
———-c 1:17 Bathsheba reminds the king that Solomon was to reign after David.
—–b 1:18 Bathsheba tells David Adonijah has become king and David doesn’t know it.
a 1:19 Strategic guests invited to Adonijah’s party, but not Solomon.

 

2 Kings 2:2-25 – …and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Elisha assumes Elijah’s position.  (12/22/07)

a 2:2 Elijah and Elisha go from Gilgal to Bethel (SE – NW)
—–b 2:4 Elijah and Elisha go from Bethel to Jericho.
———-c 2:4 Elijah and Elisha came to Jericho.
—————d 2:7 Sons of the prophets stood facing Elijah and Elisha.
——————–e 2:8 Elijah took his mantle and struck the water.
————————-f 2:10 …if you see me when I am taken from you…
——————————g 2:11 …a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire.
———————————–x 2:11 …and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
——————————g 2:12…the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!
————————-f 2:12 So he saw him no more.
——————–e 2:14 Elisha took the mantle and struck the water.
—————d 2:15 Sons of the prophets came to meet Elisha.
———-c 2:18 Elisha stayed in Jericho.
—–b 2:23 Elisha went up from Jericho to Bethel.
a 2:25 Elisha goes from Bethel to Mount Carmel (SE-NW)

 

For these next two, one is actually inside the other just like the two from Genesis 3 above.  This is really exciting! Plus the second one spans 9 chapters of the Bible!

2 Chronicles 5:12-7:6 – The Dedication of the Temple. (12/31/07)
Solomon’s Prayer

a 5:12 Levites with instruments and sounding of trumpets, etc.
—–b 5:13 For He is good, For His mercy endures forever
———-c 5:14 The priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the
———-glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
—————d 6:1, 2 Solomon makes poetic introduction to his speech.
——————–x  6:3-6-40 Solomon’s prayer for the dedication of the Temple
—————d 6:41, 42 Solomon makes poetic closing to his speech.
———-c  7:2 And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of
———-the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.
—–b 7:3 For He is good, For His mercy endures forever
a 7:6  Levites with instruments and sounds of trumpets, etc.

 

2 Chronicles 1:1 – 9:31 – the Life of Solomon, King of Israel.
The Builder of the Temple (1/1/8)

a 1:1 Solomon’s rule introduced.
—–b 1:14-16 Solomon’s wealth displayed – chariots, horsemen, silver and gold in
—–Jerusalem as abundant as stones, cedars as abundant as sycamores, horses
—–imported from Egypt and elsewhere.
———-c 2:11 Hiram says, “Because the LORD loves his people, he has made you their
———-king.”
—————d 2:17, 18 Aliens in the land conscripted.
——————–e 3:1 Solomon begins work on the Temple then his house.
————————-x3:2-5:1 Temple Construction.
————————-x 5:2-7:1 Temple Dedication.
——————–e 8:1 Solomon completes work on the Temple and his house.
—————d 8:7, 8 Aliens in the land conscripted.
———-c 9:18 Queen of Sheba says, “Because of the love of your God for Israel and
———-his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them…”
—–b 9:25-28 Solomon’s wealth displayed – chariots, horsemen, silver and gold in
—–Jerusalem as abundant as stones, cedars as abundant as sycamores, horses
—–imported from Egypt and elsewhere.
a 9:31 Solomon’s rule completed.

 

Jonah 1:3 – Fleeing from the Face of the Lord
Rebellion carries a high cost (11/14/2016)

a from the presence of the LORD
—–b and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish
———-x so he paid the fare
—–b and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish
a from the presence of the LORD

 

Of all of them I’ve found, the one from Deuteronomy 3:25 and the next one are two of my favorites. This next one is simply a song of love – clear and simple!

Hosea 1:9-2:23 – “But Me she forgot,” says the LORD.
A Chiasm of Contrasts – Our Unfaithfulness and God’s Unlimited Mercy (11/23/07)

a 1:9  You are not my people, I will not be your God.
—–b 1:10  Jezreel (God will sow.)
———-c 2:3  Dry Land, thirst.
—————d 2:5  Wife departs from her husband.
——————–e 2:7  Wife returns to her husband.
————————-f 2:9  Take away the new wine.
——————————g 2:10-12  God punishes Israel.
——————————h 2:13  God will punish her.
———————————–x 2:13  “But Me she forgot,” says the LORD
——————————h 2:14a  God will allure her.
——————————g 2:14b  God comforts Israel.
————————-f 2:15  Give vineyards.
——————–e 2:16  LORD says, “That you will call me ‘My Husband.’”
—————d 2:19  Husband betroths wife.
———-c 2:21, 22  Grain, new wine, oil.
—–b 2:22  Jezreel (God will sow.)
a 2:23  You are my people; You are my God.

You won’t find this next one in a Bible based on the critical text. It will only be apparent in one based on the Textus Receptus.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 – Each man should examine himself when taking sacraments
A short chiasm on The Lord’s Supper (5/13/08)

a 11:27 Eating and drinking in an unworthy manner brings guilt.
—–x 11:28 – Each man should examine himself when taking sacraments
a 11:29 Eating and drinking in an unworthy manner brings judgment.

I did a chiasm search on the next one and found that the entire book of Ephesians is laid out in a chiastic structure and that there are chiasms that run through the entire book. It is an amazing thing to see and I noticed that this chiasm had already been isolated, but it wasn’t well defined. As I noticed it and defined it, I am including it here, but the site that I checked should be noted as having found it first.

 

Ephesians 2:12-19 – Nothing but the Blood
Once without Hope, Now Saints of God.

a at that time you were without Christ
—–b being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers
———-c having no hope and without God in the world
—————d But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
——————–e by the blood of Christ
————————-f For He Himself is our peace
——————————g made both one
——————————h broken down the middle wall of separation
———————————–x having abolished in His flesh the enmity
——————————h the law of commandments contained in ordinances
——————————g one new man from the two
————————-f thus making peace
——————–e through the cross
—————d And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who
—————were near
———-c For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father
—–b Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners
a but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God

 

Jude 1:5 – 1:8 – Likewise Also These Dreamers
The Just Punishment of the Unrighteous (7/14/2020)

a the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe (v. 5)
—–b And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode (v. 6)
———-c given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh (v.7)
—————x Likewise also these dreamers (v. 8)
———-c defile the flesh (v. 8a)
—–b reject authority (v. 8b)
a speak evil of dignitaries (v. 8c)

 

Revelation 2:2, 3 – Testing the church.
The Lord knows His own

a works
—–b labor
———-c patience
—————x tested the claims of the liars
———-c patience
—–b labor
a haven’t become weary (works)

 

Revelation 21:23-27, The Gates of New Jerusalem
There shall be no night there. (11/22/2012)

a The glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
—–b And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light,
———-c And the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
—————x Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
———-c And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
—–b But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie,
a But only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

 

Here is another I didn’t find. Rather, it’s from the book Before Abraham Was, by Isaac M. Kikawada and Arthur Quinn. This one spans the beloved Noah account from Genesis 6:10 – 9:19. You’ve certainly read this account, but now look at it in a whole new way:

The Flood of Noah

A Noah (6:10a)
B   Shem, Ham and Japheth (6:10b)
C     Ark to be built (6:14-16)
D      Flood announced (6:17)
E        Covenant with Noah (6:18-20)
F          Food in the Ark(6:21)
G           Command to enter the Ark(7:1-3)
H             7 days waiting for flood (7:4-5)
I                7 days waiting for flood (7:7-10)
J                  Entry to ark (7:11-15)
K                   Yahweh shuts Noah in (7:16)
L                     40 days flood (7:17a)
M                     Waters increase (7:17b-18)
N                        Mountains covered (7:18-20)
O                          150 days waters prevail (7:21-24)
P                            God Remembers Noah (8:1)
O’                         150 days waters abate (8:3)
N’                       Mountain tops become visible (8:4-5)
M’                     Waters abate (8:6)
L’                     40 days (end of) (8:6a)
K’                   Noah opens window of ark(8:6b)
J’                   Raven and dove leave ark (8:7-9)
I’                  7 days waiting for waters to subside (8:10-11)
H’               7 days waiting for waters to subside (8:12-13)
G’             Command to leave the ark (8:15-17)
F’            Food outside the ark(9:1-4)
E’          Covenant with all flesh(9:8-10)
D’        No flood in future(9:11-17)
C’      Ark (9:18a)
B’    Shem, Ham, Japheth (9:18b)
A’  Noah (9:19)

 

Think about this….these things prove the single authorship of the account each comes from. Some people deny that Moses, for example, was responsible for the first five books of the Bible and that instead many people worked on it over the centuries. However, this is certainly not the case. Instead, God selected Moses to transmit His own words with all these fun patterns tucked away for us to find. Don’t be a doubter, be a believer and cherish God’s holy Word!

 

Note:  Grammatical structure can also be used to determine meaning via a chiasm. Here is the structure of Acts 2:38, which clearly indicates what is being related and why when taken in the original Greek.  Baptism is not required for salvation. I didn’t find this one.

a Repent [second person plural]
—–x be baptized [third person singular]
—–x each [third person singular] of you
a for the remission of your [second person plural] sins.

 

Romans10:9-10 (I didn’t find this one)
Confess, mouth, believe, heart – SAVED – heart, believe, mouth, confess

I Didn’t Find This One

a having seated around about us such a cloud of witnesses,
—–b setting aside every weight and every clinging sin . . .
———-c with patient endurance . . .
—————d  let us run the race that is set before us
——————–e keeping our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of the faith,
—————d who for the joy that was set before Him . . .
———-c  patiently endured the cross . . .
—–b despising shame . . .
a and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”[1]

This structure focuses attention on the central element, Jesus, rather than on the first element, us.[2]

 

 

 

Luke 1:1 (Those Things Which Have Been Fulfilled Among Us)

Charlie Garrett Gospels, Luke, Other, Sermons, SERMONS (write up), Special / Holiday, Special / Holiday (Written) 0 Comment

Luke 1:1
Those Things Which Have Been Fulfilled Among Us

“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The world is filled with fanciful stories about events which may or may not have actually occurred at all. Or, if they did happen, how much embellishment has been added on to what really happened? It’s almost impossible to look back on the Iliad and not question what is recorded there by Homer.

The date of the events of the Iliad goes back to the 9th century BC. However, the earliest existing manuscript is from around 400-415 BC. That is a gap of about 450 years. And more, there are only 1900 known ancient copies. And yet, it is taught in colleges around the world as an authoritative narrative of historical events.

When we hear of the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar, we assume we are hearing exacting history of events which were minutely recorded and detailed for us. But the events that occurred were in the years 58-44 BC. And yet, the earliest manuscripts that we possess are from the 9th – yes the 9th – century AD. That is a gap of 900 years. From this period, there are about 250 copies.

Despite this extremely limited number of documents, which are close to a thousand years after the events occurred, we teach what is contained in them as if it is reliable history.

But from the same scholarly sources that teach these events as literal history, come cries of “unreliable” when they speak of the events of Scripture. And yet, of the Greek New Testament manuscripts concerning events which took place from the turn of the millennium until about AD70, the earliest known manuscript – the John Rylands fragment – dates to early or middle second century AD. That is within a few short years after the death of the Apostle John.

Further, it was found outside of Israel, meaning what it says had to be taken there at an earlier date. That first known document is then followed by almost 6000 Greek manuscripts. Also, there are over 18000 non-Greek manuscripts dating as far back as 30 to 300 years after the events they record.

Thirty years is within one lifetime of the events that are recorded. If one is to accept Homer’s Iliad or the Gallic Wars of Julius Caesar as authoritative, how much more should the writings of Scripture be held as accurate and reliable! Additionally, because of the immense body of available manuscripts, errors between manuscripts can be easily identified.

What we possess in the New Testament is reliable, it is sure, and it is trustworthy. But what we possess in the New, speaks in the same sure manner concerning the Old…

Text Verse: “Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” Luke 1:1-4

Luke is a historical figure. We don’t just possess his writings which make a claim that somewhat parallels the other synoptic gospels. Rather, he is referred to by Paul in the book of Colossians as his companion. He is also written about outside of Scripture as well.

As far as Luke’s writings, the events he mentions, the places they occur, and the details that he includes in his writings are so accurately recorded, that what he says can be used today to identify specific locations by their surrounding characteristics. His writings are meticulous in the extreme because he was a meticulous man.

When Luke refers to those things which have been fulfilled among us, it is because they were written about, in advance, and then what occurred was seen to have come to pass. This is what Zechariah was speaking of when he spoke of the holy prophets who have been since the world began.

Luke obtained the eyewitness testimony of the people that saw these things, and then he lines up what they saw with what Scripture prophesied about. Thus, we have an unbroken succession of events which seamlessly tie the two testaments into one grand story of an Individual who was prophesied would come to save the world.

Such marvelous things encompass what we now call “the Christmas story” and they are to be found in God’s superior word. And so, let’s turn to that precious word once again. And may God speak to us through His word, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. A Problem to be Resolved

To understand the Christmas story, and why it is important for each of us, we must be schooled on why the coming of Christ was needed in the first place. Without that, we have just another story of a conquering hero. We find them in the movies all the time:

A nation is in subjection to another nation, the people long to be freed from their overlords, a champion rises up from among them and casts off the shackles of oppression, and the hero’s life is recorded as an example of bravery and courage. William Wallace, or Braveheart, immediately comes to mind.

Unlike William Wallace, however, the Hero of Scripture didn’t just arise out of the stream of time and suddenly break onto the scene without any foreknowledge of His coming. Rather, His coming was eagerly anticipated since the very beginning of man’s time on earth. And not only was He anticipated, He was promised. And not only was He promised, His coming was prophesied – in detail.

The first time this was so was right at the beginning. There is God, there is His creation, and in that creation is the central focus of what is created – man. Everything else is centered on this one being which is set apart from all the other beings in Scripture.

We know about angels, but they aren’t the focus of the narrative. They are mentioned in relation to the narrative about man, not the other way around.

We know about the stars, but the location of the stars is mentioned in reference to the earth, not the other way around. And on the earth, the life which is created is spoken of in general terms, with the exception of man. All other life is prepared in advance of man, showing that man is the purpose for that other life to exist – meaning in relation to man, not the other way around.

When the man was created, it was as if he was an expected guest. The preparations were ready, the home was fit for his coming, and then he was brought into his home. But being brought into a home means that there is a home to be brought into. And a home doesn’t prepare itself. Likewise, man didn’t create himself. Rather, there is an Authority over these things who determined how they should be.

Because there is One in authority, it is His call as to how things should be. With all of the attentioned-focus on man, there should have been a great attention directed to the One who created the man, and there should have been an obedience to Him – if for no other reason than that He did the creating, much less that He did it with such care.

But it is hard to know what abundance, beauty, and delight are without knowing what lack, ugliness, and unhappiness is. Without knowing the latter, we cannot really appreciate the former. For those of us who feel well today, it’s just a state that we accept. But for those of us who have just gotten over feeling really crummy, feeling well is pretty great.

We appreciate God’s gift of feeling well much more when we have the knowledge of the opposite fresh on our minds. The man lacked this, and so when he heard the first recorded words that were ever spoken to him, he couldn’t appreciate them –

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” Genesis 2:15-17

First, he couldn’t appreciate what it meant to be commanded. Law was given, but what is law anyway? Without knowing the purpose or the consequences of law, there is no reference by which to appreciate the command. And simply being told what the consequences are, without knowing what they mean, doesn’t give us any more understanding of them than before we heard them.

The man was alive, but that was a state he became without ever having been dead or having seen the state of death in another. Therefore, the words “you shall surely die” had no understood meaning because there was no reference to understand them. “I wasn’t alive before, but I have no idea what that was like.”

It is said in Hebrews that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” The man hadn’t heard this, but even if he had – “Oh, okay.” With a shrug, he would simply go on without any idea at all of what that meant.

And more, the Lord could have heaped up a thousand commands and said, “You are to do these things,” and it would have made no difference than the giving of that one command. Without an understanding of right and wrong, or the resulting punishment, lack which resulted from it, and so on, a right determination about obedience could not be made.

But, despite this being true, it does not excuse his disobedience. The man didn’t create himself, and he did not place himself into the home that was prepared for him. He was under an obligation which should have been understood, if he just took the time to contemplate the matter.

Chapter 2 of Genesis sees the man given implicit authority over the animals because it was granted to him to name them. But it also reveals, through that fact, that he had intelligence. To give a name implies that he was able to form a name in order to give it.

After that was done, the Lord God – the Creator – then gave the man a woman to be his own. In the naming of her ishah, or “woman,” there is an understanding that he is an ish, or a man. And this implies that there was language instilled in him to form these names, and the other names that he had given to the animals. He didn’t form the language. Rather it existed before he did.

Because this is so, he was both given the rational ability to think concepts through, and to develop new ideas which form what is logical and what is illogical. In other words, he was without excuse if he was to disobey the command of the Lord, even if he didn’t understand the consequences of the command.

However, thinking logically is hard work, and understanding theology, if it is proper theology, is as well. The man lived in a land of delight, his needs were cared for, and he apparently didn’t need to think on such things.

The chapter ends with the words, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” They had no idea of what it meant to be ashamed, and so they were not ashamed. It was a sinless world; a world without death.

Of course, the world where we now live is not a sinless world, and it is not a world free from death. Quite the opposite is true. Things changed, and that was because of a single incident of deception. The man did the one – the only – thing that he was told to not do. He ate of the fruit.

The very next words of the record show us that a great change immediately took place –

‘Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” Genesis 3:7

A knowledge they previously lacked now belonged to them. They were unashamed, and suddenly they were ashamed. To correct the matter, they covered themselves. But the record is specific. They didn’t just use leaves to do so. They used teenah, or fig leaves.

From this point on, the fig takes on a particular meaning in Scripture based on what is seen here. The fig signifies a spiritual connection to God, or the lack of it. This is seen, for example, in the words of Jesus in Mark 11 –

“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’” Mark 11:12-14

Jesus was making a theological point concerning the place where He had left the day before, and where He immediately returned to the next day – the temple. Jesus’ cursing of the fig tree was a parable of the ending of the temple rites and the law as God’s means of restoration with Him. The spiritual connection of the law was to be severed.

He was taking us back to Eden. The man and the woman had tried to make a spiritual reconnection through the leaves of the fig to what they had lost, but it was too late. God rejected that, He cursed the serpent, the woman, and the man. Death entered the world through the act, and then came the judgment.

The spiritual reconnection could not come through their efforts. The fig leaves were insufficient to restore what had been lost. But while standing there, covered in their own unsuitable works, the Lord spoke out words of promise via His curse upon the serpent –

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15

The new master of the realm, the serpent, would be defeated through the Seed of the woman. It is absolutely certain that this is a promise of the coming Messiah. The man and his woman stood there, dead in their sin and destined to die in their bodies. The Lord had just said to the man that he would return to the dust from which he had been taken, but the promise of life, even from their state of death, was made.

We know this because immediately after the pronounced curse upon the man, the very next words say, “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20).

The man, though now spiritually dead, and destined to die – meaning he lived in a body of death, now named the woman he had been given – Khavah, or “Life.” Though they stood before the Lord dead, he had believed the promise that the bringer of death would be destroyed. If death was destroyed, life would come.

The naming of the woman “Life” was an act of faith, and in that act, a covering was given –

“Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21

Something died in order to cover their shame. Blood was shed, and it was not done so by the man. Rather, it was the Lord who did it, and thus it was an act of grace. Further, it was the Lord who clothed them with this substitutionary animal. There was no active participation on their part. They simply received what the Lord had provided. This is what the text indicates.

In this one chapter, and actually in very few verses of that chapter, and many of them following one directly after the next, the entire basis for the redemption of mankind is given. The theology of what is presented in the Genesis 3 narrative will never be diverted from.

Man fell, man is fallen, man cannot correct the matter, the Lord will intervene, the Lord – through His grace – will accomplish the necessary sacrifice, the Lord will provide the necessary covering for the restoration with that sacrifice, and it will be based on a simple act of faith by the man. Everything in Scripture concerning salvation after this point will be based on that notion, and it will support that typology.

I shall put enmity between you and the woman
An on-going battle through lengths of ages
Your seed, the unregenerate human
Who against me reviles and rages 

But there shall come One, a Promised Seed
Who will crush your head for what you have done
Your days are numbered so take you heed
In my mind the battle is already won 

Jesus is coming to make all things new
This word is faithful and it is true

In the cross, a victory you will assume
A victory – yes – but not for you
After His cross and after His tomb
He will arise and make all things new 

Man’s redemption will have been wrought
By the Seed of the woman, My own Son
With His blood He will have bought
The right to man’s soul, the victory won

II. Promises, Covenants, and Dispensations

Despite the pattern of redemption being set in the manner in which we just saw, there are innumerable things which will seem to deviate from it as the story of Scripture unfolds. But such is not the case. Quite often, those things which seem like deviations – such as the Law of Moses – are detailed lessons and learning tools to more fully understand and/or appreciate this simple message of hope.

A Messiah is coming, and He will make all things right again. Eve knew this and the joy of having her first child is highlighted by an implicit belief that she through he – this child named Cain – would be returned to paradise because she believed that he was the promised Messiah.

That proved to be a wrong assumption, and she went into a state of miserable acceptance of that fact with the coming of her second son, Abel. His name, Havel, means “Breath.” It is the vaporous breath that disappears as it is exhaled. Eve was despondent and the name reflects her state.

And, so sad was the plight of this family, so ingrained in them was the death which infected Adam, that these first two recorded births into the stream of human existence turned into a point of not simply waiting for death to come, but actively bringing it about. Cain killed his brother and the miserable state of man apart from God was highlighted by the act.

However, and despite this, a careful recording of the names of certain men born after Adam is made. Due to the length of man’s lifespan, and the years between Adam and one of those named men – Noah – there could have been millions, or possibly hundreds of millions (or more) people on the earth by the 1656th year of the world. And yet very few names are recorded during all those years and among all of those humans.

In this, we can see that this limited line, and this particular record, is very important. And it becomes especially so when we read in Genesis 6 that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

This is a world which had gone from its first short dispensation into its second. Man had gone from innocence to conscience. There is no specific direction given to man. There were no divine laws recorded. It was simply a time in which man was given to live as he saw fit, but with the understanding that he was in a very short line of humans from their first father, Adam.

And more to the point, the lifespans of man at that time meant that many alive by the time of the flood were born while Adam was still alive. If anyone wanted to know if the story was true, all they need to do was go ask him or one of his direct sons. They had the information they needed.

Would man use that knowledge wisely? No. By the time of Noah, there was no hope and no remedy except to destroy that which had made itself worthless through wickedness. But the careful detailing of that one particular line of Adam is a note of hope in an otherwise dreadful world.

From the tenth in that line, Noah, would come a new world of men with divine commands and a covenant – the Lord would never again destroy the world by flood. But there were expectations levied upon man, and the Lord promised that He would hold man accountable for his actions. Thus, came the dispensation of government.

It is a dispensation which continues to this day in the world at large. God established the nations and the peoples of the world. He gave them their languages and they are to live within those confines.

But during this long-running dispensation, the Lord was still working towards the coming of Messiah. For the nations to have hope, there must be a Hope of the nations. Even if man has forgotten that the promise was made, somewhere – instilled deep within him – is the knowledge that it must be so.

However, to continue the plan without distraction and without manipulation by the nations of the world, the Lord called only one man to continue carrying on this hope. Why would He do this? He has done it because of Genghis Khan, Adolph Hitler, and Joseph Stalin – and because of innumerable others like them. Man looks to man for his hope, and nations look to their leaders for their salvation.

But salvation is of the Lord. That pattern has already been set. And it is not by the works of man but by faith in the Lord. And so, while the nations continued with their own conquests, raising up their own leaders and false messiahs, the Lord called Abraham out of Ur and to a land that He would set before him.

In his calling, he was given a promise, with him was made a covenant, and through him came another dispensation based on the promise. In the Lord’s dealings with Abraham, he was given a sign – that of circumcision. But the circumcision came after the promise, not before. The circumcision was only a sign of the covenant. The covenant is one based on Abraham’s faith in the promise.

To understand the life of Abraham, and to grasp why the selected stories of his life which are recorded in Scripture are there, is to look into the mind of God. It is to see and understand in picture and typology the continued unfolding of the plan of redemption and the hope of Messiah – meaning the Child of Christmas – that goes back to the fall itself.

The dispensation of promise is a dispensation of looking forward to the Promise. When Abraham was told to take his only son and sacrifice him, it was to make a picture of what God would do. When the wood for the offering was laid upon his son Isaac to carry, it was to make a picture of what Christ would do – carrying the cross ordained by His Father. When a ram was provided by the Lord in place of Isaac, it was given to show us what would come about in our salvation – substitutionary atonement. And, the spot where these things took place was to let us know where Christ would die.

These are only a few details of one short story out of many chapters of stories of the life of Abraham, and each of them – names of people he interacted with, names of places he went to, and on and on – all of his life was used to provide us hints and clues of the Promise that would come from this dispensation of promise.

But the types and pictures didn’t stop there. When Abraham was gone, the promises, the covenants, and the dispensation continued with Isaac and with Jacob. Every story, every act, every harvest, and every conflict that is recorded is given to show us what God was doing and how He would do it.

In the life of Jacob is an entire panorama of the story – from Adam to Messiah, and throughout the all of time’s set dispensations. And they are all given to show us that it is centered on the Promise – the coming Messiah, the seed of the woman, the Child of Christmas.

This included the family matters of Jacob – the acquisition of his wives, the births and naming of his twelve sons and one named daughter, the ordeals that those children went through and the conflicts they faced, and so on. When Joseph was sold off to slavery in Egypt, it wasn’t merely a story of loss for Jacob, but a story of what God would do in Christ.

When Jacob’s eldest, Judah, through many various life events finally ended up sleeping with his own daughter in law – without even knowing it was her – it was to give us a typological picture of what God would do through Jesus Christ in the redemption of the world, and the assurance that we possess because of it.

None of these stories is without a reason, and the reason for every one of them is to show us details of what God would do in the sending of Messiah. When Zechariah prophesied concerning God’s holy prophets who have been since the world began, it was because men of God had been prophesying both through their writings and through their actions, as directed by God, that there were things which would be fulfilled in this coming Child of Christmas.

In the movement of Jacob and his family to Egypt, pictures are made. In the death and burial of Jacob, pictures are made. In the years of captivity, pictures are made. Time, and the lives of these people, were marching towards an inevitable meeting with Messiah, and each recorded detail is especially given for that one reason.

And then, after many long years in Egypt, the bondage of the people was great. They were under a harsh taskmaster, and they yearned for freedom. When the time was right, He sent them a deliverer.

The next major figure of the plan was Moses, but though He anticipates Christ, he does so in a different way – not in the promise, but in how the promise is obtained. And it is not in how it is obtained by man, but how it is so obtained for man.

The Lord, through Moses, delivered Israel out of Egypt, but He brought them to Sinai, not to Canaan. In bringing the people to Sinai, a new dispensation came into focus – that of Law. Everything about their time there was given for this purpose. There was the lawgiver, there were the implements, rites, rituals, and commandments which came through the law. And surely, without understanding the reason for the law, the words bog down in tedium, and the mind is overwhelmed with detail.

The laws are restrictive, and they bind the people with a heavy load. If one law in Eden brought such disaster upon the world, what would come of those who were cast under the long oppressive shadow of this law? And how could life come from such a body of death? The Lord said it was possible, but only through an impossible allowance.

In the middle of the seemingly unending laws of the book of Leviticus, and in a chapter that deals heavily with sexual morality, the Lord said –

“You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 18:5

It is a promise, but it is a promise based on law. Thus, it is a promise based on obedience. And because it is based on obedience to law, if an infraction arises, then the promise is nullified.

A person will live in the performance of the Lord’s statutes and judgments. Therefore, logically, one will not live in his failure to do them. But this is where the words of Zechariah, which he prophesied at the time of John’s birth, become relevant again. He said –

“And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:” Luke 1:72, 73

Zechariah does not appeal to the Covenant at Sinai and the Law of Moses. Rather, he appealed to “His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to our father Abraham.” It is what is explained by Paul in Galatians 3 –

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:13-18

What is it that Messiah would do? He would come to fulfill the promise and to keep the covenant to Abraham which was confirmed by God in Christ. In other words, the covenant to Abraham was a covenant of the understanding that Messiah was coming and that He was coming through Abraham.

And so why then did God give the law to Israel? It was to keep Israel as Israel. It was to confirm them as the Lord’s people until the coming of Messiah. And how would they know that He had come? First, He would fulfill the many types and pictures which anticipated Him.

Secondly, He would fulfill the prophesies which foretold of Him and of His coming. And thirdly, in Him would be life. The law said so –

“You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.” Leviticus 18:5

When One did the things of the law, He would live. The promise stands. But before He would come, the law would work out its purpose fully. The time of the law was the time of the conquest. It was the time of the judges. It was the time of the kings. And it was the time of the prophets continuing their call.

They proclaimed the word of the Lord to the people of Israel, progressively telling them a bit more with each new revelation about the promise of Christmas to come.

He is coming. Messiah is coming. He will be from the tribe of Judah. He will be from the house of David. He will be born in Bethlehem. He would come before the destruction of the second temple, and so – in fact – before that even took place, He would have to be born.

The timing is so precise that it’s hard to believe anyone could miss it. He would begin His ministry four hundred and eighty-three years after the decree of Atarxerxes to Nehemiah to restore and rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. If that is when He began His ministry, then He would obviously be born at some point before that.

With all of this information available, it was simply a matter of waiting and watching as history slowly unfolded until that right moment. It came as prophesied. Luke 2 bears witness that Simeon was told he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Likewise, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, an aged woman who stayed constantly at the temple knew He had come, and she announced it to “all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” The matter was not secret outside of the temple, nor was it secret outside of Jerusalem.

Nor was it a secret outside of Israel. Matthew records that wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, having known He had come by the sign of “His star in the East.” Those who were outside of the law and still living under the dispensation of government were aware of His coming.

When they came seeking Him, they went to Herod the king. Herod, in turn, gathered together the chief priests and the scribes and asked them about it. Their answer was that He would be born in Bethlehem. It was written, and they knew – in advance – that it would be so. If they knew this, then they knew what Daniel said as well.

It was Micah, a minor prophet, who had prophesied concerning the birthplace. It was Daniel, a major prophet, who had prophesied of the time of His coming. The timing could not be missed. The end of the four hundred and eighty-three years was not far off at that point.

The Hope of Israel, and – indeed – the hope of the nations had come. Nobody disputed that He was coming, even the Samaritan woman in John 4 anticipated Him. When He passed through her area and stopped to talk to her, she said –

“I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” John 4:25

It wasn’t as if one woman in one town of Samaria happened to know this. Rather, the implication from her words is that it was such common knowledge that even one woman in one town of Samaria would know it. In other words, everyone anticipated it.

The Christmas story that we read every year is the story of God’s entrance into the stream of humanity. It is the anticipation of all people to some extent. Some actively hide it. Some purposefully deny it. But all people are aware of the fact that something is wrong, and somehow it will be made right, and that God has told us that it would happen.

Some cultures still have a sense of God’s plan, but it is marred and obscured through years, additions, changes, and twistings. But the underlying concepts are there. The only properly transmitted and maintained revelation of it, however, was through Israel.

And the law of Israel was given to keep Israel together. It was a bind which protected them so that His coming would be unmistakable. But that law was not a means to an end for the people of Israel. It was a guard for them, and it was to be a tutor to them so that when He came they would realize it and receive Him.

In the coming of the Christmas Child was the coming of One who could, in fact, keep that law – that IMPOSSIBLE body of law. “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.” The Man, the Messiah, did the things of the law. He kept His Father’s words and commandments, and He prevailed over them.

Because He never sinned under the law, He embodied what the law represented. And because He embodied that, when He died, the law – in Him – ended. It died with Him. Paul says as much –

“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:13-15

In that state, meaning as the One to fulfill the law, thus embodying it, God now offers peace to those who come to Him through Christ. The precepts of the law included substitutionary atonement. In other words, the sacrificial system of Israel included the precept that an innocent animal could die in place of a human. The sin of that person was transferred to the animal, the animal was slain, and the sin was forgiven.

However, this was both only a picture of what God would do in Christ, and it was a temporary measure until the coming of Christ. This is certain, because if a person committed the same sin ten minutes later, another animal would be required, demonstrating that the atonement was temporary and ineffective.

Even the annual offering of Israel on the Day of Atonement was temporary. This is because it had to be repeated year after year. This was, then, only a lesson that was intended to lead the people to Christ. His fulfillment of these types and shadows of the law means that His death – which they only anticipated – is the full, final, and forever means of restoration with God.

Apart from Him, no sacrifice, offering, or deed will do. But in Him, every requirement of God is met. The Babe in the manger was sent to perform a mission and to, as Zechariah says, “give the knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins.”

The nakedness and shame of Adam is covered over by the Person and work of Christ under the law. The death which man has experienced because of sin is swallowed up in life because of the coming of the Christmas Child. One might say we are saved through the law, but that is only because of Christ’s perfect obedience to it which is then imputed to us.

For those in Christ, we now live in the dispensation of grace. And the reality of the hope of Messiah is extended to all. Those who are under the law are given freedom from the law in Messiah. Those who are under government are given a new hope in Christ. Those who awaited the promise to Abraham now have the Promise of God in Jesus.

The simplicity of the gospel message is found wrapped up in a little Child, born to a virgin in a small town in the land of Judah known as Bethlehem – the House of Bread. “I will accomplish the work; I will bring forth salvation; I will send my Son to bring you back to Me. Trust in Him – the Bread of Life – and receive the life which is truly life. Here is My Gift and My Present to the people of the world. His name is JESUS.”

Closing Verse: “And now the Lord says,
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him,
So that Israel is gathered to Him
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,
And My God shall be My strength),
6 Indeed He says,
‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob,
And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5, 6

Next Week – Deuteronomy 10:1-11 Moses is in the sweet zone, the Lord’s anger is reversed… (Two Tablets of Stone Like the First) (34th Deuteronomy Sermon)

The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts

Unto us a Child is born
A time to rejoice and not to morn

Unto us a Son is given
The One to lead us from death to a’livin’

And the government will be upon His shoulder
Every eye will see Him; every soul will be His beholder

Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom’s realm
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever – He at the helm
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this

And His name will be called Wonderful
The Counselor and Mighty God is He
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, pure and white as wool
Of the increase of His government and peace, no end shall we see

Do not be afraid, for behold
I bring you good tidings of great joy
Which will be to all people, forever told
The wondrous story, the birth of a Boy

For there is born to you this day
In the city of David, a Savior, it is He
Who is Christ the Lord, to whom heaven’s hosts obey
The Messiah has come, and now you may go and see

And this will be the sign to you:
You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
Lying in a manger, a glorious view
The Christmas Child whom our Heavenly Father bestows

A Child like no other has come to dwell among us
He shall lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake
And His name is called out, His name is JESUS
Come, and of the Heavenly Child partake

He is God’s gift and heaven’s treasure
He is Immanuel – God with us
And He bestows upon us grace without measure
The Christmas Child, our glorious Lord Jesus

Hallelujah and Amen…

 

Revelation 1:2

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Revelation, Revelation (written), Writings 0 Comment

Friday, 14 August 2020

…who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Revelation 1:2

The words, “who bore witness,” refer to John from the previous verse. The word translated as “bore witness” is martureó. It signifies giving evidence, making a testimony, and so on. Here, it is in the aorist tense – he “bore witness.” He is stating that he saw and he has testified to what he had seen. And, as he says, he “bore witness to the word of God.”

It is generally agreed that this is not speaking of the personal “Word of God,” meaning Jesus Christ. Rather, it refers to either the doctrine which explains who God is, or that which God speaks out – the recorded word of God. Assuming the latter view, meaning John is stating that he has been a faithful witness to what God had revealed as His word, it can then be debated whether this is speaking of the Gospel of John or the words which are now being presented as the revelation, or unveiling, of Jesus Christ.

John could even be referring to his oral defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ, meaning everything he had presented throughout his life. He was a faithful witness of the deposit entrusted to him over the years.

The aorist tense of the verb may be a marker to signify that it is an all-encompassing thought concerning John. He “bore witness” throughout his life – in his gospel proclamations, and in his writings (inclusive of the gospel, epistles, and now Revelation) – and in any other way that was needed when the time arose (meaning in deed and action in order to bring others to a proper understanding of who Jesus Christ is).

This seems quite likely because he next says, “and to the testimony of Jesus Christ.” John will later give examples of both a general testimony, which resulted in his exile to Patmos, and of the specific testimony of recording the events of the book of Revelation –

“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:9

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

Therefore, John’s having borne witness, referred to now, appears to his having lived an all-encompassing life of faithful service to that to which he had been called – he “bore witness … to all things that he saw.”

Here, there is a difference in source texts. Some include the word “and.” Thus it would say, “and as many things as he saw.” Thus, it would signify an additional category to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Without the article, or even with the article, but using it in apposition with “the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” – meaning – “even as many things as he saw” – it would then define the first two categories as one thought. This is the most likely idea here. It is not a separate category, but an explanation of his having seen and witnessed to the first two.

No matter what, the main focus here is on the faithful testimony of John. We can be sure that what he has seen, said, done, and recorded is from a person who was willing to devote his life to the service of God and to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The idea here is complementary to that of John 21:24 –

“This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.”

Life application: Jesus’ beloved disciple, John, is the one who bears witness “to the word of God.” This would then be a definitive claim by John that what is recorded here is Scripture. For this reason, liberal scholars will attempt to deny this was actually received and then penned by John.

If, in fact, he received it, then they would have to admit it is inspired of God. If it is inspired by God, then it is God’s word. If it is God’s word, then it is authoritative in all it contains and proclaims. However, much of Revelation concerns judgment and woe. If one wants to live out a “social gospel” or a “prosperity gospel,” then Revelation becomes an immense problem because both of these approaches to the gospel are proven false. Therefore, for them, it is easier to dismiss Revelation than to heed its warnings.

The book itself is centered on Jesus Christ. If this is so, then it is authoritative for the Christian on all matters it proclaims. Jesus Christ is the Word of God and the second member of the eternal Godhead. One cannot disassociate Revelation and all that it proclaims without diminishing the very structure and authority of the Bible.

Taking all this into consideration, it is at one’s own peril that he dismisses the authority of the book of Revelation. Further, it is at one’s own loss to not read it, study it, and heed it just like the rest of Scripture. It is for these reasons that John, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned the words in this verse.

God is competent, God is in control of His word, and God has provided us with this book for our warning and for our blessing. Let us look with anticipation at the marvels ahead of us in this wonderful study!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the beautiful lessons that have been recorded in Your word. Yes, there are parts that are difficult for us to read, and many of them are considered unpalatable in our modern society, but they are Your words. Please help us to understand them and to take them in the context which You intended. May we be faithful stewards of Your word at all times. Thank You for Your precious word, O God! Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revelation 1:1

Charlie Garrett Daily Writing, Revelation, Revelation (written), Writings 0 Comment

Thursday, 13 August 2020

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, Revelation 1:1

The book of Revelation opens with the words, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” The word “Revelation” is translated from the Greek word apokalupsis. That is derived from apó, meaning “away from,” and kalýptō, meaning “to cover.” Thus, it signifies to uncover, or to reveal what is hidden. It makes plain that which was previously obscured.

Here, then, we see that what will be presented is the “unveiling of Jesus Christ.” It is an unveiling that He makes. However, it is also what needs to be unveiled concerning who He is and what His purposes are for the world within the unfolding plan of redemption. In other words, the world fell into sin, but God in Christ – even from the very beginning – presented the initiation of His plan. That was found explicitly stated for the first time in Genesis 3:15 –

“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

From that point on, the redemptive narrative was carefully recorded. However, there are veiled hints of the work of God in Christ even from Genesis 1:1. These continue, carefully hidden within the recorded narrative, to reveal what God was doing in typological pictures of Jesus. To understand these types and pictures, one can start with the Genesis 1:1 sermon from the Superior Word and continue on through until every sermon has been seen. They carefully evaluate the passage presented, revealing these truths.

However, the Jewish people as a whole rejected Christ when He came. Their eyes have been blinded to the truth of who He is. The book of Revelation, leaning heavily on Old Testament writings, will tie those writings into a panorama of events that have and will come upon the world, demonstrating to them that Jesus is the Christ and that they missed Him on His first advent.

However, the church itself has been woefully blinded in its own theology concerning God’s covenant promises to Israel. The church has claimed that it has replaced Israel in the redemptive narrative. Because of this, Revelation is given, when properly understood, to steer believers away from this aberrant theology as well.

The book begins with an address to the church which lasts for three chapters, instructing them that they are the main focus of God’s attention within the unfolding redemptive narrative. However, in verse 4:2, a dramatic shift will take place, with the intent of unveiling Jesus Christ to the nation of Israel. The church will not be mentioned again until Chapter 19. During all of the intervening chapters, the events focus on Israel. This is to bring them to an understanding of who Christ is, and that what is said of Him in both the Old and New Testaments is the true and reliable word of God.

This unveiling, then, is intended to go in both directions – opening the eyes of the church to God’s faithfulness to Israel, and also to opening the eyes of Israel to the Messiah they had missed for the many years of their exile and punishment. It is this body of literature that John writes out concerning Jesus “which God gave Him to show His servants.”

Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God and man. Being fully God and fully man, He is the means of transmitting the events of redemptive history to the world – especially to “His servants,” meaning His redeemed people. Each member of the Godhead has its own role within the Godhead, revealing the unified purpose that they share. This is seen in Jesus’ words of John 16 concerning the Holy Spirit –

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:12-15

Jesus is the one who draws out from the Father the will of God. The Holy Spirit declares what is drawn out. The process of this is what forms the word of God, and it is what then allows man to understand more fully what God is doing within the stream of time. Of this, the Pulpit Commentary rightly states –

“Christ is both the Mystery and the Revealer of it. He comes to reveal himself, and in himself the Father, whose Image he is. Thus in its opening words the book takes us beyond itself. What is revealed is not secrets about the future, but a Person. And the Revealer is not man, but God; not John, but the Divine Son, commissioned by the Father. For even the unincarnate Word receives from the Father that which he reveals.”

Understanding that it is Jesus who is the focus of the unveiling will help keep the reader free from the error of using the book of Revelation as some type of tool to predict future events. Countless readers of the book have, unfortunately, used it this way. Predictions about the date of the rapture, who the Antichrist is, and a host of other such things are dogmatically argued over, and they are always found to be incorrect. The reason for this is that they are attempting to use the book of Revelation in the wrong, self-centered, way.

Avoiding such error will keep the contents of the book in their proper perspective. Of those things God gave Christ Jesus to show to His servants, John next says that they are “things which must shortly take place.”

The Greek words translated as “shortly” is tachos. It signifies swiftness or in a brief space of time. It can mean with quickness, speed, haste, or immediately. Those, such as preterists, will understand the word to mean “quickly” as in “soon after John penned the letter.” In other words, they hold to the view that all is fulfilled millennia ago.

Others will consider the word to mean that when the events are set to come about, they will come about rapidly. Thus, a gap of two thousand years is not a violation of the intent of the word. The church age will end at the rapture, and then the events of Revelation which follow will come about rapidly. As God’s faithfulness to unfaithful Israel is not to be questioned, and as His covenant promises to them must come to pass, the latter view is correct. Replacement theology and the preterist view are both false doctrines which fail to account for what is otherwise obvious concerning Israel.

John next writes, “And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” The word “signified” comes from a Greek word meaning “to indicate” or “give a sign.” It was used in John 21:19 to convey to Peter how he would die, saying, “This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God.” Jesus has sent His angel to signify what would occur.

The angel, or messenger, doesn’t come into the focus of the narrative until Revelation 17:1. But it is he who conveys the message to John. However, at times – and, in particular, the first three chapters of the book – Jesus speaks out His words directly to John. Therefore, the angel is there to communicate a variety of events that Jesus has specifically determined to be transmitted indirectly from Him.

In both occasions – whether from Christ directly, or through His angel – it is John who receives the word in order to record it for the servants of the Lord to read and understand. Again, it should be stressed that Revelation is not a tool for people to predict future events in a dogmatic fashion or timeframe. Rather, it is a general panorama of events which are to be fully understood after they occur, not before.

Life application: The entire Bible, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, is about Jesus Christ. However, much of the Old Testament is veiled and requires looking back from the clear focus of the Cross of Calvary to understand the types and pictures that were “shadowed” in the time prior to the incarnation.

The four Gospel accounts present a full picture of the Lord that was evident, but veiled, such as during the theophany seen by Ezekiel – “As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle” (Ezekiel 1:10).

This theophany of the Lord (Yehovah) describes the four faces of Jesus presented in the Gospels – Matthew presents Jesus as the King (represented by a lion); Mark presents Jesus as the Servant (the ox); Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man (the man); and John presents Jesus as the Son of God (the eagle).

Revelation is more fully unveiling Jesus for His beloved church to understand that they have an assignment in holding to doctrinal purity and maintaining His church in the manner prescribed in the New Testament. It also has a second assignment which is to understand that He is not finished with His people, Israel.

The fulfillment of His promises to Israel, as is evidenced by His prophets – such as Daniel – is realized in the coming pages and it is a duty of all Christians to understand this. Christians are to accept that God has not rejected Israel, even during their time of “spiritual blindness” (as is indicated by Paul in Romans 11:25).

The Church Age will end at the rapture, and the time of tribulation (the time of Jacob’s Trouble) will follow. Jesus is coming again, first for His church at the rapture, and then to His people Israel, as He declared with His own mouth to Jerusalem, the seat of power in Israel –

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”  Matthew 23:37-39

Lord, it is with eager anticipation that we begin each day in Your precious word. What other way can we start it with such comfort and joy! Please open our eyes to its truths. May our doctrine be pure, and may our hearts be receptive to the glorious love and mercy that it reveals to the people of the world. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.