Shalom, Mishpachah.
Today is Yom Richown. The "head day" of the week. Since it is still only 10:35 pm, we would call it "Saturday," although it is no longer the Shabbat.
Continuing on, let's actually take the time to define these words. First, Strong's has this to say about them (and I'm using Dan. 9:27 for the Tanakh - the OT - and Matt. 24:15 for the Brit Chadashah - the NT:
OT:8074 shaameem (shaw-mame'); a primitive root; to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense):
KJV - make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish (-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate (-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder.
OT:8251 shiqquwts (shik-koots'); or shiqquts (shik-koots'); from OT:8262; disgusting, i.e. filthy; especially idolatrous or (concretely) an idol:
KJV - abominable filth (idol, -ation), detestable (thing).
NT:946 bdelugma (bdel'-oog-mah); from NT:948; a detestation, i.e. (specially) idolatry:
KJV - abomination.
NT:2050 ereemoosis (er-ay'-mo-sis); from NT:2049; despoliation:
KJV - desolation.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Now, knowing that words in Hebrew usually are found in "families," and that words in Greek often stem from other sources, we should also look at the words to which the numbers refer:
OT:8262 shaaqats (shaw-kats'); a primitive root; to be filthy, i.e. (intensively) to loathe, pollute:
KJV - abhor, make abominable, have in abomination, detest, utterly.
NT:948 bdelussoo (bdel-oos'-so); from a (presumed) derivative of bdeoo (to stink); to be disgusted, i.e. (by implication) detest (especially of idolatry):
KJV - abhor, abominable.
NT:2049 ereemo-oo (er-ay-mo'-o); from NT:2048; to lay waste (literally or figuratively):
KJV - (bring to, make) desolate (-ion), come to nought.
NT:2048 ereemos (er'-ay-mos); of uncertain affinity; lonesome, i.e. (by implication) waste (usually as a noun, NT:5561 being implied):
KJV - desert, desolate, solitary, wilderness.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
(We could go another level with NT:5561, but I'm going to stop here.)
Now, something that is VERY important is to LEAVE THE LABELS BEHIND! What I mean is this: Both Gavri'el (Gabriel) quoted by Dani'el (Daniel) and Mattityahu (Matthew) were trying to convey a message and were using these words to describe events to come; they were NOT introducing some title of an event! The words MEANT SOMETHING and were intended to disseminate knowledge at a basic level.
Gavri'el's words were as follows in Dan. 9:27:
27 Vhigbiyr briyt laarabiym shaaVuwa` echaad
vachatsiy hashaaVuwa` yashbiyt zeVach uwminchaah
v`al knaf shiquwtsiym mshomeem v`ad kaalaah
vnecheraatsaah titakh `al shomeem:
Allow me a bit of leeway on my transliteration scheme, here: A "bet" at the beginning of a word is ALWAYS a "bet" (a "b" sound), whether the dagesh dot is included or not, and is never a "vet." So, any "v" sound at the beginning of a word MUST be a "vav." Thus, I can capitalize at the beginning of sentences with a "V" for a "vav" and a "B" for a "bet." Elsewhere in the sentences, a "v" represents a "vav" and a "V" represents a "vet," and a "b" represents a "bet."
Also, the "vav" following a "cholem" making a "cholem with vav" or a "vav" with a central dot making a "shureq" instead of a "qibbuts" is represented with a "w" attached to the "o" or the "u," as "ow" and "uw," respectively. The vowel sound does not change that much and may not be recognizable by the ear of an English speaking person.
27 Vhigbiyr = 27 And-he-shall-strengthen
briyt = a-covenant
laarabiym = with-many
shaaVuwa` = seven
echaad = one
vachatsiy = and-in-middle
hashaaVuwa` = of-the-seven
yashbiyt = he-shall-stop
zeVach = sacrifice
uwminchaah = and-gift
v`al = and-against
knaf = a-wing
shiquwtsiym = of-abominations
mshomeem = he-shall-desolate
v`ad = and-until
kaalaah = an-end
vnecheraatsaah = and-that-decided
titakh = shall-be-poured
`al = against
shomeem: = desolated:
27 And-he-shall-strengthen a-covenant with-many seven one and-in-middle of-the-seven he-shall-stop sacrifice and-gift and-against a-wing of-abominations he-shall-desolate and-until an-end and-that-decided shall-be-poured against desolated:
And, as I have said on numerous occasions within the forums I visit, the "he" here must refer to the "Messiah" of verse 26, not the "prince that shall come," which is within a prepositional phrase (in English) or a subordinate noun in a noun construct state (in Hebrew).
Thus, it is not some "antichrist" who (1) strengthens a covenant with many for one seven, (2) who stops the sacrifice and the gift in the middle of that seven, and (3) leaves the desolated desolate until everything determined is poured out against them until the end, because of a WING of abominations! It is Yeshua` the Messiah of God who does all of that.
First, (1) the covenant strengthened for one seven is the DAVIDIC COVENANT and Yeshua` offered Himself as their anointed King only to be rejected, even though God the Father Himself anointed Him with the "oil of gladness" and identified Him as David's rightful heir by calling Him His own Son (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22 cff Psalm 2:1-12; 2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13; 28:6; Psalm 89:3-4, 26-29, and 33-37).
It was (2) HE who stopped the sacrifice and the gift in the middle of the seven by completing the need for sacrifice in the presentation of His own body (the veil) for sin (Hebrews 10:1-22).
And it was (3) HE who left the house of Isra'el DESOLATE until everything determined is poured our against them until the end comes, because of a myriad of abominations in rejecting Him as their King (Matthew 23:37-39)!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
More definitions - abomination, desolation
Shalom, Mishpachah Elohiym.
Okay, this seems to be a major point of contention on some of the forums on which I discuss; so I wanted to give my definitions of the following terms: abomination and desolation.
It's because of the Olivet Discourse and Yeshua`s words about such an event in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14:
Matt 24:15
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
KJV
Mark 13:14
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
KJV
In fact, we should probably back up a little and also look at their contexts, particularly in all three of the Synoptic Gospels:
But when ye therefore shall see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near - The Abomination of the Desolation – the [one which] was spoken about by Dani'el the prophet - standing in [the] holy place where it must not be (let the reader understand), then let those in Y'hudah (Judah) flee into the mountains. However, [let] the [one] upon the roof-top not come down into the house nor go inside to take anything out of his house. And [don’t] let the [one] in the field back into the [city]; he is not to return to take his clothes, and let those in [the] middle of it depart out and don’t let those in the countrysides enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance; all things which are written may be fulfilled. But <ooaahee!> to the [one] who is pregnant and to those [who] breast-feed in those days! But pray so that your flight may not be in [the] rainy season (“winter”) nor on Shabbat (the Sabbath); for then those days shall be the huge pressure - no - nor has been its like since [the] beginning of Creation of [the] habitable world which God created until the present - no - nor ever shall be, and if [the] Master had not shortened those days, there would not have been any flesh rescued. But on account of the chosen [ones] whom He chose, He has shortened the days [and] those days shall be shortened.
Of course, this is from a previous post (Olivet Discourse - part 6) which comes from the Greek AFTER the three Greek versions have been harmonized. Then, the harmony was translated into English. The red is from Matthew's account, the gold is from Mark's account, and the blue is from Luke's account. Words that appear in both Matthew and Mark are in orange; words that appear in both Mark and Luke are in green; words that appear in Matthew and Luke are in purple, and those words that appear in all three are in brown.
This portion began circa 70 A.D., probably began close to 66 or 67 A.D. and refers to the attacks by the Roman army on Yerushalayim; however, the couple of sentences at the end are a vision of our time and into our future, because the "shortening of the days" is the limiting of the days of pressure within the last 2,000 years.
The sequence of events, as I see them, is that...
First, the one seven started with Yeshua`s baptism and His Father's acknowledgement: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
Second, the "overspreading of abominations" or the "spread-out wing of abominations" were the rejections, blasphemies, insults, inuendos, and general ill will that the elders of Y'hudah (who were SUPPOSED to be the ones who should have crowned Him) had toward GOD'S Messiah to be King, culminating in the CRUCIFIXION (Matthew 23:1-36)!
Third, Yeshua` was the one who left them "DESOLATE" (which is the midpoint of the seventieth seven, Matthew 23:37-39), and...
Fourth, the tribulation (Greek: "thlipsis" = "pressure") or distress, primarily on the Jews, began at that point.
Fifth, when Yeshua` was crucified, that was their ultimate rejection of the Messiah.
After His resurrection and His ascension, they remain under the desolation and that resultant tribulation promised in Dani'el 9:27 until they can say, "Baruwkh haba' b-shem YHWH" (Matthew 23:39 cf. Psalm 118:26), welcoming Yeshua` back as YHWH'S Messiah. From that point, they were given 40 years to repent (which they WOULD not do), and so, the Times of the Goyim (Gentiles) began in earnest in 68-70 A.D. With the destruction of the Temple, the offensiveness (abomination) stemming from the desolation, predicted by Yeshua` in the Olivet Discourse, came true. During the last almost 2000 years, the actual time of tribulation has been shortened as God has broken up their punishment so as not to overwhelm them completely. As Yeshua` is in the process of returning to earth, the latter half of the seventieth seven will continue, as described in Revelation as the "time, times and half a time," "forty-two months," and "1,260 days." When Yeshua` returns, He will rescue Isra'el from their surrounding enemies, cut off the Gentiles from Yerushalayim, and the Times of the Goyim, when they overran and trampled the streets of Yerushalayim, will be over.
Okay, this seems to be a major point of contention on some of the forums on which I discuss; so I wanted to give my definitions of the following terms: abomination and desolation.
It's because of the Olivet Discourse and Yeshua`s words about such an event in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14:
Matt 24:15
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
KJV
Mark 13:14
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
KJV
In fact, we should probably back up a little and also look at their contexts, particularly in all three of the Synoptic Gospels:
But when ye therefore shall see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has drawn near - The Abomination of the Desolation – the [one which] was spoken about by Dani'el the prophet - standing in [the] holy place where it must not be (let the reader understand), then let those in Y'hudah (Judah) flee into the mountains. However, [let] the [one] upon the roof-top not come down into the house nor go inside to take anything out of his house. And [don’t] let the [one] in the field back into the [city]; he is not to return to take his clothes, and let those in [the] middle of it depart out and don’t let those in the countrysides enter into it. For these are the days of vengeance; all things which are written may be fulfilled. But <ooaahee!> to the [one] who is pregnant and to those [who] breast-feed in those days! But pray so that your flight may not be in [the] rainy season (“winter”) nor on Shabbat (the Sabbath); for then those days shall be the huge pressure - no - nor has been its like since [the] beginning of Creation of [the] habitable world which God created until the present - no - nor ever shall be, and if [the] Master had not shortened those days, there would not have been any flesh rescued. But on account of the chosen [ones] whom He chose, He has shortened the days [and] those days shall be shortened.
Of course, this is from a previous post (Olivet Discourse - part 6) which comes from the Greek AFTER the three Greek versions have been harmonized. Then, the harmony was translated into English. The red is from Matthew's account, the gold is from Mark's account, and the blue is from Luke's account. Words that appear in both Matthew and Mark are in orange; words that appear in both Mark and Luke are in green; words that appear in Matthew and Luke are in purple, and those words that appear in all three are in brown.
This portion began circa 70 A.D., probably began close to 66 or 67 A.D. and refers to the attacks by the Roman army on Yerushalayim; however, the couple of sentences at the end are a vision of our time and into our future, because the "shortening of the days" is the limiting of the days of pressure within the last 2,000 years.
The sequence of events, as I see them, is that...
First, the one seven started with Yeshua`s baptism and His Father's acknowledgement: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."
Second, the "overspreading of abominations" or the "spread-out wing of abominations" were the rejections, blasphemies, insults, inuendos, and general ill will that the elders of Y'hudah (who were SUPPOSED to be the ones who should have crowned Him) had toward GOD'S Messiah to be King, culminating in the CRUCIFIXION (Matthew 23:1-36)!
Third, Yeshua` was the one who left them "DESOLATE" (which is the midpoint of the seventieth seven, Matthew 23:37-39), and...
Fourth, the tribulation (Greek: "thlipsis" = "pressure") or distress, primarily on the Jews, began at that point.
Fifth, when Yeshua` was crucified, that was their ultimate rejection of the Messiah.
After His resurrection and His ascension, they remain under the desolation and that resultant tribulation promised in Dani'el 9:27 until they can say, "Baruwkh haba' b-shem YHWH" (Matthew 23:39 cf. Psalm 118:26), welcoming Yeshua` back as YHWH'S Messiah. From that point, they were given 40 years to repent (which they WOULD not do), and so, the Times of the Goyim (Gentiles) began in earnest in 68-70 A.D. With the destruction of the Temple, the offensiveness (abomination) stemming from the desolation, predicted by Yeshua` in the Olivet Discourse, came true. During the last almost 2000 years, the actual time of tribulation has been shortened as God has broken up their punishment so as not to overwhelm them completely. As Yeshua` is in the process of returning to earth, the latter half of the seventieth seven will continue, as described in Revelation as the "time, times and half a time," "forty-two months," and "1,260 days." When Yeshua` returns, He will rescue Isra'el from their surrounding enemies, cut off the Gentiles from Yerushalayim, and the Times of the Goyim, when they overran and trampled the streets of Yerushalayim, will be over.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Brief recap, paradise, and angels
Shalom, mishpachah (Peace, family)!
It is now "yowm richown," the "head day" of the week, or "Sunday." Last week, I talked briefly about the "church" and how it is a simple participle that acts like our gerund, meaning that it is treated as a noun. We also covered how it is a COLLECTIVE noun (or gerund), much like our words "flock," "herd," "pack," or "pride" (of lions), and that Yeshua` did NOT give Himself to die for an organization! He gave Himself to die for PEOPLE, like you and me.
In a previous post (long ago), I've mentioned that "heaven" simply means the "sky" or "skies." If anyone talks about "heaven" for any length of time, it usually becomes clear that he or she is actually talking about the "New Jerusalem," "Yerushalayim haChadashah," when they mention the "golden streets," "pearly gates," or the "river of the water of life." That city, in my opinion, is a quite literal city 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide, and 1,500 miles high, consisting of an outside wall of jasper, the "BLOOD"-stone, with a first foundational level also made of jasper.
The other foundations I believe are foundational LEVELS to the city separated from each other by 125 miles of vertical building space, part of which is taken up by the thickness of each foundation.
The 144 cubits, or 72 yards, mentioned, I believe, is the THICKNESS of the walls, particularly at the gates. Only the foundations of the city are in the form of a square for the city "LIETH foursquare" or "covers a square area" or "has a square footprint." If the walls of the city are "great and high," literally "huge and high," then 72 yards or 216 feet or 65.8 meters hardly seems "high" compared to a city that is 1,500 MILES high!
If all four of the walls go all the way to the top of the city, 1,500 miles up, and meet at a point, the structure would be that of a four-sided pyramid, much like the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The "cube" theory of the New Jerusalem doesn't quite do it. The basic shape of the cube is a square on each of its six sides and a square, architecturally speaking, can be "squashed," that is, formed into a rhombus, by pushing in on one of its corners.
The basic shape of the four walls of a pyramid is a triangle, the most stable of the simple polygons. The triangle can't be "squashed" without breaking a side or an angle. This is why there are triangles embedded within rectangular-shaped buildings we have today. Strength is increased by cross beams, which break up the rectangle into two triangles, in such a structure. The more triangles, particularly 60-60-60 triangles, the more stable the structure.
This New Jerusalem is called an "epouranios" city meaning a city "of or from above-the-sky" or a city currently in space. That is where it is being constructed, and we have learned from our experiments in the orbital space lab, that crystals grow better in zero-gravity. When Yeshua` (Jesus) said, "I go to prepare a place for you," I believe He was talking about this city. Yochanan (John) then told us that he saw the New Jerusalem coming down from "ouranos," meaning the "sky," which would suggest that it will land upon the New Earth, whose surface is re-created after the Fire.
Thus, we are not instructed to anticipate "going to heaven" because "He will dwell with us and be our God." Instead, we are always admonished to anticipate the RESURRECTION of our bodies, and we are told to expect the resurrection (after the Fire) of a creation that currently "groaneth and travaileth in pain together" to be re-created!
Now, as far as the word "paradise" is concerned, if one were to look the word up in a Strong's Concordance, he or she would find that it is defined as...
NT:3857 paradeisos (par-ad'-i-sos); of Oriental origin [compare OT:6508]; a park, i.e. (specifically) an Eden (place of future happiness, "paradise"):
KJV - paradise.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
... and that the word is found in three places within the New Testament: Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; and Revelation 2:7:
Luke 23:39-43
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
KJV
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
KJV
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
However, notice, too, that Strong's says to "compare OT:6508." So, we look this word up and we find...
OT:6508 pardec (par-dace'); of foreign origin; a park:
KJV - forest, orchard.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
If one does an Englishman's Concordance search on this word, one would find an additional three verses: Nehemiah 2:8; Ecclesiastes 2:5; and Song of Solomon 4:13:
Nehemiah 2:7-8
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
KJV
Ecclesiastes 2:5
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
KJV
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
KJV
So, what is a "paradise?" It's simply a "garden of trees" or an "orchard," much as was the original Gan-Eden or Garden of Eden.
I think I've said this before, but I had a pastor once who gave us a really rudimentary outline of the Bible:
I. What ought to be - Genesis 1, 2
II. What is - Genesis 3
III. How to get from what is to what ought to be - Genesis 4 through Revelation 22
If a perfect God looked at all that He had made on the six days of Creation and declared it all "very good," then why would we expect anything different for eternity than what He gave us in the Creation? If He started with mankind in a garden, the Garden of Eden, then why wouldn't we expect to find mankind in a garden in our future state of happiness?
Now, I know I've talked about this before, but look again at Revelation 2:7:
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
So, where is this "tree of life" to be found? Well, Yochanan also said about the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:1-2:
Rev 22:1-2
22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
KJV
So, the tree of life is also within the New Jerusalem. Therefore, if the tree of life is "in the midst of the paradise of God" and it is also "in the midst of the street of [the city], and on either side of the river [of water of life]," then either the "paradise of God" is within the New Jerusalem or it IS the New Jerusalem! I believe that it is the PARK SYSTEM that exists within the structure of the New Jerusalem and will "spill out" onto the New Earth, once the gates of pearl have been opened after the city lands.
Finally, I'd like to talk about one more "holy" word: "angel." This is not that difficult; so, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it. The word is TRANSLITERATED from the Greek instead of being TRANSLATED from the Greek. When a word is totally changed from Greek to English, like "agapee" to "I love," that is translation, but when a word is changed letter by letter from Greek letters to their English equivalents, that is transliteration. Another word that was transliterated from the Greek was the word "Christ," stemming from the Greek word "christos," spelled "chi-rho-iota-sigma-tau-omicron-stigma," meaning "anointed." The "chi" is usually transliterated as a "ch" since it sounds like the "ch" in the Scottish word "loch." The "rho" is like our "r"; the "iota" is like our "i"; the "sigma" is like our "s"; the "tau" is like our "t"; the "omicron" (which means "small o") is like our short "o"; and the "stigma," and ending "sigma," is again like our "s." So, I transliterate the word as "christos." Recognizing that the "-os" ending was purely to identify a noun, the original transliterators dropped that ending and derived the word "Christ," capitalized out of respect because it refers to the Son of God.
In much the same way, the Greek word is "aggelos," meaning a "messenger," spelled "alpha-gamma-gamma-epsilon-lambda-omicron-stigma." In transliteration, the "alpha" is like our "a"; the "gamma-gamma" makes the "ng" sound and so was transliterated that way as an "ng"; "the "epsilon" is like our short "e"; the "lambda" is like our "l"; the "omicron" is like our short "o"; and the "stigma" is like our "s." So, I transliterate the Greek word as "aggelos," and again, the original transliterators dropped the "-os" ending, deriving the word "angel."
I bring all this up because it is important to remember when seeing the words "angel" or "angels" in the New Testament ("aggelos" or "aggeloi" in the Greek respectively) that they simply mean "messenger" or "messengers" and may be referring to HUMAN messengers as easily as supernatural messengers. In fact, if it was obvious to the translators, they would translate the words as "messenger" or "messengers" instead, as in the case of Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) and others in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; and James 2:25. In my opinion, they should have ALL been rendered as "messenger" or "messengers" because there are a number of times when I feel that the words should have referred to HUMAN messengers instead of assuming they were supernatural messengers. An important instance is in 1 Peter 1:12:
1 Peter 1:6-12
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
KJV
How many time have you heard messages preached in which the preacher says, "When the saints sing about salvation, the angels have to fold their wings." Or, he will say, "the angels desire to look into the things about the gospel and salvation." Both of these statements and statements like them stem from verse 12.
HOWEVER, let me give you another interpretation, using the word "messengers" instead of "angels." Look at verse 10 above! WHO "have inquired and searched diligently" about "salvation?" The PROPHETS have! So, what is a "prophet" if not a "messenger from God?" Thus, I believe that, in keeping with its context, verse 12 is about the prophets, not about the supernatural messengers! And, they desired to look into the "rescue of your breathers" ("salvation of your souls") not so much because they couldn't participate, but because the matter INTRIGUED them! They were given visions of the future about the RESCUE of Isra'el when Yeshua` returns ahead of schedule, and they wanted to see its fulfillment!
I believe that there are MANY more instances when the words "messenger" or "messengers" should have been used for translation than "angel" or "angels" because they refer to HUMAN messengers, like prophets, rather than supernatural messengers. Not all, but many more.
That's all for today.
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
It is now "yowm richown," the "head day" of the week, or "Sunday." Last week, I talked briefly about the "church" and how it is a simple participle that acts like our gerund, meaning that it is treated as a noun. We also covered how it is a COLLECTIVE noun (or gerund), much like our words "flock," "herd," "pack," or "pride" (of lions), and that Yeshua` did NOT give Himself to die for an organization! He gave Himself to die for PEOPLE, like you and me.
In a previous post (long ago), I've mentioned that "heaven" simply means the "sky" or "skies." If anyone talks about "heaven" for any length of time, it usually becomes clear that he or she is actually talking about the "New Jerusalem," "Yerushalayim haChadashah," when they mention the "golden streets," "pearly gates," or the "river of the water of life." That city, in my opinion, is a quite literal city 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide, and 1,500 miles high, consisting of an outside wall of jasper, the "BLOOD"-stone, with a first foundational level also made of jasper.
The other foundations I believe are foundational LEVELS to the city separated from each other by 125 miles of vertical building space, part of which is taken up by the thickness of each foundation.
The 144 cubits, or 72 yards, mentioned, I believe, is the THICKNESS of the walls, particularly at the gates. Only the foundations of the city are in the form of a square for the city "LIETH foursquare" or "covers a square area" or "has a square footprint." If the walls of the city are "great and high," literally "huge and high," then 72 yards or 216 feet or 65.8 meters hardly seems "high" compared to a city that is 1,500 MILES high!
If all four of the walls go all the way to the top of the city, 1,500 miles up, and meet at a point, the structure would be that of a four-sided pyramid, much like the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The "cube" theory of the New Jerusalem doesn't quite do it. The basic shape of the cube is a square on each of its six sides and a square, architecturally speaking, can be "squashed," that is, formed into a rhombus, by pushing in on one of its corners.
The basic shape of the four walls of a pyramid is a triangle, the most stable of the simple polygons. The triangle can't be "squashed" without breaking a side or an angle. This is why there are triangles embedded within rectangular-shaped buildings we have today. Strength is increased by cross beams, which break up the rectangle into two triangles, in such a structure. The more triangles, particularly 60-60-60 triangles, the more stable the structure.
This New Jerusalem is called an "epouranios" city meaning a city "of or from above-the-sky" or a city currently in space. That is where it is being constructed, and we have learned from our experiments in the orbital space lab, that crystals grow better in zero-gravity. When Yeshua` (Jesus) said, "I go to prepare a place for you," I believe He was talking about this city. Yochanan (John) then told us that he saw the New Jerusalem coming down from "ouranos," meaning the "sky," which would suggest that it will land upon the New Earth, whose surface is re-created after the Fire.
Thus, we are not instructed to anticipate "going to heaven" because "He will dwell with us and be our God." Instead, we are always admonished to anticipate the RESURRECTION of our bodies, and we are told to expect the resurrection (after the Fire) of a creation that currently "groaneth and travaileth in pain together" to be re-created!
Now, as far as the word "paradise" is concerned, if one were to look the word up in a Strong's Concordance, he or she would find that it is defined as...
NT:3857 paradeisos (par-ad'-i-sos); of Oriental origin [compare OT:6508]; a park, i.e. (specifically) an Eden (place of future happiness, "paradise"):
KJV - paradise.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
... and that the word is found in three places within the New Testament: Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; and Revelation 2:7:
Luke 23:39-43
39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
KJV
2 Corinthians 12:1-4
12 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
KJV
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
However, notice, too, that Strong's says to "compare OT:6508." So, we look this word up and we find...
OT:6508 pardec (par-dace'); of foreign origin; a park:
KJV - forest, orchard.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
If one does an Englishman's Concordance search on this word, one would find an additional three verses: Nehemiah 2:8; Ecclesiastes 2:5; and Song of Solomon 4:13:
Nehemiah 2:7-8
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
KJV
Ecclesiastes 2:5
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
KJV
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
KJV
So, what is a "paradise?" It's simply a "garden of trees" or an "orchard," much as was the original Gan-Eden or Garden of Eden.
I think I've said this before, but I had a pastor once who gave us a really rudimentary outline of the Bible:
I. What ought to be - Genesis 1, 2
II. What is - Genesis 3
III. How to get from what is to what ought to be - Genesis 4 through Revelation 22
If a perfect God looked at all that He had made on the six days of Creation and declared it all "very good," then why would we expect anything different for eternity than what He gave us in the Creation? If He started with mankind in a garden, the Garden of Eden, then why wouldn't we expect to find mankind in a garden in our future state of happiness?
Now, I know I've talked about this before, but look again at Revelation 2:7:
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
KJV
So, where is this "tree of life" to be found? Well, Yochanan also said about the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:1-2:
Rev 22:1-2
22 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
KJV
So, the tree of life is also within the New Jerusalem. Therefore, if the tree of life is "in the midst of the paradise of God" and it is also "in the midst of the street of [the city], and on either side of the river [of water of life]," then either the "paradise of God" is within the New Jerusalem or it IS the New Jerusalem! I believe that it is the PARK SYSTEM that exists within the structure of the New Jerusalem and will "spill out" onto the New Earth, once the gates of pearl have been opened after the city lands.
Finally, I'd like to talk about one more "holy" word: "angel." This is not that difficult; so, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it. The word is TRANSLITERATED from the Greek instead of being TRANSLATED from the Greek. When a word is totally changed from Greek to English, like "agapee" to "I love," that is translation, but when a word is changed letter by letter from Greek letters to their English equivalents, that is transliteration. Another word that was transliterated from the Greek was the word "Christ," stemming from the Greek word "christos," spelled "chi-rho-iota-sigma-tau-omicron-stigma," meaning "anointed." The "chi" is usually transliterated as a "ch" since it sounds like the "ch" in the Scottish word "loch." The "rho" is like our "r"; the "iota" is like our "i"; the "sigma" is like our "s"; the "tau" is like our "t"; the "omicron" (which means "small o") is like our short "o"; and the "stigma," and ending "sigma," is again like our "s." So, I transliterate the word as "christos." Recognizing that the "-os" ending was purely to identify a noun, the original transliterators dropped that ending and derived the word "Christ," capitalized out of respect because it refers to the Son of God.
In much the same way, the Greek word is "aggelos," meaning a "messenger," spelled "alpha-gamma-gamma-epsilon-lambda-omicron-stigma." In transliteration, the "alpha" is like our "a"; the "gamma-gamma" makes the "ng" sound and so was transliterated that way as an "ng"; "the "epsilon" is like our short "e"; the "lambda" is like our "l"; the "omicron" is like our short "o"; and the "stigma" is like our "s." So, I transliterate the Greek word as "aggelos," and again, the original transliterators dropped the "-os" ending, deriving the word "angel."
I bring all this up because it is important to remember when seeing the words "angel" or "angels" in the New Testament ("aggelos" or "aggeloi" in the Greek respectively) that they simply mean "messenger" or "messengers" and may be referring to HUMAN messengers as easily as supernatural messengers. In fact, if it was obvious to the translators, they would translate the words as "messenger" or "messengers" instead, as in the case of Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) and others in Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; 2 Corinthians 12:7; and James 2:25. In my opinion, they should have ALL been rendered as "messenger" or "messengers" because there are a number of times when I feel that the words should have referred to HUMAN messengers instead of assuming they were supernatural messengers. An important instance is in 1 Peter 1:12:
1 Peter 1:6-12
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
KJV
How many time have you heard messages preached in which the preacher says, "When the saints sing about salvation, the angels have to fold their wings." Or, he will say, "the angels desire to look into the things about the gospel and salvation." Both of these statements and statements like them stem from verse 12.
HOWEVER, let me give you another interpretation, using the word "messengers" instead of "angels." Look at verse 10 above! WHO "have inquired and searched diligently" about "salvation?" The PROPHETS have! So, what is a "prophet" if not a "messenger from God?" Thus, I believe that, in keeping with its context, verse 12 is about the prophets, not about the supernatural messengers! And, they desired to look into the "rescue of your breathers" ("salvation of your souls") not so much because they couldn't participate, but because the matter INTRIGUED them! They were given visions of the future about the RESCUE of Isra'el when Yeshua` returns ahead of schedule, and they wanted to see its fulfillment!
I believe that there are MANY more instances when the words "messenger" or "messengers" should have been used for translation than "angel" or "angels" because they refer to HUMAN messengers, like prophets, rather than supernatural messengers. Not all, but many more.
That's all for today.
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
More definitions to avoid daffy-nitions.
Shalom, mishpachah.
Okay, let's move on. Another definition will be a "sacred" word to some. "Sacred" words are those words that one can use respectfully, but NEVER let someone hear you attack those words! Such words fall into the same classification as a revered pastor, a "reverend." The Scriptures admonish, "Touch not the Lord's Anointed!" Well, in the case of these words, these are irrationally and superstitiously said to be SPECIAL words that no one should touch!
But, I'll dare to touch them. Let's look at the word, "church," for instance: There are two ways to go with this word. First, the etymology of the English word "church" is, according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary, "before 900; Middle English chir(i)che, Old English cir(i)ce, borrowed from Greek kuri(a)kon (dooma) the Lord's (house); akin to Dutch kerk, German Kirche, Old Norse kirkja. See KIRK."
The second way to go is the Greek word usually translated as "church" in the King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible, "ekkleesia." This Greek word is a compound word coming from the small prepositional word "ek," meaning "out of," and "kaleoo" meaning "I call." The word itself is a participle, not a noun; however, used AS a noun, it more resembles our gerund. Thus, it is a "called-out (group)" of people. Looking at how the word was used in the New Testament, it was used not only for individual groups of people in various cities and towns, such as Korinth and Ephesus, but was also used for the congregation of Isra'el at the foot of Mount Sinai in Acts 7:38 and the "town council meeting" at Ephesus in Acts 19:32, 39, and 41. Theologians will also point out that the word was used for the congregation of ALL believers in heaven in Hebrews 12:23, but there are qualifications to this concept. Remember that "heaven" means "the sky." Therefore, the "general assembly (Greek paneegurei, meaning 'to a mass-meeting') and called-out (group) of the firstborn (ones) in the sky" is a reference to the actual collecting of the believers as described in 1 Thes. 4:13-17.
The mere fact that the word is usually used in the plural for multiple groups of people is proof enough that there is no such thing as a "universal body" of believers called the "Church" (note the capitalization). They were always "churches!" Indeed, the word "catholic" means "universal." Therefore, for a protestant to claim there is a "universal body" is a MAJOR backpedaling! They are saying they are once again part of the "Catholic Church" or "Universal Church," usually and particularly the "ROMAN Catholic Church" (as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox or the Greek Orthodox Churches)!
Furthermore, if the "church" is said to be a body of members that work together and can share each other's pain and burdens (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31), then it doesn't even make sense for the "church" to be a "universal body." How does a "finger" in Albuquerque scratch a "nose" in Timbuktu?! They must be able to interact and instantly react to one another, as in a local body of believers can. It's hard for a "congregation" to be "gathered together" if they're still all over the world!
Therefore, I conclude that the "church" is a LOCAL body of believers. As the Complete Jewish Bible puts it, it is a Messianic Congregation, a congregation of members who believe in the Messiah Yeshua` - that Yeshua` is the Messiah of God.
So, it makes much better sense to see the "church" NOT as an organization or a corporation, but as a COLLECTIVE NOUN (GERUND)! It's the same kind of word as our words "flock (of sheep), school (of fish), pack (of wolves or dogs), pride (of lions), gaggle (of geese), or even murder (of crows)!"
The only passages of Scripture that SEEM to be saying something otherwise are Ephesians 4:4 and Colossians 3:15, but one should notice and remember that each of these verses is talking to ONE group of people in each town, Ephesus and Colosse, and each passage is referring to those who can "forebear one another in love," and can "teach and admonish one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs." These are intimate encounters that require close fellowship as in a LOCAL assembly.
Now, that being said, what does that do to our understanding of Ephesians 5?
Ephesians 5:17-33
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
KJV
Well, at the least, Paul is talking about each LOCAL body of believers, but I believe that there are a couple of other interpretations possible:
First, it is possible that the "ekkleesia" in these verses is a two-person "called-out (group)." Here's why: When Paul said that "Christ also loved the church (ekkleesia) and gave himself for it," did the Messiah love and give Himself for some organization or corporation? OR, did He love and give Himself for PEOPLE, for INDIVIDUALS? He loved and gave Himself for INDIVIDUALS! Also, in talking of the "body," Paul includes verses 28, 29 and 31 above. And, we might call a "two person called-out (group)," a "UNION." Thus, Paul may have been referring to the importance of the marriage union and why the husband and the wife should remain monogamous.
Second, another possibility that may be applicable to this passage as well as others is that the "ekkleesia" is first and foremost the SAME congregation as in Acts 7:38!
Remember that Paul said in Romans 11,
Romans 11:1-32
1 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that God has repudiated (disowned) his people?” Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Isra’el, from the seed of Avraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Ps. 105:6), of the tribe of Binyamin. 2 God has not repudiated his people (1 Sam. 12:22; Ps. 94:14), whom he chose in advance. Or don’t you know what the Tanakh says about Eliyahu? He pleads with God against Isra’el, 3 “Adonai, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I’m the only one left, and now they want to kill me too!” (1 Kings 19:10, 14) 4 But what is God’s answer to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt down to Ba‘al.” (1 Kings 19:18) 5 It’s the same way in the present age: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 (Now if it is by grace, it is accordingly not based on legalistic works; if it were otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.) 7 What follows is that Isra’el has not attained the goal for which she is striving. The ones chosen have obtained it, but the rest have been made stonelike, 8 just as the Tanakh says,
“God has given them a spirit of dullness —
eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear,
right down to the present day.” (Deut. 29:3; Isa. 29:10)
9 And David says,
“Let their dining table become for them
a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can’t see,
with their backs bent continually.” (Ps. 69:23-24)
11 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?” Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy. (Deut. 32:21) 12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world — that is, if Isra’el’s being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter — how much greater riches will Isra’el in its fullness bring them!
13 However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work 14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! 15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!
16 Now if the hallah (a piece of the Jewish egg bread) offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive — were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. 19 So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! 22 So take a good look at God’s kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! 23 Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. 24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; 26 and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved. As the Tanakh (a Hebrew acronym for the OT, the Torah or Instruction, the Navi'iym or Prophets, and the Ketuviym or Writings) says,
“Out of Tziyon (Zion) will come the Redeemer;
he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov (Jacob)
27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . .
when I take away their sins.” (Isa. 59:20-21; 27:9)
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, 29 for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. 30 Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; 31 so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. 32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.
CJB
(Here, I've chosen to use the Complete Jewish Bible, simply because it is more readable and easier to understand what is being said here.)
The point I'm making is this: The "church" is not the combination of believing Jews and Gentiles, although many would like to believe that. Rather, the root of the Olive Tree, the true Isra'el, found in the Person of the King, Yeshua` haMashiach, contains both believing Jews and believing Gentiles who have both been grafted in. The Gentiles were grafted in for the first time, but the Jews were grafted in AGAIN into THEIR OWN Olive Tree, the Isra'el of King David! The Isra'el as it was MEANT to be!
And, while it is true that within the Messiah there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same cannot be said for those outside the Messiah! There is still a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles outside the Messiah. They have different histories, and they have different prospects for the future, because it was the Isra'elites who were given the prophecies, and the promises, and the Torah, and the Messiah Himself!
Rom 9:1-5
9:1 I am speaking the truth — as one who belongs to the Messiah, I do not lie; and also bearing witness is my conscience, governed by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit): 2 my grief is so great, the pain in my heart so constant, 3 that I could wish myself actually under God’s curse and separated from the Messiah, if it would help my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4 the people of Isra’el! They were made God’s children, the Sh’khinah (Presence) has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah (Instruction), the Temple service and the promises; 5 the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be Adonai (the Lord) for ever! Amen (Truth).
CJB
Eph. 2:1-22
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ (a Messiah), being aliens from the commonwealth (citizenship) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (two) one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
KJV
So, I believe that the True Isra'el, the Kingdom over which David reigned, IS the "ekkleesia," the "church!" It's not that "the Church is the True Isra'el," as some claim, but quite the opposite! It's not that "the Church is the Kingdom of God," but again, the opposite: God's Kingdom should be recognized as the "called-out (group)" of believers who will be among His loyal subjects when the Messiah returns.
Oh, yes, and to show that there are not just two groups of people (believers and non-believers), we also have this passage in which Paul lists all three in the town of Korinth:
1 Cor. 10:32-33
32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
KJV
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Okay, let's move on. Another definition will be a "sacred" word to some. "Sacred" words are those words that one can use respectfully, but NEVER let someone hear you attack those words! Such words fall into the same classification as a revered pastor, a "reverend." The Scriptures admonish, "Touch not the Lord's Anointed!" Well, in the case of these words, these are irrationally and superstitiously said to be SPECIAL words that no one should touch!
But, I'll dare to touch them. Let's look at the word, "church," for instance: There are two ways to go with this word. First, the etymology of the English word "church" is, according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary, "before 900; Middle English chir(i)che, Old English cir(i)ce, borrowed from Greek kuri(a)kon (dooma) the Lord's (house); akin to Dutch kerk, German Kirche, Old Norse kirkja. See KIRK."
The second way to go is the Greek word usually translated as "church" in the King James (Authorized) Version of the Bible, "ekkleesia." This Greek word is a compound word coming from the small prepositional word "ek," meaning "out of," and "kaleoo" meaning "I call." The word itself is a participle, not a noun; however, used AS a noun, it more resembles our gerund. Thus, it is a "called-out (group)" of people. Looking at how the word was used in the New Testament, it was used not only for individual groups of people in various cities and towns, such as Korinth and Ephesus, but was also used for the congregation of Isra'el at the foot of Mount Sinai in Acts 7:38 and the "town council meeting" at Ephesus in Acts 19:32, 39, and 41. Theologians will also point out that the word was used for the congregation of ALL believers in heaven in Hebrews 12:23, but there are qualifications to this concept. Remember that "heaven" means "the sky." Therefore, the "general assembly (Greek paneegurei, meaning 'to a mass-meeting') and called-out (group) of the firstborn (ones) in the sky" is a reference to the actual collecting of the believers as described in 1 Thes. 4:13-17.
The mere fact that the word is usually used in the plural for multiple groups of people is proof enough that there is no such thing as a "universal body" of believers called the "Church" (note the capitalization). They were always "churches!" Indeed, the word "catholic" means "universal." Therefore, for a protestant to claim there is a "universal body" is a MAJOR backpedaling! They are saying they are once again part of the "Catholic Church" or "Universal Church," usually and particularly the "ROMAN Catholic Church" (as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox or the Greek Orthodox Churches)!
Furthermore, if the "church" is said to be a body of members that work together and can share each other's pain and burdens (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31), then it doesn't even make sense for the "church" to be a "universal body." How does a "finger" in Albuquerque scratch a "nose" in Timbuktu?! They must be able to interact and instantly react to one another, as in a local body of believers can. It's hard for a "congregation" to be "gathered together" if they're still all over the world!
Therefore, I conclude that the "church" is a LOCAL body of believers. As the Complete Jewish Bible puts it, it is a Messianic Congregation, a congregation of members who believe in the Messiah Yeshua` - that Yeshua` is the Messiah of God.
So, it makes much better sense to see the "church" NOT as an organization or a corporation, but as a COLLECTIVE NOUN (GERUND)! It's the same kind of word as our words "flock (of sheep), school (of fish), pack (of wolves or dogs), pride (of lions), gaggle (of geese), or even murder (of crows)!"
The only passages of Scripture that SEEM to be saying something otherwise are Ephesians 4:4 and Colossians 3:15, but one should notice and remember that each of these verses is talking to ONE group of people in each town, Ephesus and Colosse, and each passage is referring to those who can "forebear one another in love," and can "teach and admonish one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs." These are intimate encounters that require close fellowship as in a LOCAL assembly.
Now, that being said, what does that do to our understanding of Ephesians 5?
Ephesians 5:17-33
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
KJV
Well, at the least, Paul is talking about each LOCAL body of believers, but I believe that there are a couple of other interpretations possible:
First, it is possible that the "ekkleesia" in these verses is a two-person "called-out (group)." Here's why: When Paul said that "Christ also loved the church (ekkleesia) and gave himself for it," did the Messiah love and give Himself for some organization or corporation? OR, did He love and give Himself for PEOPLE, for INDIVIDUALS? He loved and gave Himself for INDIVIDUALS! Also, in talking of the "body," Paul includes verses 28, 29 and 31 above. And, we might call a "two person called-out (group)," a "UNION." Thus, Paul may have been referring to the importance of the marriage union and why the husband and the wife should remain monogamous.
Second, another possibility that may be applicable to this passage as well as others is that the "ekkleesia" is first and foremost the SAME congregation as in Acts 7:38!
Remember that Paul said in Romans 11,
Romans 11:1-32
1 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that God has repudiated (disowned) his people?” Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Isra’el, from the seed of Avraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Ps. 105:6), of the tribe of Binyamin. 2 God has not repudiated his people (1 Sam. 12:22; Ps. 94:14), whom he chose in advance. Or don’t you know what the Tanakh says about Eliyahu? He pleads with God against Isra’el, 3 “Adonai, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I’m the only one left, and now they want to kill me too!” (1 Kings 19:10, 14) 4 But what is God’s answer to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt down to Ba‘al.” (1 Kings 19:18) 5 It’s the same way in the present age: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 (Now if it is by grace, it is accordingly not based on legalistic works; if it were otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.) 7 What follows is that Isra’el has not attained the goal for which she is striving. The ones chosen have obtained it, but the rest have been made stonelike, 8 just as the Tanakh says,
“God has given them a spirit of dullness —
eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear,
right down to the present day.” (Deut. 29:3; Isa. 29:10)
9 And David says,
“Let their dining table become for them
a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can’t see,
with their backs bent continually.” (Ps. 69:23-24)
11 “In that case, I say, isn’t it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?” Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy. (Deut. 32:21) 12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world — that is, if Isra’el’s being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter — how much greater riches will Isra’el in its fullness bring them!
13 However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work 14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! 15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!
16 Now if the hallah (a piece of the Jewish egg bread) offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you — a wild olive — were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. 19 So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! 22 So take a good look at God’s kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you — provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! 23 Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. 24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra’el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; 26 and that it is in this way that all Isra’el will be saved. As the Tanakh (a Hebrew acronym for the OT, the Torah or Instruction, the Navi'iym or Prophets, and the Ketuviym or Writings) says,
“Out of Tziyon (Zion) will come the Redeemer;
he will turn away ungodliness from Ya‘akov (Jacob)
27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . .
when I take away their sins.” (Isa. 59:20-21; 27:9)
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, 29 for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. 30 Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; 31 so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. 32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.
CJB
(Here, I've chosen to use the Complete Jewish Bible, simply because it is more readable and easier to understand what is being said here.)
The point I'm making is this: The "church" is not the combination of believing Jews and Gentiles, although many would like to believe that. Rather, the root of the Olive Tree, the true Isra'el, found in the Person of the King, Yeshua` haMashiach, contains both believing Jews and believing Gentiles who have both been grafted in. The Gentiles were grafted in for the first time, but the Jews were grafted in AGAIN into THEIR OWN Olive Tree, the Isra'el of King David! The Isra'el as it was MEANT to be!
And, while it is true that within the Messiah there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same cannot be said for those outside the Messiah! There is still a difference between the Jews and the Gentiles outside the Messiah. They have different histories, and they have different prospects for the future, because it was the Isra'elites who were given the prophecies, and the promises, and the Torah, and the Messiah Himself!
Rom 9:1-5
9:1 I am speaking the truth — as one who belongs to the Messiah, I do not lie; and also bearing witness is my conscience, governed by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit): 2 my grief is so great, the pain in my heart so constant, 3 that I could wish myself actually under God’s curse and separated from the Messiah, if it would help my brothers, my own flesh and blood, 4 the people of Isra’el! They were made God’s children, the Sh’khinah (Presence) has been with them, the covenants are theirs, likewise the giving of the Torah (Instruction), the Temple service and the promises; 5 the Patriarchs are theirs; and from them, as far as his physical descent is concerned, came the Messiah, who is over all. Praised be Adonai (the Lord) for ever! Amen (Truth).
CJB
Eph. 2:1-22
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ (a Messiah), being aliens from the commonwealth (citizenship) of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (two) one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
KJV
So, I believe that the True Isra'el, the Kingdom over which David reigned, IS the "ekkleesia," the "church!" It's not that "the Church is the True Isra'el," as some claim, but quite the opposite! It's not that "the Church is the Kingdom of God," but again, the opposite: God's Kingdom should be recognized as the "called-out (group)" of believers who will be among His loyal subjects when the Messiah returns.
Oh, yes, and to show that there are not just two groups of people (believers and non-believers), we also have this passage in which Paul lists all three in the town of Korinth:
1 Cor. 10:32-33
32 Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
KJV
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Monday, May 7, 2012
More definitions to avoid daffy-nitions
Shalom, mishpachah.
Okay, the last entry like this was focusing on the definition of "justification." Now, let's take the definition of "salvation":
The word "salvation" is often misapplied for the "justification by God" that we just covered. This is not a horrific blunder, but it DOES present a problem when it comes to prophecy.
"Salvation," a translation of the Hebrew word "yeshuw`ah," just means "something saved" or "deliverance." Another English word that fits the definition better is "rescue" as a noun, like "The life guard jumped into the water to perform the rescue of the drowning man." This is the Hebrew word from which our Lord's given name, Yeshua`, was derived. In the Tanakh (the OT), Yeshua` is transliterated into the KJV English as "Jeshua," since the "J" in 1611 English used to be pronounced as a "Y."
An early use of the word is found in Exodus:
Exodus 14:13-16
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
KJV
You can see here that the deliverance of Isra'el from the Pharaoh of Egypt and his army is such a rescue.
In prophecy, this word is similarly used. It is a word that often refers to the Messiah Yeshua`s rescue of national Isra'el as they come under some future attack by their Islamic neighbors.
So, when one is reading along in OT prophecies and sees this word, one should not go off half-cocked thinking that this word is being used about God's justification of an individual (although it may if the context warrants it) but is more than likely talking about God's RESCUE of Isra'el through His Emissary, His Respresentative, His Anointed-One, His Mashiach, His Messiah, His Christ, Yeshua` (Jesus) when He returns.
Have a great day!
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Okay, the last entry like this was focusing on the definition of "justification." Now, let's take the definition of "salvation":
The word "salvation" is often misapplied for the "justification by God" that we just covered. This is not a horrific blunder, but it DOES present a problem when it comes to prophecy.
"Salvation," a translation of the Hebrew word "yeshuw`ah," just means "something saved" or "deliverance." Another English word that fits the definition better is "rescue" as a noun, like "The life guard jumped into the water to perform the rescue of the drowning man." This is the Hebrew word from which our Lord's given name, Yeshua`, was derived. In the Tanakh (the OT), Yeshua` is transliterated into the KJV English as "Jeshua," since the "J" in 1611 English used to be pronounced as a "Y."
An early use of the word is found in Exodus:
Exodus 14:13-16
13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
15 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
KJV
You can see here that the deliverance of Isra'el from the Pharaoh of Egypt and his army is such a rescue.
In prophecy, this word is similarly used. It is a word that often refers to the Messiah Yeshua`s rescue of national Isra'el as they come under some future attack by their Islamic neighbors.
So, when one is reading along in OT prophecies and sees this word, one should not go off half-cocked thinking that this word is being used about God's justification of an individual (although it may if the context warrants it) but is more than likely talking about God's RESCUE of Isra'el through His Emissary, His Respresentative, His Anointed-One, His Mashiach, His Messiah, His Christ, Yeshua` (Jesus) when He returns.
Have a great day!
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Davidic Covenant fulfills Dan. 9:27 in part
Shalom, Mishpachah.
I should have been a little more thorough in the verses I chose to support this view:
Consider Psalm 89:
Psalm 89:1-52
1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
18 For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
44 Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
46 How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
KJV
Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
KJV
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
KJV
Therefore, it was HE, the MESSIAH, who put the gap in the seventy "sevens" of Daniel 9:24-27. HE left them desolate until such time as they could say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD," or in Hebrew, "Baruwk haba' b'shem YHVH!" such that "Baruwk haba'" means "Welcome, comer!" And, the gap is not between the 69 "sevens" and the last "seven," but between the first 69.5 "sevens" and the last HALF of the last "seven."
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
I should have been a little more thorough in the verses I chose to support this view:
Consider Psalm 89:
Psalm 89:1-52
1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.
18 For the Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.20 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21 With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.
39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges; thou hast brought his strong holds to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries; thou hast made all his enemies to rejoice.
43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in the battle.
44 Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days of his youth hast thou shortened: thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
46 How long, Lord? wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?
50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people;
51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
KJV
Actually, more time than just 483 years had passed since Gavri'el delivered the prophecy to Dani'el when Yeshua` rode into Yerushalayim a few days before He was crucified, and it
was then the 487th year. Yeshua`s "ministry" (His offer of Himself as
the Messiah, the Anointed TO BE KING) was the first 3.5 years of the last
"seven" of Gavri'el's "seventy sevens" of years. They
rejected Him as their King, however, and He had pronounced them
"desolate" in Matthew 23:38 which He had just done while still in the
Temple 9:27 :
Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
KJV
Matthew 23:37-39
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye
would not!38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
KJV
I know that many are of the opinion that Daniel 9:27 is talking
about the "antichrist," but it CANNOT - by either the rules of
English grammar in the translations or more importantly the rules of Hebrew
grammar in the original text - refer to the "prince that shall come"
of verse 26! It must refer back farther to the Messiah of verse 26!
Furthermore, it is the MESSIAH who confirmed the Davidic Covenant in insisting
that Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) immerse Him to "fulfill all
righteousness." (See Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; and Psalm
89:1-4, 26-37.) And, it was the Messiah who caused the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease THE VERY DAY that Yeshua` was crucified! (See Hebrews
10:1-22.) It was for the overspreading of abominations COMMITTED BY THE JEWS in
their rejection of Himself that forced Him to leave them "desolate."
(See Matthew 23:1-36.)
Therefore, it was HE, the MESSIAH, who put the gap in the seventy "sevens" of Daniel 9:24-27. HE left them desolate until such time as they could say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD," or in Hebrew, "Baruwk haba' b'shem YHVH!" such that "Baruwk haba'" means "Welcome, comer!" And, the gap is not between the 69 "sevens" and the last "seven," but between the first 69.5 "sevens" and the last HALF of the last "seven."
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Definitions to avoid daffy-nitions
Shalom, mishpachah.
Before I begin on the interesting things I've been studying lately, let's go back to a few definitions of common (and abused) words:
The foundation for any meaningful communication is in the definitions parties may use. All parties need to be "on the same page," so to speak. I am reminded of my early days trying to witness to a "Jehovah's Witness."
We were saying all the same things, but because our definitions were SO VERY different, we weren't really communicating! What I was saying he was interpreting differently, and what he was saying I misunderstood as well. We basically had to go back to square one and define our terms in order to know what the other was saying. We had been talking about 2 months before we realized that we weren't speaking each other's language, but once we laid a foundation of definitions, we made much better progress.
Thus, to begin a study in the meaning of a particular prophecy, we must start with the meanings of the words within that prophecy. I am convinced that the B'rit Chadashah (the New "Testament") has far more references to prophecy than we give it credit. So, let's begin:
First, let's start with the most crucial subject in the Bible (at least, in my opinion): God's Justification of an individual. Many evangelical congregations call this "salvation," but that's really the wrong word to be using for this concept.
What happens when one is justified by God? Well, first the Ruach haQodesh (the Holy Spirit) has been working with that individual for some period of time prior to the actual conversion. To get a handle on this, we must backtrack to a point in Yeshua`s first advent when He gave a huge crowd a very unusual Pesach (Passover) Seder:
John 6:1-71
1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. (Lake Kinneret in the Galiyl of Isra'el today.)
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. (Thus, it was Pesach, and He was providing the feast meal called a "Seder" for them.)
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him (to test him): for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? (Since this was the Pesach season, these were unleavened barley loaves.)
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
There is a bit of a break in the account here as Yeshua` and His students left the crowd for a few hours.
16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs (3.5 miles, more or less), they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
So, now they'd arrived on the shores of Capernaum which is K'fer-Nachum in Hebrew on the north side of the lake.
22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? ("When did you get here?")
I think they were too afraid of asking, "HOW did you get here?" but it was implied. Yeshua` is not much for small talk, though:
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
KJV
So, Yeshua` was saying that God, through His Ruach haQodesh - His Holy Spirit, has to give a person the desire to come to Yeshua`; it's not the person's OWN idea!
Psalm 130:2-4
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
KJV
Secondly, GOD must declare a person righteous for that person to be justified by God. A person cannot declare himself to be justified; self-justification always leads to deceptive delusion. Every person is a sinner; every person's good deeds are as filthy rags in God's sight! (Romans 3:10-20)
It is not accomplished by a person's good deeds; God is without sin and holy and demands a person to be likewise without sin. (Leviticus 20:7; 1 Peter 1:15-16) That's impossible because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) It's already too late! Furthermore, that is not only true for one's initial justification by God but is also true for the maintenance of one's justification by God! (Galatians 3:1-6) It must ALL be of God and not of oneself!
Finally, the justification is completed by a transference of God's righteousness and one's sin, and this, too, is the result of God's declaration!
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he (God) hath made him (Yeshua`) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Yeshua`).KJV
Thus the transfer is completed when God declared Yeshua` "our sin" that we might be declared "God's righteousness" found in Yeshua`!
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
Before I begin on the interesting things I've been studying lately, let's go back to a few definitions of common (and abused) words:
The foundation for any meaningful communication is in the definitions parties may use. All parties need to be "on the same page," so to speak. I am reminded of my early days trying to witness to a "Jehovah's Witness."
We were saying all the same things, but because our definitions were SO VERY different, we weren't really communicating! What I was saying he was interpreting differently, and what he was saying I misunderstood as well. We basically had to go back to square one and define our terms in order to know what the other was saying. We had been talking about 2 months before we realized that we weren't speaking each other's language, but once we laid a foundation of definitions, we made much better progress.
Thus, to begin a study in the meaning of a particular prophecy, we must start with the meanings of the words within that prophecy. I am convinced that the B'rit Chadashah (the New "Testament") has far more references to prophecy than we give it credit. So, let's begin:
First, let's start with the most crucial subject in the Bible (at least, in my opinion): God's Justification of an individual. Many evangelical congregations call this "salvation," but that's really the wrong word to be using for this concept.
What happens when one is justified by God? Well, first the Ruach haQodesh (the Holy Spirit) has been working with that individual for some period of time prior to the actual conversion. To get a handle on this, we must backtrack to a point in Yeshua`s first advent when He gave a huge crowd a very unusual Pesach (Passover) Seder:
John 6:1-71
1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. (Lake Kinneret in the Galiyl of Isra'el today.)
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. (Thus, it was Pesach, and He was providing the feast meal called a "Seder" for them.)
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him (to test him): for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? (Since this was the Pesach season, these were unleavened barley loaves.)
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
There is a bit of a break in the account here as Yeshua` and His students left the crowd for a few hours.
16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs (3.5 miles, more or less), they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
So, now they'd arrived on the shores of Capernaum which is K'fer-Nachum in Hebrew on the north side of the lake.
22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? ("When did you get here?")
I think they were too afraid of asking, "HOW did you get here?" but it was implied. Yeshua` is not much for small talk, though:
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
KJV
So, Yeshua` was saying that God, through His Ruach haQodesh - His Holy Spirit, has to give a person the desire to come to Yeshua`; it's not the person's OWN idea!
Psalm 130:2-4
2 Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
KJV
Secondly, GOD must declare a person righteous for that person to be justified by God. A person cannot declare himself to be justified; self-justification always leads to deceptive delusion. Every person is a sinner; every person's good deeds are as filthy rags in God's sight! (Romans 3:10-20)
It is not accomplished by a person's good deeds; God is without sin and holy and demands a person to be likewise without sin. (Leviticus 20:7; 1 Peter 1:15-16) That's impossible because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) It's already too late! Furthermore, that is not only true for one's initial justification by God but is also true for the maintenance of one's justification by God! (Galatians 3:1-6) It must ALL be of God and not of oneself!
Finally, the justification is completed by a transference of God's righteousness and one's sin, and this, too, is the result of God's declaration!
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he (God) hath made him (Yeshua`) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Yeshua`).KJV
Thus the transfer is completed when God declared Yeshua` "our sin" that we might be declared "God's righteousness" found in Yeshua`!
In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter
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