Tag: Jesus

Recurring Themes: The Kingdom and The Christ

Jeremiah 19-20

Psalm 127

*Luke 9

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Lots of time in the scriptures we see a “recurring theme”; a central idea, message, or concept that appears repeatedly throughout a single work of art, a series of works, or across different narratives.  We see this a lot in scripture, and you can probably think of at least 3 examples of this without thinking too hard about it.

            In today’s reading of Luke 9, we see a couple of recurring themes that occur through this single chapter of scripture: 1 of these themes (the Christ, and what that means identity-wise)  occurs about 531 times directly in the new testament, myriads of other times semi-directly , and another (the kingdom of God) occurs about 365 times throughout the bible.

            Dissecting Luke 9, we see right off the bat (in v 1-6) that the 12 (disciples) are empowered to cast out demons and cure sicknesses, and sent out to (in v2): “…preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “.  The last verse of this section says “6 And they departed and went throughout the villages proclaiming good news and healing people everywhere”.  So what is this good news?  What is the gospel that they are preaching?  They are preaching about the kingdom of God.  That’s the good news that Jesus sends them out to speak about.

            The kingdom of God (or kingdom of Heaven) is one of the recurring themes throughout scripture, and occurs about 365 times, give or take.  It’s mentioned 6 times in this chapter alone, and refers to God’s coming kingdom that will be established (on the earth).  When Jesus teaches his disciples to pray, a portion of the prayer includes …”your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10, Luke 11:12).  Jesus teaches us that we are to “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” (Matt 6:33), so it’s not just a priority, it’s top priority.

            Throughout the centuries since Jesus the Christ left us, the focus has gradually shifted away from attaining citizenship into this kingdom (after the resurrection of the dead at the second coming), and towards “going to heaven” when we die.  Unfortunately, this “traditional orthodox” understanding is not scriptural: scriptures themselves speak only of a type of “sleep” for the righteous (with the notable exceptions of Enoch and Elijah).  In scripture, there are no verses that say that the righteous will go to heaven when they die, and approximately 54 that state they enter into a state of “sleep”* when they die (prior to a day of resurrection) so it can be logically inferred that the majority of traditional “orthodox” understanding is probably erroneous in this matter.  I’ll spare you the bad joke about what Mozart is doing right now**, along with the rest of the dead.

            It should also be noted that the kingdom of Heaven/kingdom of God is, according to scripture, going to be established here upon the earth***, after the return of the Christ, the judgment, and the resurrection of the dead.  If we entered immediately into the kingdom upon death, there would be no need for a resurrection, or the establishment of the kingdom on the earth.  The kingdom of God is to be established here on the earth after a number of specific criteria and events have occurred (see Revelation for reference).  Scriptures that seem to uphold both this and the above paragraph are listed at the bottom, if you’d like to compare and contrast them with your beliefs, but by all means make your own interpretations and do your own studies.

            So, is the kingdom of God a big deal?  It absolutely is, it’s what Jesus preached about, and sent his disciples out to preach about.  Has it been misunderstood and misrepresented in these later times?  It would seem so, according to scripture.  We are also told that in the last days, there will be lots of misunderstandings (See 1 Tim 4:1) and misrepresentations, so this shouldn’t come as any surprise.

            Another recurring theme we see through Luke 9 is folks wondering who Jesus is, who is this Nazarene fellow that some are calling The Christ?  Herod wonders this in Luke 9:7-9.  In Luke 9:18-22, Jesus asks his own disciples who the people are saying he is, and then asks Peter.  In Luke 9: 35 we hear what is presumably the voice of God stating who this Jesus fellow is.

            So, who was the Christ?  What does “Christ” mean?  What relationship did Jesus have with God, according to scripture?  What relationship does Jesus have with God, according to “orthodox tradition”?  Are they the same answer?  Why, or why not?

            This is a recurring theme even today, and unfortunately, we’ve let years of tradition influence our answer in most churches.  There is a fantastic and disturbingly educational book I’ve read recently which explains how a lot of the current “orthodox” traditions were accepted by the church that I’m going to highly, highly recommend to anyone who is truly serious about separating fact from fiction from tradition.  It’s called: “Voting About God in Early Church Councils”, by Ramsay MacMullen.  It’s a book that draws on extensive verbatim stenographic records, and analyzes the ecumenical councils from 325 to 553, in which participants gave authority to doctrinal choices by majority vote.  Did you ever wonder how some of these things really went down?  This book tells you (with original sources quoted extensively).   Spoiler Alert: it’s disturbing.

            Forget tradition, scripture slone should be our measuring stick.  If we hear anything that does not perfectly align with the majority of scripture, then it should be looked at very carefully.  Luke 9, along with all other scriptures, give us some very specific things that it claims that Jesus, the Christ, is.  It is also notably missing some of the larger more ambitious claims of later “orthodox” doctrine.  While our job is not to hold a measuring stick up to our brothers and sisters, we are told quite extensively in scripture to examine ourselves.  With that in mind:

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. What do you think the “kingdom of God” is?  Where and when does it take place? Which verses do you feel lend credence to your interpretation?  What level of priority should we assign to becoming citizens of this kingdom?
  2. Who do you say that Jesus is?  Does your belief line up with the majority of scripture?  Why, or why not?
  3. Possibly the most important question: how does your interpretation and understanding of scripture affect how you view and interact with both God and the rest of the humans he made?

PRAYER:

Father God, Please open my eyes and let me see.  Speak into my ear, and let me understand your word.  Grant me wisdom to discern the truth, and obedience to follow your word.  Forgive me of the many times I fall short, and help me to be as forgiving to the people around me when they do.  Thank you God, for life, breath, and all things.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* the “sleep of the dead” is extensively referred to throughout scripture: Gen 47:30; Deut 31:16; 2 Sam 7:12; 1 Ki 2:10; 1 Ki 11:21; 1 Ki 14:20; 1 Ki 15:8; 1 Ki 15:24; 1 Ki 22:40; 1 Ki 22:50; 2 Ki 8:24; 2 Ki 13:9; 2 Ki 14:16; 2 Ki 14:22; 2 Ki 15:7; 2 Ki 15:38; 2 Ki 16:20; 2 Ki 20:21; 2 Ki 21:18; 2 Ki 21:26. 1 Chron 28:10; 2 Chron 9:31; 2 Chron 14:1; 2 Chron 16:13; 2 Chron 21:20; 2 Chron 24:25; 2 Chron 26:23; 2 Chron 32:33; Job 7:21; Job 14:12; Ps 13:3; Ps 90:5; Dan 12:2. Matt 9:24; Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52; John 11:11; Matt 27:52; Acts 7:60; Acts 13:36; 1 Cor 7:39; 1 Cor 11:30; 1 Cor 15:20; 1 Cor 15:51; 1 Thess 4:13; 1 Thess 5:10; 2 Peter 3:4.  Additionally, the entirety of Heb 11 is devoted to explaining this concept, with examples.

** “De-composing”, pa dum pum (at least until Jesus comes back).  Ok, so I won’t completely spare you.

*** The Kingdom of God established on the earth: Is 65:17-19, Dan 2:44, Mic 4:1-2, Zech 14:9-11, Heb 12:22, Rev 3:12, 5:10, 11:15, 21:1-3, and more.  These texts collectively affirm that the Kingdom is a literal, earthly government rather than a purely spiritual or heavenly entity.

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Who Touched Me?

*Jeremiah 15-16

Psalm 126

*Luke 8

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            If you read yesterday’s devotion, do you remember there being at least 8 devotions worth of material in Luke 8?  Well, lucky day, since Luke 8 is partially in today’s reading too, one of them (the woman who touched Jesus and was healed) is going to be our primary study today.

            Before we go there though, just a touch upon our Jeremiah reading today.  If you read through these chapters, it really sounds like God is super-pi….well, let’s just say really angry. If you wonder why, check out the devotion from  June 17th this year entitled “Tingling Ears”.  Manasseh means “forgetting” or “causing to forget”, and Manasseh caused the Israelites to forget about God, while being credited in a number of scriptures as being so bad that he pretty much caused the babylonian exile (and the destruction of the temple) because of his sins.  In Jeremiah 15:4 specifically it says: “And I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, because of what he did in Jerusalem.”.   Just another clear reminder that just because you come from good stock doesn’t mean you’re good.

            Moving forward to Luke 8, let’s talk about the woman who touched Jesus, as there are a couple interesting points to make here.  First let’s set the scene a little.  Jesus and the twelve are travelling about, preaching and healing people, along with a group of benefactor ladies (Luke 8:1-3).  Huge crowds are gathering to hear what this Jesus guy is saying, people are even being healed, so everywhere he goes there’s a crowd either curious to hear his words or maybe even to get lucky enough to be healed of an affliction.  Maybe even both.  Jesus got in a boat to get some peace, calmed a storm, cast out demon(s), and then returned.  When he got back, the crowds were waiting on him.

            So, did you ever wonder if Jesus obeyed Jewish law?  He did.  When the woman in the crowd touched Jesus and was healed, she touched what is commonly translated as “the hem of his robe”.  What she actually touched was the fringe (or tassel) of Jesus’ garment, which was the part of the clothing known as the “tzitzit” worn by faithful Jewish men in obedience to biblical commands (found in Num 15:38 and Deut 22:12).  So yes, our Messiah was a very faithful and law obeying Jewish man, just as it was prophesied throughout scripture that he would be.  The seed of the woman, an Israelite man which God would raise up from among his brothers “like Moses” who would be completely obedient, a genealogical descendant of David.

            When the woman touched Jesus’ tassel and was healed, he felt the power go out of him.  There’s an interesting discussion here in Luke 8:45-48, in which Jesus asks who touched him.  Once, while attending a “traditional, orthodox” church,  a teacher speaking about this event told me (and the rest of the class) “well, he actually already knew, because God is omniscient…”.  Let’s pause a moment there and consider that.  While I’d agree that omniscience is probably a trait of God (Yahweh),  it seems as if in addition to many of the other notable traits and characteristics that distinguish the son of God (Yeshua) from God Himself (Yahweh), Jesus did not share this trait.  To imply that Jesus, our Messiah, would intentionally dissemble and mislead seems rather silly to me, and ill informed and ungracious at best.  Jesus, as the man God sent, only spoke the words that God told him to speak (and that’s according to Jesus himself, see John 12:49) so I think we can safely rule that theory out completely and move on to the simpler, more honest, reading.

            We don’t know the woman’s name* who touched Jesus in the crowd, the bible doesn’t mention it.   We do know that she was suffering for 12 years from  a chronic bleeding condition, “a discharge of blood” (possibly menstrual), which would render her ceremonially unclean and socially isolated under Jewish law.  To even touch an unclean person under Jewish law meant that you became unclean too.  What’s the big deal though?

            It’s a bigger deal than you can possibly imagine.  In the ancient world, the Jewish people had at the core of their social identity as a people the common belief in the one God, the God who had saved them from Egypt and claimed them as a people, and there was only one place in Israel that it was acceptable to go and worship this God, and that was at the Temple in Jerusalem.  You could not enter the temple if you were unclean, not without a very specific (and time consuming) ritual cleansing.  If you had a chronic bleeding condition, you could never become ritually clean, and therefore you could never enter the temple.  You couldn’t make your sacrifices before God.  You were cut off, not only from your people, but from your God. 

            Put it in your own social terms.  Let’s say you live in a medium-sized town, and everybody in this town goes to one church.  Now imagine that nobody will socialize with you or even approach you, and the only place that you can go to that everyone else goes to is denied to you.  In addition, even though you want to serve God, the only place you’re allowed to do it is at this church, which you’re not allowed in.  Feel isolated yet?  It was exponentially worse for this woman, because the core of the Jewish identity centered around the temple, and the belief and worship of the one God, which could only ritually take place in the temple.  This woman had no friends, and couldn’t even officially approach God, not like the rest of the Israelites could.  Just imagine how that would make you feel.

            When Jesus found out who had touched him, he didn’t rebuke her.  He didn’t scold her as an unclean woman touching a faithful and ritually clean Jewish man.  He blessed her, and told her that her faith had made her clean.  From this point, all she had to do was to go and see a priest, serve out the prescribed time for purification, and then she could enter the Temple.  Jesus restored her ability to have a direct relationship to God.  He brought her back in to the tribe of Israel socially as well, and enabled her to be a part of the nation that was no longer isolated and excluded.

            No matter who you are, no matter what tribe you are from, no matter what the color of your skin is, what language you speak, or what nation you live in: Jesus offers us this same invitation.  A chance to remove our affliction, to restore us to our God, and to be a part of the kingdom.  An opportunity, for those of us bold enough and willing to just reach out and try to touch him.  Even if it’s just the hem of his robe.  All praise to the God who sent him, our king is a restorer, a mender of the breach, a repairer of what is broken.  Thank you, Jesus.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Had you ever considered the social and spiritual ramifications of having a chronic bleeding illness in the ancient Israelite world, based on Jewish law?
  2. Had you ever considered that our king, Jesus, was a (Jewish) law abiding man, and what the ramifications of that are to us today?
  3. Had you ever considered the deeper implications of why Jesus didn’t know who touched him?

Prayer

Father God, thank you for sending us your son.  Please heal us.  Thank you for all of the blessings that you have given us, all undeserved and unwarranted on our part.  Please help me to glorify your name, to obey your laws, and to follow the teachings of the one you sent to us.  In Jesus name, Amen.

* It should be noted that later “church tradition” does identify her by name with some other interesting and apocryphal trivia about her, but like any church traditions that aren’t explicitly in scripture, they should be discarded with the waste water.

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What path are you walking on?

Explore the call to holiness in Isaiah 65-66 and discover the hope of redemption through God’s sovereign love and grace.

Isa 65-66

Ps 122

Luke 4

-Devotion by Cayce Fletcher

We live in a world that takes a soft view of sin. Our highest virtue is acceptance. We believe that a person is noble if they are flexible on their boundaries. The person who is the most “loving” is the one who is willing to conform their beliefs to what is trending in culture. 

Isaiah 65 speaks to the same tendencies. The people are “obstinate” and pursue “their own imaginations” (v. 2). They say they are holy (v. 5), but they are actually doing the most base and unclean acts (“burning incense in altars of bricks,” “sit among graves”, eating the “flesh of pigs” (v. 3–4)). Quite simply, they call good evil and evil good (Is. 5:20). 

Though the sins of the people are different from those we see today, the heart behind it is the same. Pastor Adrian Rogers said, “We may not have metal idols, but we may have mental idols.” And when we choose to pursue these idols, we exchange the good things of good for the “dirty” things of sin. 

Romans 1 describes this downward slope into sin that comes from a heart of rebellion. It is the great exchange. We exchange the almighty Creator for these simple and unfulfilling created things. That ultimately results in a life that is debased and defiled. 

The beauty of the gospel is that we are rescued from this even if—on our own—we would never choose it. Is. 65:1 says, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name,  I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’”

God calls us to him. He beckons us. 

We may be caught in the downward spiral of sin, but even there, God meets us and invites us back into relationship with him. 

The ending of our reading in Isaiah today points to our great and glorious hope. We see God’s sovereignty over all of time and space (“The heavens are his throne and the earth his footstool” (Is. 66:1)). And we see that the sovereign plan of God is ultimately to bring redemption to the world. 

God sets before us a choice—echoing that of Deuteronomy 30—in Is. 66:17: “‘Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow,’ declares the Lord.”

Under the New Covenant, we don’t have to worry about what we put into our bodies (other than making sure that we choose things that are healthy). But we do have to worry about what is coming out: our speech, actions, and attitude. 

Will we choose to follow the right, holy, and righteous path of God? Or will we pursue idolatry? Will we choose the unclean act of sin? 

May we choose the path of life!

If we do, we will dwell in the new heavens and the new earth. We will see the beauty, delight, and joy of the promises of Isaiah 65:17-25. There will be no more death, no more grief, no more mourning, no more scarcity. 

God will dwell with us. We will be His people. And He will be our God. 

What a wonderful hope! 

Cayce Fletcher is a wife and mom of three. In addition to homeschooling and other ministry projects, she writes and podcasts at amorebeautifullifecollective.com about faith, motherhood, and theology. 

Reflection Questions

  1. What are some of the idols that people pursue today? 
  2. What is the relationship between sin and uncleanliness or impurity?
  3. How does your future hope help you to live for God now? 

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you so much for the gift of your Son. Thank you for the ability we have to take off the clothes of sin and unrighteousness and be dressed in the perfect, white clothes of righteousness. We look forward to your Kingdom. Help us to glorify you in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

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Jesus Announces His Ministry

Isaiah 62-64    

Psalm 121        

Luke 4

-Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI) – Some days are hard…but taking some extra time in God’s Word never hurts..so today – you get to have two devotions – here’s your second one on today’s passages.!

What an extraordinary series of readings we have today.  We read in Isaiah so much revelation showing us the true nature of God.  These chapters give us so many examples of how God relates to his people and how they should respond to Him.  We read in Isaiah 64.

Isaiah 64:4-6(NLT) For since the world began,
no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like you,
who works for those who wait for him!
5 You welcome those who gladly do good,
who follow godly ways.
But you have been very angry with us,
for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
how can people like us be saved?
6 We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
  and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Why does God always have to bring up the problem of sin in our lives?

When we walk with God on the pathway to life, we are constantly faced with the problem of our sins and their consequences on our lives.  As Isaiah says to us our “sins sweep us away like the wind” sweeping away the autumn leaves.  UGH!  Why are the best works that I can do by myself compared to “filthy rags”? I am captured by the ugly thoughts and depression of constantly being less than I know I should be.  Our memories of our sins and shortcomings follow us around like a bad smell keeping us from relationships with God and others. 

However, God doesn’t leave us in the midst of our bad smell and depression.  He has given us an answer in the person of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.  Read the uplifting verses from Luke about what Jesus does in synagogue when he reads that daily reading.

Luke 4:14-21(NLT) Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

God gives us the answer to sin and death, and his name is Jesus Christ.  Jesus reads the daily reading from Isaiah 61 which we looked at yesterday.  God sees the spiritual captivity of people, and their need for help because we are poor in all parts of our lives.  God sends Jesus to open our eyes and unstop our ears that we can see and hear the truth of His Word.  God has not left us in our sins and faced with death.  Jesus reads and then claims the prophetic mantel that Isaiah spoke so long ago. 

Does this section of scripture send your heart to God for help?

Jesus begins his ministry that starts here in his hometown of Nazareth and then proceeds to go about Galilee and then further throughout the land there.  What starts here goes to the uttermost parts of the earth.  Indeed, there is no place where the Word of God has not gone with the record of His love for us and the salvation He has offered to all who obey Him.  God is the author and originator of salvation, and then Jesus is the agent that God uses to bring mankind back to Him.  God desires to save us from captivity, heal our diseases, give us an abundant life, and then save us from death with gift of life eternal with Him.

Isaiah 64:8-9(NLT)  And yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.
9 Don’t be so angry with us, LORD.
Please don’t remember our sins forever.
Look at us, we pray,
and see that we are all your people.

What is the form of the clay of your life that God is shaping you into?

Luke 4:42-43(NLT)  Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. 43 But he replied, “I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns, too, because that is why I was sent.”

Jesus is sent by God to preach the good news of the gospel to the children of Israel.  Then  as well to those that heard his words and saw God’s power revealed in Jesus’ life.  This responsibility of speaking these words of life have now been given to us that are the followers of Jesus.  We are now the agents of salvation speaking the words of life to all that will hear.  We are God’s chosen people today.

Acts 1:7-8(NLT) He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Reflection Questions – and above

What is the message of salvation that we bring to all the world?

Can you give a summary of this to people who ask?

PRAYER

Father God, the God who is like no other, we pray earnestly to You today.  We ask for the reassurance of Your love for us that comes from Your Word.  We thank you for this  forgiveness of sins that You have so freely extended to us.  God shape our lives to Your purposes and direction.  We pray for Your help in all our lives as we strive to find You and obey You.  Thank you for this wonderful gift of life in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.  In Jesus’ name we pray to You. We love You Father.

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Learning from Jesus

Quote from Luke 4:43 (NIV) on a blurred map background, stating the necessity of proclaiming the good news of God's kingdom.

Isaiah 62-64

Psalm 121

Luke 4

-Devotion by Kyle McClain (originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Dec 5, 2019)

In Luke chapter four, we finally get to see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  However, before we get there, Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the wilderness by himself with no food.  He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit.  We are never told the purpose of the Spirit leading Jesus to the wilderness, but I imagine it served as a great time for Jesus to focus in on God all by himself before he began his earthly ministry.

While Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, the devil came to tempt Jesus.  Three times the devil tempted Jesus, but he had zero success.  To combat the temptation, Jesus responded each time with scripture (verses 4, 8 and 12).  Scripture offers us a great way to combat temptation, as Jesus demonstrated here.  Psalm 119:11 supports this notion, as it states, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Whenever we are confronted with temptation, as we all are, a great way to resist and combat that temptation is by quoting scripture.  Now, this is only possible if you have scripture memorized in the first place.  This is a big reason why it is important to store God’s Word in our hearts.

After Jesus withstood the temptation of the devil in the wilderness, Jesus officially began his earthly ministry in his hometown of Nazareth.  He did not have quite the warm welcoming, as the Jews tried to throw him off of a cliff (Luke 4:29).  This was just the beginning of the Jews seeking to end and kill Jesus.  They were constantly taken back by Jesus’ bold claims that he makes.  In the end, the Jews send him to the Roman government to have him killed because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (Matthew 26:54).  The Jews seldom got along with Jesus because they did not believe that he was the Christ, the Son of God.

Luke chapter four ends with Jesus telling us his purpose, as Jesus states, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent,” (Luke 4:43).  Jesus himself stated that his purpose was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God.  From the very beginning of his ministry, he preached all about the Kingdom.  The message of the kingdom was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry, and it should be at the heart of our ministry as well.

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think Jesus fought temptation with Scripture? What Scriptures could be most helpful when you are facing temptation?
  2. What Scriptures do you already know and have memorized? When do you bring them to mind? How have they been helpful? What verse would you like to memorize next?
  3. What is your God-given purpose? How will you seek to do that today?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father – Thank you for Your Son Jesus who You gave to save the world including me. Help me learn from him and follow in his steps. Show me how to be victorious against temptation. Guide me in fulfilling the purpose You have for me, that I might be faithful to You in all things. Protect me from evil until that glorious day Your Son returns to earth. In his name I pray, Amen.

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My Salvation is Soon to Come

"Guard justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is about to come..." Isaiah 56:1 NASB

Isaiah 56-57

Psalms 120

Luke 2

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today’s reading is one of those instances where digging deeper into the scripture really pays off, when you should really be rooting around in the original languages because if you like easter eggs, here are some juicy ones.  I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises, as some of these things will also be covered tomorrow in the devotion in greater detail.

            First off, let me clarify: “easter eggs” is the term that is used to describe a hidden surprise, usually in a video game, movie, tv show, etc.  The term was coined in 1979 by Steve Wright of Atari, who named hidden surprises in the game Adventure after the holiday tradition of hunting for eggs. There are a couple in today’s scripture that are huge.  It starts immediately in Isaiah 56:1 “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Maintain justice and do righteousness, for my salvation is soon to come and my righteousness is soon to be revealed.‘” (REV).

            In the above verse, the word that is translated as “righteousness” is tzedekah.  You’re going to hear me a lot talking about “sedeq” or “tzedakah”, the word that is normally translated as “righteousness” or “justice” and sometimes “charity” throughout scripture.  This is because it is SO PREVALENT throughout scripture (it or it’s root word occurs over 500 times) and yet almost no practicing Christian understands it, or the concept.  To translate it simply as “righteousness” is truly a disservice.

            Simply put, tzedakah is the understanding that our extremely generous God is the creator of all things and all people, and that as his representative you are to reflect that generosity as a form of religious obedience to the rest of his creation.  This is the heart of what Jesus calls the second greatest commandment “loving your neighbor as yourself”, and it also is a way to perform the greatest commandment of loving God with all of your heart (See Mark 12, starting at verse 29). It can be translated as righteousness, justice, or charity.  All are applicable, and all at the same time. 

            I like to translate this verse in Isaiah like this: “Maintain divine law (mitzpah) and do tzedakah, for Yeshua is soon to come, and MY tzedakah is soon to be revealed”.  To put this another way;  the reason that we should obey God’s word and to be obediently charitable, is because Jesus is coming soon, and then God will show us HIS charity.  The word charity here falls short of the full meaning of the word tzedakah, which will be an intense focus for tomorrow’s study, but I feel like it most accurately reflects a good portion of the meaning.

            When Jesus was asked what to do to gain eternal life in the age to come, he answered the man and told him to keep the commandments (this is told in multiple accounts, and can be found in Matt 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, and Luke 18:18-23).  The “mitzpah”, justice or divine law, as it can also be translated, are necessary and critical components to pleasing God.  The root of all growth as a servant of God is to do this: maintain divine law (also translated as “justice”), that is,  obey God’s word.  If you don’t start there, you don’t have life.

            I’m not going to belabor tzedakah, because tomorrow’s devotion focuses on that very thing, but I will say I think it is one of the most important, and one of the most overlooked, aspects of Christian obedience in scripture, and one that we fail at consistently.  Look it up on wikipedia for a full “flavorful” understanding of the word, and know that there are a huge number of teachings in the Jewish faith on specifically that term which I’ve found extremely enlightening.  It’s a critical aspect of salvation, it shows your trust in God.

            Here’s the coolest thing: the reason that you should be maintaining divine law and being justly charitable is that JESUS (Yeshua) is coming soon and then the just charity of God will be revealed.  If that doesn’t make your toes tingle it should.  Most of the time when you see “salvation” in the bible, it’s probably an easter egg, and Yeshua (Jesus) is probably inside.  Yeshua, Jesus’ actual name in Hebrew,  means “the salvation of God”.  You can determine if this is the root word used by digging in to the original language, any time you see “salvation” in the old testament.   It’s all over, once you start digging, lots of folks would call that “foreshadowing”.

Isaiah 56:2-7 “Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast: who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh speak, saying, “Yahweh will surely separate me from his people,” nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For this is what Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths and choose the things that please me and hold fast to my covenant, to them I will give in my house and inside my walls a memorial and a name better than that of sons and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.  Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him and to love the name of Yahweh, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it and holds firmly to my covenant—even those I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

            Scripture is full of clever word plays that sound even better in the original tongue.  Did you catch some of them just now?  “Let not the foreigner who has joined say Yahweh will separate me…”.  Did you catch the assurance to the faithful eunuch who will be given an everlasting name that will “not be cut off”?  That’s probably pretty reassuring to a recently made eunuch.  Another thing I notice in the above portion of scripture is that the Sabbath seems to be a prevalent and recurring theme of importance, even for the foreigners.  Interesting, isn’t it?  Just something to think about.

            Here is the heart of the matter: to be effective servants of God, there are just a few things we need to do, and to do fully.  We need to follow the commandments (mitzpah).  We need to represent God to the rest of His creation, and be righteous, just, and charitable (do tzedekah).  We need to love the Lord God with our whole heart, and love our neighbor as ourself, and commit ourselves to obeying God wholeheartedly.  These are the things that please God.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. The commandments are listed as a critical aspect toward attaining salvation, according to Jesus.  Have you got them all memorized, and do you follow them all specifically as stated in scripture? Why, or why not? (the “letter” of the law)
  2. How effective are you at loving God with your whole heart, and loving your neighbor as much as you do yourself? What can be done to increase either?  (the “heart” of the law)
  3. If you were to give yourself an honest exam, based on the criteria of scripture, how well are you  obediently doing the things that lead back to God and to redemption? (the “purpose” or “intent” of the law)

PRAYER

Father God, I need you.  Please keep me from getting distracted, and fill my heart with your purpose.  Please let me see and hear clearly when you speak to me.  Teach me with hidden wisdom.  Speak to my heart, and write your laws within it so that I can please you.  Help me, Father.  Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

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The Suffering Servant

*Isaiah 52-53

Psalm 119

*Luke 2

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Isaiah has just so much good stuff in it that every time I read it I feel like I find something new.  When’s the last time you’ve read Isaiah from beginning to end? I recommend it, it’s just got so much good stuff in it, and particularly if you really dig down into the original languages you might find some nice hidden “easter eggs”.  The suffering servant passages are one of those that I recommend doing a deep, original language, dissection of.  You may gain a new understanding.

            Don’t speak Hebrew or Greek?  Not to worry, even a layman can do a moderately accurate dissection nowadays thanks to modern technology: if you look on biblehub.com and enter any verse, you can scroll all the way down to the bottom and it’s got the original language broken down word for word with all of the potential translations of that word.  While that will not give you as full of an understanding as learning the original language deeply, and you may not get some of the syntax or idioms of the original language, it’s still a handy way that anyone can become an armchair textual critic and examine the scriptures.

            Starting in the last portion of Isaiah 52, and continuing through 53, we see the famous “Suffering Servant” passage of scripture, which is a prophetic description of the Messiah, the one whom God has chosen.  Did they understand all of the significance of these prophecies in ancient Israel? It doesn’t seem that way, it seems like they were looking for an immediate restoration of Israel into a position of pre-eminence.  Look at the way the people greeted him at the triumphal entry (listed in all the gospels, Matt 21, Mark 11, Luke 19,  and John 12).  Think of how quickly this esteem changed, as this event was the beginning of the week that he was crucified (and then resurrected).  Like many prophecies, the full significance of these passages weren’t really understood until later.

            Beginning in 52:1 we see (REV): “Behold, my servant will act wisely. He will be high and lifted up and exalted.”  Do you remember when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemene shortly after that triumphal entry into Jerusalem, praying fiercely to his God (and ours, see John 20:17) to spare him from the suffering which was coming?  During this gut-level, deep pleading for an escape, Jesus also said “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  This is Jesus acting wisely, and trusting in his God.  He is later lifted up (on a cross), and then exalted (from the grave).  Please note: the definition of wisdom is submitting yourself to the will of God.  Even if you really want to do something else (like Jesus did), even if your will is different than God’s will (like Jesus’ will at the time was, by his own words), submit yourself to God’s will (like Jesus did).

            The body of Isaiah 53 really gets specific on some of the things that the servant will be and do, and have done to him.  It’s impossible for anyone to read this now and not think of some of the things that Jesus endured.  He grows up (v2),  he is despised (v3), he carries our sickness and suffering (v4), he was pierced for our transgressions and by his wounds we are healed (v5).  Verse 6 tells us that “We all like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way, but Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (REV), much like the scapegoat in ancient Israel.  That last line “…the iniquity of us all” strikes me pretty deeply, because I know I had enough iniquity just by myself to make a heavy load.  Imagine the weight of the iniquity of us all; it was laid on Jesus, as a way for God to reconcile with man.  That’s deep.

            Isaiah 53:10 is just a terrible laundry list of things that the servant of God must go through, and an explanation of why (the iniquity of us all).  When we get down to 53:11-12, we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel: “After the anguish of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will make many righteous by the knowledge of himself, and he will bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will give him a portion with the great, and he will divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and he permitted himself to be counted among the transgressors. Yet he himself carried the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. “

            So while Jesus’ will was not to die and suffer, he permitted himself to, to submit himself to the will of God.  God didn’t force it upon him but allowed him the choice, and he chose to do God’s will, and by doing so redeemed us all.  To carry the sins of the entire world is indisputably a heavy, heavy burden, but he chose to do so, because it was God’s will.  As a result, he has become and fulfilled the prophecy of the righteous servant who would suffer.  This is our king, a man worthy enough to lead us because he was willing to bear all of our collective iniquities, the servant of God.

            Luke 2:1-20 describes the wonderful birth of our king, the Messiah, and the first portion of the chapter relays a number of glorious events and declarations that happen.  I think my favorite verse in this section is v19 “But Mary was treasuring up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ” (REV).  Consider what a high honor it was, to be the mother that would birth the Messiah, the one who would save the world.  There are a couple things later in this chapter that give us both a confirmation that this is indeed going to be the Messiah, but also a foreshadowing of the events prophesied in the “Suffering Servant” passages of Isaiah.

            Luke 2:25-35 tell of Simeon, a deeply religious man whom the spirit of God was upon, who was promised to see the Messiah before he passed.  He confirms that Jesus is the Messiah, and rejoices in the honor that God has given him, but tells Mary down in v35 that “…a broadsword will pierce through your own soul.”.  Imagine how you’d feel as a mother, later on.

            One thing that should be painfully clear to us all as we read Luke 11:21-52 is that Jesus was an “orthodox” Jew.  He obeyed all of the Jewish Law, every jot and tittle (the little marks that are identifiers in the hebrew written language).  He had to be, to fulfill all of the prophecies regarding the Messiah.  Later on he would clarify much of this law, to more fully explain the “spirit” of the law as well as the exact letter of the law.

            While we know from scripture that God doesn’t change (Mal 3:6, Ps 102:27, Num 23:19, James 1:17) the last verse in Luke 2 (and the last verse in Luke 1) clearly indicates that Jesus did:  Luke 2:52 “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” (REV).  He grew in wisdom and in stature, and he also grew in favor with God and his fellow man.  This presents a problem verse for some of the more traditional “orthodox” presentations of the nature of the Christ, but the scriptures themselves are pretty clear and simple and as always; when our interpretations or traditions are in opposition to scripture, we should defer to scripture. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Have you ever considered the weight of the burden of not just your sin but the sin of the entire world, every other human being throughout all time, placed on the shoulders of one obedient man?
  2. Had you ever considered how proud Mary was of her son, and then tried to imagine what she felt as she watched him suffer on the cross?
  3. Isaiah 53:11 says “my righteous servant”, but did you know the word for righteous is צַדִּ֛יק (tzedekh), and has much deeper connotations than “righteousness”? Do a deep study on this word (it will come up again soon, in another devotion).

PRAYER

Father God, I am humbled that my sins were carried by another.  Please forgive me.  Thank you for life, breath, and all things, and especially for sending us your son.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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My Glory I Will Not Give to Another

*Isaiah 48-49

Psalm 119

*Luke 1

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

I suppose I should start out by saying: we’re all just humans, and that we should in love and patient understanding bear with each other, particularly those who are fellow servants of God.  I should also state that it is my opinion that even with an imperfect theology or understanding of scripture, it is absolutely possible for someone to gain entry and citizenship into the Kingdom of Heaven because God sees the heart of a man, and knows all of our intents. I still think that (in addition to obedience) an accurate understanding of scripture is important since it’s God’s word that He gave us, so here are some observations about today’s readings that I offer in love.

In Luke 1 in today’s reading, Gabriel makes an appearance, first to Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) and then to Mary (Jesus’ mom).  You may recall when we were first introduced to Gabriel in scripture, back in Daniel 8:16 (and later again in Dan 9:21).  Gabriel is clearly a high ranking angel, as he has authority to stand before God.  He even quotes this to Zechariah after telling him of the impending (and unexpected) birth of his son, in Luke 1:19 ” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God …”.  This makes it pretty important to listen to the particulars that he tells us because this is a heavenly being who stands in the presence of God (a tremendous honor and privilege).

Let’s examine the conversation Gabriel has with the virgin (at the time) Mary, in Luke 1:26-31 (LSB Translation): “26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

Note that like Jesus, like every servant of God, Gabriel was sent by God.  I love that Mary is initially perplexed at the angel’s greeting, and is probably wondering why she is being favored by God.  I also wonder at the translation a little: there is a reference mark in my bible under every instance above where it says “Lord” that says “Yahweh, in the OT” down below at the reference.  I believe that an angel who has the authority to stand before God also has the authority to speak God’s name, and I think that’s what he did here, but that’s just speculation and the actual word used in (the Greek translation of) Luke is “kyrios”.  

This could be a lifetime study on it’s own, but the divine name Yahweh (or its full form YHWH) does not appear in any extant manuscripts of the New Testament.  The New Testament was written in Greek (at least the existing and accepted copies that we are aware of, though Nehemiah Gordon has some counter theories you should check out), and its authors consistently used the Greek title kyrios (“Lord”) to translate the Hebrew Tetragrammaton when quoting the Old Testament, following the tradition of the Septuagint (LXX).  This became extremely confusing when translated into English because the same “kyrios” was also used to translate the word “Master”, referring to any human figure of authority.

Some scholars, such as George Howard, suggest that the original autographs of the New Testament may have contained the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew characters in Old Testament quotations, but these were replaced by kyrios by early copyists.  Few, if any, surviving Greek manuscripts contain the name, but the practice initiated by the copyists to call Yahweh “THE LORD” and also Yeshua “The Lord” has led to a lot of understandable confusion among later believers who may not have understood the distinction between the two, or that there even was one. 

Gabriel goes on to say “32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and there will be no end of His kingdom.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.” (LSB).  (FYI, every capital letter in there that isn’t the beginning of a sentence or a proper name is a translational bias in my translation.  It just goes to show.)

So he will be called the son of God, and God will give him the throne of his father David.  God (the ultimate authority), is going to give him (Jesus, our king) the throne of his ancestor David.   In Luke 1:32, Gabriel confirms all of these prophecies are being fulfilled. 1 Cor 11:3 confirms that while the Christ (Jesus, our king) is the head of man, God is the head of the Christ.  Jesus has a God (see for reference John 20:17), and it’s our God too, the same God according to what Jesus told Mary.  Later on, sadly, these very clear scriptures were slowly distorted and changed.

In another prophecy, in Isa 49 God says: “6 He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return; I will also give You as a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”” (LSB)  The servant of God, the Messiah, the Christ came not only for the tribes of Israel, but as a light to the nations.  God caused it, Jesus the servant of God obediently fulfilled it, the Messiah, the anointed one, the Christ.

The very word “Christ” is greek for “The Anointed One”, which is also what “Messiah” means.  To be anointed, the obvious question follows: well, who anointed him?  It tells us throughout scripture: Yahweh God anoints His servants and grants them authority.  To be the Messiah (or, The Christ) means that Jesus had to be a human to fulfill the mandatory requirements according to prophecy (an Israelite human descended from David, see Gen 3:15, Deut 18:18, and 2 Sam 7:12-16 among many others).  Not to become a human, but to be born one.

Please don’t misunderstand me, Jesus was the very best of us.  The Lamb of God is worthy, and worthy of praise, because he was obedient to God’s will and gave his own life as a ransom for many, but (according to Jesus himself) God is the one who sent him to do so.  This seems to make it pretty critical to get our theology right when God tells us: “… My glory I will not give to another.” ( LSB Isa 48:11).   

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Why do you believe what you believe, can you find or quote scriptures that support your beliefs? Why is it important?
  2. Have you ever, in patient love and understanding, asked someone who believes differently than you about God to share their beliefs and had a constructive and loving conversation as a result, comparing interpretations while maintaining love and respect?
  3. Do you think what anyone else believes is important? To what degree, to whom, and why?
  4. Which do you feel is more critical toward entering the Kingdom: theological accuracy, humble obedience to God, or a relationship with God?  If you had to assign a percentage to each, where would they fall in your opinion?

PRAYER

Father God, we love you.  Teach us and instruct us, grant us your spirit as a helper, and help us to be humbly obedient to your word.  Thank you for life, breath, and all things.  Please bless all those who seek your favor, and forgive us our shortcomings.  In Jesus name, amen.

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I Will Carry You

*Isaiah 46-47

*Psalm 119

*Luke 1

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            There is a whole underlying theme of “burdens” in the first few chapters of today’s reading, and it begins by speaking of the Babylonian gods “Bel and Nebo” (also known as Marduk and Nabu, 2 Babylonian deities in a pagan pantheon), unflatteringly. 

            Isaiah 46:1-2 describes these ‘gods’ as “bowing down” and “stooping” because their heavy statues were being loaded onto beasts of burden during the fall of Babylon. This imagery highlights the irony that the gods themselves were powerless to save their temples, their people, or even their own images, which became a burden to the weary beasts carrying them into captivity.  Not only could they not carry their people, God is highlighting the fact that they can’t even carry themselves: they’re just statues.

            The next batch of scripture in v3-4 contrasts the above idols with God brilliantly, and says: “3“Hear Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been burdening Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; 4Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you, and I will rescue you. ” (LSB).  God lets Israel know that they’re the burden, that He’s been carrying them from birth, and that like a father to his children He will continue to carry them, bear them, and rescue them. 

            Back before the return (from the Babylonian captivity), idolatry was rampant for the ancient Israelites.  Likewise, in today’s world, mankind has elevated silver, gold, and sometimes even the servants of God to equal status as the God who created everything.  God explains it to us directly and bluntly: “5“To whom would you liken Me And make Me equal and compare Me, That we would be alike?” (LSB, Isaiah 46:5).  Just in case there was confusion later (there is), He goes on to clarify: “9…For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,” (LSB, Isa 46:9).  What a beautiful, simple, and straightforward understanding about the nature of God, and if you notice there is a strong consistency to the message that Yahweh God is God alone (see also Deut 6:4, which Jesus the servant of God later quotes as the greatest commandment in Mark 12:29). 

            Moving on down to our Psalms reading today, we find ourselves beginning the longest chapter in the bible, and it’s just a really good one.  We’re obviously not going to cover the entirety of Ps 119 today (it’s huge), but we’ll try to get in a good solid overview of the first 40 verses or so. 

            The author of this Psalm spends a lot of time focusing and reiterating on obeying God’s laws, on seeking God with all your heart, and on God revealing His will and precepts as a source of joy and life.  Ps 119:1-40 all carry this theme explicitly, here are just a few excerpts from today’s scripture to reiterate this thematically (these are all from the LSB translation, Ps 119): 

1 How blessed are those whose way is blameless, Who walk in the law of Yahweh. 2 How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,They seek Him with all their heart.

33 Instruct me, O Yahweh, in the way of Your statutes, That I may observe it to the end. 34 Cause me to understand, that I may observe Your law And keep it with all my heart.

            You get the idea.  The author here is very focused on God, and on obeying God’s precepts, and asks repeatedly for his own comprehension and God’s help and protection.  This strikes me as a very healthy outlook for anyone seeking to be a servant of the living God.  We search the scriptures because we believe that by them we may receive eternal life (See John 5:39), and the author of Ps 119 seems to agree with that, and also go further and asks God to change his heart (see also for reference Jer 31:33), and to grant him discernment and wisdom to understand and obey.

            I did want to point out one very cool thing that’s in our Luke reading today.  In Luke 1, Gabriel is a busy angel, God sends him first to Zechariah to inform him about the birth of his son (John the baptist), and then to Mary to inform her about the birth of her son (Jesus).  Note that Gabriel doesn’t just show up and start saying whatever he wants: he is sent by God and delivers only the message(s) that God sent him to deliver, because he’s not God, he’s God’s servant. 

            This is true for any of the servants of God: even though they are not God, they are sent by God to fulfill a specific purpose on God’s behalf, and when they do so we are to accord them the same honor and authority that we ascribe to our Creator, because they are sent by God.  That is actually the criteria to be a servant of God, that God sends you.  This includes Jesus, the son of David, the servant of God (for reference see John 1:22,33, 3:34, 4:34, 5:23-24,30,36-38, 6:29,38-39,44,57, 7:16,28-29,33, 8:16,26,29,42, etc etc etc.-30 times in John per Jesus).  Jesus really tried to make it very clear that God sent him, and that he didn’t act from his own authority but did what God told him to do, and said what God told him to say.  Jesus was completely obedient to the authority of YHVH God, as not only as a servant (which he was) but as a son.

            There’s something staggering that the angel (literally, “messenger”) Gabriel says when he’s delivering his messages here in Luke 1.  Think about the descriptions of the throne of God (see Aug 5th devotional from earlier this year for scriptural references and descriptions about the Courts of Heaven): in every instance you see the Most High God seated on the throne, with the courts full of heavenly beings as supplicants around him, often prostrating themselves.  Gabriel says this particular phrase in Luke 1:19: “…I am Gabriel, who stands before God,”  Stop and think about that for a moment.  That’s huge.  This may be a servant of God, but he is given much power and authority if he is allowed to stand before the most high God.  Now think about the Christ, our king Jesus.  Not only does he stand before God, but God has invited him to sit at His right hand.  The ultimate authority, just under God.  It’s amazing.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. We’re probably all familiar with the poem “Footsteps”.  How many times in your life has God carried you? Reflect on them for a moment.
  2. How can you personally increase the love of God’s laws in your heart, like the author of Ps 119?
  3. Had you ever caught that bit about Gabriel “standing before God” before, and pondered it?

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for carrying me when I couldn’t make it on my own.  Plant within my heart the fervent desire to study and obey your precepts, and to listen to the messengers You sent.  Thank you for life, breath, and all things.  Please carry me just a little bit further.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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The Millennial Kingdom and It’s Purpose

Isaiah 40-41

Psalm 117

Revelation 20

-Devotion by Tom Siderius (MI)

The Millennial Kingdom is a controversial topic today and we need to see the importance of this period of time to our understanding of God’s purposes and to show us the way to the new heavens and earth where righteousness will be the only standard. Today we also read from Isaiah who is the most quoted prophet in the New Testament. Hear Isaiah’s words today :

Isaiah 40:12-14(NLT) Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth
or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right
or show him the path of justice?

The purpose of the Millennial is shown where the promises made to the nation of Israel about this earth will be fulfilled. It also is a time when the sinfulness of man’s heart will ultimately be revealed and destroyed. The first lie told by Satan is that if Adam and Eve disobey God and eat of the fruit they will become like god, knowing good and evil, and that they will not surely die. All lies proceed from this one as they are based on disobedience to God’s commands, and the desire in mankind’s heart to be their own god.

The lie that is the last to be destroyed is the lie of perfect justice: “Have a man with great power put over the earth and have perfect justice and righteousness on a restored earth then we will hear and obey God.”

The next coming events on this earth will be the great tribulation and all that happens surrounding these coming events. The Anti-Christ as well as the false prophet will be revealed to the world first as a great savior, and then as the leader of the powers of darkness and this world.  Sin will be openly revealed and then judged by Jesus Christ who is worthy to open the scroll in Revelation 5.  He is the one chosen by God to bring judgement and justice to this present world.  This includes judgement and disposal of the Antichrist and the false prophet who are annihilated and removed from the earth at the end of this time.

The resurrection of those that believe and are judged righteous starts the beginning of the reign of Christ on this present earth. We see this rulership truth from prophecies from the Old Testament prophets and then reflected specifically in this prophecy we are given in the book of Revelation. The dispersion and regathering of the nation of Israel is covered in numerous prophecies of the Old Testament prophets and records. The promises of the future kingdom including Israel is a centering truth of our conference today.

Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV) So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Ephesians 1:9-11 (NLT) God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Israel is God’s own chosen people and much of the Old Testament prophecy is about what He will do for them in this future kingdom ruled by His Son.  There are sections of scripture that give us specific information about what God will do for Israel, and then also how He chooses those that are true believers from among them.    

Isaiah 59:20(NLT) The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,”says the LORD.

The resurrection of the just is found in Revelation 20 where God decides based on His standards of faith those who will become part of the new kingdom of His Son in the time following.  Many of the promises of the OT prophets give us a preview of how God will deal with the people and the land.

Ezekiel 36:24 (NLT) For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

Those that are judged just and resurrected are those that God finds the Word in their mouths and hearts like Jesus Christ to come. Descendants of Israel in the world today must turn to Jesus and make him their Messiah for them to receive forgiveness of sin, and life to come. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile at this time.  Being Jewish and going to temple will not give them eternal life in the kingdom to come. There is no righteousness today from the law of Moses for Jew or Gentile.

Revelation 20:4-6(NLT) Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

The resurrection of the just is at the beginning of the Millennial reign of Christ on this present earth. Also, the Devil and all his minions are chained and locked up away from the earth. Satan is removed from having any influence on earthly events and on people’s actions for this thousand-year period. The devil’s influence over events is locked from the earth by his imprisonment and then from the coming mortal human events on this present earth. The excuse that the “devil made me do it” cannot be made by anyone during this time frame. 

Revelation 20:1-3(NLT) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

We need to think about how many mortal people might still be on the earth after the tribulation and the battle of Christ against the Adversary that ends this period. There are currently 8+ billion people on the present earth today. If a remnant is saved through the tribulation this still might be as many as 1 billion or more people left to live, procreate, and die on this present earth. They are given God’s promises that the justice and administration of the earth will be done with God’s perfect judgment of good and evil. The earth will be watered literally and figuratively to give everyone all that is needed. The needs for food, shelter, fellowship, and  every other need will be met. 

Ezekiel 34:29-31(NLT) And I will make their land famous for its crops, so my people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations. 30 In this way, they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Sovereign LORD. 31 You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”

The prophecies of the book of Revelation show us what will happen then in this new kingdom of Christ on this present earth. We see a picture of perfect judgement and administration of justice to all.  Many of those people alive at that time will see, hear, and believe and receive the grace that comes from Christ. The blessings and abundance of that time to come is amazing in the foretelling that we read. We know that mortals continue to populate this earth and procreate, work and live their lives during this time of blessing and abundance.  But the same result comes following the same pattern as through all of time. Some believe, and some reject Jesus as the righteous ruler of the earth and the kingdom of God. It is hard to even understand how people would reject Christ during the proof of God’s grace and love for people.  

Remember that there is also no influence of the Adversary and his minions in the affairs of mankind on the earth in this time. This is an especially important part of the purpose of the millennial reign. To have a new heaven and new earth where all is righteous, all disobedience must be demonstrated, judged, and destroyed. Heaven needs to have all disobedience removed  in order to make all ready for the coming new heaven.   

1 Corinthians 4:5(NKJV) Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

The disobedience that is prophesied in Revelation shows us that the human heart has not changed, and the desire to do evil is still evident even during the Millennial reign. For a new heaven and earth to appear, all evil and rebellion in both heaven and earth needs to be dealt with.  Christ is God’s agent of justice and salvation coming to all the earth. Those that believe and follow Christ are saved to a beautiful future with the rule of God and Christ. Those that desire to do evil and rebel will be annihilated and destroyed forever. This is the second death for all that are judged unrighteous.

The lie of perfect government and rulership is destroyed, and the forces of evil are all annihilated. The Millennial ends with the beginning of the new heavens and earth we will next read about.

Reflection Questions

  1. What are your thoughts and feelings as you read Revelation 20? What verse brings you the most hope and excitement?
  2. What are you looking forward to Jesus bringing to light?
  3. How often do you think of these things: Jesus’ second coming, resurrection, the Millennial reign, the new heavens and earth? How might it change the way you live your life today if you thought of these things more?

PRAYER

Father God, we are so humbled by the wisdom that You demonstrate in the earth, heavens, and peoples that You have created.  We are so thankful that You have invited us to join Your family and to have Your love and protection.  We pray that you will continue to sustain and keep us this day and forever in Your kingdom to come.  Come Lord Jesus come.  Praying to You in the name of Christ this day.

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