Do Not Be Surprised When You Are Persecuted

Five seals of the scroll with seven seals (Rev. 5:1) have been opened by the Lamb. From the first four came the terrible Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. With the opening of the fifth the martyrs under the heavenly temple's altar cry out to the Sovereign Lord for vengeance. When will the Lord punish those who have murdered His beloved disciples? Be patient, He says and watch. Here comes the opening of the sixth seal.

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" - Rev 6:12-17 ESV

Scripture in the light of 1st century history

These are classical images from the prophets about the LORD's fierce anger loosed upon proud sinners. The sun, moon and stars will turn dark on the great and terrible day of the LORD.

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. - Isa 13:9-10 ESV 

Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. - Isa 24:23 ESV 

When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD. - Eze 32:7-8 ESV

The Lord Jesus Himself foretold the persecution of his disciples. They were to be on guard for councils will condemn them, He warned, and they will stand before rulers to bear witness. And the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations (Mark 13:9-27). To speak of those events He borrowed the fearful symbolical language of prophets:

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. - Mar 13:24-27 ESV

The martyred saints beneath the altar are comforted as they hear about what was to happen to the seemingly invincible rulers of the earth's mighty nations.

So on to the opening of the seventh and final seal and the sealing of the great multitude, the 144,000, from every tribe of the sons of Israel. More on that in the next post.

And the application of this Word to all who believe in the Lord Jesus? Don't be surprised when the children of this world hate you and persecute you. Expect it. That is exactly what they did to our Lord Himself. Listen to words from the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 4:1-19).

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. . .  

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. . .  

. . . if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (Proverbs 11:31) Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. - 1Pe 4:1-19 ESV

(A final note to this posting: The picture above is from a group of that teaches the Preterist View of the end times. Preterism denies that Revelation is a prophecy about the future. My readers may want to study that view, among the many interpretations of Revelation. As a Christian committed to the Lutheran Confessions of 1530, I must reject it. I'll have more to say about that in future postings.)

Jesus' Appearance In The Revelation of John

What literally does Jesus look like? There are hundreds of artistic guesses. No one knows, because no one made a drawing of Him while He walked this earth for about 33 years. The best we can do is try to imagine what a 30-some year-old man might have looked like in first century Galilee / Judea. Here is a site that claims to document some "face to face" encounters and visitations with Jesus Christ @ Divine Revelations. Below are some free typical examples posted in dreamstime.com.

    

None of these are what John says he saw. Listen and imagine for yourself: 

"Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.  - Rev 1:11-15 ESV

Did our Lord mean to give us a literal vision of Himself, because none is recorded elsewhere in the Bible? By no means. This description, like all of the visions in The Revelation, is symbolic. It is a picture with multiple meanings that point far beyond the mere picture itself. Let's take a look and ask what Jesus is saying both to John and to us in this revelatory symbol of Himself. Then consider what it means for your own life.

What did John hear and see? He saw:

one like a son of man - Certainly Jesus fully intends for us to remember that He is and always will be human. He is Immanuel, God with us in human form. Volume after volume has appeared across the centuries to emphasize that the risen Christ was and ever will remain not only true God, but also true man, as the Christian creeds emphasize. As our Brother He understands us since He was tempted in every way even as we are (Heb 2:17-18; 4:15). 

wearing a long robe with a golden sash - Revelation was written in code. That is, it is written with reference to the Old Testament. The image here is that of a Jewish high priest with a partly golden sash around his waist (Ex. 28:2-8; 39:5). The prophet Daniel shares this same image as he writes what he saw when the Son of Man appeared to him (Dan. 7:9-13; 10:5-6). In John's revelation Jesus portrays Himself as the High Priest who made the final sacrifice for all mankind (Heb 7:15-16), He is the ancient of days, the eternal God, the risen ruler of kings on earth, the one coming with the clouds to judge all the tribes of the earth (Rev. 1:5-8). 

his hair white as wool or snow. White is the color of purity (Isa. 1:18). All those made clean by the blood of Christ wear white robes (Heb 9:13-14; Rev. 7:9-14). White is also the color our hair turns when we are old. So the white hair points to experience and becomes a symbol of wisdom. Jesus is that wise One with eternal experience and wisdom in all things (Lev. 19:32; Job 32:7; Prov. 16:31).

his eyes like a flame of fire - they penetrate past our empty pretence, into our hearts. Jesus is the all-knowing One. None can hide fro His gaze. This then is a warning to all who will stand before Him. He is the all-consuming fire of those who resist Him (Ex. 24:17; Deut. 4:23-24; 9:3).  

his feet like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace - The LORD appeared to the prophets in a body shining like bright bronze and the mineral beryl. None dare resist this powerful One (Eze. 40:3; Dan. 10:6). 

his voice sounding like the roar of many waters. The waters rose in the days of the flood that destroyed all but Noah's family. Now the same Lord is coming in judgment, with power mightier than the waves of the sea (Psalm 93:4; Isa. 17:13; Ezek. 43:2). 

his face shining like the sun in full strength. The sun does destroy  those unprotected (Psalm 121:6; Isa. 49:10. But the Sun shines with healing upon those who are finally set free (Mal. 4:2).

Recall that John knew Jesus personally. He was one of the inner-circle of three who were with Him on the mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-2). In this revelation Jesus appears in much the same way, in His majesty, power and glory. This is the message John is to send through these symbols that serve both as a warning and as Good News of comfort to the seven churches—and to all members of the church.

Next time we shall consider the two-edged sword that came from the mouth of this mighty Son of Man and what that means to us who put our faith and hope in Him. 

Jesus Had To Be Born Of The Virgin Mary

When you and I read the following chapter of Hebrews about this strange person, Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, we are left with a long list of questions about who he was and why the writer to the Hebrews speaks about him in the way that he does. Here's how he starts, after declaring that Jesus is a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:20).

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! - Hbr 7:1-4 ESV

We've read about Melchizedek earlier in Hebrews 5 when the author pointed out that the heavenly Father begat Jesus as His Son in the eternal today when He said,

"You are my Son, today I have begotten you" (Psalm 2:7). 

And again we read about David's Lord who sits at the right hand of the LORD,

The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Psa 110:4 ESV

Now, very seriously believing that the Psalms are the revealed Word of the LORD God, the writer begins to explain who this mysterious king of Salem is and why it is so important to realize that Jesus is a priest "after the order of Melchizedek". This priestly king is, after all, only mentioned in Holy Scripture one time. As the writer emphasizes, we know nothing about who he was beyond that. We know nothing about his lineage, his background, who  his parents were, how he came to be the king of Salem (later Jeru-salem)—nothing. We only know that Abraham presented him with a tithe after he returned from the slaughter of the kings (Gen. 14:18-20).

His first point: resembling the Son of God Melchizedek continues a priest forever. Here we encounter the mystery of Jesus as understood and taught by the Christian church. Jesus received His divine nature from His Father in eternity. He was begotten, not made, as our creeds clearly teach. He is not a creature who has had a beginning in time. Indeed, Scripture says of Him,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. - John 1:1-3 ESV

All things came into being through Him and apart from Him nothing—nothing—came into being! He is God. He is the Word! He is the Creator of all things!

But He is also Man, born of the Virgin Mary. Of this wonder the Scriptures also speak.

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test." And he said, "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isa 7:10-14 ESV

The Gospel of Matthew has this about Joseph's dream the night after he learned that Mary was pregnant:

But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). - Mat 1:20-23 ESV

Two questions:

1. How could a virgin conceive? 
2. How could a virgin bear a son and remain a virgin? 

Humanly speaking, it is impossible for a virgin to conceive. A human is the product of the union of male seed and female egg. And yet Jesus' conception was from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit spoke about this in a later chapter of the prophet Isaiah.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isa 9:6 ESV

A child is born—this refers to Jesus' birth and His humanity. He was the divine Son of God from all eternity. Now the Father sent His Son from heaven. (Jn. 3:16, 6:39, 12:49). Here we come upon the wonder and mystery of Jesus, true God from eternity and also true Man, born of the virgin Mary.

Did Jesus need the virgin birth to be sinless? No, he was already sinless as the eternal Son of God before His birth. The angel pointed this out to Mary when he told her she was to become Jesus' mother.

And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" 

And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. - Luk 1:30-35 ESV

Jesus was and is holy and without sin. He was holy before His conception in Mary's womb. He did not need her to be holy and sinless. She was the vehicle by which He entered this world, but His holiness was and is not dependent upon her holiness. That raises, of course, another question. Did the Holy Spirit use Mary's egg to create Jesus' humanity? I'll come back to that question next time.

Part of the answer to this question rests in another strange Biblical prophecy dating all the way back to the Garden of Eden. After Eve and Adam had fallen for the temptation of the serpent the LORD said to the serpent,

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel." - Gen 3:15 NKJV

The Hebrew word for seed is zera, a word that refers both to offspring and to the physical seed that the man passes on. The prophecy is made only of the zera of the woman, as if a woman by herself could have offspring. But this is impossible. No woman can bear a child by herself. She has no zera. She brings rather an egg, not the seed, the zera that fertilizes the egg. No woman ever bore a son alone—until Mary bore Jesus, the Son who destroyed the power of the devil to accuse mankind of sin (2 Cor. 5:18-21; 1 Pet. 2:22).

We need to look at this from the perspective that Adam was

• representative or head of all mankind and 
• bore the physical seed in which mankind's sinful nature is passed on 

Let us start with the representative concept. The Apostle Paul teaches clearly that it was by Adam that sin entered into the world of mankind. As noted, this is the understanding that Adam is the head or representative of the entire human race. He did not reject the temptation of the devil. He ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Therefore when Adam sinned the entire race fell. The Apostle writes about this.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- - Rom 5:12 ESV

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. - Rom 5:14 ESV 

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. - 1Cr 15:21-22 ESV

There are many examples in the Scriptures of one person who is the head of a family or a people making a decision that touches all. So we read of Noah cursing his grandson Canaan.

When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers." - Gen 9:24-25 ESV

Strangely, Canaan wasn't directly involved in what his father Ham had done. Instead of covering Noah's nakedness when he was drunk, Ham went out and told his two brothers, apparently mocking his father. As a result, Noah pronounced a curse on Ham's sons, a curse that fell on Canaan and his descendants.

The same thing happened to Esau when he sold his birthright to Jacob (Gen. 25:31-34). All of his descendants were thus excluded from the blessing of the promise given to Abraham and passed on to Isaac, then Jacob and their descendants (Gen. 28:1-4).

So from this viewpoint no descendant of Adam could possibly rescue mankind from the curse of sin. In Adam all die ! And yet, if mankind is to be rescued it must be that one who is truly a man must bear the  judgment of death for all. But who could do this? And how?

Here we come back to the virgin birth and the necessity of the virgin birth of Jesus. More on this next time.

Terra Nova, The New World To Come

We Christians are inveterate optimists. We believe a better world is coming. I write these words in a week when once again a demented, tortured man entered the DC Navy Yard to murder 12 people. I say once again, because such murders have become too much a part of the news here in the United States, murders of school children, movie theater goers, college students, office workers, train travelers and on and on. And in far away places like the Middle East, Africa and Afghanistan the ravages of war leave thousands dead and other thousands of refugees homeless.

I hear the cry both in my own heart and from the mouths of others. "Get me out of here! I want a new world, a better place, a place of peace and prosperity, of hope and happiness, of life without death and fear. Get me out of here!"

Is there such a place? Will there ever be a world where we can start anew?

I sense that longing in the interest viewers have in movies and TV series promising a new world. For a time the sci-fi series Terra Nova — a new land, entertained us. The FOX network series centered on the Shannons, an ordinary family from 2149, who are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a new civilization. The premise is that the world of 2149 was being destroyed by human neglect, greed and selfishness. Using newly discovered time-travel technology selected groups are sent back to the world of millions of years ago to make a new beginning and thus save the human race. But it didn't work, because humans, being human, brought their greed and selfishness with them. The series ended after one season.

Hebrews reflects this longing and offers a much more certain hope of a new beginning, centered firmly on Jesus, God's Son, the One sent to fulfill all of God's promises of a coming new world.

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, 

"What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet." (Psalm 8:4-6)

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. 

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying,  

"I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." (Psalm 22:22,25)

And again, "I will put my trust in him." (Psalms 18:2; 36:7-8; 91:2)

And again, "Behold, I and the children God has given me."(Gen. 48:9; Psalm 127:3) 

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. - Hebrews 2:5-15 ESV

Jesus has become one with us. He who is truly a Man and also truly very God of very God, is forever one with us. For a little while He subjected Himself to the hatred of men and the power of the devil. He even endured the suffering of death, "so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

Yet He is the One for whom and by whom all things exist. And now in Him we find mercy, forgiveness and hope. Because He is truly and ever shall be The Son of Man, He is not ashamed to call us who trust in Him His brothers, "the children God has given" Him.

The devil can no longer accuse us. He can no longer threaten us with death. Sure, our bodies will die. They must. They belong to this age, to this current state of affairs. We must be clothed with new bodies, filled with the Spirit and life of God and cleansed from all sin. We look forward to this new world, a real terra nova! It will not be a world brought on or brought back by human ingenuity, politics, technology or some yet-to-be discovered magical power. It will be a world given to us by God's grace, pure, undeserved and yet certain, because it is ours in Christ Jesus, our Brother.

We who have this certain hope are still tempted to doubt it. More on this next time.

Its All About Jesus. We Have No Other Message

In reminding us that God's Son is superior to the angels, the writer to the Hebrews quotes seven OT passages as proof. Two of them are about angels, the others are about Jesus and His glory (Hebrews 1:5-13 ESV)

Consider how he quotes Psalm 2 and then refers to Psalm 89:3-4, 26-27

For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? - Hebrews 1:5 ESV

In the second Psalm he sees Jesus firmly established on Zion, the holy city of Jerusalem. In his eyes the whole story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was foreshadowed in this psalm. The apostles Peter and John ascribed the psalm to David in their prayer after they were released by the Jewish rulers (Acts 4:24-26). But they insisted that David wrote about Jesus. And even though the Sanhedrin forbad them to speak or teach about Jesus, they would continue to do so.

"Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." - Acts 4:19-20 ESV

This then is the major point of the entire letter to the Hebrews—and a lesson for all of us who call ourselves Christian. The entire Scripture, Old and New Testaments, is about Jesus! He is the eternally begotten Son, sent by His Father to set us free from the power of sin and the devil. We must speak about Him. He is the center of our message. We have no other. Jesus Himself declared,

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, - John 5:39 ESV

Yes, we have nothing else to teach, nothing else to preach, nothing else to talk about if we do not preach and teach about Jesus, God's Son. Everything flows from and back to this message about Jesus and His cross.

The angels are mighty beings, but none of them compares in glory, majesty and power to God's Son. This, as you may know, was a huge point of controversy in the history of the church. It still is among some, like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and others who claim to honor Jesus, but deny His deity, deny that He is God's eternal Son.

The Nicene Creed addressed this question with what they prayed was a clear statement about Jesus being God.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

The Messiah promised in the OT is Jesus! He is no mere creature. He is the eternal Son of God. His entrance into this world of men was through the blessed Virgin Mary, but His conception was not through the normal means of the union of a man and his wife. It was rather by the wondrous working of the Holy Spirit. He who was begotten in the Father's endless Day, has humbled Himself to now become one with us.

Here then is the mystery and wonder of Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ. He is both God's Son and the Son of Man. Yes, He was and remains truly a man crucified under Pontius Pilate. He did indeed suffer and die on that Roman cross on that hill near the outskirts of Jerusalem. He was indeed buried in the grave loaned to him by Joseph of Arimathea. But He rose from the dead on the third day after His death and now rules in and over all things as Creator and Redeemer.

But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; - Hebrews 1:8-10 ESV

He concludes this first chapter with a final reference to the ministry of the angels. We'll take a one more look at that ministry next time before moving on.

Who Ever Is Jesus Christ?

"My church is a lot more open-minded than yours!
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we teach that Christians, Jewish people, and Muslims all pray to the same God. You talk as if Jesus were the Savior, the only path to God."  

"Muslims believe that Jesus was a great prophet. Jewish people believe that Jesus was a gifted yet unorthodox rabbi. Buddhists regard Jesus as an enlightened person. Scholars acclaim Jesus for his remarkable ethics. Jehovah's Witnesses describe Jesus as an exalted, divine being. Mormons teach that Jesus Christ became a god."

So begins the section about Jesus Christ in the 2010 book I downloaded from Amazon last week. The book is called The Lutheran Difference. You might want to check it out. It discusses in detail in what ways Lutherans differ from other Christian and non-Christian groups. The book is organized around the Nicene Creed. As the introduction says, the name Lutheran is shorthand for saying, I agree with Martin Luther whose teaching has been well-known for over 500 years. The book goes on to show from the Bible how Lutherans differ and why. Since I've been writing about Jesus in particular during the past several weeks, I thought it well to continue by using this book as my reference.

One word in that Nicene Creed has caused much controversy. It is the Greek word ousios. We translate the word into English with our word substance or being. The Nicene Creed describes Jesus as being homo-ousios, that is of the same substance or one in Being with the Father. So one English translation of the creed describes Jesus in this way:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

I mention this to point out that there was much controversy over the years about the person of Jesus. Just who is he? Is he truly God? How can there be three persons and yet but one God? So the teachers argued back and forth for many, many years. The details of that controversy are spelled out in the link above to the Wikipedia article. Ultimately the teachers of the church developed the Nicene Creed in order to declare what they understood to be the teaching of God's Word. Millions of us since then have embraced that Creed as our own confession of faith.

Now mind you, not everybody likes the term homo-ousios. It certainly is not a Bible word. It is a Greek word cooked up by some and tossed back and forth with many nuances. There are times when many of us wonder whether the term detracts from the awesome mystery. Maybe we're trying too hard to explain something beyond human words, a mystery foretold by the prophet Daniel, among other O.T. prophets. He wrote like this in an inspired attempt to describe what he saw and experienced.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. - Dan 7:13-14 ESV

This mysterious son of man in Daniel's vision is given authority and dominion that rightly only belongs to God. All peoples, nations and languages serve him. This appears to be why Jesus favored the title Son of Man. He used it again and again to describe himself. Examples:

• the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. -  Matt. 8:20 
• the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. - Matt. 9:6
• the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath - Matt. 12:8
• the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather of of his kingdom all causes of sin - Matt. 13:41
• they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom - Matt. 16:28
• Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead - Matt. 17:9
• The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men - Matt. 17:22
• Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man - Matt. 24:30

As you can see, again and again and again Jesus took to himself what Daniel described: dominion, authority, glory, and equality with God the Father. His is an everlasting kingdom that shall never pass away nor be destroyed. This is what the creeds attempt to say in whatever language they use.

Lutherans—and millions in other Christian traditions—embrace that confession, that credo. More about this next time, especially since we believe our eternal destiny rests upon getting this right.

 

The Formidable Unity Among Us Christians

In his introduction to the modern translation of an ancient book by St. Athanasius (On The Incarnation), C.S. Lewis wrote, 

"We are all rightly distressed, and ashamed also, at the divisions of Christendom. But those who have always lived within the Christian fold may be too easily dispirited by them. They are bad, but such people do not know what it looks like from without. Seem from there, what is left intact despite all the divisions, still appears (as it truly is) an immensely formidable unity."

The creed named after Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, reflects that "immensely formidable unity" among us Christians. Almost all Christians readily embrace the Athanasian Creed as a carefully crafted summary of what we believe about the tri-unity or trinity of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Outside the pages of the New Testament itself, Athanasius is probably the man to whom we chiefly owe the preservation of that Christian faith. The creed named after Athanasius exposes the false teachings of a popular party that taught Arianism and defends the full divinity of Jesus Christ. The Arian view is seen today most especially in the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, who teach that Jesus is not unique from the rest of mankind. Against the Arians the Athanasian Creed emphasizes that Jesus is of one substance with the Father (the Greek word is homo-ousios), leaving the Arians no room to teach that Jesus is merely a god or a high ranking angel then or today.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit = God

Est = is. Non est = is not.

In today's and in upcoming blog postings I intend to emphasize especially that unity we Christians have, most especially around the person and work of Jesus, Son of Mary and Son of God. To do that I invite you to step back to the 4th century to listen to what Athanasius himself taught about Jesus who is "Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood" (Athanasian Creed: 31).

This teaching is of immense importance for several reasons. Let's begin with how we of the 21st century explain the origin of the universe and our own planet. We Christians teach that the universe and our world were carefully designed and crafted by a Mind from outside and beyond our universe. Scientists who espouse Darwinian evolution and natural selection reject such statements. Neo-darwinians stress that it is a grave mistake to mix religion with science, especially since religion is a matter of feelings and blind faith in some supposed revelation whereas modern science depends upon careful observation and rational conclusions that grow out of the scientific method. Here is a chart from Concept Crucible outlining that method:

In response to these modern Darwinians a growing number of scientists stress that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause and design. They point out that intelligent design (ID) is indeed a proper scientific hypothesis or theory.

Intelligent design begins with the observation that intelligent agents produce complex and specified information (CSI). Design theorists hypothesize that if a natural object was designed, it will contain high levels of CSI. Scientists then perform experimental tests upon natural objects to determine if they contain complex and specified information. One easily testable form of CSI is irreducible complexity, which can be discovered by experimentally reverse-engineering biological structures to see if they require all of their parts to function. When ID researchers find irreducible complexity in biology, they conclude that such structures were designed.

ID scientists do not want to be identified as creationists. Their science is science and not religion. They operate with rational thinking and the scientific method. That is all fine and good, I suppose. It keeps open the dialogue. However, we who have been reborn by the power and working of God's Holy Spirit (John 3:5-6) have no choice but to teach openly that our God is not only some god above and outside this creation. We are not Deists. No indeed. The very same God who created the universe by His Word out of nothing is Jesus! Jesus IS that Word of God who became flesh and blood in the Child born of Mary (John 1:1-16). That is what our Christmas celebration is all about.

And He became incarnate flesh and blood for a specific reason, a reason tied to creation and to the universe itself. We emphasize that if our first parents had obeyed the Creator, the life of a paradise without sorrow, suffering, pain and death would still be ours today—and forever. But they threw away their heritage and birthright. They disobeyed His clear command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And so they died (Genesis 2:16-17; Gen 3:1-19). We who are the children of Adam and Eve share in that death, as does creation itself. In Adam we all died, writes the Apostle (1 Cor 15:21-22).

Life here on our planet was created with purpose and meaning. It was never to be meaningless as it so often seems, a mere matter of the undirected and mindless chance taught by the religion known as Darwinism. Everything was created with purpose and order. Note how the order of creation progresses as recorded in Genesis 1-2. At the end of each day the Creator pronounces what He either created or made as good!

But what do we see all around us? Chaos, confusion, suffering and the cessation of life. This is exactly what the Creator said would be the result. Adam, Eve and their children would all die, die  because of their disobedience. That disobedience is called sin. Death is directly related to sin. Death entered creation because of our disconnect with our Creator. And since we who bear the very image of our Creator were to rule over this world (Gen. 1:26-30) there is a disconnect between us and this created world as well. We either do not have dominion over it or we find it warring against us. As the Creator said to Adam, the earth is cursed (Gen. 3:17). Life has now become a struggle. We murder and wage war with one another. We have twisted and perverted our sexual natures. Family life breaks down everywhere. Our bodies are infected by other hostile lifeforms of the creation. We suffer from disasters brought on by the uncontrolled forces of wind and wave. Hurricanes, electrical storms and earthquakes ravish our homes and destroy our children. Everything is in confusion.

It was never to be this way. God did not want it this way, but what could He do about it? That's a topic for tomorrow.

Sons of God In Christ Jesus

When the Jews attacked Jesus for calling himself the Son of God and thus making himself God, Jesus quoted Psalm 82, Asaph's prayer for justice in the courts and councils of the land.

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'? - Jhn 10:34 ESV 

I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you" - Psa 82:6 ESV

Psalm 82, in turn, is a reference to Exodus 22 where judges are called gods (elohiym in Hebr.).

For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before God (elohiym) The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor. - Exd 22:9 ESV

Many versions of this Exodus verse translate elohiym as "the judges" (KJV, NIV, NASB, etc.). Elohiym is a plural Hebrew word translated as God (singular) in Exodus 1:17-18, 2:23-24, 3:1, etc. So the translators are not really translating word for word. They are rather commenting. However, the ESV does translate the verse, "The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor."

The point? God operates through the judges. They have the authority and power of God, even authority to condemn to death. God has given such authority to men so that order and justice may prevail even in this sinful world. The secular legal system of government has often been called the kingdom of God's left hand (cf. Rom. 13:1-8). This is why we honor those appointed to rule over us.

However judges and princes quite often act unjustly and show partiality. Yet they won't get away with
such evil judgments. They are men and shall die and fall like any other prince. One day they will all have to give an accounting to the true Judge of all men. Already now God holds them accountable. Do your job, God demands.

God (elohiym) has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods (elohiym) he holds judgment: "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? (Selah) Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." - Psa 82:1-4 ESV

By the way, Mormons or Latter Day Saints use this Psalm to build their teaching about faithful men and their wives becoming gods who will one day rule over one or the other planets in the universe. All this is nonsense, of course. It is not what the Scripture teaches by any stretch of the imagination.

But back to Jesus and to why he quoted Psalm 82 and Exodus 22. Here's Jesus' complete defense.

"Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." - Jhn 10:34-38 ESV

The Hebrew word elohiym is indeed plural and may correctly be translated both as God and as judges. What Jesus wants them to understand, however, is that God is also plural! Hidden right out in the open is the teaching of the Trinity, the Three-in-One God. Jesus is God's Son, separated, consecrated and declared holy by his Father (Matt. 3:17, 17:5). Everything he does points to it. Look at his works and believe. "Even though you do not believe me," he says, "believe the works. The works will help you to "know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."

They rejected him regardless of what he said. "Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." John doesn't say how Jesus escaped. He only writes that Jesus went back across the Jordan where John had been baptizing at first. Many of John's followers went after Jesus.

And many came to him. And they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true." And many believed in him there. - Jhn 10:41-42 ESV

The Christmas season reminds us again of this wondrous mystery. God the Father sent His Son to be a man-child so that the judgment of eternal death might rest upon him rather than upon us. And now the whole creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal the sons of God. For in Christ Jesus all who believe are sons of God (Rom. 8:19; Gal. 3:26).

Who Wants Life On Mars Without Life On Earth?

William Whewell was the natural philosopher at Trinity College, Cambridge back in the middle of the 19th century who proposed the term scientist to describe the study of the world of nature. He also suggested that the planet Mars had seas, land and even some kind of life. In the beginning of the 20th century Percival Lowell in his book Mars and Its Canals, proposed that Mars' canals were the work of a long-gone civilization. Speculation about life on Mars was rampant in those years. Science fiction writer H.G. Wells wrote his famous War of the Worlds in 1897 and the idea spread. 

On Sunday, Oct. 30, 1938 Orson Wells shocked the world with a fake Halloween radio broadcast, adapting H.G. Wells' book, to announce that the Martians had indeed arrived. People hearing the broadcast panicked as they learned of the ferocious, unstoppable attack of the Martians upon our planet. Many fled their homes in terror. 

The search for life on Mars continues in our day as NASA guides the rover Curiosity to search for signs of life on the surface of the red planet. And if our scientists find that life of some sort is possible there, what then? 

Many fed by Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Galilee pursued life as well. Following Jesus across the sea they still wanted him to be their king. His reply was,  

"Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." - Jhn 6:26-27 ESV

Food that endures to eternal life?

Jesus distinguished between two types of life with his remark. The people who pursued him were concerned primarily about their bodily or biological life, life sustained by the loaves and fishes he had supplied. However, such bread grows old and stale. Dried fish, commonly used for food in those days, ultimately becomes inedible. This was food that perishes. Instead of such food, Jesus offered them the food that endures to eternal life.

Note that Jesus calls himself the Son of Man. The phrase would normally cause one to think about Jesus as a human, which indeed he was. So King David wrote,

What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? - Psa 8:4 ESV

But there was another strange use of the term in the the prophecy of Daniel.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. - Dan 7:13-14 ESV

Daniel saw a human being to whom God, the Ancient of Days, gave an everlasting kingdom. All people on earth would serve this son of man forever. How could this be? Only God is eternal. No man dare claim an eternal kingdom. And yet, writes Daniel, this is what I saw God give this son of man.

"King? Dominion? Eternal life? Yes, but you people don't get it," said Jesus. "Instead, all you can think about is this bread you ate yesterday, this food that perishes. All you want is another hand-out. Look at the sign I gave you! What I did was a sign from my Father, a sign that He sent me to give you life, eternal life."

But they paid no attention. They wouldn't believe him. Instead they continued to believe they had to do something.

"What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" 

Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 

So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 

Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." - Jhn 6:28-33 ESV

No, you don't have to fly to Mars. You don't have to spend billions to discover if there is life on the red planet or somewhere else in the universe. Life is right here on earth. The Son of Man has come down from heaven to give it to everyone. He is the bread of God who gives life, eternal life, life without end.

"Aha! Now you're talking, Son of Man," they said. "You really are a bread-king. Sir, give us this bread always." - Jhn 6:34 ESV

But they still didn't get it. Do you? We'll pick up the conversation next time. We need to take a look at Manna, this strange bread for the journey that the Lord gave his people in the wilderness.

Jesus Is The Image Of God

Last evening my wife, some friends and I attended a dinner and a movie at The Houston Club. After a fine meal we viewed Mao's Last Dancer, the story of how an acclaimed Chinese ballet dancer defected to the United States here in Houston back in 1981. It was a moving, emotional story and is based upon the autobiographical account of the dancer himself, Li Cunxin. He believed that as a citizen of the United States he had much greater freedom to develop and practice his art. He is now retired from the ballet.


The Epistle appointed for Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of the Church Year of worship, Colossians 1:13-20, speaks of how we Christians escaped from the power of darkness and were transferred to the domain of the Lord Jesus, the beloved Son of God. All this began, Paul writes, when we were baptized and the Spirit worked faith in our hearts to believe in the forgiveness of sins. Paul then goes on to make some astounding claims for Jesus Christ. Permit me to make a list.

1. He is the image of the invisible God
2. He is the firstborn of all creation
3. Through him all things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, thrones, dominions, rulers and authorities—all things were created. 
4. For him all things were created. 
5. He is before all things
6. In him all things hold together
7. He is the head of the body, the church
8. He is the beginning
9. He is the firstborn from the dead
10. He is preeminent in everything 
11. In him all the fullness of God dwells
12. By the blood of his cross all things, whether on earth or in heaven, are reconciled to him and at peace. 

This is a rather astounding list, a list that does not exhaust all that the Apostle says about Christ in this marvelous letter to the believers in Colossae and to us. Were we to examine each of these statements in the light of the rest of God's revelation we'd have enough to write for the next two years—and more. So let me lift up but the first, the image of the invisible God. Even that I can but point to, for there is so much wrapped up in it. I have no room here to explore with you all the implications. 

Let's look at Genesis 1:26 where we read of the Creator saying, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." The Greek Old Testament word for image, icon, is the same Greek word Paul uses in Colossians. The word for likeness is homoiousin. Both words are claimed for man in the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 11:7 a man is called the icon of God. In James 3:9 the apostle says mankind was made in God's likeness. So what, if any, is the difference between image or icon and likeness. And what does it mean that Christ is the image or icon of the invisible God?

Perhaps a couple analogies will help. Take out a coin or a bank note from your pocket. On them you find the image or icon of a President of the United States, say Washington, Lincoln, Franklin or Jefferson. Why? Because the coin or the bill has behind it the power of the United States. Its value is drawn from the resources of that country and guaranteed by the same. The image points to all that.

Closer to the heart of the matter is the fact that a child is the icon or image of her parents. She carries their DNA and in most cases their rights as a citizen of a particular country. Her being is  derived from her parents. Of course, she also bears the likeness of her parents. One may say she looks very much like her mother or her father. However, likeness is not the same as image. One can look like others and yet not bear their image. 

Do you begin to get it now? Do you see why Jesus is called the icon or image of His Father in Colossians 1:15? He is not merely like the Father. He is the image of the Father. He has received from the Father power, glory, preeminence and fullness. He is very God of very God. He is not created or made. This is why the church has resorted to the word begotten rather than made. All power and authority reside in Him. By Him were all things made and without Him nothing exists. He is the image of the heavenly Father.

This Son of God was made man and was born of the Virgin Mary. He who is true God from all eternity is also true man, with flesh and blood and lineage. By the shedding of His blood this One of priceless worth has paid the price of all men's sins.

In days gone by the church had a huge quarrel about all this, reaching all the way back to the years following 250 AD and beginning in the city of Alexandria with a clergyman named Arius. Arius and those who followed him were greatly influenced by Greek philosophy. To say that Jesus bore the image of the Father did not make sense. It was, they said, irrational. Instead they taught that Jesus and the Father were not together eternally and before the creation of all things. They denied the Trinitarian teachings of the church.  The Nicene Creed came out of this long controversy, a quarrel that continues in one way or another to the present day as people ask who Jesus was and is.

On this final Sunday of the Church Year we affirm with great enthusiasm that Jesus is the very Son of God, the image of the eternal Father. 

Jesus, Our Right Hand Man

"An estimated 260 million people around the globe live left-handed lives in a right-handed world, Leonardo da Vinci and Alexander the Great were lefthanded, and so were Babe Ruth, Michelangelo and Charlemagne. The left hand rules Charlie Chaplin, Robert S. McNamara, Sandy Koufax, Kim Novak and Ringo Starr. They are known as southpaws, gallock-handers, chickie paws and scrammies—and on down a whole list of slangy synonyms whose very length testifies to the fact that for centuries left-handers have been looked upon with suspicion, if not with actual mistrust."


Read more:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839732,00.html#ixzz0iiQKwxme

The Bible even favors the right hand. In speaking about the messianic King, Asaph writes, "But let your hand be the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself" (Psalm 80:17). 

Viewing the right hand as the favored, strong hand, Moses and the people of Israel sang, "Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? . . . You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them." 

Jesus referred to himself as "the son of man" (John 5:21-25) and thus as God's right hand. David speaks of him in this manner: "The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool" (Psalm 110:1). 

The right hand man was always the most trusted advisor. This may also be related to the fact that soldiers usually carried their swords with their right hand and their shield with their left. So in a line of battle one's weak and undefended side was the right. Therefore the right hand man became critical. The most experienced soldiers would be at the right hand side of the battle formation, since they would have no right hand man to protect them. Ultimately this would be the highest and most trusted place of honor. 

The image of battle is frequent in Biblical literature. The Apostle Paul urges, "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:13). 

In such times of battle, how comforting to know that Jesus is our right hand Man! 

Son of Man and Son of God

As I go deeper into the details of the  century in which I was born and the decades during which I reached adulthood, I am amazed at how the Word of God was so completely abandoned in the nations from which my forefathers came. I speak about Germany on my father's side and Great Britain on my mother's. My persistent questions are, What led up to this? And how could this happen?

I ponder these issues  alongside portions of Holy Scripture again this week. I am considering Daniel 7:9-10 and Daniel 7:13-14, one of the texts for the final Sunday in the church year. This week's question, then, is who is this Son of Man with dominion and glory and a kingdom, served by all peoples, nations and languages? And how can it be that His kingdom shall not be destroyed when all around we see men and rulers opposing His rule?

I know, I know. This is such a weighty question that I can hardly lift my fingers to type anything further, but I shall try.

This past week I completed my reading of Erwin Lutzer's book Hitler's Cross. The book is obviously not merely a history of Christianity in Nazi Germany, but one in which Dr. Lutzer uses Nazi Germany as a background to proclaim his version of the Christian faith. That said, I learned many things.

One thing I noted at once in Lutzer's book—and knew from my study of WW I—there was a strong relationship between the nobility, the rulers of Great Britain and Germany. For instance, Houston Chamberlain, nephew of the noted Sir Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister who was completely duped by Hitler in the Munich Agreement of 1938. World War II broke out a year later. when Hitler's armies invaded Poland.

Houston Chamberlain moved to Germany in 1889 to marry Eva Wagner, composer Richard Wagner's daughter in 1908. He became a German citizen in 1916. He later joined the rising Nazi party and became very intimate with Hitler.

He wrote his very influential antisemitic work, The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, in 1913.

In his view the Teutonic peoples were the heirs of the Empires of Greece and Rome. When the Germanic races destroyed the Roman Empire, he said they saved Western civilization from Semitic domination. He went on to say that,

"Whoever claimed that Jesus was a Jew was either stupid or telling a lie . . . Jesus was not a Jew. He was an Aryan."

Further, he claimed that Christianity could only be appreciated by the Aryan race and that this race could be further strengthened by proper breeding.

Hitler loved Chamberlain's writings, as did those who helped to fashion Nazi doctrine. And so enraptured with Hitler were the German Christians  that many believed Hitler was the way of the Spirit and the will of God for the German people to enter the church of Christ. They adorned their altars with Nazi flags and in their congregations joined in the Nazi salute.

In the second reformation of the church these Germans repudiated anything that had to do with Jews, especially the Old Testament. Likewise they eliminated any reference to the Old Testament in the New and substituted "true life" for "eternal life." The cross was thrown away or wed to a pagan political agenda, that is the Nazification of the church.

Obviously leaders from both my ancestral nations long ago rejected Jesus, born of Mary, descended from Abraham and David, Son of Man and Son of God.

As foretold by the prophet Daniel, this resurrected and ascended LORD has received sovereign power over all peoples, nations and men. Millions of Germans followed the Nazi—and British—apostasy this to their deep sorrow and death. The final judgment of all such unbelief approaches.