Tag: Christ

  • Prophesying the unseen future

    Prophesying the unseen future

    Prophets as light 
2 Peter 1:19
    Prophets predicted the Messiah of God, Christ Jesus

    Acts of the Apostles 21:

    Dr. Luke continues his account of their return to Jerusalem and Paul's stay with Philip the Evangelist in Caesarea.

    Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

    And as we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

    And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: 

    Now some of you are NOT going to believe this

    Who is the true prophet of the LORD God? The one who speaks and reveals truth in fear of God to speak for Him.

    BEFORE we hear 'what the Holy Spirit says' to the Apostle Paul through Agabus, LET'S take a quick look ahead at PROPHESY, Prophets and Prophetesses and SEE if YOU even believe in such predictions. 

    προφητεύω – Strong’s G4395 – Prophesy

    to prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict

    Luke has already used this same word describing a scene back in Ephesus.

    And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

    And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.

    Now there were in all about twelve men.

    Acts of the Apostles 19:5-7 LSB

    Here Luke reveals that Philip, one of the seven deacons who had received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and was later sent out with the Apostles’ teaching, had four daughters known as prophetesses.

    In fact, prophesy is not so much given as positive prediction but more frequently as WARNING of some unseen future event.

    And when He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”

    And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

    Gospel of Matthew 21:10-11 LSB

    The Greek New Testament word used here for prophet is prophētēs.

    • in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things
    • one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation

    προφήτης – Strong’s G4396 – prophētēs

    JESUS had been received as a PROPHET and King by the Jews. It was Christ as Priest and SACRIFICE for our sins they rejected.

    Roger@Talkofjesus.com

    ARE PROPHETS TRUE? CAN THEIR PROPHESY PREDICT?

    Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him while they beat Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying,

    “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?”

    And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

    Gospel of Luke 22:63-65 LSB – Prophesy g4395 prophēteuō

    Prophesy G4395 to us, O Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

    Gospel of Matthew 26:68

    And some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy G4395!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face.

    Gospel of Mark 14:65 LSB
    • Jesus the King is opposed by the Herod’s.
    • Jesus the Prophet is opposed by those adorned in false robes of righteousness.
    • And Jesus the Priest is opposed by the false intercessors claiming coins of indulgence before altars of idolatry.

    And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy G4395 of you hypocrites, as it is written:

    ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,

    BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

    Gospel of Mark 7:6 LSB

    THE APOSTLE PAUL PREACHES CHRIST CRUCIFIED AND RISEN!


    ‘..Bind the man who owns this belt..’

    Once again, true prophesy through the Holy Spirit provides a vision of further suffering awaiting the Apostle who had been blind even as Philip had received the Holy Spirit years before.

    a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea

    “The Holy Spirit says,
    ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

    Act of the Apostles 21:11b – NIV
    Luke, who of course is traveling with Paul by now records an account of his own reaction:

    When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

    But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart!

    I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”

    Acts 21:12-13 NLT

    hyper ho onoma ho kyrios iēsous

    The King James Version is even a bit more pointed in its rendering from the Greek:

    for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

    Acts 21:13b King James Version

    YES, these early apostles and many disciples of Christ Jesus proclaimed their faith in ‘the Name of the Lord Jesuskyrios iēsous.

    This beloved apostle to the Gentiles, as one drawn later to his faith had asked the risen Christ on a road to Damascus,

    “Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: [Acts 9:5 excerpt KJV}

    As all disciples traveling with Paul knew, he had once sought the deaths of many brothers and had been present at the execution of Philip’s fellow deacon and friend, Stephen.

    the acts of Saul begin as witness of the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem .. and a young man Saul of Tarsus held the cloaks of the men who stoned him

    And they stoned Stephen,

    calling upon God, and saying,

    Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

    Acts 7:59 KJV


    NOW their beloved apostle to the gentiles pleads with them that he too may accept Stephen’s fate ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus.’


    14 When he would not be dissuaded,

    we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

    After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.

    Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

    And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

    Acts of the Apostles 21:17 KJV

    google earth map of third missionary journey of Paul - TalkofJESUS.com
    A.D. 52-57

    Acts of the Apostles – To Be Continued… – in Jerusalem

  • King for a Common Era Holy Week 5

    King for a Common Era Holy Week 5

    KING jesus! KING jesus! The Prophet who drove the money changers out of God’s Temple HAS RETURNED!

    Holy Week in the year of our Lord 30

    Without noting several significant private events and conversations of this holy week, including Jesus' celebration of the Passover meal with the Twelve;
     
    let's look once more at the witness of PUBLIC encounters of the Lord Jesus in the Temple through actual and FICTIONAL witnesses.

    And he [Jesus] taught daily in the temple.

    Gospel of Luke19:47a  Καὶ ἦν διδάσκων τὸ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ 

    Gospel of Matthew 21: New King James Version

    23 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said,

    “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

    No Elder could answer Him.
    The Prophet from Nazareth then taught us with parables.
    

    Parables in the Temple

    Every listening soul knew that Jesus was speaking of the Shepherds of Israel AND knowing that this teacher from Nazareth called Himself a 'Son.' 

    But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 

    ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 

    So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

    Gospel of Matthew 21:28-29 – New King James Version
    So is this JESUS the coming KING about to conquer Jerusalem from the Herod's (as when HE rode into the city like DAVID)? 
    
    Will this Teacher also turn the tables on OUR corrupt religious leaders, we wondered?

    OTHERS in the TEMPLE also heard Jesus challenge EVERY false philosophy, teachings obligating US to pay indulgences to support their own well-healed corruptness among regular worshipers.


    “He will destroy those wicked..

    “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

    ‘The stone which the builders rejected
    Has become the chief cornerstone.
    This was the Lord’s doing,
    And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

    the Good News of Matthew 21:42 – New King James Version – The Lord JESUS in the Temple, quoting MANY Scriptures to Jewish leaders

    In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

    Zechariah 3 :: King James Version (KJV)
    3:10 בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת תִּקְרְאוּ אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ אֶל־תַּחַת גֶּפֶן וְאֶל־תַּחַת תְּאֵנָה׃
    • Hab 1:5
      • Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

    JESUS IS PREACHING GOOD NEWS TO EVERYONE IN THE TEMPLE -- JEWS AND GENTILES -- BUT NOT SO GOOD for the entrenched rulers of Jerusalem.
    

    Good News of Matthew 22:

    And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:

    “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

    Gospel of Matthew 22:14 NKJV – Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast
    Of the Pharisees (who teach of the resurrection, although some it seems would have us pay them to have Yahweh overlook our sins to earn our way to it) Jesus challenged: 
    

    The Pharisees also tried to test HIM on the LAW.

    36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

    Now I was immediately thinking 'FIRST COMMENDMENT' 

    5:7 לֹא יִהְיֶה־לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל־פָּנָיַ׃

    ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.

    The Teacher of the teachers however went straight to the Shammah: 
    

    שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד׃

    This is the first and great commandment.

    And the second is like it: 

    ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

    On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”


    And just like us, He didn’t think much of the Sadducees either.

    Some who witnessed Jesus’ miracles thought that He might be John the Baptizer risen from death. And other who know Lazarus seemed certain that HE held the power over death because HE IS the Promised One of Israel.

    Jesus had asked the Pharisees (who believe the Scriptures about the resurrection):

    “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

    Matthew 22:42 NKJV

    The Pharisees’ very Judaic response about “The Son of David” Jesus proved as quite insufficient. The Pharisees did NOT know who the Christ would be.

    Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees and …

    Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples

    Matthew 23:1 King James Version

    SO YOU WANT A ‘KING’ JESUS, ALL OF YOU WHO LOVE TO SHOUT OUT ‘HOSANNA‘ WHEN HE ENTERS THE TEMPLE TOWARDS YOU?

    * Some quotes below updated for awoke Common Era [christian] hearing.

    Are YOU of the multitudes? OR one of His disciples?

    JESUS had hundreds of disciples [followers] and thousands from the crowds in the Temple, multitudes who heard Him preach in this holiest of weeks.

    ARE YOU ONE OF THESE? WOULD YOU have been one of the MULTITUDES who shouted, ‘HOSANNA, KING JESUS!’ who tomorrow might side with ‘leaders‘ denying Him, saying with all the world, CRUCIFY HIM! ‘WE have NO KING but Caesar‘?

    OR are you NOW a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ – Jesus the Pascal Lamb of God slaughtered for sinners — a follower who will believe and take up His Cross?


    “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!

    How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

    Matthew 23:37-39 NKJV

    Communion with His Apostles

    Jesus is about to have some private moments with His closest friends and Apostles — a last meal — Communion… followed by betrayal, prayer, arrest… then a trial of injustice under the veil of darkness.

    WHAT WILL YOU SAY IF A FRIEND FROM YOUR LIFE IN THE WORLD ASKS YOU ABOUT JESUS?

    IS HE THE CHRIST SENT TO SAVE US?

    SAVE ME FROM WHAT?


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  • Letters from Proselytes of Galatia to Paul 

    Letters from Proselytes of Galatia to Paul 

    Premise: The Apostle Paul likely received one or several letters to which the Apostle responds with Epistles to several churches and certain important persons.

    Who wrote to the Apostle Paul?

    Think about this —

    Paul and other Apostles come into your town or city, proclaim some Good News, build a church of Christ followers, establish some local leaders. AND then after some time these missionaries leave to go somewhere else into all the world.

    ACTS of the Apostles details some of these encounters which occur after numerous encouraging visits of various apostles sent out to them.

    Many apostles and letters communicate Good News of one faith in Christ for all the world.

    Although we have no preserved documentation of any messages or letters delivered to the Apostle from the Gentiles, I suspect that Paul perceives a crisis of faith in the churches of Galatia — a crisis conveyed to him by faithful disciples of the risen Christ and perhaps even believers considering IF they should abandon The Way of the Lord for a more prevalent cultural Judaism.

    WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

    The Apostles, including the Twelve and Paul, James and other church leaders communicate in person and by messenger by the Spirit who has sent them out into each mission.

    Major Roman Provinces of the Aegean including: Achaia, Greece, Macedonia, Asia Minor, Galatia, Cypress and Syria including major cities of Paul's first missions.

    Who are the Galatians?

    In Paul’s day, the word Galatia had two distinct meanings. In a strict ethnic sense, Galatia was the region of central Asia Minor (modern Turkiye) .. a Celtic people who had migrated to that region from Gaul (modern France) .. (in) 25 B.C. when Galatia became a Roman province, incorporating some regions not inhabited by ethnic Galatians (e.g., parts of Lycaonia, Phrygia, and Pisidia). In a political sense, Galatia came to describe the entire Roman province, not merely the region inhabited by the ethnic Galatians.

    Paul founded churches in the southern Galatian cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13:14–14:23).

    Commentary of John MacArthur – BlueLetterBible.org
    You will recognize these Galatian cities from Paul's early missions into all the world.
    Lystra and Derbe in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey

    WHY did Paul write to the Galatians?

    Regardless of who founded any of the Galatian cities in the A.D. first century Roman Empire, every town had an ethnic challenge common to all churches established by the apostles in every Roman province.

    Proselytes – Judaizers fleeing Persecution for the Cross of Christ

    The covenantal culture of the Jews opposed the pagan practices of peoples of other cultures. SO the Jews insisted on certain traditional identifications of Jewish men such as circumcision.

    Who are these proselytes?

    Even as Paul, Barnabas, Silas and other apostles had encountered opposition from Jews seeking their own disciples, so had the Lord Jesus.

    “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

    Gospel of Matthew 23: 15 LSB
    The Lord Jesus Christ describes the culture of Judaizers rejecting their own Messiah

    An Apostolic Urgency to Write to the Galatians

    PAUL must urgently address the concerns of those men in Galatia struggling in the faith

    AND like all Christians, pursued by the Jews.

    TWO QUESTIONS HERE:

    • WHO represents the earthly authority of GOD?
    • IF it is CHRIST, what is PAUL’s authority over the JEW and non-Jew?
    Later, I will get to a Twenty-first century C.E. challenge
    of this AUTHORITY in Christ which has now challenged the Church for some 500 years.

    How will the Apostle answer?

    “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

    Galatians 5:1 KJV

    Galatians 1 – Paul’s Authority

    The Apostle begins his Epistle to the Galatians by firmly establishing his authority and leadership of the churches.
    

    Paul, an apostlenot sent from men

    • nor through man,
    • but through Jesus Christ
    • and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead
    • and all the brothers who are with me,
    Pretty convincing.
    
    Paul opens fire against familiar enemies of Christ (Judaizers).

    6 I marvel that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

    • Paul clearly states that the Galatians must choose:
      • – between him as a representative of God the Father and Christ Jesus OR
      • – teachers of a false and distorted gospel
        • (which is not good news but a Jewish tradition chained to the Law and regulations of the flesh).

    Paul defends not only his credentials and calling by Christ, but once more presents his case of Christ’s freedom to these gentile believers caught between the Gospel and the yoke of the Judaizers.

    2:17 But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!

    I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.

    Galatians 2:21 LSB
    PAUL goes straight to the QUESTION of deceitful men claiming a GOSPEL other than Christ crucified and risen -- Judaizers seeking to lure these Galatian Christ-followers back to a Law of social Judaism. 

    3 O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

    THEN the Apostle clearly asks these men of the church a key QUESTION of their calling.

    2 This is the only thing I want to learn from you:

    Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law,

    or by hearing with faith?

    “The righteous shall live by faith.”

    What does Paul seek to prove here refuting Judaizers requiring circumcision of gentile proselytes?

    And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying,

    “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

    Galatians 3:8 LSB

    The Apostle QUOTES Hebrew SCRIPTURE from BEFORE the LAW.

    From Genesis 22:

    22:18  וְהִתְבָּרֲכוּ בְזַרְעֲךָ כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ עֵקֶב אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקֹלִי׃

     “By Myself I have sworn, declares Yahweh, because you have done this thing and have not spared your son, your only one, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.
    
    “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have listened to My voice.”
    

    LATER comes THE LAW of Moses by which the Christ was crucified on a Cross as a redemptive Sacrifice for our sins. (It was NOT ONLY for the Jews, but for ALL the seed of Abraham — every sinner.

    The Apostle makes further legal arguments and adds an allegory comparing:

    The Apostle’s closing argument

    1. 5:4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are being justified by law; you have fallen from grace!
    2. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are eagerly waiting for the hope of righteousness.
    3. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

    Faith Reformed in Fact

    Jewish faith — to Christian faith — to Scriptural faith informed in the Good News of the Word of God…

    The Galatians and every other culture encountered by the Apostles —


    ~ ano Domini 49 – 50

    ~ A.D. 49 Paul has just written to the Galatians out of the Apostle’s concern for their failing faith being replaced by a false gospel.


    WHERE could other gospels lead these Christian flocks of the Empires?

    A fall of Rome, a division with an Orthodox New Rome (Constantinople) and Western father of Bishops and Princes competing for pawns of populace.

    New temples built as CATHEDRALS for poor pilgrims to look up to God and well-mannered robed men who could actually READ the Holy Bible of God…

    And then printing presses and challenges by Reformers pointing to Scripture in place of the yoke of Law and even Church law.

    In my heart reigns this one article, faith in my dear Lord Christ, the beginning, middle and end of whatever spiritual and divine thoughts I may have, whether by day or by night.

    From Luther’s Introduction, ano domini 1538

    THEN what should happen in yet another 500 years once common men and women of the Common Era COULD (yet did not) actually READ the BIBLE?

    a brief application …

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