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Tag: Scripture

Scripture is the word commonly used for the Written Word of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible.

TalkofJESUS.com would like to hear from you via your comments and questions on a NEW Series of brief posts in A.D. 2022.

Short Takes on Scripture – Tell us your thoughts about this brief quote from the Bible.

ONLY Scripture

12 Men Texting as their Messiah approaches – Part 1
If you could TEXT 12 men or women about Jesus Christ, would you? Do you SHARE the Good News of JESUS with a ‘christian’ friend or 12 men you know or dozens of men and women who have questions about the Gospel?

Worship of the Son of God!

You likely know the narratives of 21st century holidays such as Palm Sunday, Easter or even Passover [Pesach – פסח (in Hebrew)] all too well – perhaps too well to worship the Lord God in the context of a first century Jerusalem.

A dear Jewish friend of ours, one of many since my wife is a Messianic Jew, commented just last week on the troubling events of these last days. He said something to the effect that it looks like it could be getting close to the time of the return of the Messiah.

Perhaps our Jewish friend is right. Indeed, if you examine the context of the first coming of the Messiah Jesus you will see promise after His bodily resurrection of a return once more.

Yet I ask you to consider in my agreement with our Jewish friend (a social jew just like many “christians” have become social christians) a deeper look into Scripture – Jewish Scripture. What you read here I offer based on what Christians call, the “Old Testament” or the ‘former Covenant.’

The Former Covenant – בְּרִית

How many Christians OR Jews truly value the solemn witness of Covenant with the LORD our God?

Sadly, too few — and the LORD in these last days seems all-but forgotten in the hearts and lives of those ‘religious’ who claim covenant with the Lord our God. I trust that by your own study of my exposition of prophecy of the Messiah and especially all other Scripture (yes, christian, including the Old Covenant) you seek cleansing and redemption for your sins.

Although ancient writings of the Talmud & Mishna, (in various translations), the Apocrypha (with 14 books Jewish in origin) and other extra-Biblical teaching may be enlightening, these do not stand up to Scripture alone, the inspired word of the Lord God.

We might easily veer off course, sidetracked from the Lord’s application of Scripture in our own lives by even unintentional misdirection and misinterpretation by teachers of the past.

In this brief look of connection between the Old Covenant and New we will look back to two brief passages from three chapters of Daniel.

The New Covenant

Our purpose here is focused only on the Sacrifice of the Son of Man – the Messiah of Israel – and not specifically the broken covenant compared to a new and better covenant. If the Spirit of the Lord draws you to further study the following translations of the book of Hebrews may help.

Hebrews 9:
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Please note that you may LISTEN to three of these translations as well as READ it in Hebrew.
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Daniel 9:

… I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

24 …
- to finish the transgression,
- to make an end of sin,
- to make atonement for iniquity,
- to bring in everlasting righteousness,
- to seal up vision and prophecy
- and to anoint the most holy place.
What mere mortal, what man even a priest of the Lord can do this with permanence?

Only the Son of Man, the Holy One of Israel – the One Messiah Jesus!

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince…

You with ears to hear, understand: Jerusalem does not surpass the Messiah the Prince of God our Father in importance. For by His Sacrifice worship of the LORD is sanctified and perfected in Jesus the Son of Man and Only Son of God.

… It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those sixty-two weeks
the Anointed One will be cut off
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming ruler
will destroy the city and the sanctuary…

Daniel 10: Vision of a Glorious One

Better-learned men than me have studied Daniel’s vision of the Messiah and understood more, but even the Prophet Daniel confessed that he did not understand its full meaning.

I will add one additional look at Daniel after deferring to Sir Isaac Newton.

On the Bible:

“I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.”

On atheism:
“Atheism is so senseless.

When I look at the solar system. I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.”
TEXT COMMENTARIES :: SIR ISAAC NEWTON – BluedLetterBible.org

If you count in Judaic years commencing in autumn, and date the reckoning from the first autumn after Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem, when he put the King’s decree in execution; the death of Christ will fall on the year of the Julian Period 4747, Anno Domini 34; and the weeks will be Judaic weeks, ending with sabbatical years; and this I take to be the truth…

Daniel 12:

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:2 NASB

7 Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time.

When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.

8 I heard but did not understand…

Whether texting 12 men and women OR simply sharing the Gospel in person you can bet that THEY do not understand either. Why not start your Christian Social Witness here?

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
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To be continued...
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April 2, 2020
Because the days are evil – 4 – The Devil made me do it.
and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Ephesians 4:27

The Lie of the Devil

There’s an iconic TV character who we know for a common excuse for sin, “the devil made me do it.” We laughed because we have heard it (or something like it) from our friends and loved ones so many times. Inside some of us cringed because we have said it ourselves knowing the truth of our own desires.

Two lies of the devil are that God doesn’t exist and neither does Satan.

This, of course, is why he is called the great deceiver of mankind and most who deny God believe the devil to be a myth.

What deceit?

διάβολος – diabolos

Diabolos, in fact, actually refers to any man or spirit of deceit prone to slander or accusing falsely. Metaphorically, applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him.

“The devil made me do it,” your conscience rationalizes, full-well knowing good and evil yourself and willingly justifying this sin falsely.

Yet in our hearts you and I always know our deceivability toward this easy lie. We wanted to do this sin, to commit this trespass, even convincing our selfish rebellious will that God has forgiven every one of our sins already (for some reason).

Not so; just another lie. For the Lord calls believers to permanent change.

Who will side with sin?

The devil will tempt you before this small opportunity for revelry against God claiming ‘all sins are not equal.’

Did God really say this, the devil will ask, slandering the Lord God?

You can get away with this because you have accepted Christ, slanders the very enemy of Christ.

We don’t have to read the Bible, the deceiver whispers to your heart. Did God really say that, anyway?

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED

Jesus tells this parable to a large crowd then explains it to the Apostles and also to those who study scripture.

“A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it…
Luke 8:5 CSB

The Tempter clouds justice and the dark reality of God’s punishment of sin.

“The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. – Luke 8:12

You do not believe scripture and you fail to take God’s word to heart.

Although Jesus points to the devil here in the parable, further examination of our tendency toward loving sin prompts other evil actions of ours. Here is a SAVED ‘christian’ (‘once saved, always saved’).

“And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. Luke 8:13

You showed great enthusiasm for Jesus. Though you claim to worship at a house built on a rock, your faith is that of seed on a rock. You cannot take root as the heat of the world withers your faith. And little have you realized it was the devil who tempted you to believe, ‘now I am safe to sin.’

Other subtle slandering by the devil

“As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. – Luke 8:14

I went to church, check. Listened to the uplifting praise band, check. Texted a friend about something important (or maybe it wasn’t). Okay, probably shouldn’t have done that. Got in my listening to scripture in church this week, check. Gotta go! Rushed out to do some Sunday shopping and see the game. Busy week at work ahead, must work on a few things to get ready.

Pleasures of life: have you seen their ads? Sexxy, enticing, everybody wants to be part of this. (No worries there.) Lies of the devil, the one who you can claim later ‘made you do it?’

No wonder pastors struggle to shepherd church-goers lacking in mature fruit of the Gospel. They don’t read scripture and easily deceived. Yet Jesus encourages those who resist the devil and our own urges, those truly saved who yield the mature fruit of faith in the Cross, resurrection and eternal life with God. (Yes, it’s another lie of the devil that ALL get to heaven.)

“But the seed in the good ground — these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.
Luke 8:15 CSB

The days are evil, but the devil didn’t MAKE you do it.

October — Halloween — New Year’s, Mardi Gras, summer solstice, Oktoberfest — when does it all end?

At judgement, where will you stand? What is your fruit in witness against the great deceiver and slanderer who continually fights against Almighty God, our Lord Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

The First Letter of John

The Apostle John writes a letter to believers encouraging them:

Beloved, now we are children of God…

Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning.

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. – excerpt from 1 John 3, NASB

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
1 John 3:10

He didn’t ‘make‘ you do it, but is the devil deceiving you, dear friend?

What is your fruit of righteousness?
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Because the Days are Evil
To be continued...
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October 15, 2019
Hebrews 5- Christ a High Priest
וְהַכֹּהֵן֩ הַגָּדֹ֨ול מֵאֶחָ֜יו אֲֽשֶׁר־יוּצַ֥ק עַל־רֹאשֹׁ֣ו שֶׁ֤מֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה֙ וּמִלֵּ֣א אֶת־יָדֹ֔ו לִלְבֹּ֖שׁ אֶת־הַבְּגָדִ֑ים אֶת־רֹאשֹׁו֙ לֹ֣א יִפְרָ֔ע וּבְגָדָ֖יו לֹ֥א יִפְרֹֽם׃
“‘The high priest – who is greater than his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured, who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments – must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor tear his garments.
Leviticus 21:10 WLC NET

The High Priest – a greater man

If you have been following this series on the book of Hebrews you may already be thinking, ‘he just talked about the high priest in Hebrews 3.’ It’s obviously an office of great importance, but what more can be said by the author of Hebrews?

High Priest in Holy of Holies

In fact, even though we don’t necessarily revere an anointed priest above priests (or a bishop above bishops) as any more relevant to religion than any man, the LORD established an authority to come closer to Him on behalf of the congregation.

Therefore the writer continues to make a connection between the high priest and Christ not only here, but also later in Hebrews 7 and 8. The priest and high priest are more than just anointed offices of the Temple and church.

Hebrews 5 :

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
Hebrews 5:1 CSB

We don’t really think of a priest in this way anymore, do we?

Yet if we are not able to stand before the Living God, who can?

And, in fact, if the Lord anoints a man to ‘offer both gifts and sacrifices’ for our sins, who should he be?

So why do we need a priest? The writer of Hebrews reminds us:

2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also clothed with weakness.

Think of one of your many sins. Would you want someone who will deal with your punishment and correction gently? And do you hope this intercessor between you and Almighty God in his own weakness will have compassion for you?

Of course. And he continues:

3 Because of this, he must make an offering for his own sins as well as for the people.

Therefore any intercessor for our sins must also offer a personal sacrifice for his own sins. We cannot hide our sins from God. Perhaps the priest and high priest will be even more fearful coming before the judgement seat than you or me.

4 No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was.

Scripture points to Christ as our High Priest

5 In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him,

You are my Son;
today I have become your Father,
Hebrews 5:5, Psalm 2

The writer of Hebrews adds:

You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.

He speaks not only of the high priest anointed for an appointed time, but of an order of priests before Levi, referring to Melchizedek to whom Abraham gave sacrifices to present to the LORD. (He will elaborate in later chapters.) The priests descended from Israel’s son, Levi, are only human.

“Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them to the priest Aaron to assist him.

Numbers 3:6

The Son Intercessor

Scriptural reference to Biblical quotes from Genesis and Psalms point to the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, as a first born Priest, even Most High above every High Priest.

Who is this Son?

His praises are sung by King David in Psalm 110, where His heart is revealed to those who know scripture.

Psalm 110:

110 לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃

This is the declaration of the Lord
to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Examine part of verse 3: רֶחֶם rechem מִשְׁחָר mishchar; from the womb of the dawn.

The root word of womb, רָחַם, means to love, to have compassion or be compassionate.

Can you find any better description of the Son of the Living God?

And to say from the womb of the dawn may be metaphorical for the dawn of time, the beginning of light, but also derives from another Hebrew root, שָׁחַר, ‘to seek, seek early or earnestly, look early or diligently for.’ Is this not what the Messiah has done for sinful, yet faithful followers?

He was with God in the beginning. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:2,4,11, 14 CSB

The writer refers to Jesus in Hebrews 5:7-10 speaking of His earthly life, yet comparing Him to Melchizedek.

Our immaturity in Scripture

Then a challenge. Do you know your Bible?

Essentially, this is our consideration of the remainder of Hebrews 5.

“…you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. “

Of course, this may not apply to all, yet he chastens most of the congregation. And doesn’t it sound so much like our 21st century ‘too long, but not too deep’ sermons?

Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.
But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.
Hebrews 5:13-14

Now which are you, beloved brother or sister in Christ, dear friend and heir of our Hebrew heritage?

Are you lazy for milk or hungry for the mature nourishment of Scripture and the holiness of the LORD?
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To be continued...
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January 27, 2019