What does "Christ" actually mean? (P-III)

This is a continuation of a series on the writing of Lois Tverberg on "What does 'Christ' actually mean?" and is in a portion of her newest book Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus.


Jesus as the Christ

Often the gospels use cultural images of kingship to proclaim Jesus as the Christ, God’s anointed King who has come. When a king arose with great power, other kingdoms would send emissaries with lavish gifts to establish a friendly relationship with the future leader. This is what is happening in Matthew 2, when wise men come to bring gifts to Christ, the newborn king whose star they have seen in the east.

This was a fulfillment of Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 60, and Psalm 72. The latter two passages both describe the coming of a great king and describe how representatives from nations everywhere would come to give him tribute:

The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. Psalm 72: 10-11

We see yet another picture of Jesus as King when he rode on a donkey into Jerusalem. This was often part of the annunciation of a new king, as it was for Solomon in 1 Kings 1:38-39. It is the fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, the triumphal entry of the messianic king.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you! He is just and endowed with salvation; humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

And, during Jesus’ trial, the main question that he is asked is “Are you the King of the Jews?”, which he answered affirmatively:

And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a King.” So Pilate asked him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And he answered him and said, “It is as you say.” (Luke 23:2-3)

What are the implications of Jesus as King?

When you think about Jesus’ time on earth, the last thing you may think of is of a reigning king. But Jesus explained that his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:37). Rather, Jesus was talking about the kingdom of God, the major focus of his preaching. The kingdom of God is made up of those who submit their lives to God to reign over them.

As the King that God has sent, and of course because he is God, the kingdom of God is Jesus’ kingdom. He speaks about how it is expanding like yeast or mustard seed as the news goes forth that he has arrived and people accept him as King. When he returns in glory, every knee on earth will bow to honor him as King (Philippians 2:9).

Did the people around him see him as a king? The fact that Jesus’ disciples and others who believed in him referred to him as “Lord” suggests that they were giving him great honor, with the understanding that he was the Messianic King. To call Jesus “Lord” was to use a term for addressing royalty, like saying “Your Majesty” or “Your Highness.” It is also a common term for addressing God himself, and hints of worshiping Jesus as God.

To use the word “Lord” displays an attitude of obedient submission to a greater power. Jesus seems even to expect that those who call him Lord obey him. To his listeners he asked, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). To call him “Lord” or to call him Jesus “Christ” is to say that he is the King that God has sent who has a right to reign over us.

This has implications about how we define ourselves as Christians. Usually, we talk in terms of doctrines and beliefs, but the very word “Christ” calls us to more than assenting to a creed. If Christ means King, a Christian is one who considers Jesus his Lord and King, and submits to his reign.

Paul too proclaims that salvation comes through faith in the atoning work of Jesus, as well as a commitment to honor him as one’s personal Lord and King:

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

I believe it is way to common in the church for people to pray use the term Christ and Lord without truly acknowledging that Jesus is their King.  The terms have become ritual language, but how often are they spoken with those thoughts in our hearts.  Jesus quickly addressed it when He asked why the people calling Him Lord did not do what He taught them.  I wonder if now, in today's society, there could be a more appropriate question.  

How, dear Christian (Christ follower), can you declare that His Words are not more valid than yours?

How, trained church leader, can you say that we have evolved into a new sensibility and His Words no      longer apply to our society?  

How, Christian husband or wife, can you say it is okay to do whatever you want to do?  

How, Christian leader, can you not serve the needs of those you represent as greater than your own?

"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" our King asks us.  The only answer for us is that He is not our King, we are.  

What does "Christ" actually mean? (P-II)

This is a continuation of a series on the writing of Lois Tverberg on "What does 'Christ' actually mean?" and is in a portion of her newest book Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus. 

Hints of a Coming King

If you look more closely, you’ll see that this is indeed the messianic idea throughout the Bible [Jesus is God's chosen King]. Throughout the Old Testament, we see little hints that God would send a great king to Israel who would someday rule the world. In Genesis, when Jacob blesses each of his sons and foretells his future, he says of Judah:

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom  it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. (Genesis 49:10)

This is the first hint that they were expecting a great king to arise out of Israel who would be king over the whole earth.

The clearest prophecy about the future messianic king comes from King David’s time. David earnestly desired to build a temple, a “house” for God, but God responded that his son Solomon would be the one to build his temple. But then God went on to promise he would build a “house” for David, meaning that God would establish his family line after him. He further promised that from David’s family would come a king whose kingdom will have no end:

When your days are over and you  go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed  you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever. (1 Chronicles 17:11-14)

This prophecy has been understood as having a double fulfillment. It is first fulfilled in Solomon, who built the temple, but did what God forbade—amassed a great fortune and married foreign wives. His kingdom broke apart a few years after his death. But this prophecy looks forward to a “Son of David” who would come, who would have a kingdom without end. This, in fact, is the seedbed of all of the messianic prophecies that speak of the “son of David” and the coming messianic king.

There are over 300 prophesies in the Old Testament regarding the fulfillment of a messianic King.  Jesus fulfilled all of these prophesies.  For you personally, is Jesus, God's anointed and chosen King, the answer to your separation from God, your Creator?  If He is not, then the Bible tells us that you are eternally separated from God.  If He is, then you are eternally joined with God, in Spirit now and face-to-face later.

What does "Christ" actually mean? (P-I)

The below writing is by Lois Tverberg and is in a portion of her newest book Reading the Bible with Rabbi Jesus.  It is also on her blog site http://ourrabbijesus.com/.  This is the the first part of her writings to define "What does 'Christ' actually mean?"

This word is one of the most important, basic words in a Christian’s vocabulary. But it isn’t until you dig into the Bible’s ancient context that you that see its surprising imagery and some of its most important implications.

First of all, the word “Christ” comes from christos, a Greek word meaning “anointed.”  It is the equivalent of the word mashiach, or Messiah, in Hebrew. So, to be the Christ, or Messiah, is to be “the anointed one of God.”

But what does that mean?

To be anointed, literally, is to have sacred oil poured on one’s head, because God has chosen the person for a special task. Priests and kings were anointed, and occasionally prophets. Kings were anointed during their coronation rather than receiving a crown.

Even though prophets and priests were anointed, the phrase “anointed one” or “the Lord’s anointed” was most often used to refer to a king. For instance, David used it many times to refer to King Saul, even when Saul was trying to murder David and David was on the verge of killing Saul to defend himself:

Far be it from me because of the  LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’S anointed (mashiach),  to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD’S anointed (mashiach). (1 Samuel 24:6)

The overriding biblical imagery of the word “Messiah” or “Christ” is that of a king chosen by God. Often in the Old Testament, God would tell a prophet to go anoint someone and proclaim him king. The act of anointing with sacred oil emphasized that it was God himself who had ordained a person and given him authority to act as his representative.

I remember being quite surprised when I first learned this. If you would have asked me to describe Jesus’ identity, “Son of God” or “Suffering Savior” would have been my two best guesses. “King” didn’t even make the list. While Jesus also has a priestly and a prophetic role, the prominent idea within the title “Christ” is actually that of a king.

When you hear or say the name of Jesus, does this mean to you that He is God's chosen King?  Here in this republic we call USA we don't receive the idea of a king, lord, or master very well.  Yet, it is abundantly clear that God Himself chose Jesus as the King.  (The discussion that they are One can be left for another time.) 

Is Jesus your King?  Is Jesus your Lord?  

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish new year. In 2018, it will begin the evening of September 9th and end the evening of September 11th. It is traditionally accepted to be the birthday of the universe. It is the day God created Adam and Eve. Rosh Hashanah means “Head of the Year”. Just like our head controls our body, the actions at this time have an influence on the year. During this time, Jews have a day of prayer, they ask God to grant a year of peace, prosperity, and blessing, they also proclaim God as King of the Universe. His kingship is accepted as new each year at this time.

On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, when it is customary to eat a “new” fruit that has not been eaten during the year, many Jews choose pomegranate. Sephardic Jews recite the prayer “ken yehi ratzon-may it be thy will, O Creator, that our year be rich and replete with blessings as the pomegranate rich and replete with seeds.”

It is still basically the beginning of a new year for us Gentiles. Have we taken a day to pray? Have we made a dedication that God is King of the Universe and He is the Head of our lives? Is His lordship over our lives new and fresh?

Are we able to look for Jesus in our life so He can be new and fresh and we can be in awe of Who He is? Are we willing for His Word and His Word alone to calm the wind and seas in our life? To trust Him and only Him, not our thoughts, words, or deeds?

We should be very intentional to find a time to calm ourselves and look and listen for Jesus in our hearts. We should be intentional in our effort to grow close to Him and to know He is lord of our life today and this year.

life vs. ministry

This post was written by missionary Stacey Ayers in Haiti.  As important as it is to understand all that a missionary does on the field, this message is so very applicable to us as we are witnesses to everyone we encounter everyday.

life vs. ministry

You didn't ask.

But let me tell you. They ought to be running missionaries-in-training through some kind of reality show training gauntlet before they ever send them wherever to help them recognize what a jack-of-all-trades this life is.  I don't know if that would actually help them do better, or scare them away, or just help reality settle in early, but man alive.

There's a reason Papa Greg was always making me step away from picture taking and helping with teams and writing newsletters to learn how to fry bacon and make cookies.  There's a reason that awful, blessed man always drug me away from emailing Matt when the generator conked or drug me out of the car when a tire went flat.

"It's not why I'm HERE!" I wailing more than once (and have wailed more than once many times since), as if HE was a missionary in Port-au-Prince to do all those things. "Let's go, kid" he must have said a million times, slapping that nasty bacon in my bare hand (I was still a vegetarian at the time) or handing me an oil covered wrench (less gross. still gross.)

Life with Greg (and the far more gentle Cathie who taught me an awful lot of cooking in Haiti the hard way :) was my reality show gauntlet, and all those lessons carry on, and I'm thankful.

You wouldn't think you need an 80's prom dress for all the weddings and a white outfit for all the funerals...BUT YOU DO.  You wouldn't think there would be certain shoes everyone's mad you're wearing when you're pregnant, or that you'd absolutely need shoes for your four week old baby, but you DO.  You wouldn't think you needed to know an awful lot about prescription meds and when to get what...BUT YOU DO.  You have never even thought about how milk is pastuerized or how rolls are made and now you're supposed to be DOING it! You wouldn't think you'd need to know the difference between heat rash and ring worm, between battery problems or generator problems, between this word in Creole vs. that word in Creole which sound almost EXACTLY the same but have very different meaning...but you DO.

Thursday that meant homeschool at 7:30, averages, estimates, spelling quizzes and the Industrial Age, applying financial aid scholarships to student invoices at 10, grading two stray English exams at 11, helping Granny work through some staffing issues over lunch, then desperately pulling everything left out of my fridge (Friday is produce day, so Thursday night is not prime time) and trying to figure out what I'm going to feed 11 people at 5:30.

I found one shriveled three inch carrot, a limp length of celery, miraculously found a long-lost 8 chicken legs at the very bottom of my deep freezer and a can of corn and one tin of evaporated milk. I stole more carrots and onions out of Julie's fridge while she was still at work.  Remind me to tell her.

Nora refused (slash was highly distracted by children playing outside of her window, depending on who you talk to) to take a nap today, so by 3, there were a l-o-t of two year old emotions.  With girls on the trampoline and Nora on my leg, I was trying to whip that mess of ingredients into some kind of gourmet something (or just simply ENOUGH food) when Matt calls and Joyce's class ends in an hour and it would be really good to have a group photo.  And a few smaller group photos of government officials also taking the class (including the director of the education in Northern Haiti!). And it kind of needs to be now-ish.  And I'm up to my elbows in flour, trying to add dumplings to the pot I'm praying over and trying not to look around my kitchen.

So I stop.  And I put wailing-for-no-reason Nora in her crib (after 2 books, of course and way later than you should ever put a toddler down if you want them to sleep tonight), go out in the misting rain to find a place on campus where I can take a good picture of 42 incredibly multi-tonal people, go recruit her class, and it wasn't until I was almost done taking the government official photo that I realized there was a huge line of flour caked across my navy shirt, my baby belly already bumping the counter tops.

A lot of it's just life with littles, a lot of it's being a part-time working mom, a lot of it is an almost unending, beautiful line of vital visitors, and a lot of it is just that there are no stinking stores and no frantic calls to order pizza.

I mean, I MAKE those frantic calls, but nobody seems to know what I'm talking about and the pizza never comes.

We're just here to share the Gospel, but on any given day it's a lot of ways you never imagined, and often all at once.

I get frustrated because so much of it is just life, and I want more of it to be MINISTRY.  Life alone takes so much out of you, takes so much time, takes so much grace, and you want to save all that time and energy and grace for ministry.

And then He reminds me that there IS no life and ministry.  It's seeing your life AS ministry, pouring out your life as ministry, or seeing it as your own.  It is all both, or it can be, which means we can't turn on all the good stuff when it's evangelism time and kick back His graces the rest of the time.

It means that it all matters : How I talk to Sofie when she cannot keep her bony backside in her chair long enough to do single worksheet.  How I talk to Lily when she's frustrated and unkind to her sisters.  How I talk to Nora when she's weepy and 2 and bossy, how I work with students when I have flour all over my shirt and dinner to get on, how I serve visitors when I'm tired and have been serving all day.  It matters how I talk to my husband, as MUCH as it matters how I talk to the man I'm sharing Jesus with.  It matters what I choose a million times a day when it's between what I really want, what would be more fun or easy or enjoyable for me, vs. how I can pour out Christ on others, the oil that never runs dry when I'm choosing Him and choosing Him and choosing Him.

We have but one life to live, and what a gift we each have at our finger tips, to be able to burn ourselves out and down and tiny for the Gospel in dark, dark places, every one of us.

So I'm telling me and telling you : Don't be frustrated today with all the bacon grease pans and boogie noses and paperwork and flat tires of life...it is ministry opportunity at it's finest, and with His great help, only with His great help, it can be pleasing to Him. 

"Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus." Acts 3:20

The Helper for the New Adam

God created man and upon seeing man live decided that he would be better with a suitable mate to help him.

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. – Gen 2:7,18,20b,22

The woman, the bride, was brought to Adam as a helpmeet, a helper.  She was made specifically for him.  Her purpose was to be with Adam and to help him in his work.

She took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. – Gen 3:6b

The fall of man.  Sin enters the world and stains all who are begotten from Adam and his bride.  Therefore, a new Adam had to come and He would have to have a new bride. 

As through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. – Romans 5:18-19

The free gift of salvation from the original sin is available to all men because of the new Adam (or last Adam), Jesus the Messiah.  He was not under the curse of man having not sinned, except that His body was partly begotten from man.  Therefore, He alone could die for the sin of all men being pure, but still stained. 

Even so, it is not good for Him to be alone.  He needs a bride.  God is making a suitable helper for Him and it is the church.  The church are those who repent, put their faith in His Word, and love Jesus. 

Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.  – Ephesians 5:25-27

Those who love Jesus are being made ready, so they might be the spotless bride.  They are His helpers.  In His Spirit they walk each day, looking for how to serve and help His purpose and will. 

Are you a helper for Jesus today?  Are you allowing yourself to be made ready?

New Year - How Should I Live?

It’s a new year and I find that many of us are asking ourselves what kind of resolutions to make.  It’s been several days since the new year and I imagine that some of us have already broken the resolutions we made or reached an age of not making any new resolutions.

Either way, it is important to start the new year mindful of how we should live.  How do you answer the question, “How should I live?”  A Christian should answer this question saying something near to “by following the Lord’s purpose for me, or in me.”  The problem then becomes people who don’t do anything because they are not sure what their purpose is.  However, this should never stop a Christian from moving forward or living for God.  We should be growing where we are planted, wherever it happens to be.

One clear direction was given to everyone by Jesus as He responded to Pharisees trying to trick Him.  They asked Him what is the great or first commandment?  Jesus answered this with two commandments.  The account of this is given in Matthew 22 and Mark 12.

²⁸ Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

²⁹ Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:28-31

Jesus is quoting Moses from Deuteronomy regarding the first and great commandment.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. – Deuteronomy 6:4-5

If we apply this to how we are to live, then 1) We are to love God, and 2) We are to love others.  Let’s look at these.

I.    Love God.

a.       The account in Mark quoting Deuteronomy says, “The Lord is one.”  There is one God.  There is only one God.  There is no room for two gods or any more gods.  In fact, you may call them gods but they are idols, because there is only one God. 

I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. – Isaiah 45:5a

¹⁸ For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.

¹⁹ I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. – Isaiah 45:18-19

There is only one God.  It doesn’t matter how smart we think we are; it doesn’t matter how well we reason who things were made; it doesn’t matter we are able to build and change and do.  We are still man and He is still God. 

He alone is God and the only God that has ever or will ever exist is Him.

“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other.” – Isaiah 45:22

b.       “Love the Lord your God.”  The only God that exists is your God.  He is personal to you.  You and Him have a relationship.  You communicate with each other.  You walk and talk.  You are not alone.  The old hymn In the Garden sings,

“And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.”

Isaiah 45:3 says, “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.”

Love your God.  Make a commitment.  Don’t want to love God or hope to love God.  Do it.  Love Him.  Desire your God.  Seek your God.  Long for Him.  Love your God.

What does love look like?  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 tells:

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind;

      Are you willing to suffer in love for God?  Are His purposes and ways more than your ways?  Are you kind to God?

love does not envy;

      Do you envy God?  Does it frustrate you when you don’t know what to do or when to do what perfectly?  Are you willing to let God know everything and be the only God?

love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

      Are you willing to let God get the glory for everything in your life?  Do you stand tall on your accomplishments?  Or do you make sure that it is abundantly clear that it is your God in your life and His work that does all things?

⁵ does not behave rudely,

      Do you rudely not listen to your God?  When He calls to you, do you let Him know that you’ll get to Him when you can, or do you stop where you are and take that call?  When God asks you to do something, do you consider His request and evaluate if that fits into your life, or do you do it even if you don’t understand why?  Are you rude to your God?

does not seek its own,

      Do you seek your own way?  Your own things?  Your own friends?  Your own commandments?  Or, … Your own glory?

is not provoked,

      Does loving God irritate you or frustrate you?  Does it make you angry to know some of His commandments? 

thinks no evil;

      It is hard to imagine even thinking something evil towards God. 

⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

      Do you rejoice in truth?  Do you rejoice in God’s Word?  Do you celebrate God’s commandments?  Is it your pleasure to know His instructions for your life?  Does it bring you joy to know His plan of salvation?  Does the name Jesus draw you or repel you?

⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

      Are you willing to suffer for your God?  If things don’t work out like you want them to, or if people don’t like you because of, or if you have to give or go somewhere you don’t want to, … are you willing to do so in love for your God?

We are to love our God.

c.       “With all your heart”.  Love your God, the only God, will all of your reality. 

The word heart is defined in the Bible as the central, defining element of you as a human.  It embraces your entire selfhood.  Karl Barth defines heart as, “not merely a, but the reality of man, both wholly of soul and wholly of body.”

⁴³ “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. – Luke 6:43-45

Is all of your reality, all that defines who you are loving God?  Does everything in your heart point to God?

d.       “With all your … mind”.  Do you love God with the knowledge that you have and in how you use it?  Do you seek to gain more knowledge of God deliberately?  Do you love God for His wisdoms that you know and can apply to your daily living?  Do you seek the “renewing of our minds” as Paul advised?  Do you love God in your thoughts?  Do you seek to love God in your thoughts or do you want your thoughts?

e.       “With all your … soul”.  The word soul means “life”.  It is the life essence of the body.  At the hour of death the soul is removed and continues on.  The question for us here is do we love God with all of the life within us.  Do our spiritual and emotional experiences reflect God?  Do our emotions, which come from that life within us, reflect our love for God?

f.        “With all your … strength”.  Do our actions represent our love for God?  In James 2:17 we are told, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”  Do your actions flow from your faith?  Do they represent your faith and show your love for your God

II.    Love Others.

I am absolutely convinced that if we get the first one right, the second one will come naturally.  Loving others will flow out of our love for God.  As we grow closer to Him and His Word, we will do what He does, and that is love people.  God is in the people loving business.  He loves people.  When we are close to God, we will love people. 

God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. – John 3:16

God loves people just as they are.  When we love the one God, our God, with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, we will love people.  If we don’t love people, then there is something wrong in our love relationship with God.  It is that simple.

In Matthew 25:31-46 we are given the story of the sheep and the goats.  Isn’t Jesus saying, the sheep are those who loved others, as He does and the goats are those who didn’t love others, as He does?  And so, the sheep go with Him and the goats go to the lake of fire.

III    Everything Points to This

“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  All the written Mosaic Law that is in the Old Testament and all the workings through the Prophets, all of it, is contained in these two commandments.  Wow.  The Bible says we are stubborn people and tainted with sin (given to it). 

This new year, if I’ll focus on loving God correctly, I’ll then love my neighbors correctly, and in doing so I’ll start living in the purpose of all of the Old Testament Law and work of the Prophets. 

Conclusion

So, how should I live?  How should you live?  What are your resolutions this new year?  How can you incorporate ways to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” into your daily routine?  How can you create habits for loving God intentionally?

Revelation 22

¹ And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. ² In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. ³ And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. ⁴ They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. ⁵ There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Just as a garden was in the time of Genesis for man to dwell in, so here is a garden of life coming from God with waters of life, abundant fruit for living, and healing.  Unlike the original garden, there is no curse as it has been destroyed forever.  We will all see God in His glory and everyone will carry the mark of the name of Jesus before them.  This mark could easily simply be God’s face shining upon us.  The reflection of His glory as it can be seen on everyone.

Now we see a turn from the images of the new city on the new earth back to John and why he has been shown these things to write down and record.

⁶ Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

⁷ “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

The time is near.  This is the first of four references in this chapter that Jesus is coming quickly or the time is at hand.   All that you have seen is coming.  Blessed are you if you do not lose sight of what is to come.  These words are true, believe them and obey them.

⁸ Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

⁹ Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” ¹⁰ And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. ¹¹ He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

It is John who saw and heard these prophesies.  He is reminded again to think clearly, worship God, not anyone else.  He is then told to share this with others, do not seal it.  The time of the coming of the Lamb is too close, proclaim these prophesies to all who will listen.  Daniel was told to keep his words secret and seal the book (12:4), but John is told to share it and share it now.

¹² “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Jesus is the righteous judge.  Everyone will be judged perfectly.  Pursue the will of God, do His commandments.  Obey His Words.  This is the seventh and final beatitude in Revelation.  Blessed are you if you do His commandments. 

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Jesus sent this message; He is the author.  The Spirit and the church invites all to come.  Whoever hears this should say to all, come.  And anyone who is thirsty, let them come and freely accept life.  This is an urgent call to all to “Come!”  Isaiah 55:1 says, “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!”  Jesus said in John 7:37, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink!”  Come!  Do it now; do not wait.  Now is the time. 

¹⁸ For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

A warning to anyone who wants to change these prophesies.  If you decide to change them and add to them or take away from them, the plagues described will be added to you and you will be removed from the Book of Life.  I can’t imagine a more dire or significant warning.  We are to love the Word of God and not hate it or change it. 

²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Even with the knowledge of all that is described in this letter, the seals, the trumpets, the bowls, the judgement, and eternal lake of fire, even in view of all of that, come Lord Jesus.  There is a new heaven and new earth and a new city where Your glory shines forever and we will walk with You, come Lord Jesus.

I pray that our hearts yearn and continually call for our Lord Jesus day and night.

Revelation 21:14-27

¹⁴ Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶ The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. ¹⁷ Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. ¹⁸ The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

On the twelve foundations of this city are the names of the apostles.  This is fitting and right.  All of us who have heard of Jesus, know Him because these twelve enthusiastically and purposefully shared their knowledge and witness of Jesus. 

There is a lot that can be said of the city’s dimensions and decorations.  It is a square.  It is adorned with every most precious stone we could be aware.  I would imagine that there are perhaps other more spectacular materials used, but we should note that it any description we can imagine is inadequate.  Each foundation is particular and unique, but each gate has the same white stone, a pearl. 

²² But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. ²⁴ And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. ²⁵ Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). ²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. ²⁷ But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

I believe that John is surprised here when he does not see a temple, but he quickly realizes that there is no need for one.  There is no sun and the there is no night for the glory of God illuminates all.  The gates to the city never close.  Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life may enter.  This is a description of purity for the new holy city.  It will be covered in God’s glory and there will be nothing impure.

Revelation 21:5-13

⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

⁶ And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. ⁷ He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. ⁸ But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

When I hear the phrase “I make all things new”, I am reminded of the movie The Passion and where the director put this line into that movie.  The movie created a scene where Jesus was carrying our cross and fell, and Mary His mother was there, and He turned to her with His bloody beaten face and said, “See, I make all things new.”  While there is no historical or Biblical evidence of that moment, the work of God through Jesus on the cross that day is how any of us are able to claim this promise of the new heaven and new earth, no more sorrows, and walking with God.  Here, it is proclaimed with authority, He makes all things new.  As Jesus proclaimed from the cross, “It is finished!”  “It is done.” 

Jesus who is the beginning and the end freely gives life to all who thirst for Him.  “He who overcomes” is the one who overcomes the desires for the worldly life, Babylon.  It is the brave, the believing, those who accept God’s morals, those who value life, those who do not lust for pleasure, those who worship only God, and those who are honest.  These are sons of the living God. 

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. ¹² Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: ¹³ three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

This is the fourth time that John is taken away in the Spirit.  He is taken to a high vantage point so he can see the New Jerusalem.  The holy city has the glory of God, it is a perfect city.  This new city on the new earth is bride of Christ.  We can reasonably understand that John is limited in his ability to describe the glory of this city by the human language.  His words are just inadequate to describe what I hope every person who claims to love Jesus will see one day.

The city is accessible as it has three gates on each side.  It’s doors are never closed (25).  At each gate is an angel (not Peter).  Each gate is named with the tribes of Israel as the fulfillment of the covenant promise to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:1-3).

Revelation 21:1-4

In chapters 21 and 22 we find ourselves at the end of the Apocalypse and at the end of the Bible.  Therefore, it is fitting to draw some comparison and differences to the beginning of the Bible.

Genesis                                                                       Revelation

Heaven and earth created (1:1)                                  New heaven and earth recreated (21:1)

Sun created (1:16)                                                      No need of the sun (21:23)

The night established (1:5)                                         No night there (22:5)

The seas created (1:10)                                               No more seas (21:1)

The curse announced (3:14-17)                                  No more curse (22:3)

Death enters history (3:19)                                         Death exits history (21:4)

Man driven from paradise (3:24)                                Man restored to paradise (22:14)

Sorrow and pain begin (3:17)                                     Sorrow, tears, and pain end (21:4)

Satan appears (3:1)                                                     Satan disappears (20:10)

¹ Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

This is the final “I saw” from John and there is nothing greater to behold than what he witnesses.  The blessed promise of God to the saints.  This is the pinnacle of this letter, this final book of the Bible.  This new heaven is not the earth’s atmosphere or the stars outside of our atmosphere.  This is that place where God, good angels, and the saints live together forever.  This is the final heavenly home for those who love Him.

There are five definitions for how the word “sea” is used in Revelation: 1) the origin of cosmic evil; 2) the unbelieving rebellious nations; 3) the place of the dead; 4) the primary location of the world’s idolatrous trade activity; 5) a literal body of water, sometimes mentioned together with “the earth”.  I want to believe that John is referring to these first four and not the literal sea of water since it was a part of the original creation of earth and this is the new earth.

 ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Aside from the reality of Jesus our Savior, this is perhaps the greatest promise in the Bible.   God dwells and walks with His people and He is their God.  All are no longer in sorrow, or crying and there is no pain or death.  All the things of the physical life are passed away.  God Himself will wipe away every tear from each eye.  He is personally taking away death, sorrow, crying and pain.  As the perfect Father, He does what every caring parent has wanted to do for their child.  

He will walk with us.  We will be able to see Him, something we can never do here today.