Jesus, the First and the Last.

      People will often pose the question, "Where in the Bible does Jesus say, 'I am God, worship me?'" While that explicit statement is not found in the scriptures, at least not in those words, Jesus does make claims to His divinity in numerous places. One such place is found in the first chapter of Revelation.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, 

saith the Lord, which is, and which was,

and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 1:8 KJV

     In this verse we see the eternity of God. He has always existed, and always will. One thing that I have always struggled to wrap my mind around is the fact that God has no beginning. He has always been. No one, or no thing has created God. There has been no time where He did not exist. That thought leaves somewhat of a holy mystery to the person and being of God.

     John writes in this book that he was in the spirit on the Lord's day when he heard a great voice behind him (Rev 1:10). 

     I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:  and what thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea

(Rev 1:11 KJV).

     The voice John heard behind him was the voice of Jesus. So here we have a statement that Jesus makes. He claims to be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the  last.  John is overwhelmed by the appearance of the glorified Christ and falls at His feet as dead. 

     And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 

     I am he that liveth, and was dead: and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and of death (Rev 1:17-18 KJV).

     Jesus is making a bold statement here. There can hardly be any doubt as to what He is implying. In making this claim of Himself, Jesus draws on several scriptures found in Isaiah. Lets take a look at them, it will help us in our understanding of what Jesus meant. 

     Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, am the first, and with the last; I am he (Isaiah 41:4 KJV). 

    Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me (Isaiah 43:10 KJV).

     Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God (Isaiah 44:6 KJV).

     Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last (Isaiah 48:12 KJV).

     The above verses quoted out of Isaiah all refer to the LORD, the eternal one. There is no doubt that this is speaking of God. God affirms in these quotations that He is the first, the last, and there is no other. He is God, the only God. therefore by applying these verses to Himself, Jesus in no uncertain terms is claiming to be Yehovah God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The eternal one who has existed from eternity past, who is, and is yet to come. 

     

     

     

     

     

Psalm 22 and The Crucifixion of Jesus.

      In the gospel accounts of the crucifixion of Christ, one finds the fulfillment of several Old Testament passages. Psalm 22 is one such prophecy. In this post I would like to compare this Psalm with the corresponding verses found in the four gospels, showing how it was fulfilled in the events of Jesus death on the cross. 

     This Psalm begins with the cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Jesus utters this phrase in a loud voice while on the cross, shortly before He yielded up His spirit (Matt 26:46, Mark 15:34). By this, Jesus is applying this Psalm to Himself, and we will see that the events of that day are indeed foretold here. While on the cross, suffering, bearing the sin of mankind, He indeed felt the abandonment of His Father. Yet we also see another prophecy fulfilled concerning the resurrection, where God will not abandon His soul to the grave, or allow His Holy One to undergo decay (Psalm 16:8-11 compared to Acts 2:23-28). 

     Next we read in Psalm 22:6-8 of the mockery and rejection Jesus faced. Isaiah 53:3 speaks of how Jesus was to be despised by men. The gospel accounts show that the crowds despised and rejected Christ at His arrest and trial (Matt 27:20-26, Mark 15:9-15, Luke 23:13-25, John 19:1-16). They rejected an innocent man, and not only a man, but the sinless Son of God, and chose Barabbas to be released to them. He was a murderer and insurrectionist. 

     Psalm 22:7-8 foretell the jeers of the Scribes, chief priests and elders, as they mocked Him while He hung on the cross. Matthew 27:41-44 records how they taunted Him saying, He saved others but He cannot save Himself " and, " He trusts in God, let God rescue Him."This is almost word for word what is recorded in the Psalm we are studying. (see also Mark 15:29-32, Luke 23:35-37)

     Psalm 22:12-16 speak of the cruelty of the scourging, the mockery of the Roman soldiers, the crown of thorns, and ultimately the crucifixion itself. As the soldiers stretched Jesus out on the cross and nailed His hands and feet to the beams He was surrounded by strong bulls and roaring lions.  As He hung on the cross, struggling to breath, His life literally poured out of Him. His bones would have been put out of joint by the act of crucifixion, and now as He struggled for each gasp of air He lost all strength. He would reach the point of extreme thirst before He breathed His last and gave up His spirit.

     Psalm 22:17 Records that He can count all of His bones.  We read in John 19:33-36 how the Soldiers broke the legs of the other men to hasten their deaths. When they came to Jesus however, He was already dead. They then thrust a spear into His side to insure He was dead, but they did not break His legs. Exodus 12:46 states that no bone of the passover lamb was to be broken (Numbers 9:12). Psalm 34:19-20 also states that The LORD delivers the righteous from all of his afflictions. He guards all of his bones, not one of them is broken. This finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ Jesus.

     Next we read about the soldiers dividing His garments, and casting lots for them (Psalm 22:18). This happened, and is recorded in Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:23-25. 

     Finally we see a prayer for deliverance. Psalm 22:19-22 records a cry for help, a plea that the LORD would not be far off, and that He would hasten to deliver from death. This plea ends with a proclamation of praise which is also recorded in Hebrews 2:12. The context of this verse is the suffering and death of Jesus for us, so that we could be sanctified and called His brethren (Hebrews 2:9-12). 

Isaiah Saw Jesus

      Isaiah 6 is a chapter well known to many. In it we read of Isaiah's experience of being in the presence of the Lord.

     In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe  filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." and the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 

     Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and  I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts (Isaiah 6:1-5 NASB).

     There is no doubt that Isaiah saw God. The Hebrew word translated LORD is Yehovah, the self existing, eternal one. What Isaiah saw was an awesome manifestaion of the glory of the LORD, while Seraphim cried "Holy, holy, holy," and the temple shook. In fact Isaiah was undone in the presence of Yehovah God.

     As we read on we see that one of the Seraphim flew toward him with a coal from the altar, and touched his lips, purging his sin, and taking away his iniquity (Isaiah 6:6-7). 

     In John's gospel we read of the final events of Jesus' ministry in the days leading up to His arrest and crucifixion. John 12:38 tells us that in spite of all the signs that He had performed before the people, they did not believe in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED (John 12:38 NASB)?

     In spite of three years of ministry, teaching, and miracles of every kind, the people in general rejected Jesus as their Messiah, as the very Son of God. In describing the manner of death by which He was to die, the people asked, "Who is this Son of Man?" They were confused by His use of this divine title (Daniel 7:13-14), believing that the Messiah was to remain forever (John 12:32-34).

     All this was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:1. Jesus, the Arm of the LORD had been revealed to Israel, as Yehovah God, their God and king, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, yet they did not believe. Isaiah 53 continues on to show the events that were yet to come in the life of Jesus. It speaks of the horror and injustice of his arrest, torture and death. However it also shows us why. He suffered all of this as a sacrifice for sin; to bear the iniquity of mankind so that we could be reconciled to God. And the unbelief of the people played into this as the events unfolded.

     John also quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 to show that the unbelief of the Jews fulfilled prophecy,

     For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, "HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM."

     These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him (John 12:39-41 NASB).

     Whose glory did Isaiah see? and who was Isaiah speaking of? John is showing us that the words of Isaiah were being fulfilled before their very eyes. Isaiah had prophesied of this. It was Jesus whose glory that he saw. Jesus was the LORD high and lifted up, seated on the throne, and it was Jesus whom Isaiah spoke of.  Jesus the "Word become flesh, who is the image of the invisible God, in whom all the fullness of God dwells in bodily form (John 1:14, 12:44-45, Col 1:15, 19).

     

     

     

     

     

Jesus in Psalm 45

      My heart overflows with a good theme; I

address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

You are fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Your lips;

Therefore God has blessed You forever. 

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty

 One, in Your splendor and Your majesty!

And in Your majesty ride on victoriously,

for the cause of truth and meekness  

and righteousness.

Let Your right hand teach You awesome 

things. Your arrows are sharp;

The peoples fall under You;

Your arrows are in the heart of the 

King's enemies.

Your throne, O God, is forever

and ever; A 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 joy above Your fellows.

Psalm 45:1-7 NASB

     

     This psalm, in the first section, describes a King who is fairer than men, one who speaks with grace, and is forever blessed by God (Psalm 45:1-2). Next we read that this same King has splendor and majesty ascribed to Him (Psalm 3-4) and will ride in victory for righteousness, meekness, and truth (Psalm 45:3-4). And yes, we read in these verses that this King is a mighty warrior who will inflict judgement upon His enemies (Psalm 45:3, 5). 

     In Psalm 45:6 we see that this King is God, who rules forever, in uprightness. As God, He loves righteousness and hates wickedness (Psalm 45:7). This is the very foundation of His kingdom. 

     What we read next is quite amazing. Because the King (God), loves righteousness and hates wickedness, He is anointed by God, His God with the oil of Joy above His fellows (Psalm 45:7). This is a profound statement describing a plurality in the Godhead, and ultimately describes the reign of Jesus Christ.

     The writer of Hebrews has this to say,

But of the Son He says, " Your throne O God,

is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter 

is the scepter of His kingdom. 

You have loved righteousness and

hated lawlessness; therefore

God, Your God, has anointed You

with the oil of gladness above Your companions."

Hebrews 1:8-9 NASB

     In this passage we see Psalm applied to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. From this we see plainly that, yes, Jesus is divine, He is God. We also see that as God, He was anointed by God, and that even though Christ is God, He still has a God (Psalm 45:7, Heb 1:9). As the God who became flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14), He lived in subjection to the Father. This helps to bring clarity to passages such as John 20:17 where Jesus states that He must ascend to My Father and Your Father, and My God and Your God, and Ephesians 1:3 which speaks of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We in our finite minds cannot always comprehend the deep things of God, but yet we see scriptures revealing God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    

     

     

In Whom Did Abram Believe?

 In the beginning was the Word...

John 1:1

 

     We read in Genesis 15 the account of Abram and the son promised him by the LORD. in verse 1 we read,

     After these things, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision saying, "Do not fear,  Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great." (Gen 15:1 NASB)

     We see that the word of the LORD came to Abram. This was in a vision. Was it a voice from heaven, or did this word come in some other way?  Abram responds to this with a request for an heir, a child, as he was childless (Gen 15:2-3). Now the word of the LORD comes to Abram. First in a vision and now as a person as we will see.

    

     Then behold the word of the LORD came to him saying, "This man will not be your heir, but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." (Gen 15:4-5 NASB)

     Notice that the word of the LORD is personified in these two verses. The pronoun He, is used in referring to the word of the LORD here. The word of the LORD takes Abram outside and asks him to count the stars. This is someone present before Abram who then speaks to him further and promises Abram that his descendants would be exceedingly numerous. 

     Abram believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6)

     Abram believes in the LORD in whose presence he is standing. The word of the LORD reveals himself to Abram as the LORD who called him out of Ur to go to a land which he would be given to possess. This divine being then makes a covenant with Abram as well. (Gen 15:7-21). So who is this? 

     We read in John 1:18, that no one has seen God at anytime, but the only begotten in the bosom of the Father has explained or revealed Him. This is Jesus, the one in whom all the fullness of deity dwells (Col 2:9). This same Jesus is revealed as the Word in John 1:1-5, 14. The one who came to Abram,  the one in whom Abram believed was Jesus Himself, appearing in a pre-incarnate form as the word of the LORD.

     

God and Governments

 Here in America we are sure facing a lot of stress and division during this election cycle. Sadly I see a lot of tension, fear, distrust, and even anger among professing Christians. Here are a few verses to ponder in the days and weeks ahead. Perhaps the Bible can help us gain a different perspective.

     This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets it over the lowliest of men. Daniel 4:17 NKJV

     While the word was still in the kings mouth, a voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom is departed from you! And they shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen: and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses." Daniel 4:32-33 NKJV

     Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Romans 13:1 NKJV

Now we could dig in depth into these verses but for the sake of brevity I will only make a few observations. First of all we read in these verses that it is God who ultimately raises leaders and bring leaders down. We do not understand all His reasons for why we see certain men in power, but be sure of this, God in His sovereign purpose rules in the kingdoms of men. We also can infer from this that rulers are not necessarily godly men. The verses in Daniel refer to Nebuchadnezzar, who was not someone we would emulate as Christians. 

Paul's reference in Romans 13 was written in the days of the Roman Emperor Nero, one of the cruelest leaders the world has seen. It was this Nero who persecuted the early church, throwing Christians to the beasts in the Roman coliseum. Yet we see Paul saying that God places leaders in their positions of authority, and we are to respect and submit unto them. Also we can pray for them so it will go well for us (1Tim 2:1-3). As Christians can we at least do this?

So in closing remember that whether your candidate won or lost, your party is in control or not, as  Christians we look to Jesus as our Savior and King. It is ultimately His kingdom that we are citizens of, and are to seek (Phil 3:20, Matt 6:33), not the kingdoms of this world. Our best efforts should be put into reaching the lost for Jesus Christ, as His is the only Kingdom that will endure (Daniel 2:44, 4:34, 7:13-14, Rev 11:15).

     

The Holy Spirit in the Ministry of Jesus

      While Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God, it is equally true that He emptied Himself and took on flesh. (Phil 2:6-8, John 1:1, 14). Theologians have wondered over the implications of this emptying of Himself. What did it entail? Humanly speaking we don't understand it fully perhaps, but the fact remains that Jesus became a man, and lived among us as one of us, sharing in our human limitations, although He never ceased to be God. 

     That leaves us with a question. The gospel accounts are filled with miracles. Jesus healed multitudes of people. He cast out demons, raised the dead, cursed the fig tree, fed 5,000, and then a short time later another 4,ooo  with just a few loaves of bread and fish. He taught the people with an authority that took them by surprise. It was unlike anything they had seen or heard up to that point. Again, the gospel record of Jesus is filled with the miraculous. How did He do it? Of course He was God in the flesh, the Son of God. Did His miracles flow from His divinity? Or did He operate another way in the days of His flesh? 

     You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God

anointed Him with the Holy Spirit

and with power, and how he went

about doing good and healing

all who were oppressed by the devil, 

for God was with Him.

Acts 10:38 NASB

     Here we see the answer to this question. Jesus ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit during His time upon this earth. Beginning with His baptism Jesus was filled with the Spirit (Luke 3:21-22), and led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1). After His temptation in the wilderness He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14). It is at this point He enters the synagogue and reads from Isaiah 61:1-2,

     The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. 

This He applied to Himself (Luke 4:18-21). Now the crowd did not react to well to this statement and they tried to kill Him. However he next taught in Capernaum, and the people there were amazed at His teaching, For it was with Authority (Luke 4:32). The crowd had the same reaction to His sermon on the mount (Matt 7:29).

      Behold My servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom I am well pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles (Matt 12:18 NASB, Isaiah 42:1 NASB). 

     Reading these verses brings one to the baptism of Jesus as the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, and the voice from heaven proclaims, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." (Matt 3:16-17)

     In Luke 5:17 we see that the power of the Lord (The Holy Spirit) was present for Jesus to Heal. As concerning casting out demons Jesus states in Matthew 12:28, "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."

     So we see that as the God-Man, Jesus lived and ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit. He spent time alone in prayer as He "recharged" for another day. even in His arrest and crucifixion He relied upon the Holy Spirit for the strength to go through it (Heb 9:14).

     We read these final words Jesus shared with His disciples as He prepared to ascend, "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on High." (Luke 24:49 NASB)

     Just as Jesus operated in the power of the Holy Spirit in His days on the earth, so we also are dependent upon this very same power as we also go forth to advance His kingdom!