Light to the Gentiles

"I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles”
Isaiah 42:6*

God promised Israel that He would send His Anointed to them. Many details were given about the Messiah, so God's people knew what to expect. Born of a virgin, He would be Immanuel, "God with us" who would reign forever on the throne of David in Jerusalem. One additional fact was repeated a number of times; He would be a Light to the Gentiles.

Hundreds of years went by without the prophesies being fulfilled. Many of the Jewish people gave up waiting and re-explained the scriptures to mean other things., Gentile nations occupied and controlled Jerusalem without allowing a descendant of David to reign there. The prophesy seemed impossible to fulfill.

However, one curious bit of ancient history was playing out that no one expected. Ptolemy I, a general under Alexander the Great, ruled North Africa and commanded a Great Library be built in Alexandria, Egypt. He wanted a Greek translation of every book that existed in the world. Seventy Hebrew scholars translated the Old Testament. It was called the "Septuagint" which means "seventy". After that, this translation made its way into every synagogue of the Ancient Greek-speaking world.

Curious Gentiles read the prophesies of the Jewish Messiah, but the word that was used in Greek was "Christos" or "the Christ." Educated Greeks knew that this Christ was to come and huge numbers responded when they heard the message of the gospel, recognizing that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised one of God.

Paul and Barnabas saw this supernatural response of the Gentiles and paraphrased Isaiah's prophesy when they preached in Antioch of Psidia: "For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”(Acts 13:47).

The Jewish people had rejected their Messiah as king, so He'll come at a later time to reign. The part of the prophesy that has been clearly demonstrated already was that the Lord's Anointed became a Light to the Gentiles.

*Isaiah 9:1-2; 49:6; Luke 2:32, Acts 26:23.

King over All the Earth

For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

Psalm 47:2

Scary! That's what it felt like to grow up in the early 1960's. The Cold War was at it's height; the media focused on nuclear annihilation, and Communism seemed to be an unstoppable force. Cuba exported revolution to every country in South America and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev vowed to take over the world.

That, of course never happened and sometime in the early 1990's the Soviet Union quietly dried up and blew away. Today, there are whispers about the Illuminati clandestinely taking over the planet and radical Islam would also like to take a stab at world domination. Just like emperors and despots of the past there is no end of candidates who want to attain the status of king over all the Earth.

The book of Revelation does foresee that this New World Order is coming, but it won't be the utopia that many people are hoping for. A terrible and cruel world leader that the Bible labels as "the Beast" will control the wealth and souls of the planet and witness the death of 3/4ths of the human population in a seven year period.

All opposition to the Beast will be crushed and world religions extinguished, because the Antichrist will become king over all the earth. The good news to this is that the demise of this evil world leader is just as sure as his ascension to power. When all human resistance is gone, and hopelessness grows to record proportions, the Lord of Hosts will descend from heaven with a huge army of warrior angels to defeat forever the Beast.

The real New World Order will begin. King Jesus will reign in Jerusalem and all creation will acknowledge Him as King over All the Earth.

Physician

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
Mark 2:17*

Cancer, heart disease, and aging are as much a part of the human condition as are sin, suffering, and self-destruction. That certainly wasn't the case for God's original plan for creation, but sin and sickness escalated through the years causing the misery index to soar. Life expectancy dropped from over 900 years before the flood to somewhere between 30-40 years during the first century. It is no wonder that when the Sun of Righteousness finally arose over planet Earth that He had "healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2). The Lord Jesus was moved with compassion and healed multitudes.

Christ was able to do things that modern medicine can't come close to achieving. Lepers were instantly healed with a touch and high fever disappeared at His command. Muscles that had wasted away through atrophy in the body of paralytics were immediately restored. Even the dead came back to life. Such healings were proof that Christ was the Son of God and had power over the consequences of sin.

Although not officially in scripture, for centuries His people have referred to Him as the "Great Physician." The Lord still heals through answered prayer and it's always exciting to see the modern medical profession hard pressed to give an answer for an unexplained recovery of a terminal patient.

However, this sin cursed world continues to be in rebellion against its Creator and previously unknown diseases seem to appear every year. Sickness and death are the direct result of the human sin nature and the main objective of Christ is and has always been to bring sinners to repentance. His death on the cross enables each believer to have eternal life and dwell forever with Him free from disease and disability. He is both the Christian's Savior and Physician.

*also see Matthew 9:12; Luke 4:23, 5:31-32

Consolation of Israel

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
Luke 2:25

It could have been worse, but then again it could have been a whole lot better. The year Jesus was born, most of the Jewish people were living in part of the pagan Roman Empire, and those living Jerusalem were under the control of the wicked King Herod. He was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau whom God had cursed, and not of Jewish ancestry. He had allied Himself with Marc Anthony during the Parthian war, so the Roman Senate declared him king and gave him soldiers to seize the throne. Herod was paranoid of losing his power and executed a number of his sons, which he suspected of plotting against him. The Emperor Augustus once joked, "It is better to be Herod's pig than son."

The glory years of Israel were a millennium in the past and there hadn't been a descendant of David on the throne for six hundred years. The Jewish people felt forsaken and forgotten by God.

But God hadn't forgotten His people and took note of a man named Simeon who was actually actively praying and waiting for the Lord's Christ,the       Consolation of Israel. He wasn't satisfied with the status quo and was ready for God to do something. The Lord was also ready to radically change things so He allowed Simeon to see and hold the baby Jesus, the promised Messiah.

The Savior came to His own, but He became a rejected king. Another two thousand years have gone by without the promises of God to the Jewish people being fulfilled. It is true that the nation of Israel has been reborn, but there is no peace in Jerusalem. Terrorism and the threat of nuclear annihilation make many still long for the Consolation of Israel.

The Jewish people cannot really be consoled or comforted until they acknowledge Jeshua (Jesus) as their Mashiach (Messiah). Christians need to be continually in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of the Jewish people.

Master in Heaven

Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. 
Colossians 4:1

In this day and age, it is hard to imagine that there were slave owners that were true Christians. During the Roman Empire, when 75% of the population were slaves, it would have been difficult to imagine that society could function without the practice. Christianity changes people and from there, the civilization changes.

The Apostle Paul advocated for slaves, because many of the early believers were considered the property of others. He revealed to their Masters that they were Christ's slaves (1 Corinthians 7:22) and had a Master in heaven. They needed to show mercy and respect to the men and women that served them, if they believed that Christ would give them mercy and forgiveness.

The application of these verses are still valid today even though the socio-economic structure of our culture is different. In the modern church there are business owners and administrators that still boss people around and can make or break those who work for them. They too need to be reminded that they have a Boss in Heaven who is also watching them to see how they handle their own human resources.

In the first century, sometimes slaves would be elders in the church and teach their owners spiritual truths. God wanted everyone treated with love and without partiality. The Christian boss in the last century church needs to realize that God is more interested that his treatment of his employees is just and fair, than He is about the business' bottom line. That employer needs to remember that he also has a Master in heaven.

He Who Was

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace ...from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
Revelation 1:4

Jesus was a historical figure. The fact that He existed and was crucified by Pontius Pilate is almost universally accepted by all serious historians. Flavius Josephus mentioned Him in his Antiquities of the Jews written for the Emperor Domitian in AD 93 and the effect of Christ's life and teachings on the Roman Empire and Western Civilization are undeniable. Obviously Christ is He who was.

Yet there is great debate on exactly who He was. Many refused to believe that the founder of one of world's biggest religions was God incarnate, the Son of God, King of kings, or the High and Lofty One. So beginning in the 1700's, scholars have pursued “quests for the historical Jesus.” They discounted the thousands of ancient manuscripts of the New Testament as biased and unreliable to embrace any piece of secular commentary to form their opinion. Views of who Jesus really was range from heretic to healer to charismatic teacher, but none of these extra-biblical searches concluded that He was anyone capable of changing the known world or someone worthy to die for.

Herein lies the fallacy of their conclusions. Christ did change the world and millions of martyrs preferred death to denying their Lord of lords.

Those who reject who Jesus says He was reject Him who was. World scholars never undertook quests to find the historical Buddha or historical Mohamed. Why would they? The leaders of these religions also discount the deity of Christ so they are basically in agreement.

The miraculous and supernatural aspects of the Lord Jesus can never be proved to someone who refuses to believe; and “historical facts” are really myths if they are written by critics of the Jewish Messiah or to counter the Christian faith.

The gospels declare the life and teachings of the Christ, He who was. Everyone either accepts Him or rejects Him. 

Ransom

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45

As long as there have been villains who are willing to kill and hurt innocents for profit, there have been wealthy people willing to pay the bad guys off so that it doesn’t happen. Since there is no standard rate for a kidnapping, the size of the ransom doesn’t depend on the value of the victim, as much as the bank account of the one paying the tab.

In 1932 Charles Lindbergh paid $50,000 to the kidnappers of his son, only to discover later that they murdered the boy even before the ransom was paid.

The ransom of Patty Hearst was $6 million in 1974. The enormity of the sum shocked many people, but 22 years later Hong Kong tycoon, Li Ku Shing, paid $134 million for the release of his son.

Historically, these prices are low. When Julius Cesar was 25 years old, he was captured by Sicilian pirates and ransomed for 8,522 pounds of silver. King Richard the Lion-Hearted was released by his captors after 65,000 pounds of silver was paid, the modern equivalent of $3.3 Billion. Atahualpa, emperor of the Incan Empire was strangled by Spanish Conquistadors after 13,000 pounds of gold and 26,000 pounds of silver were paid for his release (roughly $34 billion today).

But none of these compares to the ransom paid by Jesus Christ for the lost human race. There are no deeper pockets than those found on the Creator of the Stars. He could have made a solid gold planet or listed a galaxy on the real estate exchange, but none of these could ransom mankind” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

In giving the only thing in heaven that couldn’t be recreated, God overpaid for the deliverance of sinful man. Jesus paid it all and for all. He’s not only the ransom for many, He’s the ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:6). Not everyone is saved, because not everyone responds in faith to the salvation that is already paid for. What a pity!

Messiah

"Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. and after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined."
Daniel 9:25-26

Wonderful, powerful, significant verses! ...Yet they are unknown and unimportant to most Christians; what a pity!

The translators of the King James and New King James Versions saw the importance and translated the Hebrew word "Meshiach" as Messiah. They wanted everyone to know that this prophesy was about the Jewish Messiah; that is Christ. The 38 other times it appears in the Old Testament it was translated literally as “anointed.”

This prophesy is a time-line that begins with the “command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.” Jewish people in the 1^st century knew the day, month, and year it took place. Even our history books tell us that King Artaxerxes of Persia made that decree in 444 B.C.

Then comes two time periods: “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.” The term “weeks” literally means “sevens” and is actually referring to weeks of years. So then “seven weeks” is actually 49 years and “sixty-two weeks” is actually 434 years.

Forty-nine years after the decree to rebuild, Nehemiah actually finished building the streets. 49+434=483 years. Exactly four-hundred eighty-three years to the day after Artaxerxes' command was March 30^th of 33 A.D. First century preachers did the math and believed that date to be the day  of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The anointed of God went to His own and His own received Him not. Four days later (April 3^rd) Christ was crucified - “cut off.” When early Jewish believers heard this, they also did the math and were convinced that Jesus was their Messiah. 

Husband

For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.
Isaiah 54:5

Before there was ever sin in our world, God designed and instituted marriage. Two people, although the same species, are male and female, man and woman, and God made them Husband and Wife. This wasn't a marriage of convenience, but a carefully arranged union orchestrated by God since the whole human race would be produced from Adam and Eve's DNA.

The Jewish Talmud (the oral tradition and teaching of ancient rabbis) portrays a curious detail about the first marriage ceremony. According to the legend, God Himself braided Eve's hair and personally presented her to Adam. That would have been a nice touch that would have added to the specialness of the relationship.

Contrary to the politically correct notions of today, men and women are very different. They look, think, and act differently and part of the design for the continuance of the human race was different roles for husband and wife.

When Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, he gave God's orders for the Christian family. Addressing the men, he said, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” The Master shows Christian men a model of what a loving, caring husband should look like. He is always there to listen to us, provide our needs before we ask, and comfort us when we feel alone and weak.

Yahweh of the Old Testament took on Himself the role of the spouse of the children of Israel. In the New Testament, concerning the church, Christ clearly presents Himself as her Husband.

Shield

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Psalm 18:30

God is called a shield 24 times in the Old Testament including 17 times in the Psalms alone. To those who used them and knew how they worked with armor, “Shield” was an appropriate title for the Lord of Hosts. Much more than just something to hide behind, a shield projected power as well as protected.

Most people today are almost clueless in regards to ancient warfare. Most sword fights on television are without shields. In those conflicts, if one of those contestants had just a buckler (a small 10 inch shield) they would have a huge advantage over someone without one. The curved surface is for deflecting the enemies’ sword or arrow. Instead of simply absorbing the force of a blow, a good shield will knock the enemy’s blade out of the way and make him vulnerable.

The Christian life is fraught with conflict. Criticisms, persecutions, physical sufferings, the stresses of modern life, and even satanic oppression can attack the believer daily in one form or another. The Lord Jesus is our Shield, but He doesn’t just stand in the way so bad things don’t happen, He deflects them so we’re not brought down by them. We can continue to advance and overcome the enemy – not hide and hope he’ll go away.

We rest on Thee, our shield and our defender!
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendor,
Victors, we rest with Thee, through endless days.

                                          Edith G Cherry (1897)

(The song above was sung by the five missionary martyrs of Ecuador just before they died in January of 1956).

  

Only Begotten Son

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Only Begotten Son – one of the better known titles of Christ because it is used in the most memorized verse of scripture. Actually, it occurs only four times in the Bible and was penned only by the Apostle John. Although the phrase is very familiar, what does it really mean?

Early in church history, there were heretics who reasoned that if Christ was begotten, he had a beginning, so He is something less than then the eternal God. There are plenty of people who believe this today, and they’re still wrong.

To try to correct this, the Nicene creed, written in AD 325, tries to define “begotten.” This early doctrinal statement declares Christ to be “eternally begotten of the Father" and “true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.” This refuted the heresy that Jesus was merely a “God Jr.” or “God, the Sequel” but rather, Christ was the eternal God joined in a human body.

The word in the Greek for only begotten is “monogenes” which can also be translated “sole” or “one and only.” The idea here is that Christ is unique. He wasn’t one of many sons of God, but the one and only Son. The Word becoming flesh, God manifested in flesh, and Only Begotten Son are three ways of saying what is this unique miracle of incarnation.

False teachers today do what they have been doing throughout the centuries. They redefine terms, plug a new phrase back into the verse, and try to make it say what it doesn’t. John 3:16 means exactly what we thought it did the first time we heard it and believed it. God loves us and gives us eternal life through His Only Begotten Son.

*see also John 1:18, 3:18; 1 John 4:9

Shiloh

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Genesis 49:10

This curious title of Christ is taken from Jacob’s blessing of his sons shortly before his death. In affirming Judah, the patriarch promises that he’ll give rise to the kingly tribe and that position will continue until the coming of Shiloh, the peacegiver. Long before the coming of Christ, ancient rabbis acknowledged that this single reference to Shiloh was a messianic title.

The word, however, does appear repeatedly in the Old Testament, but in a very different context. Shiloh was the resting place of the tabernacle after the conquest of Canaan. Burnt offerings were given there and Days of Atonement observed. However, the supposed place of peace was given over to immorality and idolatry so God cursed it (Jeremiah 26:6). The destruction of Shiloh was so complete, that its location was forgotten for about 2,500 years. It was rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19^th century, but that Shiloh never brought peace.

Since Shiloh is an unusual title of Christ, Christians found it an interesting name to give to their churches. The most famous of these was the Shiloh Methodist Meeting House of Pittsburgh Landing, Tennessee. For two days in April 1862, Union and Confederate troops fought around the grounds of the little log cabin church. 24,000 men were either killed or wounded in what was the most tragic battle fought in the Civil War up to that date. That Shiloh also brought no peace.

When the true Shiloh came to His own people the first time, He was rejected; His own wouldn’t receive Him. They cried out for the crucifixion of the Prince of Peace and refused to let Him rule over them. At that point, the scepter and the lawgiver departed from Judah. The Middle East has been without a peacegiver for two millenia. Israel, the church, and the world still wait.

Even so, come Lord Jesus. Come Shiloh, come.

Seed of the Woman

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
Genesis 3:15

          The words above come from the curse of the LORD on the serpent after the fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. The identification of the “Seed of the Woman” with Christ Jesus goes a long way back to at least the teachings of Irenaeus, a second century church father and apologist. For centuries it has been hailed as the earliest reference to the Messiah in the Bible and is considered a legitimate name of Christ.

          The interpretation of God’s pronouncement of judgment on the devil was that the Savior dealt a death blow to the “old serpent” at Golgotha, the place of the skull. Satan’s doom was sealed at that point, even though when Jesus died as a substitute for sinful man, the devil stuck Him at His heel when His feet were nailed to the cross. Christ rose from the dead and broke the evil one’s claim over death. Lucifer has not and will never recover from his defeat at Mount Calvary.

          It’s important to note that victory over the devil came through the Seed of the Woman and not the seed of man or Adam’s seed. Jesus was virgin-born and so, had no human father. He was God’s Son. In giving this very first recorded title of Christ, God eliminated every other man born on earth.

                   Verily God, yet become truly human
                   Lower than angels – to die in our stead;
                   How hast Thou, long-promised “Seed of the Woman”
                   Trod on the serpent and bruised his head!

                                                          H. D’Arcy Champney (1854-1942)

Fountain

For with You is the fountain of life…
Psalm 36:9

Several years ago, one of my boys gave me a small, ceramic fountain for Christmas. It was in the image of a mountain scene with water moving from a top pond out a three inch water fall into a second pool and dropping another short distance into a third little lake. The sound of it was relaxing, so I kept it in the corner of my office and let it run, non-stop. However, the work of recycling a pint of water hundreds of times a day was too much for the little electric pump, so it burned out within a year.

This experience made me appreciate the engineering of ancient foundations that had no moving parts, operated using gravity and kept running for centuries. Some fountains in Athens and Corinth operate from aqueducts and date back to the 6^th Century B.C. and there is evidence that the Sumerian culture had them as early as 2000 B.C..

David plainly understood the fountain principle of a well-spring of water shooting up and giving life and energy. The prophet Zechariah also used a fountain analogy to foreshadow the Messiah: “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1). The image presented is God’s abundant, overflowing provision to cleanse His people from the contamination of sin which was made available by Christ’s sacrificed death on a cross.

In the New Testament, Jesus asked for a drink of water from a Samaritan woman He met at the well in the town of Sychar. He explained to her: “…Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13-14).

Only Christ can satisfy and fill the thirsty soul, because He alone is the Fountain of eternal life.

High Tower

Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle --- My lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer…

Psalm 144:1,2

“Fortress titles” are common in the Psalms of David. The constant running for his life, kept the adrenaline flowing and stress levels high. The only way that David could cope was to remember that he was in God’s will and God was in charge. Since that was the case, David was safe; he could rest in his high tower.

Medieval castles were built in stages. The very first part to be constructed was the “keep”. This was a very strong, very tall central tower located in the center of what would be the castle complex. Once completed, work on the outer walls, gates, inner buildings, and moat could begin. This high tower allowed watchmen to see enemies coming from a distance, but was also a stronghold of defense, even before more complete fortifications could be established.

Believers are able to rest in the Lord Jesus, just like David was able to trust in the LORD. Jesus said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The stress and crush of the opposition of the world is manageable, because the Lord Himself is a wall to keep the enemies of God from bringing down Christ’s servants.

Abiding in the will of God allows the child of God to see sin approaching from a long ways away which gives plenty of time to avoid it, along with a lot of heartache. In the High Tower of Christ Jesus, the believer is elevated above the fray of the common place so that heaven itself doesn’t feel to be that far away.

Pierced (One)

And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."
John 19:37

Being pierced with a sword or a spear is not a natural way to die. Certainly in ancient times it was common during a war, but 2,000 years ago was the era of the “Pax Romana” (Roman peace). The Roman empire had conquered all its enemies, so there was no more war. Even criminals who were put to death by crucifixion died over a period of several days or had their legs broken to speed up the process. It was very unusual that Jesus of Nazareth was pierced with a spear.

However, the prophet Zachariah foretold that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would look on their Messiah “whom they pierced” (Zachariah 12:10). King David prophesied similarly when he wrote of Christ: “They pierced My hands and My feet” (Psalm 22:16).

So why is this title important? Who cares if the Lord was pierced or not? This name of Christ matters, because God saw fit to give us the details of the Savior’s death over 1,000 years before the Savior died. It proved that God foreknew what was going to happen and that Jesus wasn’t victimized because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Jewish leaders should have known scripture and seen the manner of death of the LORD’s Anointed. After the fact, they should have repented in sackcloth and ashes, but instead they bribed the guards to lie about the resurrection.

On the final Day of Judgment, all the Christ-rejecters that ever lived will stand before the Great White Throne. As their sentences are being read, they will see the hands and feet of the Pierced One and begin to tremble. 

Forerunner

Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 6:20

The word “Forerunner” brings to mind images of the Ford Model-T or the Commodore computer. They were cutting edge innovations in their day, but gave rise to bigger and better things. That is certainly not the case in today’s title.

A better definition is the one who goes on before to prepare the way for others to follow. Christ has paved the way for His church in many ways. He is the Firstfruits, the Firstborn over all creation, and a Guide even to Death. In each case, the Lord Jesus has gone before His people to pioneer the way for them.

In the verse above, Christ became our Forerunner in His capacity of High Priest. Since we have both the nature and practice of sinners, we are in no way ready to come into the presence of a Holy God. He is a Consuming Fire (Hebrews 12:29), so we would not even come close to Him, much less have fellowship with the Almighty. As "Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek", He atones for our sins, makes the substitutionary offering, and intercedes for us. None of these things could we do for ourselves.

The Savior got everything ready for us to go to heaven. He gave us citizenship in heaven by taking our sinful nature and making us holy even as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). He went to Mount Calvary and offered Himself as Propitiation, so our debt of sin could be paid (Hebrews 2:17). As Great High Priest, Jesus has passed through the heavens ahead of us to intercede for us, knowing full well our weaknesses, and then allows us to approach the throne of grace boldly to obtain mercy in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Alexander Pope was first to coin the phrase “fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” If that’s the case, then a wise man is one who follows Christ Jesus as his Forerunner.

Stone Cut Out without Hands

You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
Daniel 2:34

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon struck terror in the hearts of his subjects and all those in the neighboring countries around him. His word was law and his laws weren’t always rational. One night the king had a disturbing dream, but by morning he couldn’t remember a thing, so he called all his wise men and magicians. “You guys are supposed to be smart,” Nebu said, “Tell me what my dream was!”

When no one in the national think tank could do what the king commanded, he went into a rage and ordered the execution of all his advisers. A young, Jewish captive, named Daniel, had just started interning for the wise men when he found out that he was also scheduled to die. Concerned about his future, Daniel asked God to fill him in on the dream, so that night, the Lord gave him the same vision as He gave to the king.

Daniel then related to Nebuchadnezzar what he saw in his dream. There was a huge statue made with parts of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay, but an even greater stone cut out without hands fell from heaven and ground down the awesome image into powder.

The king also heard the interpretation of the dream. Babylon was the golden head of the statue, which meant it was the richest and greatest. Lesser kingdoms would follow one after another and each would have less glory than the one it replaced. The young eunuch then explained the pulverizing stone: “Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold [---] the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this" (Daniel 2:45). All the great empires of the world will come to nothing by the power of God.

Egypt once ruled the world. Now, it’s a big sand box. Babylon the Great lies desolate and uninhabited in the desert. Greece is bankrupt, Rome is a tourist trap, and the Soviet Union has ceased to exist. Even the greatness and power of the United Sates is waning in the shadow of the Stone cut out without hands, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Stronghold

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.*

Psalm 18:2

          King David was a man of war, so at times entire armies were out to get him, but he felt safety and security in the LORD. The many titles above showcase the defensive nature of God to protect and comfort His people. The shepherd-king felt strong, even invincible, knowing the Lord was his stronghold. 

          During the middle ages strongholds actually became an offensive weapon with the development of castles. If a nation wished to invade another, they would often build a fortress deep into enemy territory at some strategic crossroad or elevated checkpoint. Since fewer soldiers were needed to defend a stronghold than to attack it, the invaders could build two or three new castles while the enemy was busy with men and material besieging the first. Little by little a nation would be overrun.

          Satan builds strongholds of sin in the minds of men and women. Even Christians feel the effect of this evil influence that only becomes stronger the longer it is permitted to remain. The devil has many blueprints of internal fortresses of influence, just to mention a few: fear, anxiety, sexual impurity, addictions, bitterness, and deceit.

          Only Christ has  power enough to demolish them. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). Believers are given arms and armor to engage in spiritual warfare such as the word of God, faith, the gospel, truth, prayer, and assurance of Salvation. But more importantly than anything else, Christians must feel the comfort and security of their own strong tower.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the believer’s fortress and rock in time of trouble. Church and Christian fellowship are certainly helpful but it’s only the Savior that will make the devil flee (James 4:7). The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.” (Nahum 1:7).

* Used 37 times in scriptures to refer to a fort and six times with spiritual significance.

King of the Saints

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
Revelation 15:3

          Since Jesus is the blessed and only Potentate, King of kings, and Lord of lords, He rules over many diverse people and nations. He’s the King of Israel, King of Righteousness, King of Peace, and King over all the Earth. But there is one distinction that really gets me excited. Christ the Lord is King of the Saints; He’s going to be my monarch!

          When Christ was on earth, enemy soldiers gave Him a crown of thorns, mocked Him for being a king, and then spit on His face. Since then, He was caught up to glory and believers  through the centuries have also suffered abuse as they waited for the return of the King of the Saints.

          Ten terrible Roman persecutions fell on the faithful; some were crucified, some burned alive, and some fed to wild beasts. Still, they waited for their Lord’s return. The rise of Mohammed in the seventh century brought Jihad, beheadings, and slavery to Christians who longed for their coming King. Then the crusades, inquisition, and the rise of Communism brought more torture, imprisonment, and death for the saints. Still, they waited for their sovereign to come and bring peace.

          The signs of the Lord’s soon return are becoming more evident every day. Terrorism clearly demonstrates “wars and rumors of war” that fill every corner of the planet. Talk of a new world order as well as one global community and government prepares the way for the Anti-Christ and his minions.

          The good news is that this may be the last persecution. If the blood-bought disciples of Christ can overcome one more reign of terror, then it’s over. Jesus is coming and those who served and suffered for the Lord will reign with Him. Hallelujah!

          Even so come, O King of the Saints.