Jesus says to His disciples in John 16:33, "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." And it's true - His death on the cross was the price paid so that all mankind may have everlasting life; His ressurection by the Father was the sign that He had indeed received all authority in the earth. But I like to look at this statement in a different way. I like to look at it in the fact that Jesus faced all of the temptations that Adam and Eve had, and overcame them. Here's how it happened.
The interesting thing about the statement, "I have overcome this world," in John 16, is that earlier in the chapter, in John 16:11, Jesus makes reference to "the prince of this world." It's clear that His statement is about Satan - who else could it be? But John is the only author in the Bible who uses the term "prince of this world". John also gives some discussion to overcoming Satan and the things of the world in 1 John 2:14-16: "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him That is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
There are three unique items in that passage: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life; these are all temptations that Eve faced in her encounter with the serpent.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was pleasant to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and a tree to be desired to make one wise [pride of life, because the serpent had just told her that the fruit of the tree would make her as a god], she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." ~Genesis 3:6
Eve failed three temptations - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - and Adam failed one - he disobeyed God when he allowed his bride to cause him to turn from what was right. The first three of these temptations happened at one time, and the fourth occured later when Eve gave the fruit to Adam. In all of these cases, Adam and Eve should have said, "Get lost, Satan."
Now, Jesus faced all of these temptations, in the same pattern, and He triumps over all of them by saying, "Get lost, Satan," or rather "Get behind Me Satan." Here is where it happens:
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. And the devil said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.' And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, 'All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine.' And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, 'Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.'' And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, 'If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, 'He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'' And Jesus answereing said unto him, 'It is said, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'' And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season." (Luke 4:1-13)
Now the devil left for a season, but he'll be back with one final temptation, the hardest one of all, as you will see. However, the temptations here are also the same temptations that Eve faced and, though they are ordered differently in Matthew 4, they are the same order that Eve faced in this passage in Luke:
1) turn the stone to bread for hunger - the lust of the flesh;
2) want to rule all the kingdoms of the earth - the lust of the eyes;
3) want to have angels save you at any peril - the pride of life.
Jesus overcomes these first three temptations with flying colours. But what about later? For this last temptation, the pattern must be shown.
Adam did not resist his bride; rather he chose to follow her sin instead of standing against her and standing for what was right.
Symbolically, the bride of Christ is the church (see Revelation 19:9). Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) is the head of that church, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a Greek word meaning "rock"], and upon this rock I will build My church (Matthew 16:18)." Then, only a few verses later, Jesus says to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23)." But why? These are two very contradictory statements!
This is where it gets tricky. Peter is symbolic of the church, which is symbolic of the bride - and no doubt that Peter is one of the most beloved disciples and, if it were possible to influence Jesus' actions or behavior, Peter would be the one who would be able to do it. But, just as Eve had tried to draw Adam away from God's purpose by offering him the forbidden fruit, Peter, in verse 22, had told Jesus that he would not allow Jesus to die on the cross. The cross was Jesus' purpose, and He knew that it was God's will for Jesus to go to the cross, so to not go would have been akin to eating the forbidden fruit. So here Jesus is faced with His fourth and most powerful temptation, to defy God and please the ones He loved. But He recognizes the temptation and says, "Get thee behind Me, Satan."
And this is how Jesus faced and overcame every temptation that Adam and Eve had faced, and gave to us the benefit. And with His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53:5) because He chose not to listen to Satan, but rather to die for us on the cross. God bless.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Declaring the End from the Beginning...
This is a follow up to my prior rapture post. It is one of those numerous numerous scriptures that I was refering to that contradicts rapture theory. The message is short and sweet and straightforward. In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'" (This reminds me of when Jesus says in Matthew 24, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.") But what did God just say there? I read it as, "I gave you the pattern for the end times from the beginning, in the first story about man, and what happened there will happen again." So what happened there?
The first story of man is the story of Adam. This is how I read the story of Adam: Adam was put in charge of God's creation, he was the prince of the Garden of Eden (the first Adam represents Satan who was "the prince of this world", who failed the test - see John 12:31 - and the last Adam is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, who passed the test). Eve represents the bride of the prince in the old Garden, and the bride of Christ in the repetition - so Eve represents the Church in the story (where the original bride failed, the new bride will overcome... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear). And here are the order of events that went down in the Garden - you can read of it in Genesis chapter 3:
Garden of Eden Final Days of the Earth
1. God gave instruction to man Jesus gave instruction to man before ascending to heaven
2. God goes off out of the Garden Jesus ascends into heaven
3. Time passes Time passes
4. The serpent shows up to tempt man Antichrist shows up to tempt man
5. Adam and Eve believe serpent & sin Many will believe antichrist and sin; some will not
6. God shows up to find man has sinned Jesus returns to find man has sinned
7. Man is given death sentence Man is thrown in lake of fire; the pure go to heaven
That's it. That's the pattern. There is no premature return to find out what man was doing - no wisking him off before the serpent comes. God told Adam what to do if the serpent came. God gave Adam the warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave Adam authority over it. He did the same for us - if we will listen to Him.
A short and sweet message about how God declared the end from the beginning. It was His first lesson for us. God bless.
The first story of man is the story of Adam. This is how I read the story of Adam: Adam was put in charge of God's creation, he was the prince of the Garden of Eden (the first Adam represents Satan who was "the prince of this world", who failed the test - see John 12:31 - and the last Adam is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, who passed the test). Eve represents the bride of the prince in the old Garden, and the bride of Christ in the repetition - so Eve represents the Church in the story (where the original bride failed, the new bride will overcome... for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear). And here are the order of events that went down in the Garden - you can read of it in Genesis chapter 3:
Garden of Eden Final Days of the Earth
1. God gave instruction to man Jesus gave instruction to man before ascending to heaven
2. God goes off out of the Garden Jesus ascends into heaven
3. Time passes Time passes
4. The serpent shows up to tempt man Antichrist shows up to tempt man
5. Adam and Eve believe serpent & sin Many will believe antichrist and sin; some will not
6. God shows up to find man has sinned Jesus returns to find man has sinned
7. Man is given death sentence Man is thrown in lake of fire; the pure go to heaven
That's it. That's the pattern. There is no premature return to find out what man was doing - no wisking him off before the serpent comes. God told Adam what to do if the serpent came. God gave Adam the warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He also gave Adam authority over it. He did the same for us - if we will listen to Him.
A short and sweet message about how God declared the end from the beginning. It was His first lesson for us. God bless.
Friday, 9 September 2011
I Don't Believe in Rapture
Seriously, I don't believe in rapture. This is the first post that I've put on here where the title wasn't pulled from a Bible verse, and the reason for that is simple: rapture is not in the Bible. Nada. Zip. Nowhere are you going to find rapture in the Bible. It's a false teaching - plain and simple - and it's very easy to demonstrate if one is willing to listen to what the Bible says, and not to how man has muddied up the waters of Scripture.
I started out writing this post, and it bordered on becoming a novella - yes that's how much scripture there is that discusses what will happen in the end days, and that's how much there is that is against rapture theory. However, I scratched that so that each of those places may be tackled in more bite-sized portions in days to come. For now, I will just make three points that basically turn the most quoted rapture sources on their ear. You may be asking yourself, "Why come out against it? What's the harm in the teaching? Why stir up an argument over something that doesn't matter whether you believe it or not?" Well, it does matter - it matters very much - and that's the take-home from this by the time we get to the end of it.
Let's start with the infamous rapture verses, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
It's true. Every word of the passage is true; however, there is no "rapture" in these verses. This event - the returning of Jesus Christ - signifies "the end of the world", or rather the end of this age before the next age begins. How do I know? There are numerous numerous passages that explain what Paul is describing here, but the key point here is "the trump of God". If you read Revelation there are seven trumps that are described, and Jesus comes back at the seventh trump - that's the last one - and not before. The seventh trump happens after the infamous "tribulation" - not before. So where is the comfort in these words then? Knowing that God will protect you during that time is the greatest comfort that you can have. Jesus says that God will protect you in Luke 21:18. God protected those in Goshen during the first passover in the Book of Exodus (Goshen means "drawing near" and is a euphemism for those who draw near to God) just like He will protect those who draw near to Him during the tribulation.
If you read the verses that follow the passage cited above, Paul explains that he didn't feel that he had to go any further with the teaching. He had already told them and taught them what was to take place in person. Well... that's what he felt at the time he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians. However, once he knew how that curiosity had arose about this statement of "being taken up in the air", he wrote a follow up letter that basically only deals with this one issue. You can read 2 Thessalonians in a short amount of time, it is only 3 chapters long. In it, he refers to the first letter, saying:
"... be not soon shaken in mind, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first [the word in Greek for falling away is "apostacy"], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:2-10)." (emphasis mine)
What is Paul saying? He's saying the tribulation will come, just as the prophets foretold, and Jesus absolutely will not return until after this takes place. Not before. Not midway. After, and only after, this takes place. (How is he sure? There's not a prophet nor a parable that says otherwise - in fact, they quite confirm the order of events. And if someone tells you that there is something otherwise, they are pulling wool over your eyes.) Why is rapture theory so popular then? That's how good of a deceiver Satan is. He's already got much of the Christian world convinced that the person described above, that shows signs and wonders, is Christ... but that's not what Jesus said, and it's not what the Bible says.
In fact, in Matthew 24:26, Jesus says very plainly, "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 'Behold, He is in the desert;' go not forth: 'behold, He is in the secret chambers;' believe it not." (emphasis mine) The quote above talks about who should be saved, and Jesus also very plainly states this in Matthew 24:13, saying, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
The 24th chapter of Matthew is the second most popular place that is quoted for rapture theory (at least, a piece of it is quoted). It's the part about "the one taken and the one left behind." Most times I've heard this, it's explained that the one taken is the righteous soul who is taken away in the rapture. But let's examine that passage in more detail, and not cut out the part that explains what "being taken" really means in this passage:
Jesus says in his speech, "For as in the days of Noah were, so also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:38-42)."
The reason they didn't know when the Lord was coming, is because they weren't paying attention to what was being said and didn't believe that they had to wait until the very end... he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. It's pretty straight forward. But the flood "took them all away." Noah was kept on earth - safe and sound - not a hair harmed on his head, because he listened carefully to what God had said and was properly prepared for the tribulation that was to come.
The rest were unprepared; their pastors had not prepared them; their churches had not prepared them. And this makes God very angry, which is stated over and over again in the prophets. God says in Ezekiel 13:20, "I am against your kerchiefs [a safety blanket that you have covered my protecting hands with], wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them fly." The safety blanket is rapture theory. He calls it a kerchief over the eyes to blind people from the truth.
It's important to take a stand on this issue because not preparing people to know that an imposter will come, calling himself God, and having the ability to show great signs and wonders also leaves those people open to worship that person as God... which is the number one no-no in the Bible. Churches that do not prepare their members for what is to come - churches that teach that it is no consequence whether someone believes in rapture or not - are what I believe Jesus to be refering to when he tells the church of Laodicea, "because you are neither hot or cold, I will spew you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16)". And that is a sad state to be in.
So take comfort, know that God will protect his People. He will protect those that love the truth. As for me, I'm not looking to fly away before the end of the end. That's how I read it. God bless.
I started out writing this post, and it bordered on becoming a novella - yes that's how much scripture there is that discusses what will happen in the end days, and that's how much there is that is against rapture theory. However, I scratched that so that each of those places may be tackled in more bite-sized portions in days to come. For now, I will just make three points that basically turn the most quoted rapture sources on their ear. You may be asking yourself, "Why come out against it? What's the harm in the teaching? Why stir up an argument over something that doesn't matter whether you believe it or not?" Well, it does matter - it matters very much - and that's the take-home from this by the time we get to the end of it.
Let's start with the infamous rapture verses, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
It's true. Every word of the passage is true; however, there is no "rapture" in these verses. This event - the returning of Jesus Christ - signifies "the end of the world", or rather the end of this age before the next age begins. How do I know? There are numerous numerous passages that explain what Paul is describing here, but the key point here is "the trump of God". If you read Revelation there are seven trumps that are described, and Jesus comes back at the seventh trump - that's the last one - and not before. The seventh trump happens after the infamous "tribulation" - not before. So where is the comfort in these words then? Knowing that God will protect you during that time is the greatest comfort that you can have. Jesus says that God will protect you in Luke 21:18. God protected those in Goshen during the first passover in the Book of Exodus (Goshen means "drawing near" and is a euphemism for those who draw near to God) just like He will protect those who draw near to Him during the tribulation.
If you read the verses that follow the passage cited above, Paul explains that he didn't feel that he had to go any further with the teaching. He had already told them and taught them what was to take place in person. Well... that's what he felt at the time he wrote his first letter to the Thessalonians. However, once he knew how that curiosity had arose about this statement of "being taken up in the air", he wrote a follow up letter that basically only deals with this one issue. You can read 2 Thessalonians in a short amount of time, it is only 3 chapters long. In it, he refers to the first letter, saying:
"... be not soon shaken in mind, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first [the word in Greek for falling away is "apostacy"], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved (2 Thessalonians 2:2-10)." (emphasis mine)
What is Paul saying? He's saying the tribulation will come, just as the prophets foretold, and Jesus absolutely will not return until after this takes place. Not before. Not midway. After, and only after, this takes place. (How is he sure? There's not a prophet nor a parable that says otherwise - in fact, they quite confirm the order of events. And if someone tells you that there is something otherwise, they are pulling wool over your eyes.) Why is rapture theory so popular then? That's how good of a deceiver Satan is. He's already got much of the Christian world convinced that the person described above, that shows signs and wonders, is Christ... but that's not what Jesus said, and it's not what the Bible says.
In fact, in Matthew 24:26, Jesus says very plainly, "Wherefore if they shall say unto you, 'Behold, He is in the desert;' go not forth: 'behold, He is in the secret chambers;' believe it not." (emphasis mine) The quote above talks about who should be saved, and Jesus also very plainly states this in Matthew 24:13, saying, "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
The 24th chapter of Matthew is the second most popular place that is quoted for rapture theory (at least, a piece of it is quoted). It's the part about "the one taken and the one left behind." Most times I've heard this, it's explained that the one taken is the righteous soul who is taken away in the rapture. But let's examine that passage in more detail, and not cut out the part that explains what "being taken" really means in this passage:
Jesus says in his speech, "For as in the days of Noah were, so also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and [they] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:38-42)."
The reason they didn't know when the Lord was coming, is because they weren't paying attention to what was being said and didn't believe that they had to wait until the very end... he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. It's pretty straight forward. But the flood "took them all away." Noah was kept on earth - safe and sound - not a hair harmed on his head, because he listened carefully to what God had said and was properly prepared for the tribulation that was to come.
The rest were unprepared; their pastors had not prepared them; their churches had not prepared them. And this makes God very angry, which is stated over and over again in the prophets. God says in Ezekiel 13:20, "I am against your kerchiefs [a safety blanket that you have covered my protecting hands with], wherewith ye hunt the souls to make them fly." The safety blanket is rapture theory. He calls it a kerchief over the eyes to blind people from the truth.
It's important to take a stand on this issue because not preparing people to know that an imposter will come, calling himself God, and having the ability to show great signs and wonders also leaves those people open to worship that person as God... which is the number one no-no in the Bible. Churches that do not prepare their members for what is to come - churches that teach that it is no consequence whether someone believes in rapture or not - are what I believe Jesus to be refering to when he tells the church of Laodicea, "because you are neither hot or cold, I will spew you out of my mouth (Revelation 3:16)". And that is a sad state to be in.
So take comfort, know that God will protect his People. He will protect those that love the truth. As for me, I'm not looking to fly away before the end of the end. That's how I read it. God bless.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
The Same Yesterday, and Today, and Forever...
I have one more note about my study habits: I study the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Both are equally important and I throw aside all notions that the Old Testament is no longer relevant. Where else did the New Testament teachers get their knowledge from? and where else were they teaching from?
Jesus said to the people around Him a number of times, "Have ye not read [...]?" All of His teachings and parables are based on Old Testament scriptures. Paul also says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." Paul didn't consider what he was writing to be "scripture". He was writing letters to his friends and the churches that he was placed in stewardship of. His letters instructed those people how they should live according to the true meaning of the Old Testament scriptures.
Again he writes, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." The word "dividing" here is (G3718) "orthotomeo"; this is the only place it is used in the scriptures. It is an action word meaning "cut a straight path"; that is to say, use the scriptures to live a righteous life, a true life, by living assuredly for God and for Jesus Christ - without weeble-wobbling or waffering. Live genuinely, be yourself, be assured that God made you the way He wanted you, and live to be good to each other. That's how I read it. It doesn't mean that the Old Testament should be lopped off from the New to me.
But why should it mean that? God says in the Old Testament, "I am the Lord, I change not (Malachi 3:6);" and this is echoed by Paul in the New Testament when he writes, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8)." So it would seem to me that both Old and New Testaments go hand in hand. It would be like plugging your ears to two-thirds of God's instruction to us, and plugging my ears is something that I aim to stay away from. I aim to see the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth - to cut a straight path to it - and God does help me. God bless.
Jesus said to the people around Him a number of times, "Have ye not read [...]?" All of His teachings and parables are based on Old Testament scriptures. Paul also says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17)." Paul didn't consider what he was writing to be "scripture". He was writing letters to his friends and the churches that he was placed in stewardship of. His letters instructed those people how they should live according to the true meaning of the Old Testament scriptures.
Again he writes, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)." The word "dividing" here is (G3718) "orthotomeo"; this is the only place it is used in the scriptures. It is an action word meaning "cut a straight path"; that is to say, use the scriptures to live a righteous life, a true life, by living assuredly for God and for Jesus Christ - without weeble-wobbling or waffering. Live genuinely, be yourself, be assured that God made you the way He wanted you, and live to be good to each other. That's how I read it. It doesn't mean that the Old Testament should be lopped off from the New to me.
But why should it mean that? God says in the Old Testament, "I am the Lord, I change not (Malachi 3:6);" and this is echoed by Paul in the New Testament when he writes, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8)." So it would seem to me that both Old and New Testaments go hand in hand. It would be like plugging your ears to two-thirds of God's instruction to us, and plugging my ears is something that I aim to stay away from. I aim to see the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth - to cut a straight path to it - and God does help me. God bless.
Saturday, 3 September 2011
And in His Law Doth He Meditate Day and Night... (Study Techniques Part 3)
This is my third and final post in this Study Techniques series. The last study technique I use - last (in this chain of discussion) but not the least! - is prayer and meditation.
Meditate
What is there to say? It seems pretty straight forward. Our Father is the Author of the passages that you are reading in the Bible; who better to ask than Him? Jesus said in Matthew 7:9 (the Sermon on the Mount), "What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?" Meaning, "If you ask Me about My Word (which sustains life), I'm not going to give you a rock (which is cold, hard, dead and will break your teeth)." He's going to give you what He wants you to have - and that is life.
I trust this promise so much in fact that I don't read books on Christianity that "help me to understand" the Bible. Not that I don't believe that the authors love God, or that they are knowledgeable, or that they have learned a lot about our Father and use that knowledge to help others. It's just that as I read the Word, the more I see passages that encourage one to rely solely on the Word, and allow our Father to teach what it means through His Spirit.
1 John 2:26-27 says, "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you [or them that teach falsely for their own benefit]. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath tought you, ye shall abide in Him."
Jesus said in Matthew 23:8, "But be not ye called Rabbi [or "teacher"]: for One is your Master [or "guide"], even Christ; and all ye are brethren."
David said in Psalm 118:8-9, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."
And many other places can you find these types of statements. Sometimes they are words of encouragement and sometimes of warning. Those are the promises that I cling to so that God may guide me where He will.
But what does it mean to meditate? What does it mean to pray? They can be one and the same. God can hear your thoughts - this is stated many times in the Bible. Jesus says in Revelation 2:23, "I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts." The reins are one's innermost thoughts, so whenever you are directing your thoughts towards God, you are talking with Him.
One of the Hebrew words translated as "meditate" is (H1897) hagah, which is very close to (H1625) gerah, which is to "chew cud". And that, conceptually, is what one does when they meditate. They regurgitate something that they had already thought about, and work it over some more in the mind until they swallow it back down again, solved or ready to be brought back up again later.
Prayer also allows you to bring your unsolved issues to God. A very good example of persistence in bringing an unsolved issue to God was Daniel, who prayed for 21 days straight for God to help him understand a vision that he was given (see Daniel chapter 10). And after 21 days, the archangel Gabriel arrived to tell Daniel the interpretation of the vision.
So pray, be persistent with your questions, and you will get answers.
Those are my three favourite study techniques: Read, Interpret, Meditate. God has blessed my understanding of His Word through these techniques, and may He bless yours also.
God bless.
Meditate
What is there to say? It seems pretty straight forward. Our Father is the Author of the passages that you are reading in the Bible; who better to ask than Him? Jesus said in Matthew 7:9 (the Sermon on the Mount), "What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?" Meaning, "If you ask Me about My Word (which sustains life), I'm not going to give you a rock (which is cold, hard, dead and will break your teeth)." He's going to give you what He wants you to have - and that is life.
I trust this promise so much in fact that I don't read books on Christianity that "help me to understand" the Bible. Not that I don't believe that the authors love God, or that they are knowledgeable, or that they have learned a lot about our Father and use that knowledge to help others. It's just that as I read the Word, the more I see passages that encourage one to rely solely on the Word, and allow our Father to teach what it means through His Spirit.
1 John 2:26-27 says, "These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you [or them that teach falsely for their own benefit]. But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath tought you, ye shall abide in Him."
Jesus said in Matthew 23:8, "But be not ye called Rabbi [or "teacher"]: for One is your Master [or "guide"], even Christ; and all ye are brethren."
David said in Psalm 118:8-9, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."
And many other places can you find these types of statements. Sometimes they are words of encouragement and sometimes of warning. Those are the promises that I cling to so that God may guide me where He will.
But what does it mean to meditate? What does it mean to pray? They can be one and the same. God can hear your thoughts - this is stated many times in the Bible. Jesus says in Revelation 2:23, "I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts." The reins are one's innermost thoughts, so whenever you are directing your thoughts towards God, you are talking with Him.
One of the Hebrew words translated as "meditate" is (H1897) hagah, which is very close to (H1625) gerah, which is to "chew cud". And that, conceptually, is what one does when they meditate. They regurgitate something that they had already thought about, and work it over some more in the mind until they swallow it back down again, solved or ready to be brought back up again later.
Prayer also allows you to bring your unsolved issues to God. A very good example of persistence in bringing an unsolved issue to God was Daniel, who prayed for 21 days straight for God to help him understand a vision that he was given (see Daniel chapter 10). And after 21 days, the archangel Gabriel arrived to tell Daniel the interpretation of the vision.
So pray, be persistent with your questions, and you will get answers.
Those are my three favourite study techniques: Read, Interpret, Meditate. God has blessed my understanding of His Word through these techniques, and may He bless yours also.
God bless.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Meaning by Interpretation... (Study Techniques Part 2)
My first study techniques blog was on the way that God told us (through His prophet Isaiah) how to read the Bible. The next technique that I love using is interpretation.
Interpret
I grew up in a Christian home and have heard many different pastors give many different types of sermons. Many of these pastors would include statements like "the Hebrew word for this means (so and so)..." or "this Greek word means (insert meaning here)...". And I always wondered how they knew this. I've only ever heard one pastor that has actively tried to teach his congregation how to study what the Hebrew and Greek languages were... and it's not that hard to learn how to do it. All you need is a "concordance" for the Bible. I would recommend the Strong's Concordance which is available in paper format and, since you are likely viewing this because you do have internet access, it is also available from several different online sources for free. I use http://www.blueletterbible.org/ and enjoy their search function, lexicon and word pronounciation apps. All you have to do is type in what passage or word you are looking up in the search box, (make sure the "show Strong's" button is checked off directly below the "next book" button in the top right hand corner,) and you will see little blue numbers beside almost every word that pops up in the passage. These numbers are the numerical values that have been given to those specific words in the Hebrew or Greek that the scripture was originally written in and, if you click on that number, the definition and various translations of that word will be shown, along with every place that that word shows up in the Bible. Pretty cool. An awesome study tool.
I use the concordance to interpret the names of people and places in the Bible. I've heard some people tell me that this is not a good study technique and that this is not how a concordance is meant to be used, but I don't worry about that. When you read the Bible for long enough you will see that the names of people and places do mean something in many cases, and that the people that wrote many of the books of the New Testament (almost all of them, in fact) used this very technique to teach the Old Testament scriptures. Here are some names that were given to people/places for a reason, starting with the most important one first:
Jesus - this is the Greek variant of the Hebrew name "Joshua", meaning "God's Salvation" (see Matthew 1:21, where God intentionally named Jesus and gave the reason why).
Abraham - his name was originally Abram, which means "exalted father", but God changed it to Abraham, which means "father of many nations" because it was his geneology through which Jesus would be born (see Genesis 17:5).
Isaac - Abraham & Sarah's son. They both laughed when God told them that they would have a son because Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90 (well past child-bearing years) - so God told them to name the boy Isaac, which means "laughter" (see Genesis 17:17-19 and Genesis 18:12-15).
Moses - who was pulled out of the nile by Pharaoh's daughter and called Moses, which means "drawn from the water" (see Exodus 2:10).
There are many many examples where names are given to people and places for specific reasons - sometimes the reason is given in the passage, and sometimes the reason comes through meditation on what the story is saying to the reader. The authors of the New Testament books that use this are:
Matthew - when he was quoting Isaiah 7:14 (see Matthew 1:23)
Mark - see Mark 5:41,15:22, and 15:34
Luke - (in the book of Acts, which Luke wrote) see Acts 4:36, 9:36, and 13:8
John - see John 1:38, 1:41, 1:42, and 9:7
Paul - see Galatians 4:25 and Hebrews 7:2
Interpretation is key to understanding the Bible. Not only for names and places by use of a concordance, but also for prophecy. Many of the lessons are given in the form of a parable, or story, or a picture that doesn't directly reference the meaning of the story. Many times these parables are interpretted; sometimes they are not. But the interpretation is key to understanding what they mean. Translating the names of people and places can be a big help in understanding the lessons. Sometimes, however, you will have to meditate and pray to the Lord for the meaning of the story - and that's where the next study technique comes in. God bless.
Interpret
I grew up in a Christian home and have heard many different pastors give many different types of sermons. Many of these pastors would include statements like "the Hebrew word for this means (so and so)..." or "this Greek word means (insert meaning here)...". And I always wondered how they knew this. I've only ever heard one pastor that has actively tried to teach his congregation how to study what the Hebrew and Greek languages were... and it's not that hard to learn how to do it. All you need is a "concordance" for the Bible. I would recommend the Strong's Concordance which is available in paper format and, since you are likely viewing this because you do have internet access, it is also available from several different online sources for free. I use http://www.blueletterbible.org/ and enjoy their search function, lexicon and word pronounciation apps. All you have to do is type in what passage or word you are looking up in the search box, (make sure the "show Strong's" button is checked off directly below the "next book" button in the top right hand corner,) and you will see little blue numbers beside almost every word that pops up in the passage. These numbers are the numerical values that have been given to those specific words in the Hebrew or Greek that the scripture was originally written in and, if you click on that number, the definition and various translations of that word will be shown, along with every place that that word shows up in the Bible. Pretty cool. An awesome study tool.
I use the concordance to interpret the names of people and places in the Bible. I've heard some people tell me that this is not a good study technique and that this is not how a concordance is meant to be used, but I don't worry about that. When you read the Bible for long enough you will see that the names of people and places do mean something in many cases, and that the people that wrote many of the books of the New Testament (almost all of them, in fact) used this very technique to teach the Old Testament scriptures. Here are some names that were given to people/places for a reason, starting with the most important one first:
Jesus - this is the Greek variant of the Hebrew name "Joshua", meaning "God's Salvation" (see Matthew 1:21, where God intentionally named Jesus and gave the reason why).
Abraham - his name was originally Abram, which means "exalted father", but God changed it to Abraham, which means "father of many nations" because it was his geneology through which Jesus would be born (see Genesis 17:5).
Isaac - Abraham & Sarah's son. They both laughed when God told them that they would have a son because Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90 (well past child-bearing years) - so God told them to name the boy Isaac, which means "laughter" (see Genesis 17:17-19 and Genesis 18:12-15).
Moses - who was pulled out of the nile by Pharaoh's daughter and called Moses, which means "drawn from the water" (see Exodus 2:10).
There are many many examples where names are given to people and places for specific reasons - sometimes the reason is given in the passage, and sometimes the reason comes through meditation on what the story is saying to the reader. The authors of the New Testament books that use this are:
Matthew - when he was quoting Isaiah 7:14 (see Matthew 1:23)
Mark - see Mark 5:41,15:22, and 15:34
Luke - (in the book of Acts, which Luke wrote) see Acts 4:36, 9:36, and 13:8
John - see John 1:38, 1:41, 1:42, and 9:7
Paul - see Galatians 4:25 and Hebrews 7:2
Interpretation is key to understanding the Bible. Not only for names and places by use of a concordance, but also for prophecy. Many of the lessons are given in the form of a parable, or story, or a picture that doesn't directly reference the meaning of the story. Many times these parables are interpretted; sometimes they are not. But the interpretation is key to understanding what they mean. Translating the names of people and places can be a big help in understanding the lessons. Sometimes, however, you will have to meditate and pray to the Lord for the meaning of the story - and that's where the next study technique comes in. God bless.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Whom shall He teach knowledge?... (Study Techniques Part 1)
I wanted to write a post on my study techniques for all things scriptural - so you know where I am coming from. I've heard of various different ways to study. Some people prefer listening to programs; some prefer daily devotionals. I like to take my study habits from instruction given in the scripture as much as possible; what better way to learn than how the Bible tells you to read it?
The study methods I use are: Read, Interpret, Pray
This post is devoted to the first topic: Read
I read a King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. I find it to be the most poetic in language and the old English is not that hard to understand if you take your time with it. My version of the Bible is Bullinger's "Companion Bible" which has a number of fantastic study notes on the KJV Bible, the language used, and excellent cross referencing for when Old Testament scripture is quoted in the New Testament (or elsewhere in the Old Testament).
One of my favourite passages in scripture is Isaiah 28 - and that's where the title of this post comes from. The first part of the chapter is devoted to discussing those who think that they are going about everything the right way, but really haven't set themselves on the proper foundation for learning because they have not fully considered what the scriptures have said. Verse 8 basically relates that they have used the "binge and purge" approach to learning in that they can spew out the readings they have taken in, but they don't understand it because they have not digested the material. And it is at this point that Isaiah says in verse 9, "Whom sall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: for with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this People."
Wow. That's given the M.O. (mode of operations) for the Bible. Now the prophet Isaiah was preaching that as if to speak for the people in mocking him, but though it was spoken in mocking (which is why Isaiah would call the speakers "scornful people" a little later) the words are 100% true. The Bible does need a certain amount of maturity to understand. We start like little babies in the knowledge of it and, through continued study and practice, begin to grow in it's truth. It's a giant puzzle, where all of the pieces have to be put together - here are some pieces and there are some pieces. The best way that I see to put it together is to go over it slowly, methodically, and thoroughly. Sometimes I will read a couple of verses here, or a couple of verses there, but the most rewarding experience has been to read line for line, chapter for chapter. Jesus' own disciples asked Him one time (paraphrased from Matthew 13), "Why do You speak to people in riddles and pictures? Why don't You just speak plainly to them?" To which He replies, "So that they won't get it right away. (They will have to think about it before they really understand what I am saying.)"
Who is "drawn from the breast"? It is those who have matured enough to begin to handle solid food, a don't just throw up what they've eaten all over. They've learned to digest it and use it properly. This is what spending time reading line for line will get you. We all have to start somewhere, but before you know it, you are moving on to digesting solid material in the Bible - and that is an exciting place to be.
Psalm 1 puts devotion to reading in a beautiful way. "Blessed is the man ... [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Ahhh, refreshing. The word for "law" in the Hebrew is "torah" (you may have heard how Judaism follows "the torah") and the word simply means direction, or instruction. What a promise, though, from reading and taking joy in the Bible: whatever you do will prosper.
Where do you start reading? As I said in my prior post, Jesus is the foundation of the Bible. He is the fulcrum upon which the balance rests. He is the beginning and the end.... but His story is found almost smack dab in the middle. If you are a beginner, I would start by reading the story of Jesus in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus was the One to put all of the Bible in the simplest context - so that is the best place to start. God bless.
The study methods I use are: Read, Interpret, Pray
This post is devoted to the first topic: Read
I read a King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. I find it to be the most poetic in language and the old English is not that hard to understand if you take your time with it. My version of the Bible is Bullinger's "Companion Bible" which has a number of fantastic study notes on the KJV Bible, the language used, and excellent cross referencing for when Old Testament scripture is quoted in the New Testament (or elsewhere in the Old Testament).
One of my favourite passages in scripture is Isaiah 28 - and that's where the title of this post comes from. The first part of the chapter is devoted to discussing those who think that they are going about everything the right way, but really haven't set themselves on the proper foundation for learning because they have not fully considered what the scriptures have said. Verse 8 basically relates that they have used the "binge and purge" approach to learning in that they can spew out the readings they have taken in, but they don't understand it because they have not digested the material. And it is at this point that Isaiah says in verse 9, "Whom sall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: for with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this People."
Wow. That's given the M.O. (mode of operations) for the Bible. Now the prophet Isaiah was preaching that as if to speak for the people in mocking him, but though it was spoken in mocking (which is why Isaiah would call the speakers "scornful people" a little later) the words are 100% true. The Bible does need a certain amount of maturity to understand. We start like little babies in the knowledge of it and, through continued study and practice, begin to grow in it's truth. It's a giant puzzle, where all of the pieces have to be put together - here are some pieces and there are some pieces. The best way that I see to put it together is to go over it slowly, methodically, and thoroughly. Sometimes I will read a couple of verses here, or a couple of verses there, but the most rewarding experience has been to read line for line, chapter for chapter. Jesus' own disciples asked Him one time (paraphrased from Matthew 13), "Why do You speak to people in riddles and pictures? Why don't You just speak plainly to them?" To which He replies, "So that they won't get it right away. (They will have to think about it before they really understand what I am saying.)"
Who is "drawn from the breast"? It is those who have matured enough to begin to handle solid food, a don't just throw up what they've eaten all over. They've learned to digest it and use it properly. This is what spending time reading line for line will get you. We all have to start somewhere, but before you know it, you are moving on to digesting solid material in the Bible - and that is an exciting place to be.
Psalm 1 puts devotion to reading in a beautiful way. "Blessed is the man ... [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Ahhh, refreshing. The word for "law" in the Hebrew is "torah" (you may have heard how Judaism follows "the torah") and the word simply means direction, or instruction. What a promise, though, from reading and taking joy in the Bible: whatever you do will prosper.
Where do you start reading? As I said in my prior post, Jesus is the foundation of the Bible. He is the fulcrum upon which the balance rests. He is the beginning and the end.... but His story is found almost smack dab in the middle. If you are a beginner, I would start by reading the story of Jesus in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Jesus was the One to put all of the Bible in the simplest context - so that is the best place to start. God bless.
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