We previously talked about how Saul, the one persecuting Christians with the support of the Jewish Sanhedrin, became converted to Christianity and became one of the very ones he had been persecuting. At about this same time Deacon Philip went and began preaching in Samaria. There he performed many signs, wonders, and miracles. In the city in which he preached was a sorcerer named Simon, or Simon Magus, as history labels him, who amazed the people with his magical abilities, and the people called Simon the Great Power of God (Ac 8:10). This means they looked upon him as being a deity. But as Philip preached, many of the people believed in Jesus and were baptized, including Simon (Ac 8:13). The people realized what Philip preached was very different from what Simon Magus taught. Yet, there is some doubt if this Simon truly believed because he became enamored with Philip and the great signs and miracles he performed. Even Simon Magus recognized there was a vast difference in the power with which Philip operated than the power with which he operated.

When the Church in Jerusalem heard of the success Philip was having in Samaria, they sent Peter and John to investigate. Peter and John laid their hands on the believers there and they received the Holy Spirt (Ac 8:14-17). Yet, apparently Simon Magus did not receive the Holy Spirit but was very impressed with these apostles’ ability to cause such a change in people and offered money to them if they would allow him to receive such power (Ac 8:18-23). In other words, he was trying to buy his way into becoming an apostle. Peter reprimanded him and said that Simon Magus was full of bitterness and captive to sin. Peter was referencing an Old Testament passage (Dt 29:18) which uses the term “bitter poison” to refer to one turning away from God and following false gods. Peter was proclaiming that his man was deceptive in how he was trying to follow God.

Early church tradition teaches that this Simon, Simon Magus, gave rise to the Gnostic ideas that plagued the early church (Dumond). It seems this Simon was involved in Zoroastrianism which began in Media and Persia which later became Parthia and spread westward. When Assyria captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel, they repopulated the land with those from Babylon and other cities occupied by Assyria (2Ki 17:24-41). They combined their belief practices with those of Judaism and thereby had a form of worship of God but they were actually worshipping false gods (2Ki 17:7-23). Remember, the priests in Northern Israel were not Levites (1Ki 12:31) and did not teach the people properly in the worship of Yahweh (1Ki 12:32-33). Therefore, combining these two religions received no pushback. Simon Magus was likely a descendant of those who taught these practices. Zoroastrianism believes in monotheism, of a type, and a coming Messiah, but for entirely different reasons.

Since Zoroastrianism began in the 6th century BC, scholars proport that other monotheistic religions, like Judaism and Christianity, drew its monotheistic teachings from it. However, who lived in Babylon in the 6th century BC? Daniel. And he was over all the wise men, or Magi, at the time (Da 2:48). Therefore, it is likely that Judaism had influence on Babylonian theology, and not vice versa. Then, Zoroastrianism was created to explain how a polytheistic culture could believe in a supreme god and not forgo the rule of lesser gods underneath him.

From a distance, Zoroastrianism appears similar to Christianity. It seems Simon Magus merged Zoroastrianism and Christianity even further. In Zoroastrianism, there is a supreme being who is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Yet, what this god desires is for people to do good and if they do enough good deeds they will be rewarded in the afterlife. Those who are not rewarded go to punishment, but not for eternity. There will be a Messiah who will come and allow those to one day also be transitioned into paradise. So, you can see how easy it was for Simon Magus to get new Christians confused as to the truth which Paul, Peter, Timothy, Titus, and others were preaching. Because people are saved by the grace of God, they taught that only spiritual matters were important. How one lives in this life is immaterial to one’s belief in Christ. Also, he taught that believing in Jesus Christ would grant them the ability to gain insight into the mysteries of God which were not available to all. This led to the teaching of a hierarchy with more knowledge granted with more privilege granted as one elevated themselves through this hierarchy. Gnosticism became a belief reliant upon Jesus Christ but not in his transforming power or the receipt of the Holy Spirit. It became very appealing because it did not require people to change the way in which they lived. Early on, it was taught that what happens to one’s body is immaterial because the physical had no connection to the spiritual. This belief allowed sexual immorality to continue and still believe one could be right with God. We’ll see that this Simon became even more deceptive as time went on as he incorporated more Christian teaching saying one should do good deeds for others because such actions would appease and please God.

This teaches us that we should remain faithful to truth—God’s truth. Anything that teaches anything other than the belief in Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection is needed for us to be right with God should be avoided. There is no work we do that will or could ever appease God (Ro 3:20; Ep 2:8-9). It is only through Jesus Christ that we become pleasing to God. We are declared righteous because of our belief in him and not by anything we can do (Ro 5:1).

There were other events that were also at play during this time. We’ll look at those next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday or as some refer to it as the day of Christ’s Triumphal Entry. It was a day of fulfilled prophecy (Zc 9:9) and Jesus stated that if the people and the children didn’t praise him at this time, the very rocks would cry out (Lk 19:40; Hk 2:11). So the expectation was set, but what happened? It seemed to all fizzle once Jesus reached the temple on his donkey ride. This is where the real hype should have escalated. The temple was where kings were anointed and proclaimed (2Ki 11:12). Why did the hype all fizzle out? What greeted Jesus at the temple? Bleating of sheep and goats, the mooing of cattle, the chaos of people buying and selling. No one at the temple was looking for a king. The Jewish leaders were nowhere to be seen.

The people who yelled and sang “Hosanna,” were not saying it because of who Jesus was, but because they thought Rome was now going to be defeated. Their oppressors would be vanquished, and they would have peace. The word “hosanna” was a cry meaning, “save us.” Yet, when Jesus entered the temple grounds, he knew they needed a deeper salvation than being freed from Roman oppression. Their temple was not ready to receive him as king. They were not spiritually minded at all! All around him he saw greed and extortion. The people had to exchange their money for the temple shekel and the exchange rates were exorbitant. The merchants here were not here for helping travelers to obtain their sacrifice, but to extort money from them for that sacrifice. And who controlled all of this? The Jewish leaders who were the ultimate ones getting rich off the people’s misery. They, too, were not really interested in helping their citizens worship God, but they saw the people beneath them and a means to make money from them. They were using the Law to justify their extortion of the people. Helping the people experience God in their lives was the farthest thing from their minds.

Also, the outer area was called the Court of Gentiles. This was the only place a non-Jew could worship God. But how could they? There were people, animals, vendor stands, all creating so much noise and chaos that they could not have an encounter with God. It seemed the Jewish leaders wanted Gentile proselytes, not so they could encounter God, but for the sake of extorting them as well. The temple had evolved into a place where God could not be worshipped. No wonder this caused Jesus’ ire against them.

Jesus knew immediately that they were not ready for a king. They definitely needed saving, but not from Rome. Or that was not their immediate need. They needed true salvation: being saved from their sin. Jesus knew he needed to work on their hearts before anything else would or could be meaningful. Therefore, he drove out the merchants, moneychangers, and animals and reprimanded the Jewish leaders for their greed and unrepentant hearts. Did they heed or try to understand what Jesus was doing? No. They asked what authority he had to do what he did (Mk 11:28). That means they had no understanding of who Jesus was and only had animosity for him. They had no repentant heart and dared anyone to question their motives. Even though they knew their motives were not pure, they believed their traditions were more important than the reasons behind why their traditions had been established. They were meeting the “letter of the Law” but not the “spirit of the Law.” Jesus knew that, and that is why he was ultimately arrested and crucified and not crowned king. He knew they first needed redemption, so he willingly submitted himself to that end.

What about us today? Are we really worshipping God or are we going through the motions? Were you excited about celebrating Palm Sunday or were you anxious for the service to be over so you could do what you really wanted to do for the rest of the day? Were you, like the Jewish leaders, going through the motions to appease your conscious trying to convince yourself that you are doing your best? Or are you realizing that you first need to get your heart in line with God so that your actions will be a result of you following God’s will, not a façade to give the appearance you are on God’s side?

Let’s take the time this season to fully understand why Jesus cleansed the temple. And to realize that he wants to do the same for us today. After all, we are now God’s temple (1Co 6:19). Have we polluted it and filled it with things that should not be there? Are we trying to justify what we have filled it with rather than asking  God what he wants us to have there?

Let’s take the time and make our temples holy. It is only then that God can use us in the way he desires. Let’s also make our temple a house of prayer and praise to the One True God. Then, and only then, can Jesus be on the throne of our hearts.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We often think we have Bible prophecy already figured out and we look for it to unfold just as we are so sure it will. Yet, God is not always predictable. While what God says will definitely come true, it just may not come true how we thought it would. That could cause us to miss something important if we aren’t really focused on how the Holy Spirit is guiding God’s prophecy to unfold. Let’s look at this though the eyes of Saul of Tarsus in Scripture.

Forty days after Christ’s resurrection was his ascension. During that time period, hundreds of people witnessed him alive after his resurrection (1Co 15:3-8). Just before he ascended, Christ told his disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised . . . in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Ac 1:4-5). Maybe Peter got restless and felt they should do something constructive, so he told the others it was necessary to replace Judas as one of them (Ps 109:8). It was only ten days until the Holy Spirit was to come, but perhaps Jesus did not tell them the Holy Spirit would come on Shavuot (Pentecost). At any rate, it seems Peter was impatient. Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias were nominated. Both had been with them from the time of John baptizing in the Jordan to the time of Christ’s resurrection. They drew lots which fell on Matthias, so he was included as one of the Twelve (Ac 1:26). We are not sure if this was approved by God or not because when drawing lots, one would be chosen whether God was in it or not. Yet, there is nothing in Scripture that says Peter was wrong in doing what he did. However, we do know that God chose Paul as an apostle (Ro 1:1; 11:13; Ga 1:1). So this has always begged the question of who is the actual twelfth apostle? Jesus had chosen the original twelve and we know Jesus chose Paul. Did he choose Matthias?

On Shavuot (Pentecost), the Holy Spirit descended on the 120 disciples who were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. We don’t know in whose house they stayed. It could have been the house of Mary, the sister to Barnabas, and mother of John Mark, as her house was used several times for Christ’s followers over the years. They all heard a rushing mighty wind, and the Holy Spirit descended on each of them as tongues of fire (Ac 2:1-4). They each began to speak boldly to many who were in the city for this festival in the language of the other person’s origin. After obtaining a wider audience, Peter preached to all those listening. From his preaching, and the witness of the others, 3,000 people became believers and were brought into the church that day (Ac 2:41). Over time, more people believed and received the Holy Spirit emboldening them to also speak without reservation. The Sanhedrin arrested Peter and John and reprimanded them trying to deter them from speaking further, but they continued to speak about Jesus and his resurrection (Ac 4:1-22). The believers decided to come together and pool their resources (Ac 4:32). Barnabas is one who is mentioned as an example of one doing this.

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, lied about doing the same and the Holy Spirit had them both die in the presence of others. This demonstrated to everyone the seriousness of their actions (Ac 5:1-11).

The apostles began to perform many signs and wonders which caused more and more to believe in Jesus. The Sadducees had many of them arrested and locked in prison. Yet, an angel of the Lord released them, and they went back to the temple and began to preach again, at the dismay of the Jewish leaders (Ac 5:12-26)-.

The church grew so large so fast that seven individuals, whom they called deacons, were selected to help with the administrative duties of the church so the apostles could devote themselves to preaching (Ac 6:1-7).

One of them, named Stephen, debated with many of the Jews who could not win against his insightful arguments. So, they stirred up the crowd to accuse him of blasphemy and had him stoned to death (Ac 6:8-8:1).

This is when Saul began persecuting Christians because he felt they were against the teachings of the Jewish Scriptures and were creating chaos for the Jewish leaders (Ac 8:3). Saul was a very zealous man, a Pharisee who studied under the tutelage of Gamaliel, a prominent Jewish Rabbi, was from Tarsus in Cilicia, a Roman province in what we would today call southern Turkey, and was born as a Roman citizen, something very uncommon for most people in his day. He was a rising star among the Jewish elite and took the Jewish Scriptures very seriously. He genuinely thought he was doing God’s will by persecuting what he considered a new heretical sect of Judaism. He saw them as someone teaching false doctrine. Because the teaching of Jesus was against the status quo of his teaching and understanding of Scripture, he had believers in Jesus thrown into prison and executed if possible. This caused many believers to flee Jerusalem, and they went to surrounding areas, going as far north as Syria.

A year later, in 34 A.D., Saul was on his way to Damascus to seek out Christians who had fled there due to his persecution. This is when he encountered Christ and was converted (Ac 9:1-19). He then began to preach and teach about Jesus Christ, but many believers were skeptical. His preaching caused an uproar in Damascus after his conversion. The Jewish leaders felt betrayed and tried to have him killed (Ac 9:23). It should be noted that Saul was his Jewish name while the name Paul was his Latin name. It just seems that he had a name change because after this time, the Scriptural text uses his Latin name. This is likely because he was the apostle to the Gentiles (Ga 1:1), so his Latin name would have been used more than his Hebrew name going forward from this point in time.

Paul escaped those in Damascus who were seeking to kill him and went into Arabia in the area at or near Mt. Sinai for about 3 years to seek counsel and instruction from the Lord (Ga 1:17-18). He then went to Jerusalem to visit Peter and James and then went back to his home in Tarsus (Ga 1:21).

Why did Paul seclude himself in Arabia for three years? He knew he needed to seek counsel and instruction from the Lord knowing he was at an inflection point in spiritual history. He had one of the best Jewish educations anyone in Israel could have had and yet he still missed that Jesus was the promised Messiah they had been waiting for. Let’s think about this for a second. He not only knew the scriptures, but, due to his religious training, he had them all practically memorized. Yet, he had missed one of the most important times where God had reached out to his people. How did he miss this? Of all people, he should not have missed this. He not only missed it, but he thought he was on God’s side in persecuting this new sect that, at the time, he felt was heretical.

He knew he needed new insight and a way to look at Scripture differently. The Jewish view of their Messiah and prophetic interpretation about him had been wrong and led Saul to reject Jesus and those who taught about him. The Jewish interpretation of prophetic Scripture was inadequate. He had accepted all the teachings of the past rabbis and knew they had led him astray. Not intentionally. They thought they were correct based upon their understanding of Scripture.

Paul said that God helped him see the emergence of the Church. How? Through prophecy. But it was through scripture the Jewish Leaders had interpreted to be about what would happen after their Messiah set up his rule on the earth. While this is likely still true, after all God is multidimensional, it was these prophetic scriptures that Paul recognized were about Christ’s church and not just about Christ’s reign. At the Council Meeting in Jerusalem, James made the same confession as he quoted from the prophet Amos concerning the rebuilding of David’s fallen tent for Jews and Gentiles which he now saw as God building his church in their current day (Ac 15:13-19; Am 9:11-12). How were they able to see this? Because of where they were in history. They had emerged on the other side of the inflection point of temple worship to Jew and Gentile now worshiping together with each person being a temple indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1Co 3:16). These men could only have interpreted Scripture this way based upon what the Holy Spirit was doing in their current day. This could not have been interpreted prior to their day and their recognition of what the Holy Spirit was doing: something completely different than he had done before. They came to realize that God’s word is continuously unfolding. It is never stagnant and it all points to Jesus Christ.

What about us? We also need to see scripture in light of our current history as well and how the Holy Spirit is leading. We need the Holy Spirit to teach us how to interpret God’s word, not only with what it says but with what is occurring in our day, especially when we have reached an inflection point, a paradigm shift. This was true for the Jewish people as they had just had a paradigm shift through the coming and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit was leading in a new direction and most of the Jewish people had missed it. Rather than trying to understand it, they doubled down on their traditions. Why? The Idumeans and Romans were trying to wipe out their heritage. They felt they did not have time to listen to another upstart, like Jesus, whose teachings affected their delicate balance with the powers that be, and they only wanted him to go away, not upset the apple cart, so to speak, not realizing they were missing the very thing they were trying to preserve.

Could the same mistake be made by the upcoming church that was forming? Join me next time and find out.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Satan has had an influence on history ever since the dawn of time. Yet, I thought it would be interesting to see some of the ways we can see his influence on the Jewish nation and the rise of the church in the New Testament. We will focus on four main points:

1.      How Satan caused a reversal of Israel’s birthright.

2.      How the Jews knew Scripture but still missed their Messiah.

3.      How Satan weakened the church from its very start.

4.      How we can avoid the same pitfalls

Of course, we can’t address all of these points in one post, so I hope you join me for a series of posts in which we’ll discuss these topics as we look at how the New Testament unfolds historically.

We will first look at how Satan attempted to reverse the Jewish birthright. The reversal of Israel’s birthright eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple through decisions made long before Rome was at play in their nation. Recall that Isaac and Rebecca had twin sons: Esau, the firstborn, and Jacob (Gn 25:24-26). Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of porridge (Gn 25:29-34). An animosity grew between Israel, the name God changed Jacob’s name to (Gn 32:28), and Edom, the name for the descendants of Esau (Gn 36:1). Edom would not allow the Israelites to pass through their land as they traveled from Egypt to the land of Canaan (Nu 20:18) so the Israelites had to travel around the land of Moab and then cross the Jordan River near Jericho (Nu 33:48-54). Eventually the descendants of Jacob, now called Israelites, entered Canaan, the Promised Land God gave them, and allotted divisions of the land to each of the twelve tribes to form the nation of Israel.

Once Israel became established as a nation within Canaan, the Edomites would periodically attack. King David subjugated them and put garrisons throughout Edom to keep them submissive (2Sa 8:14). They broke free from Israeli domination during the reign of king Jehoram, some 160 years later (2Ki 8:20-22). They also assisted the Babylonians in attacking the people of Judah (Ob 1:11). Over time, the Nabateans pushed them westward into the Negev and became known as Idumea (the Greek name for Edom) by the first century. Up until this time, while there was still animosity between Edom and Israel, Edom never had the upper hand, so to speak, against Israel.

Yet, Satan was about to set the stage for a birthright coup. To understand how this happened, we first need to understand something about the Hasmonean Dynasty and the Herod Dynasty.

During the Intertestamental Period, Alexander the Great conquered the known world and upon his death, his kingdom was divided into four parts. Two of those parts affected Israel. That would be the Seleucid Empire which later became what we know as Persia, and then Parthia, a nation that co-existed, and was just as strong, as the Roman Empire. The second nation that affected Israel was the Ptolemaic Kingdom with Egypt being its largest part. Both empires vied for the land of Israel with the Seleucid Empire winning that fight.

The defilement of the temple in Jerusalem by the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, led to the 33-year Maccabean Revolt where the temple was rededicated and the oil for the menorah lasting until new oil could be made and was therefore called the Feast of Dedication which later became known and celebrated as Hanukkah.

The revolt led to the sons of Mattathias Maccabeus being made not only high priests but also military rulers. Over time, they took back more and more land from the Seleucids to form their own territory. They were called Hasmoneans because Mattathias’ great grandfather was named Hasmoneus and created what was known as the Hasmonean Dynasty which lasted for 127 years.

In the beginning, though, they did recognize that they were Levites and kings could only come from Judah. Isaac prophesied about Judah before his death: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Gn 49:10). Also, Psalm 78:68 states that God chose Judah after the destruction of the tabernacle at Shiloh.

This became Deceptive Error #1: for they felt it was okay to have the high priest a military ruler so long as he didn’t rule as a king. But that seems to be more of a semantic difference. It is difficult for a military leader to also be a spiritual leader for his people. Each role takes 100% of a person’s time. One or the other will suffer. Typically, it is the spiritual aspects that suffer from such an arrangement.

Mattathias’ grandson, John Hyrcanus gained back Samaritan and Idumean (Edom) territory. To “unite” them as part of the Hasmonean territory, he forced them to be circumcised and become Jewish proselytes. However, this was against what God had established: “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt” (Ex 23:9)

When King David subjugated Edom during his reign, he never forced them to become Jewish. Becoming a Jewish proselyte was to be voluntary. This became Deceptive Error #2: John Hyrcanus used circumcision as a means of subjugation, but Satan turned it into a means of infiltration. Hyrcanus proved to be a good diplomat and was able to get Rome, the rising empire at the time, to agree to Hasmonean independence and even brokered peace with the Ptolemaic Empire.

When Aristobulus I became high priest after the death of his father Hyrcanus, he went a step further and declared himself king. This shows that once power is given, more power is craved. This violated God’s promise to King David that only those from his lineage would be king (2Sa 7:16; Ps 89:4). The Hasmonean Dynasty became a self-declared monarchy, not one necessarily God ordained. This became Deceptive Error #3: Aristobulus I likely felt becoming king would add more influence and allow him to accomplish more for his people, and for himself, of course. Yet, having political and spiritual leadership through the same person has consequences because it is unlikely one will self-correct if not seeking God’s will and leadership. Plus, there is little time to oversee the spiritual needs of the country’s citizens, which is so vitally important.

Aristobulus I died after reigning for only a year. The throne went to his brother Alexander Jannaeus who ruled for 27 years and then passed to his wife Salome Alexandra for 10 years. While she reigned, her son Hyrcanus II was high priest. After her death, Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II vied for the throne and they both invited Rome into their civil war. This became Deceptive Error #4: Both believed using Rome’s power and influence would achieve their goals. Rome agreed to help but then never left. Antipater, the leader of the Idumeans sees his chance and sides with Hyrcanus II, causing Aristobulus II to be put into Roman prison, and gains the favor of the Romans. Rome makes Hyrcanus II high priest but puts Antipater in political power who later gives his power to his son Herod. Both Aristobulus II and his son Jonathan Alexander are assassinated by Romans as they return from Rome to Judea after Aristobulus II’s release from prison.

Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus II, revenges his father’s death and defeats Herod the Great by going to the Parthians who invade and make Herod flee to Rome. There, after three years, Herod gets Rome to name him King of the Jews and returns with Marc Antony who forces the Parthians back across the Euphrates River. Herod has Antigonus killed.

Herod then marries Mariamne I, a Hasmonean princess to give his reign more legitimacy in the eyes of the people as she had Jewish heritage on both sides of her family. Only his descendants through Mariamne had a legitimate right to the throne without Roman support. Herod knew this and became paranoid that his rule would be taken from him. Over a short period of time, Herod takes out all Hasmonean princes and princesses so they could not usurp his throne. He even kills some of his own children and some of his wives, even Mariamne, his favorite, because he feels they are plotting against him. Some of these claims were true. Others were out of paranoia. He often mourned killing Mariamne and had her body preserved in honey for 7 years so he could see her.

Herod the Great ruled from 47 BC to 1 BC. Many sources will say he died in 4 BC, but it has been discovered that there was a printing error which occurred in 1544 when reprinting some of Josephus’ writings (Larson, Steinmann). He ruled from Idumea in the south to territories northeast of the Sea of Galilee (which would be Syria and parts of Lebanon today) with his headquarters in Jerusalem. He ruled at the birth of Christ and was the one who had all those in Bethlehem 2 years of age and younger killed (Mt 2:16).

We need to understand something about the different Herods we encounter in the New Testament. The term Herod is used to describe a dynasty of individuals starting with Herod the Great, so the term Herod was used for many different individuals mentioned in Scripture. There are seven mentioned in the New Testament. So, Herod #1 would be Herod the Great.

Although Herod the Great had many of his children killed, he seemed to have had an affinity for his grandchildren. Herod had his granddaughter, Herodias, marry his son Herod II, also known as Herod Philip, her uncle (Mk 6:17), which made him heir apparent because Herodias was of Hasmonean descent. This angered Antipater II, Herod the Great’s eldest son, who persuaded his father to demote Herod Philip to second heir apparent. Once accomplished, he then plotted to poison his father, so Herod the Great had Antipater II executed. This made Herod Philip heir apparent again since he was now the eldest living son, but when Herod found out Philip’s mother had plotted with Antipater, he had Herod Philip demoted again just before his death making Archelaus, his next oldest son, the heir to his throne. Herod Philip then moved to Rome to live, likely to get out of the chaos and the fear of losing his life. Later, we know that Herodias divorces Philip and marries her other uncle, Antipas.

Upon Herod the Great’s death, his other sons went to Rome to argue their claim to their father’s kingdom with Caesar Augustus who divided Herod the Great’s territory into three parts under the rulership of his three sons: Archelaus, Philip, and Antipas, none of whom had any Jewish heritage. Later, Herod’s grandson (Herod Agrippa I) and great grandson (Herod Agrippa II) also had rulership.

Herod #2: Herod Philip never ruled as did his brothers. He moved to Rome to live. He was the first husband of Herodias (Mk 6:17), Herod the Great’s granddaughter. She had an affair with Antipas when he visited Rome where she now lived.

Herod #3: Caesar Augustus gave the larger part of Herod the Great’s territory to Herod’s eldest living son, Archelaus, but made him ethnarch of Idumea, Judea and Samarea. He had more territory than his brothers, but a lower title. His headquarters were in Jerusalem, and he ruled from 1 BC to 6 AD.

His Aunt, Herod the Great’s sister Salome I, was given a toparchy of the cities of Iamnia and Azotus on the Mediterranean, and Phasaelis next to the Jordan River. Her role would be somewhat like a governor of these cities.

Archelaus was half Idumean and half Samaritan, so the Jews in Judea hated having such a person over them. Archelaus at first tried to appease but then turned retaliatory and had about 3,000 Jews slaughtered which just escalated the discontent.

During this time is when Joseph was warned by an angel not to return to Judea (Mt 2:22), so he went back to Nazareth which was part of Galilee and ruled by Herod Antipas. After seven years of complaining, the emperor finally removed Archelaus and exiled him to Gaul (i.e., France today). Therefore, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived in Egypt for less than seven years.

Rather than replacing Archelaus, Rome instituted Roman prefects (somewhat like governors) to rule in his place. Pilate was the fifth one who ruled during the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate was in office seven years prior to Christ’s crucifixion and for three years after. Prefects ruled until the reign of Herod Agrippa I.

Herod #4: Emperor Augustus made Herod’s other son named Philip tetrarch over territories northeast of the Sea of Galilee (Iturea, Trachonitis, Gaulinitis, Batanaea, and Auranitis; Lk 3:1), what is mainly Syria and parts of Lebanon today. His headquarters were in Caesarea Philippi. He married Salome, the daughter of Herodias. This made them mother and daughter as well as sisters-in-law at the same time. Christ was in his territory during his transfiguration on Mt Hermon.

Herod #5: Caesar Augustus made Antipas tetrarch over Galilee and Perea. His headquarters were in Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, and he ruled from 1 BC to 39 AD. In 26 AD, when Tiberius was Caesar, Antipas traveled to Rome and visited his brother Philip. While there, Antipas and Herodias have an affair and decide to divorce their spouses. My guess is that Herodias missed the status of being the wife of a ruler. John the Baptist spoke out against their sin (Lk 3:19), for according to Leviticus 20:21: If a man marries his brother’s wife while both are still alive, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless. This led to John being beheaded a couple of years later (Mt 14:10) in 28 AD after he began to preach against Herod Antipas and Herodias. Many of the Jewish population were offended by what Antipas and Herodias were doing. Yet, it seems John was the most outspoken and suffered the consequence.

Herodias had her daughter, Salome, dance for Herod Antipas at one of his birthday parties in Machaerus, Perea, on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea (Mt 14:6). She was likely fourteen to fifteen years of age at the time. Some say that since she was so young, it wasn’t a suggestive dance, but that doesn’t seem to be the implication as he was so enamored with her that she could wish for anything (Mt 14:7). At her mother’s request, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. Since he had made an oath, Antipas felt he could not back down and ordered John beheaded (Mt 14:8-11).

The death of John the Baptist sealed the opposition of the two of them being married, at least open opposition. They were officially married in 31 AD. It apparently took them three years to get their divorce from their spouses so they could wed.

In 33 AD, while attending Passover in Jerusalem, Pilate sends Jesus to Antipas for questioning just before Christ is crucified (Lk 23:7).

Herod #6: While this is going on, Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, is being educated in Rome and became good friends with Emperor Caligula who gave him the territory of his Uncle Philip who had died four or five years earlier and was going to bestow the title of king to him. Hearing of this, Antipas tried to get the title himself but was banished in the process. Caligula gave Agrippa Antipas’ territories of Galilee and Perea. Before bestowing the title of king, Caligula was assassinated. Agrippa was instrumental in getting Claudius to be the next Caesar. In appreciation, Claudius not only gave Agrippa I the title of king but the territories of Idumea, Judea, and Samaria as well which allowed him to rule the same territory in total as his grandfather, Herod the Great, and ruled from 41 AD to 44 AD with his headquarters in Berytus (which is Beruit, Lebanon, today). However, he also lived in palaces in such places as Caesarea Philippi, Caesarea Maritima, and Jerusalem, whether his or built by his grandfather.

Herod Agrippa I had several people from the Church in Jerusalem arrested and had James, the brother of John, and son of Zebedee, killed by the sword (Ac 12:2). Seeing that this pleased the Jewish leaders, he also had Peter arrested. Yet, God sent an angel and had Peter released from prison (Ac 12:3-11). When Herod Agrippa I was in Caesarea Maritima, God struck him down after he gave a rousing speech where he tried to portray himself as a god (Ac 12:21-23). He later died, likely from parasites. After him, proconsuls ruled Judea overseeing the financial affairs of the area.

Herod #7: Herod Agrippa II, the great grandson of Herod the Great and son of Agrippa I, was the king of Chalcis (today southern Lebanon) and was given the territory north and east of the Sea of Galilee (which is today Syria) and later given cities in Galilee and Perea as well as the duty to oversee the temple in Jerusalem, likely because he was of Hasmonean descent which would better appease the Jews. His headquarters were in Casarea Philippi which he renamed Neronias in honor of Roman Emperor Nero.

When Paul was incarcerated in Caesarea Maritima after his 3rd missionary journey, he was able to preach to Agrippa II and his sister Bernice when Festus replaced Felix as governor of the area (Ac 25:13-26:32). He ruled from 50 AD to 93 AD, so he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and had encouraged the Jews to submit to Roman rule.

So what have we seen here? Clearly Satan was at work. His four deceptive errors with the Hasmoneans led to the eventual coup leading to Esau’s descendants reigning over Jacob’s descendants. Jacob’s birthright had truly been usurped. This eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. All these events had the Jewish leaders distracted because they were desperately trying to salvage their Jewish heritage.

What does this mean to us? We cannot solve our problems on our own. We need God. We only make a mess of things and open ourselves up to Satan outsmarting us and making us self-implode. Christ had a better way, but everyone was so focused on what was going on around them politically to try and solve their mess that the work of Christ got overlooked even though what he was doing was right in front of them. Jesus Christ had a different plan, a plan to not only make right what had been wrong, but to solve their sin problem which was the source of all their problems. We, too, need to look at ourselves. Are we too busy trying to solve our own problems or are we looking to see how we can be a part of God’s plan, a plan that will save us spiritually, emotionally, and yes, eventually, even physically? God has the answer to all our problems.

While Satan achieved his goal he had set up, the death of Christ certainly gave a fatal blow to his schemes. Next time we’ll see that the physical temple was not important for the next phase of God’s plan for mankind. But what did Satan do, did he give up? Absolutely not. He never gives up. He pivots. He couldn’t stop the church from forming, but he could counter and that is exactly what he did. Join me next time as we look at what happens next.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Under Covenant Theology, which we discussed in the previous post, the purpose of Biblical philosophy is the emphasis upon the grace of God. While that is true, it doesn’t cover everything about what is presented to us in Scripture. The other doctrine I want us to look at today is called Dispensational Theology which states the purpose of Biblical philosophy is the emphasis upon the sovereign rule of God. This definitely covers the grace of God but covers other aspects and purposes that are revealed to us in history. Many of these dispensations, as they are called, contain a covenant, but it is not the covenant that necessarily drives the purpose of that historical dispensation. The covenants themselves don’t always covey what God is doing in that portion of history but are important in moving God’s plan for his creation along. The name of each dispensation is the new ruling governance that has been introduced moving forward in history with the previous governances of previous dispensations still in effect. Let’s take a closer look.

1.                                  Innocency: This is from creation until the fall of man (when Adam and Eve were forced to leave the Garden of Eden; Gn 1:26—3:24). The overarching governance during this time was where Adam and Eve were favorably disposed toward God. This was a condition imposed by God on man and not a choice given to man. Adam and Eve obeyed God, had fellowship with him, and looked forward to their visits by their Creator. Because this was an unconfirmed state, it had to be tested. Adam and Eve failed the test. Adam chose to eat the forbidden fruit in violation of God’s command indicating his desire to assert his own self-rule. This decision led to consequences: spiritual death as well as being subject to disease, deformity, accidents, and physical death. Their decision also led to a physical separation between God and humans, and a replacement of being favorably disposed toward God to enmity against God (Ro 8:7) as evident by them wanting to hide from God rather than be with him (Gn 3:8). Mankind now needed someone to rescue them from such a state.

Within this disposition is what some call the Adamic Covenant. God had told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gn 2:17) and Adam agreed as evidenced by him teaching Eve of this requirement (Gn 3:2). His disobedience of this requirement led to the consequences we just mentioned. Yet, God did provide a glimmer of hope by stating he would one day send someone who would repair this separation (Gn 3:15). This is the first promise of a Redeemer who would be born of a woman and would become the provision of redemption for man and initiate the defeat of Satan.

Others do not claim this is a covenant as Scripture does not call this a covenant. If we only go by what Scripture labels a covenant, then this is not one.

2.                                  Conscience: This is from the fall of man to the world-wide flood during the time of Noah (Gn 4:1—8:19). Eating the forbidden fruit led way to the awakening of man’s conscience (Gn 3:5, 22). Human conscience allows mankind to choose between good and evil (Ro 2:14-15). In addition, during this time came the restraint of the Holy Spirit on mankind’s sinfulness (Gn 6:3). It seems that God gave Adam and his family directives that God can be approached only by means of a blood sacrifice (Gn 4:3-7; Hb 11:4). Mankind also failed this test of utilizing conscience and the restraint provided by the Holy Spirit as noted by Cain’s rebellion and murder of his brother. This rebellion continued until the time of Noah (Gn 6:5). Judgment came via a world-wide flood.

Within this dispensation is the Noahic Covenant, which was between God, Noah, all creation, and to all Noah’s descendants (Gn 9:9-17) where God stated he would not again destroy the entire world via a flood. He gave his rainbow in the sky as a token of his vow to Noah (Gn 9:8-17).

3.                                  Human Government: This is from the end of the Noahic Flood to the call of Abraham (Gn 9:18-11:32). To human conscience and the restraint of the Holy Spirit, God added human government to institute capital punishment to curb murder so they would recognize the sanctity God places on human life (Gn 9:5-6; Ro 13:1-7). Humans were now to repopulate the earth, animals would now have a fear of humans built into them, and animals could now be used as food for humans (Gn 9:1-7). Humans also failed this test given them. Noah’s drunkenness led to Ham’s impropriety (Gn 9:20-24), many failed to spread out and repopulate the earth (Gn 11:2-4) and built the Tower of Babel in defiance. This led to the consequence of many languages so they could no longer act in unison (Gn 9:8-9) and led to the birth of many nations. God looked for that one from the vast array of nations who would listen to him and found that in Abraham.

4.                                  Promise: This is from the call of God to Abraham to the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai (Gn 12—Ex 18). God added his promises to these other ruling factors from the previous dispensations to try and make a difference in the way people lived (Ga 3:15-22; Hb 6:13-15). God promised several things to Abraham in the covenant he made with him: he would become a great nation, his name would be great and be a blessing, those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed instead, all the earth would be blessed through him (Gn 12:2-3), and all the land in which he walked would be for him and his descendants forever (Gn 13:14-17). Abraham did live according to his faith in God’s promises to him (Hb 11:8-30). God sealed this covenant with Abraham and made it unconditional as it was made between God himself and his Spirit (Gn 15:9-19). The promises of this covenant passed from Abraham to Isaac (Gn 17:19, 21) and then to Jacob and his descendants (Gn 28:13-17; 35:9-12; 48:3-4).

When God spoke to Abraham, he stated that the land of Canaan in which he was living would be for himself and his descendants. Even though they would be away from it for a long period of time, God ensured him the land would remain his.

Abraham and his descendants failed this test as well. On several occasions they disobeyed God due to lapses in faith and trust in his God’s promises: Abraham fathered Ishmael through Hagar, twice he lied about his wife Sarah, Isaac lied concerning his wife Rebekah, Jacob was a deceiver, and the Israelites did not return to Canaan after the famine during Joseph’s time ended. All these failures led to eventual consequences. The Israelites were subjugated to slavery and faced annihilation in Egypt; Jews and the descendants of Ishmael have had resentment between themselves for centuries.

5.                                  Mosaic Law: This is from the giving of the Mosaic Law at Mt. Sinai to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross at Mt. Calvary (Ex 19—Mt 27:56; Mk 15:41; Lk 23:49; Jn 20:30). The Mosaic Law with its 613 commandments served as a moral restrainer on sin (Ga 3:23-25), along with the previous governance of each dispensation. The people also failed this test as well. They broke the Mosaic Law repeatedly (Jr 31:32; Ek 16) and were compared to those whose hearts were made of stone (Ek 32;26; Zc 7:12). This failure also led to consequences with the people eventually being taken captive by the Assyrians and Babylonians and eventually led to their temporary removal from their place of blessing (Ro 11) leading to their worldwide dispersion.

God made three covenants with Israel during this dispensation:

Mosaic Covenant (Ex 24:1-18; Dt 11:1-32): This established Isael as a nation before the Lord and was a conditional covenant in that they would be blessed through their obedience and would face hardship through disobedience. When things began to go wrong, they would know they needed to course correct. If they did not, more and more hardship would come upon them which would eventually lead to their captivity. God gave them the Ark of the Covenant for a perpetual reminder of this covenant he had establish with them.

Deuteronomic Covenant (Dt 30:1-20): This did not change their unconditional covenant with God as to the possession of their land but was a conditional covenant that required their obedience to be able to stay within their land. Repentance and obedience would allow their return.

Davidic Covenant (2Sa 7:8-16): God would provide the throne to David and his descendants forever.

6.                                  Grace: This is from the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to his second coming (Mt 27:57; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:50; Jn 19:31—Rv 19:21). While the Mosaic Law never functioned as a way to achieve salvation (Ga 2:16), it did serve as a rule of life. Grace, although evident in the Old Testament, did not begin to function as a ruling governance until Christ’s first coming and his death on the cross. Both Jews and Gentiles are to receive the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection, and live with power given to them via the Holy Spirit.

Mankind also fails this test as most unsaved humans do not accept the gift of righteousness that Christ offers them. Believers do not always live godly lives, make disciples, use their spiritual gifts wisely, or operate within the authority given them through the Holy Spirit. Even though there may be a spiritual revival and a unification of the bride of Christ, in the end of this dispensation the unsaved will stage a major revolt against God’s rule and Christendom will become apostate.

The consequences of this failure will become dire. God may even chasten some through premature physical death (Ac 5:1-6; 1Co 5:1-5; 11:27-32; Hb 12:5-13; 1Jn 5:16) and some local churches may be put out of commission (Rv 2:5). Near the end of this dispensation, God will remove the Holy Spirit’s restraint of evil (2Th 2:7-8), divine judgments will be poured out (Rv 6-19), and the revolt of the unsaved will be crushed (Rv 19:17-21).

During this dispensation is the establishment of the New Covenant which Jeremiah first mentions (Jr 31:31-34). It began with the crucifixion of Christ whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins becoming the symbol of this new covenant (Mt 26:27-29) and a drink offering poured out for us (Mk 14:24) to show his joy in doing this for us (Hb 12:2). The act of dying was not joyous but knowing it would lead to the restoration of his fellowship with us going forward was the joy with which he looked forward to (2Co 5:18-21). This will come to full fruition when he returns, purifies, and claims all those who belong to him (Zc 13:1; Rv 20:4-6).

7.                                  Millennium: This is from the second coming of Christ and will end immediately before the release of Satan from the abyss and his final revolt (Rv 20:1-6). Christ will rule over the entire earth in righteousness (Is 11:1-5; Zc 14;9-10). Mankind will ultimately fail here as well. Despite having a perfect government and exceptional, idyllic, conditions, it will be shown that mankind’s failure and rebellion comes from his own inward, sinful nature which rejects the rule of God and asserts self-rule. Those who rebel outwardly during Christ’s reign will be executed (Is 11:3-4; 29:20-21; Jr 31:29-30). God will crush the revolt which will occur at the end of this dispensation and cast Satan who leads this final rebellion into the lake of fire for everlasting torment (Rv 20:9-10).

After this comes the judgment of Satan (Rv 20:7-10), the judgment of the unrighteous (Rv 20:11-15), the creation of the new heaven and new earth (Rv 21:1), the coming of the New Jerusalem (Rv 21:2-27), and our eternal existence of Christ (Rv 22:1-21).

Now, can we say that either Covenant Theology or Dispensational Theology is right and the other wrong? No. I don’t think we can make such a claim. Both approaches are valid, I think, but the scope of each is different. Covenant Theology focuses on the grace of God and that is an important aspect for us humans to grasp and understand. Yet, while important, it is not the totality of Scripture. I think Dispensational Theology is a little more comprehensive for us to understand not only the grace of God but also the rule of God. The former seems to focus more on how mankind is important to God whereas the latter focuses more on how we are a part of God’s overarching plan. We should understand the merits and limits of each. After all, each concept is manmade, so we can’t expect either one to be flawless in its scope or explanation. Only God’s word is flawless, and we should always focus more intently on that rather than a manmade concept. Both concepts are helpful guides in our understanding of Scripture, but we always need the Holy Spirit to guide us as we study and learn from him, our true teacher.

Note: most of this post’s concepts were taken from the book There Really is a Difference by Renald E. Showers.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Before we start talking about the different covenants found in Scripture, we need to understand its definition. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it means a formal, solemn, binding agreement that is sealed between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action. So, when we talk about covenants in the Bible, we are talking about a binding agreement between God and mankind or specific human individuals. Now, that sounds very straight forward, doesn’t it? Well, unfortunately, we humans seem to have a knack for making the simple complicated, don’t we?

There could be more views, but typically there are two main views about covenants. Let’s briefly examine these.

One view comes from a doctrine called Covenant Theology which teaches there are only three covenants in Scripture: the Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace. Some combine the covenants of redemption and of grace into one: the Covenant of Mercy.

1.      The Covenant of Redemption was made between God the Father and God the Son in eternity past because of God’s foresight in knowing that mankind would fall away from him when tested by Satan. The requirement for the Son to accomplish this was to become human and be without sin under Mosaic Law. The reward to the Son from this covenant would be resurrection, numerous believers in him, all power in Heaven and earth, and great glory.

2.      The Covenant of Works was made between the triune God and Adam when in the Garden of Eden as Adam was the representative head of all humans who were to follow him via reproduction. The requirement for Adam was perfect obedience to God. The reward for Adam and his descendants was eternal life. Failure to meet this expectation was physical, spiritual, and eternal death.

3.      The Covenant of Grace was made between the offended God (because of Adam’s disobedience) and a certain grouping of human beings. There seems to be controversy as to who this human contingent is supposed to be. Some say it is the sinner (all humans separated from God due to Adam’s sin). Others say it is the elect or the elect sinner in Christ (in other words, those who accept Christ’s actions on the cross to pay for their sin).

Likely because the second party in the Covenant of Grace is hard to define, some roll this covenant into the Covenant of Redemption and called it the Covenant of Mercy since the Covenant of Redemption is the eternal model and foundation for the Covenant of Grace and provides the means for its execution.

Now, these covenants are not mentioned in Scripture by these names. Is there anything wrong with this biblical thinking? Well, yes and no. It does provide the biblical teaching of the redemptive act of Christ, states that salvation is by grace through faith, and these beliefs show the motivation for what man is to believe and practice. Yet, we need to ask ourselves, do these covenant descriptions meet the definition of the term covenant provided at the beginning of this post? Unfortunately, I don’t think it does. The premise is good, the biblical teaching is good, but it falls short of its definition.

First, a covenant is to be a solemn, binding covenant between two parties. None of these are presented in Scripture as such. Granted, they can be implied but they are not provided for us to really examine. The one that really falls short of this aspect of the definition is the Covenant of Grace. If one can’t nail down who the second party is, then it can’t really be a covenant because both parties must agree to its conditions and requirements.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the concept of this covenant as provided is certainly true but without a defined party, I’m not sure it can be classified as a true covenant with the definition that is normally provided for this word.

There is another aspect of these covenants that seems to fall short of what we know of in Scripture. Not that they are necessarily wrong, but that they are too limited. These covenants, as defined, seem to indicate that the sole purpose of history is for the salvation of the elect. While that is definitely an important part of biblical truth, it is not the entire truth of what Scripture reveals to us. While God most definitely has a plan and purpose for the elect, God’s ultimate goal in history must be large enough to incorporate other programs that are part of Scripture: the non-elect, nations, rulers, Satan, and nature to name a few of these other important systems that must be incorporated into an overarching biblical plan. I think we need to be cautious when the theme of Scripture has man as its center. While that may not be the intent of the concept of these covenants as defined here, it does seem to imply such. I think God, and especially Jesus Christ, is the focus of Scripture. We are part of his plan, but we are only a part of his ultimate plan.

Also, I’m not sure why these three covenants are conveyed as the only covenants of Scripture when Scripture itself mentions the term covenant in its text. The word “covenant” is used almost 290 times in Scripture. Here are just a few of the specific times: with Noah: Gn 6:18; 9:9-17; with Abraham: Gn 15:18, 17:2-21; with Israel: Ex 24:7-8, 34:27-29; with David: 2Sa 7:28, 23:5; 2Ch 7:18; and new covenant: Jr 31:31-32. Sometimes, it seems the text is quite nuanced in what is being said about a covenant. I know the point is to convey what is being said at a high level, but shouldn’t an effort be made to explain how these three take all these others into account as well as explain why covenants not specifically named in Scripture are used while those covenants mentioned in Scripture are not part of the names provided for this theological philosophy.

Also, there are other aspects that need to be considered. For example, these three covenants do not distinguish between Israel and the Church as it is about believers throughout history. While that is true to a certain extent, Scripture does indicate there is a distinction between the two and that God has a distinct plan for each (Ro 11:25-27). Also, the overall teaching with these three covenants seems to apply historical-grammatical hermeneutics to Scriptures which have already been fulfilled but applies more allegorical elements to unfulfilled Scripture. This seems dichotomous and would require one to continually move from allegorical to historical as time progresses as more and more prophetic scripture becomes fulfilled.

In the beginning of this post, I stated there are two covenant philosophies. What is the second one? Stay tuned and we will discuss this second one next time. I hope you join me.

Note: most of this post’s concepts were taken from the book There Really is a Difference by Renald E. Showers.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Christ’s Transfiguration was not just an event, but an event that was meant to influence. We earlier saw that Jesus spoke to Moses and Elijah about his departure (same word as Exodus).

They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Lk 9:31)

Jesus may have compared his departure to Moses’ exodus. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt to their Promised Land. Christ was going to lead his people out of their sin and the righteous out of Sheol into Heaven. Christ may also have discussed with Moses about his own death, and how symbolic Elijah would become for Israel as he would represent the time of their Messiah coming to them.

If Moses and Elijah were truly transported from their time, they were being taught what Jesus was about to do. We went over what being with Christ at his Transfiguration meant for these two important people in Israel’s past but their present. What does the Transfiguration mean for us today?

While Moses and Elijah may or may not have been transported through time to the Transfiguration with Christ, the Transfiguration is a timeless event with great significance. It helps us to put all that Christ said in its proper context. When Jesus talked about he and God being one (Jn 10:30), this helps us to realize he was speaking literally and not metaphorically. He was both man and God in human form. He was not partly one or the other but fully man and fully God. Because of his divinity, he was the only one who could die for everyone, take on the sin of everyone, and pay for the sin of all mankind (1Jn 2:2).

This helps us to see the proper order of how he fulfilled Scripture: Christ had to take care of the spiritual aspects of prophecy before he could take care of the physical aspects of prophecy. Everything written about him and what he will accomplish will still come to pass

As Moses and Elijah gave hope to Israel about their coming Messiah and how they would one day be with him forever no matter in which time they lived, Jesus is our hope and assurity of us being with him forever.

Christ’s Transfiguration gives us assurity in him and in his promises to us. Christ identified with mankind by being born into our world to identify with us. He came as an infant so he could experience every aspect of humanity: being a toddler, an awkward adolescent, a young man, all the experiences that go with each stage of human development. When he says he knows us, he really does know us and what we are going through. But he not only experienced our lives, but Christ died for our sins to solve our sin problem so that we could be reconciled back to God and have a relationship with him. He considered a relationship with us more important than maintaining a spirit oneness with God the Father. He is no longer spirit, but has a glorified body (1Ti 2:5) just as we one day will have (Ro 6:5; 1 Co 15:49; 1Jn 3:2). Christ will one day return as our victor and reign over us bringing in a utopian society with peace and harmony between mankind and over the animal kingdom, and so he can be among us and fellowship with us for all eternity. God is a relational being and desires to have an eternal relationship with us, so Christ, as God the Son, was willing to sacrifice so much for us because his love for us superseded everything else.

One main question that arises from these observations and the impact this had on Moses and Elijah is the following: Can others tell we have been with Christ?

Moses and Elijah got out of the way and let Yahweh shine through them. This was only accomplished by spending time with him. It was physically evident that Moses had been with God. His face literally shone from his time spent within God’s Shekinah glory. What about Elijah? The shining of his face waned over time, but that was not his only transformation. He became one of the boldest prophets ever. His demeanor before and after his encounter with God is profound. Just by his actions and demeanor, everyone knew he had been with God and spent time with him.

This is true for us today as well. We need to spend time with Christ. Moses and Elijah became like the moon, reflecting God’s glory. They had no glory of their own but reflected God’s glory to others. Are we doing the same? By doing so, Moses and Elijah became much greater than who they could have become on their own. In Jewish circles, Moses and Elijah became highly revered-not just because of what they did but because they allowed God to work through them.

What about you? Do people see Christ when they look at you? So how do we become like Moses and Elijah to reflect Christ in our lives?

As we live in this new year, there are three things we need to ensure:

1.      Surrender to who Christ is:

He has identified with us (Pp 2:8); he had redeemed us (Tt 2:14); he promises to be with us for eternity (Ro 6:23). Because of his Transfiguration, we can better understand his divinity which gives us the ability to trust his word as truth.

2.      Surrender to who the Holy Spirit is:

He has promised to indwell us (Ro 5:5) and empower us (Ep 3:20); he has promised to always be with us (2Jn 2:2); he has promised to lead and direct us (2Co 2:14) if we let him. As we yield to him and his prompting, we can be assured we are doing the will of Christ.

3.      The work has been done for us:

We only have to submit (Ja 4:7); we only have to let him lead (2Co 2:14); we only have to follow (1Co 11:1). Christ’s Transfiguration ensures the profitability of our present and our future. If we yield completely to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and do what they command and prompt us to do, we can have the best year ever!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

One of the prerequisites for Moses and Elijah to time travel from their time to where Christ was at his Transfiguration was for their timelines to parallel, so they were in the same place at the same time of year in their own timeline. The last few posts gave this, but we haven’t looked at this aspect side by side. Let’s do that now. Here is a table with this side-by-side comparison:

From this table we see that Israel was born as a nation at the first Shavuot, Elijah had his encounter with the prophets of Baal near Shavuot, and Jesus likely celebrated Shavuot in Jerusalem.

Each of their next events took approximately one week. Moses would make sacrifices, take the elders and priests to eat on the mountain with the preincarnate Christ, and ascend farther up the mountain than the others. Elijah would flee to Beersheba and then into the wilderness from Samaria which would take approximately one week. And it would take Jesus and his disciples approximately one week to get back to Galilee from Jerusalem.

Next, Moses remained on Sinai for 40 days. It took 40 days for Elijah to get to Sinai from where he collapsed in the wilderness. It likely took approximately 40 days for Jesus to wind up his Galilean ministry as he would speak in Capernaum, Bethsaida, travel north to Tyre and Sidon, and then travel to Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mt. Hermon.

Each of their next events took approximately one week. Moses would chide the Israelites and make intercession for them. Elijah would be in the cave approximately one week to rest up before God met with him (although we have no specific time mentioned in scripture). And it would take about one week for Jesus to travel to and up Mt. Hermon from Caesarea Philippi.

Christ’s Transfiguration then occurred on Mt. Hermon with Moses and Elijah transported from their place at Sinai.

Moses remains on Mt. Sinai for an additional 40 days in God’s presence, which is why his face still shown when he came down the mountain. It took Elijah 40 days to reach Abel-Meholah and carry out God’s commands. Since it took 40 days to get there, this is likely why there is no mention of Elijah’s face shining because it had worn off by that time. Jesus then travels toward Jerusalem with his disciples and focuses on his coming crucifixion.

Moses then began the construction of the tabernacle according to God’s commands. Elijah followed God’s instructions to call Elisha as his companion prophet and anoint Jehu as king of Northern Israel. Jesus taught at the temple in Jerusalem about his divinity and coming crucifixion.

Therefore, while not proof. The timeline does support the possibility of Moses and Elijah being transported from Mt. Sinai in their timeline to Mt. Hermon for the Transfiguration of Christ. While we don’t know if Moses and Elijah were transported to be with Christ on Mt. Hermon from their own time, the timing of the events in each of their lives would lend itself for this to occur.

So it would seem that Christ used his Transfiguration for multiple purposes. Does it have a significance for us today? Oh, yes, it most certainly does. We’ll discuss this aspect next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In order to understand how Elijah was involved with Christ’s Transfiguration, we need to understand something about what are called early and latter rains. We find the following in Deuteronomy:

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. (Dt 11:13-15)

In Israel the early rains came in the autumn (October-November) and the latter rains came in the spring (March-April). Plowing occurred after the early rains softened the soil. Planting was then done for a spring harvest of barley and wheat. Plowing occurred after the latter rains for planting of fall harvest of flax and millet.

What Elijah prophesied was not just no rain, but a drought, three and a half years of drought:

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. (1Ki 17:1)

While the Bible doesn’t say what time of year Elijah prophesied the drought to start, for maximum effect, it would likely be some time before the latter rains and before the maturation of the fall harvest. This would likely occur before Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets at the beginning of Tishri, the seventh month) to show that God was not remembering his covenant with Israel due to their sin of worshipping Baal.

Elijah was told to go to the Cherith Ravine (1Ki 17:5). This was near where Elijah grew up in Gilead. There was a stream here normally until mid-Summer when it would dry up; perhaps it dried up earlier this time due to the drought. Therefore, his time here was likely no more than half a year.

Elijah was then told to go to Zarephath (1Ki 17:9). This is slightly north of Israel in what is today Lebanon. Ironically, this is the area from where Jezebel grew up. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab and a very wicked woman who led all of Israel into the worship of Baal through her 450 prophets.

Elijah is later told to go to Mt. Carmel and have a showdown with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal here as many of the people gathered and looked on at the spectacle (1Ki 18:19). The prophets of Baal pleaded with Baal to light their sacrifice with fire and, after a time, even cut themselves to show their devotion to him by giving him their blood, but nothing happened (1Ki 18:25-29). After the prophets of Baal gave up requesting and pleading with Baal to light their sacrifice, Elijah prepares his sacrifice by building an altar as God had commanded one to be built, dug a trench around the altar, and then poured several barrels of water over the sacrifice to wet the wood which overflowed into the surrounding trench. At Elijah’s request, God sends fire from heaven which consumed not only the sacrifice, but the stones of the altar, and the water that was poured over it in the trenches surrounding the altar (1Ki 18:30-39).

The people fell to their faces and worshiped God. Elijah then had the prophets of Baal slain. Elijah prayed earnestly for rain three times. Rain came, but it wasn’t normal rain but a torrential downpour (1Ki 18:44-45).

When Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done, she sent a letter to Elijah stating that she was going to do the same to him as he did to her prophets of Baal. For some reason, this frightened Elijah, and he feared for his life (1Ki 19:3a). He became so frightened he fled from Samaria to Beersheba and then a day's journey into the wilderness where he collapsed. After being fed by an angel twice, he had enough strength to reach a cave at Mt. Sinai after forty days of travel (1Ki 19:3b-9).

If the drought started sometime before Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) before maturation of Fall Harvest, then 3 ½ years later would put the time around Shavuot (May/June) when he had his encounter with the 450 prophets of Baal.

While at the cave at Mt. Sinai, God spoke to him:

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” (1Ki 19:11a)

This is likely the time Elijah was transported to the Transfiguration to see Christ.

Once he was back at Sinai, God helped Elijah see his lack of understanding.

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1Ki 19:11b-13).

This seems to be not one event but two: he was first called to the mouth of the cave to experience the presence of the Lord, but then later was farther back in the cave and went to the mouth of the cave again. If he was transported to Christ’s Transfiguration, this would explain why he was within the cave and called to its front twice.

God then gave Elijah instructions (1Ki 19:15). He was to travel to Abel-Meholah. Getting there would have taken another 40 days. This may be reason there is no mention of his face glowing as the glow would have faded over this time.

Abel-Meholah was near where Elisha grew up. Elijah found Elisha plowing in his father’s field. Plowing was not possible until now, even though late, because of the drought and the torrential downpour they had just experienced. Upon hearing his calling from Elijah, Elisha sacrificed his oxen and used the wood from the plow as kindling (1Ki 19:21). This implied he was willing to leave his profession permanently to follow God and Elijah. Elijah also anointed Jehu as the next king of Northern Israel as God had commanded him to do.

For Elijah, meeting with Christ would have been an encouragement to him that his mission was far greater than he had ever believed. This may have been the beginning of the story that Elijah would be a forerunner of their coming Messiah. Only Malachi mentions this in Scripture (Ml 4:5). Yet Elijah became larger and more infamous than all the other prophets even though Scripture does not place him as such before Malachi says anything about him. This is curious because other prophets were of great renown and had a lot more information written about them, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Yet, it seems Elijah surpassed them all in renown. This may also have prepared Elijah for him becoming a symbol of hope that at some point in their future, they could be with their Messiah without having to die as they enter the Messiah’s promised future kingdom where all would be back like the garden of Eden with peace between humans and within the animal realm, and where Israel would become a nation that all other nations would look up to.

While not proof, this likelihood of Elijah transported from Sinai to Mt. Hermon for Christ’s Transfiguration does help to explain many things the Israelites would need to piece together as they lived and looked forward to their coming Messiah.

Next, let’s compare the timeline between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus for a better understanding of how they all parallel each other. Stay with me and we’ll do that next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We’re looking for evidence of Moses being taken from Mt. Sinai to be at Christ’s Transfiguration on Mt. Hermon. So, let’s look at the timing and circumstances around his encounter with God on Mt. Sinai.

First, let’s look at the timing. The first Shavuot occurred at Mt. Sinai. Israel left Egypt the day after Passover (Ex 12:21, 31) which became known as the first day of Unleavened Bread (Ex13:4-6). The next day became known as the Feast of First Fruit once they entered the Promised Land (Lv 23:9). They arrived at Sinai on Day 46 which was the first day of the Third Month (Sivan; Ex 19:1). They consecrated themselves for two days (Ex 19:10-11). On Day 48, God appeared with fire and smoke on the mountain (Ex 19:16). Day 49, Moses wrote down all that God had said (Ex 24:4). Then, on Day 50, Israel was consecrated as a nation before God (Ex 24:8). Shavuot occurs 50 days after First Fruit (Lv 23:16).

Moses then goes up Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. Exodus 24:13-18 tells us that Moses went up the mountainside with Joshua:

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. (v 15)

It tells us what God’s presence looked like to those down below:

To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. (v17)

After 7 days, Moses went further up the mountain:

Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. (v 18)

Because Moses was on the mountain for so long, the Israelites assumed Moses likely died in the fire on the mountain. To appease the people, Aaron makes a golden calf for the people to worship (Ex 32:4-6).

When Moses came down from the mountain, he broke the stone with the Ten Commandments God had written with his own hand before them (Ex 32:19). This showed his disapproval as well as God disapproval. Moses then destroyed the idol and made the people drink the water with the ashes of the golden calf in it (Ex 32:20). Approximately, three thousand people died that day because of their sin (Ex 32:28). While Moses did intercede for the people, God still sent a plague(Ex 32:35).

Next, Moses takes stone tablets he prepared back up the mountain as God instructed, and he asked to see God (Ex 33:18). Once he was back on the mountain, God granted his request:

Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. (Ex 34:5)

This is likely the time Moses was transported to the Transfiguration where he meets Christ—Yahweh or Jehovah.

Once Moses was back at Sinai, God the Father shields him and passes before him. This also confirms that God the Father and God the Son are part of the Godhead as both are referred to as LORD (Yahweh or Jehovah).

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished (Ex 34:6-7a)

This would be a testimony to Moses that Christ who he just met was also God and emphasize what Jesus told him about his coming death to forgive their sin. One of things Jesus spoke to him about was “his departure” (Lk 9:31), i.e., his crucifixion which would soon occur. The word for departure is the same word as exodus. Christ was likely comparing the exodus Moses had with the children of Israel out of Egypt to the exodus he was providing for his people out of their sin and providing for the exodus of the righteous from Sheol. Perhaps this is what prompts Moses to ask God if he would forgive their sin, go with them, and not forsake his people (Ex 34:9). God reiterates his provisional covenant to Moses – prosperity and protection with obedience (Ex 34:10-11).

Moses’ face did not shine until he came down from the mountain with the second version of the Ten Commandments.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. (Ex 34:29)

His face did not shine from being with God previously—only this time. Could the reason be that he was with Christ on Mt. Hermon experiencing Christ’s transfiguration? Moses likely didn’t know he was transported through time but only knew he had encountered the Lord.

After this time, when he went inside the Tent of Meeting, he met with the Shekinah glory of God, which would have been Yahweh, or Christ, as Moses seemed to need to continually wear the veil over his face (Ex 34:34-35).

For Moses, meeting with Christ would be an encouragement to him regarding his ordained mission. It proved far greater than he had ever believed. This likely allowed him to have more compassion and patience with the Israelites. This is not to say that he still did not become frustrated with their actions at times.

This could be a reason Moses was able to predict the coming of Jesus:

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me (Moses) from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. (Dt 18:15)

This likely helped Moses better understand the purpose of the Law given to him. The Tabernacle and its sacrifices were not only requirements but were prophetic in nature. Moses would also better understand he would become a symbol of hope. He represented all those righteous Israelites who die will one day be with their coming Messiah in heaven. Perhaps Jesus told him this. This may also be how Moses could have written about his death and the dispute over his body with Satan before the event actually occurred.

In addition, this could be the genesis of many Jewish leaders understanding the prophetic nature of their feast days and sacrifices. While not necessarily stated in Scripture, many of the Jewish commentaries, like the Mishna, points to a lot of this understanding. Perhaps the genesis for all these understandings came from Moses’ conversations with Christ at his transfiguration. This is different from us today. We see Jesus and what he did and can retrofit his actions and deeds into Old Testament scriptures. The Jews, however, prospectively saw their Messiah fulfilling all these things in their Torah and prophetical scriptures.

While not proof, this likelihood of Moses transported from Sinai to Mt. Hermon for Christ’s Transfiguration does help to explain many things the Israelites would need to piece together as they lived and looked forward to their coming Messiah.

What about Elijah? We’ll discuss him next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

There seems to be a lot of evidence that Jabal al-Lawz, the mountain in northwest Saudia Arabia is the same as the Biblical Mt. Sinai. Both Mt. Sinai and Mt. Hermon are what some call “thin places,” that is, where the earthly and heavenly realms touch each other, and one can have an encounter with God. We know this is true for Moses (Ex 34:5), Elijah (1Ki 19:11), and the apostle Paul (Ga 1:17) at Mt. Sinai. And was certainly true for Peter, James, and John at Mt. Hermon (Lk 9:28-31), as we have discussed.

Yet, some proport that the connection between these two mountains goes even deeper. Some believe that Moses and Elijah were not just brought back but were brought to Mt. Hermon from their own time and place. Meaning that what occurred with Moses, what occurred with Elijah, and what occurred with Jesus all happened at the exact same time. Is this possible?

Well, anything with God is possible. God exists outside time and can see our past, present, and future simultaneously. He would certainly be able to take Moses and Elijah out of each of their own times so they could encounter Jesus together simultaneously. But the question is did he? Such an event would definitely make it even more profound. Is there any proof of such a thing? Perhaps not proof per say, but at least anything to corroborate or show the possibility of such an event?

For this to occur, it would mean that all three would need to be in their place at the same time in their history so they could all be pulled into a meeting out of their time. So, for this to be plausible, both Moses and Elijah would have had to be in the cave on Mt. Sinai at the same time of year as Jesus was on Mt. Hermon. They would then both be brought through time to where Jesus stood on Mt. Hermon. Do we have evidence of that?

As we described when Christ was on Mt. Hermon, it would put him there about two months after Shavuot in the month of Av.

Would the same be true for Moses and Elijah? Could such occur by mere coincidence? Possibly, but likely not probably. I mean, to have Jesus on Mt. Hermon likely on the 15th of Av, have Moses in the cave on Mt. Sinai on the 15th of Av during his encounter with God, and then to have Elijah in the cave on Mt. Sinai on the 15th of Av during his encounter with God seems more than what could happen by mere happenstance. For such to occur, it would have to be by divine appointment. Who but God could achieve such? Did he? Well, let’s explore this. Let’s see the timing of events surrounding Moses’ encounter with God and compare those to Elijah’s encounter with God. It won’t be conclusive, but sometimes circumstantial evidence becomes greater than mere circumstance.

Join me next time as we investigate this quest for clues of time travel for Moses and Elijah.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In previous posts, we have discussed where the Transfiguration occurred and why it occurred. Now comes the question of why were Moses and Elijah present at Christ’s Transfiguration? What is their significance in being a part of this awe-inspiring event?

Moses represented The Law. This was the bedrock of the Jewish faith. Jesus was stating that he was the one come to fulfill the Law so that he could make a new covenant with Israel, just as the prophet Jeremiah had predicted (Jr 31:31).

Elijah represented The Prophets and the one who became associated with the Messiah’s coming. This part of scripture was the hope given to the Jewish people where a kingdom promised to them would come about and restore all things back to the state like the Garden of Eden was in the beginning, and Israel would be raised to be the nation all nations would look up to.

Jesus is the key to these prophecies. By revealing his glory, he is stating that he is the One and the one with the authority to fulfill all prophecies concerning himself and what he will accomplish. This is why Jesus stated the following during his ministry:

“Do not think I [Jesus Christ] have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17).

Moses gave the hope to the Israelites that those who die will one day be able to be with their Messiah immediately upon death rather than going to Sheol (The Hope Given Us Through Moses). How does Moses represent this? He did not stay buried, but was raised, given a glorified body, and taken to heaven. This caused a dispute between Michael, one of God’s archangels, and Satan (Ju 9). Why? Likely because this was not how things were supposed to work. At that time, all who died, both righteous and unrighteous, went to Sheol. God went against the norm to demonstrate something that would give the Israelites hope: the hope of one day being with their Messiah upon death and not having to reside in Sheol. Jesus was the one who took the righteous ones, captive in Sheol, to be with him in heaven (Ps 68:18; Ep 4:8; Sheol Relocated?). This is why Paul was then able to state that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord (2Co 5:8).

Elijah gave credence to Christ being the Messiah as Elijah was to herald the Messiah’s coming (Ml 4:5), and he revealed how, one day, some people will be able to be with their Messiah without having to die (The Hope Given Us Through Elijah). This was a prelude to those alive at his coming to be translated without death into their glorified bodies. Why do I say this? Elijah was a prophet who was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot without having to die to get there (2Ki 2:11).

So, Moses and Elijah not only revealed the mission Jesus was performing for mankind, these two Old Testament figures also revealed the future promise that Scripture stated about how the righteous would be with their Messiah forever (What Was Special About Enoch, Moses, and Elijah).

Yet, this event may have yielded information for both Moses and Elijah in their own timeline. We now get into something you may view as being science fiction. Stay with me and see if this gives new insights for us. Perhaps this is something you’ve never considered. Come join me next time as we discuss this.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last few posts, we have addressed the when and where of Christ’s Transfiguration. The next question is the following: Why the Transfiguration? We know that the event was at the end of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee region. This event now marks the beginning of another focus of Christ on his earthly mission. After coming down from the mountain, he teaches for the last time in Capernaum, then goes through Samaria also teaching, and then goes to Jerusalem where he teaches at the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The rest of his ministry, about six months, was in Judea and Perea. Going forward, he doesn’t return to the Galilee region.

Christ’s Transfiguration was not talked about until after Christ’s resurrection. Jesus told Peter, James, and John the following:

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Mt 17:9)

Once Christ left the Galilee region, he did not return, so for him to have this event occur on Mt. Hermon, it had to be at this time because he would not be coming back to this region. It was important for the disciples to focus on this event later, but not now. Discussion now would only be a distraction to his new focus: his crucifixion. He had much to still teach them before his crucifixion and did not want them to become distracted from what they now needed to focus on. Christ’s crucifixion was something new to them as well. While, he had mentioned his coming death previously, it was not something the disciples dwelt on or understood. Now, they would need to. Besides, they did not understand Christ’s Transfiguration and all would be speculation on their part at this time. It would make sense to them only after his resurrection. Therefore, Christ’s Transfiguration was for the benefit of the Early Church and down to us today. It reveals the deity of Christ and validates everything he has spoken.

God gave his disciples physical proof of his deity so they could proclaim who he was with the utmost conviction and be able to tell what they had seen and experienced to give credence to their testimony about him and the gospel message they would be spreading.

Maybe Jesus was also making another proclamation—something else that the Gates of Hades could not thwart. Based upon this timeline we discussed earlier, this would put the Transfiguration about two months after Shavuot (Pentecost) and place it in the month Av (July/August). The 15th of Av is known as Tu B’Av, the Day of Love. This was traditionally when the Jewish virgins would avail themselves as being available for matrimony, a precursor to the English tradition of the debutante ball letting society know they were seeking a bridegroom. It has become almost like our Valentine’s Day. Perhaps Jesus used this day to demonstrate and present himself as the bridegroom to his soon-to-be Church. Again, this is something that the Early Church would be able to better understand than the disciples would at this particular time. Peter, James, and John seeing Christ’s divinity would be able to attest to the validity of Christ being the bridegroom and would one day receive his bride, the Church (2Co 11:2; Rv 19:7).

There are other aspects to Christ’s Transfiguration that we need to better understand as well. Why was Moses and Elijah there? Stay tuned. We’ll start to get into this next time. I hope you join me. You may just be surprised.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Last time, we talked about two reasons that Mt. Hermon in northern Israel was likely the mountain on which Christ’s Transfiguration took place: proximity to what Christ was doing with his disciples at the time and the spiritual significance of this particular mountain. Let’s further explore these reasons.

At the foot of Mt. Hermon lay the city of Caesarea Philippi. This was where the head waters of the Jordan river began, creating a lush and very beautiful area. Yet, behind the beauty stood a lot of evil. In the bedrock at the base of this mountain stood a cave that became so deep, the rumor was that it led all the way to Hades, so it had the reputation of being the gateway to the underworld. This area became the place of Baal worship (a god worshipped for the bringing of rain and fertility, and who had been the bane of existence of the nation of Israel almost from its inception); it later became the place for the worship of Pan (a demi-god being half human, half goat) who was worshipped through practices of bestiality to gain his favor and ensure the fertility of their herds. It was also a place where divinations were made by looking at the entrails of animals. The Greeks named the city Panias in Pan’s honor. The Romans added their influence as well. When Herod Philip was given this area to rule, he built up this area and named it after himself and dedicated it to Caesar, hence the name Caesarea Philippi. Philip also instituted the worship of Caesar here as well by building a temple here in his honor.

This was the place where Jesus asked his disciples who people said he was and who they believed he was. Peter stated, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16). Jesus then states, “And I tell you that you are Peter (Jesus used the Greek word petros meaning stone, a small rock), and on this rock (Jesus used the Greek word petra meaning something much larger than a stone, often referring to bedrock or a cliff, likely referring to the proclamation Peter had just stated) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” While they were standing at what was touted as the gateway to Hades, Christ is saying that what Satan has erected will not be able to stand against what he, Jesus, was going to build. Also, death itself is known as the gate of Hades, so not even death itself will be able to stand against what Christ would build, i.e., his Church.

I think Christ used Mt. Hermon for his Transfiguration because of the mountain’s history and what was currently going on in this geographic region, making a statement that despite all that Satan had erected here, he was no match for his glory and his plan.

Mt. Hermon was believed to be the place the angels came down and married human women as recorded in Genesis 6. So, Mt. Hermon had a long history of how Satan held influence over the affairs of men and their belief system.

Christ is proclaiming that this belief system will soon be shattered by what he would do. His Transfiguration is the proof of his power to be able to do just that.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

There is somewhat of a debate about where Christ’s Transfiguration occurred. Some say Mt. Tabor and others say Mt. Hermon. As the Biblical Scriptures do not specify the specific mountain Jesus and his disciples climbed, can we really know? Well, let’s look at each of these mountains more closely.

Mt. Tabor is within the Jezreel Valey southwest of the Sea of Galilee. It is a mountain that Jesus and his disciples would be familiar with as it is a prominent feature in this area. While its height, approximately 2,000 feet, is not necessarily impressive, it looks more impressive because of the flat plain area within which it is located. It does have an important prominence in Israel’s history. When Joshua was dividing the land of Canaan for the twelve tribe of Israel, Mt. Tabor was a prominent landmark boundary utilized for demonstrating the boundary lines for Zebulun (Js 19:12), Issachar (Js 19:22), and Naphtali (Js 19:34). This was the place where the prophetess Deborah summoned Barak to gather his army (Jd 4:1-24) to go against their enemy, the Canaanite army; it was the place Gideon avenged the death of his brothers by the Midianite kings (Jd 8:18-21), and it was one of the high places where idol worship was performed (Ho 5:1). It was declared the place of Christ Transfiguration in 326 AD by Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constatine. During the first century, beacons were often lit here to communicate timing of holy days to northern Israel. It may also have been used militarily and had a wall built around it during this time as well, as referenced by the Jewish historian Josephus.

Mt. Hermon on the other hand is in the northwestern part of Israel and is as high as 9.000 feet in places with snow-capped peaks. It is also prominent in Israel’s history as it was the northern boundary of the land conquered by Joshua (Dt 3:8; Js 11:17) and marked the northern boundary of the half tribe of Manasseh and for Israel in general (1Ch 5:23). At the base of this mountain was the city Caesarea Philippi where Jesus had taken his disciples (Mt 16:13) just before he had his Transfiguration. Since this mountain is closer to this area than Mt. Tabor, it may be more likely the mountain scripture is referring to for Christ’s Transfiguration. It was also a place more secluded than Mt. Tabor where Jesus could be alone with his disciples (Mk 9:2).

Mt. Hermon also had a spiritual history that also makes it a more likely candidate for Christ’s Transfiguration to occur here. Next time we’ll go over what was spiritually significant about this area and how Christ used it to make a specific declaration about himself and what he was going to accomplish. Sound intriguing? Then stay tuned for next time when we’ll go over these spiritual aspects which, unfortunately, have a very dark side to them.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We often refer to Jesus as being 100% God and 100% man. There are many Scriptures we can point to where he tells us this as he called himself Son of Man as well as Son of God. It is likely easier for us, and especially Jesus’ disciples, to see and understand his humanity, but what about his divinity? Well, he settled this once and for all at his Transfiguration.

Yet, this event leaves us with quite a few questions: Why did he wait until near the end of his ministry to demonstrate his glory to Peter, James, and John? And why did he ask them to keep it a secret from the others? And why did he have both Moses and Elijah participate in this event? These are things I want us to explore together.

This event is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke). All three have almost identical descriptions. Here is how Luke described the event:

About 8 days after Jesus said this [referring to a conversation Jesus had with his disciples in Caesarea Philippi], he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Lk 9:28-31; similar in Mt 17:1-3, & Mk 9:2-4)

While John does not describe the event, he alludes to seeing Christ’s glory which likely refers to him seeing Jesus in his transfigured state. He states:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Jn 1:14)

Therefore, each gospel writer felt it important to include this event in their record of events of Jesus’ ministry.

This brings us to the first question to resolve: When did this event occur?

From Scripture we know that it occurred between Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). In the second year of his ministry, John 6 tells us that Passover was near when he taught and fed the 5,000 on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. He was still in the Galilee region when it was time for the Feast of Tabernacles, which we see in John 7. He did not go with his family to Jerusalem for the feast but went at a later date.

So, there is a five-month window for the Transfiguration to occur. The Synoptic Gospels record that the Transfiguration occurred sometime after the feeding of the 5,000. Can we tell within this 5-month window when it most likely occurred?

Between Passover (which occurred during the 1st month of the Jewish calendar), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, which occurred during the seventh month of the Jewish calendar) is the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost or Feast of Weeks) which occurred in the 3rd month (Sivan). According to Jewish Scriptures (the Torah), each of these feasts required their celebration to be held in Jerusalem by the men of the nation. Yet, during the 1st century, it was not necessarily expected that all Jewish men would be able to keep all three feasts in Jerusalem. Therefore, we don’t know for sure if Jesus went to Jerusalem for this feast or not. Yet, if he was a devout Jew, he likely did. And if he did, then we can figure out some of the timing between this feast and the event of his Transfiguration.

If Jesus did go to Jerusalem for Shavuot (Pentecost), his journey back to the Galilee region would take approximately one week if he traveled without hurrying.

It would then take about 40 days for him to complete his Galilean ministry and take his disciples to Caesarea Philippi, north of the Galilee region. Why do I say 40 days? Well, he not only did things in Galilee, but also in Bethsaida on the northern shore of Galilee, and then north of Galilee in Tyre and Sidon; he then traveled to Caesarea Philippi.

Scripture tells us it took about a week for Jesus to travel to and up Mt. Hermon with his disciples (Lk 9:28). It is believed that Mt. Hermon was the place that the Transfiguration occurred. Some teach the event occurred on Mt. Tabor, but that mountain is southwest of the Sea of Galilee and not near Caesarea Philippi and does not have the same spiritual significance as does Mt. Hermon.

What was special about Mt. Hermon? We’ll discuss that next time. I hope you join me.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Most of the focus at Christmastime is on the birth of Christ itself as that is what the Christmas story is all about. However, we need to also understand what Joseph, and especially Mary, had to go through for Jesus to be born during the time they lived with the customs and mores of the day. This event was extraordinary in more ways than one. This story below is from a viewpoint of a family in Nazareth who were associated with Joseph and, like Joseph, had to come to grips with what God was doing through Mary.

Mary Returns

Approximately 60 miles north of Jerusalem and 20 miles west of the Sea of Galilee lies a small inconsequential town called Nazareth. Running past the town well and across the street, a young girl in her teen’s bursts through the doorway of a small, but well-kept house where her mother is preparing the evening meal. “Ima! Ima!” she shouts. “She’s back! Mary’s back!”

Rebecca whips around, at first afraid her daughter is hurt, but then sighs in relief when she sees her unharmed—just excited. She then sees her youngest daughter, Hannah, follow Rachel into the house, now out of breath, as her younger and smaller legs had quite the workout to keep up with her older sister by about five years. Her cornsilk doll dangles and jostles as she runs to catch up holding it by its cloth arm.

“Gracious, Rachel,” Rebecca says. “You gave me such a fright.”

Rachel stops in her tracks, now looking somewhat sheepish. “Sorry, Ima.” Her eyes then brighten again. “May I go see her? It’s been a little over six months since she went to visit her cousin. She must have so much to tell me of her adventure.”

“Well . . .,” Rebecca begins, glancing at the food she is preparing knowing she needs her daughter’s help to get the meal finished on time as her husband, Eli, will expect.

“Yeah,” Hannah chimes in, “and she’s fat.”

Rebecca scrunches her brow and focuses on her youngest daughter, now noticing the dirt on her cheeks. “What? What do you mean? And how did you get so dirty so fast?” Rebecca wets her thumb with her tongue and begins wiping Hannah’s cheeks.

Hannah squirms. “Ima!” she says with irritation. She then speaks with exasperation. “I said, she’s fat. Her cousin must be wealthy.”

Rebecca shakes her head. “No, they’re no better off than we are.”

“Then why is she so fat?” Hannah asks, looking quite determined to know the answer to her question.

“What’s all the commotion?” Eli asks as he lays some stones down next to the doorway. “I was going to repair our courtyard, but I heard something about being fat.”

Rachel turns to her father. “May I go see Mary? She just got back.”

Eli cocks his head. “Mary?”

Rachel sighs. “Really, Abba. Mary. You know, my best friend, Mary.”

“Oh, she’s back?”

Rachel nods but her look indicates she feels her father is slow on the uptake.

“And she’s fat,” Hannah reiterates.

“Hannah, that’s not nice,” Rachel says in a somewhat scolding manner.

Hannah crosses her arms over her abdomen. “Well, she is.”

Eli’s gaze goes to Rebecca as his eyebrows raise, the tell-tale sign of asking for clarity. Rebecca motions with her head for Eli to come closer. She then turns to the girls.

“Why don’t the two of you go wash up? We’ll discuss when you can go visit at dinner.”

Rachel sighs with disappointment. “Yes, Ima.”

Both girls leave the room.

Eli walks over and says in almost a whisper. “I can only think of one thing that could make a young girl . . .” He does air quotes. “. . . fat.”

Rebecca nods. “My thoughts exactly.”

Eli shakes his head. “Joseph is going to be heartbroken. He’s my best friend. I’ve known him for many years. A good carpenter and craftsman. Very devout. Would have made a good provider. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling.”

“You don’t think . . .” Rebecca starts, but then stops herself. “No, it . . . it couldn’t be.” She cocks her head. “But that won’t stop the rumors.”

Eli’s eyes widen. “Rebecca! I’m surprised you would insinuate such a thing. Joseph is as honorable as they come. He would never engage in such a thing before their union is officially sanctioned.”

“I know, I know,” Rebecca says. “But, think about it, Eli. She leaves right after their betrothal. Now it’s a little over six months, and she’s showing.”

Eli shakes his head. “No. That cannot be a possibility.” He looks at her sternly. “And don’t you go start any such rumor as that. Eldad’s wife can spread a rumor faster than lightning, so don’t you dare even suggest such a thing to her.”

Rebecca holds up her hands. “I would never, Eli! Yet I don’t think I will have to say anything for such a rumor to start.”

Eli exhales hard through his nose in exasperation. “Poor Joseph. He’s likely hurt and confused. He’s talked about nothing over the last six months but him looking forward to making a life with Mary.” He paces for a minute in thought and then turns back to his wife. “A Roman! I bet a Roman took advantage of her.”

Rebecca’s eyes grow wide. “Well, that doesn’t make it any better!”

“It does for Joseph, though. He’ll be able to annul the marriage quickly and legitimately.”

Rebecca puts her hand to her cheek. “Oh, the shame for her family.”

“I’m going to go see Jospeh. He must be beside himself. Likely in shock right now and needs the support.”

“Bring him over for dinner. It’s not good for him to be by himself right now.”

Eli nods. “Good idea.” He kisses his wife on her cheek. “Be back soon.”

With that he leaves, travelling at a quick gait.

Joseph’s Response

Hannah’s chin lay in her palm with her arm propped on the table. “I’m hungry, Ima. Can’t we go ahead and eat?”

“We have to wait for Abba,” Rachel says. “You know that.”

Hannah sticks out her bottom lip. “All I know is my stomach is hungry.”

Rebecca knows she can’t keep the girls waiting all night, and if Eli returns with Joseph, she doesn’t want the girls to hear their conversation. She suddenly sits upright with a big smile on her face.

“I know. Why don’t I prepare a plate for you girls, and you eat your dinner on the roof.”

Hannah suddenly sits up with a quick change in disposition with eyes bright. “Really, Ima? You haven’t let us do that in ages.”

Rebecca quickly puts food on separate plates. Rachel pours water into two clay cups and hands them to Hannah. “Take these up to the roof and I’ll bring up your plate. All right?”

Hannah nods enthusiastically, putting her doll’s cloth arm between her teeth and then takes the two cups, one in each hand, out the door to go up the outside stairs to the roof.

Once Hannah leaves, Rachel turns to her mom. “What’s going on, Ima? I know there’s something you’re not telling me. It’s about Mary, isn’t it?”

Rebecca puts her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow about it. I promise.”

Rachel gives her mother a hard look, but then nods. “Okay. I’m Mary’s best friend, so if it is about her, I want to know.”

Rebecca nods. “Yes, I know. I agree.”

As she heads toward the door, Eli walks in with Joseph. Rachel pauses. “Hannah and I are going to eat on the roof. Ima’s suggestion.”

Eli smiles. “Great idea.” He walks over and kisses his daughter on the top of her head. “I’ll come and get you when it’s time to come back down. Joseph and I need to have a conversation.”

Rachel glances at Joseph who gives a weak smile. “Have fun under the stars. Sounds like a treat.”

She smiles back at Joseph and gives a nod to her father. “Yes, Abba.”

“Sorry to be late,” Eli says as he turns to Rebecca. “I waited for Joseph to talk to Mary’s family.” He then leans in close to Rebecca as he passes her, leading Joseph to the table, and whispers, “I don’t think it went very well.”

Rebecca’s eyebrows raise in anticipation of hearing the encounter, but she knows more than to ask a direct question. She simply nods but hopes Eli will elaborate. After serving, she sits at the other end of the table across from Eli with Joseph between them. She wants to be able to see Eli’s expressions as he and Joseph talk.

Eli turns to Joseph. “You never really said what happened. It was a Roman soldier, wasn’t it?”

Joseph looks solemn but simply shakes his head.

Eli takes a sip of the soup broth and then cocks his head. “No?” He glances at his wife giving a wide-eyed look like Joseph’s news proves even more devastating.”

Eli’s hand goes to Joseph’s arm. “Don’t tell me it was by a fellow Israelite.”

Rebecca gives a slight gasp but tries to quieten it with her hand going to her mouth.

Joseph simply shakes his head again.

Eli gives another glance at Rebecca, giving a slight shrug. He then turns his attention back to his friend.

“Joseph, tell me. What happened? Who is the culprit?” He pats Joseph’s forearm. “I’m with you. We’ll face this together.”

Joseph looks up slowly, focusing on Eli. “She said it was no one.”

Eli sits upright, head jerking back. “What? No one. How?”

Rebecca tilts her head slightly, giving Eli a look of disbelief. She knows it can’t be no one.

Joseph did not take his gaze off Eli who then starts to look uncomfortable. “She said she was visited by an angel shortly before she left to visit her cousin Elizabeth and was sometime later impregnated by God’s Spirit.”

[The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Lk 1:35), NIV]

Eli glances back at Rebecca. She knows her eyes are now as wide as they could possibly be. He gives a slight nod and focuses back on Joseph, saying quietly but with a tone of disbelief, “And . . . you believe such a thing?”

He gives a shrug. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to believe. Scripture does tell us of such a thing.”

[Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Is 7:14), NIV]

“Well, yes,” Eli says, sounding doubtful. “But why would such an honor go to Mary? Who is she—or anyone in Nazareth for that matter? No one in this village is important enough to bear such a blessing. Wouldn’t it need to be someone of prominence so our Messiah could gain the influence and following needed to overcome Rome, and set Israel up as a nation to be superior to all nations.”

“She said the angel Gabriel told her the child would be called Son of the Most High, God would give him the throne of his father David, and his kingdom would never end.”

[You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. (Lk 1:31-33, NIV)]

Eli scrunches his brow.

Rebecca thinks this all so bizarre.

“Yes,” Eli says, “but how is that supposed to happen?” He puts his hand back on Joseph’s forearm. “Is she just using Scripture to get out of a stoning?”

Joseph squints. “Stoning?” He glances from Eli to Rebecca and back. “Who said anything about a stoning?”

“What choice do you have, Joseph? You either admit you are the father, which you aren’t, right?”

Joseph shakes his head.

“Or you admit the child is not yours and that means she broke her purity vow which has a penalty of death by stoning.”

A look of horror comes over Joseph’s face. “Eli, you know I have loved Mary for quite some time. She has always been an honorable woman. I can’t have such a thing happen to her.”

“But her purity has been ruined . . .” Rebecca starts, but then catches herself.

Joseph shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. If I don’t accuse her, she will not be stoned. I will divorce her and let her live.”

“So much shame to bear, though,” Eli says.

Tears well up in Joseph’s eyes as he puts his head in his hands and begins to shake his head back and forth. “I don’t know what to do . . . or how to handle this.” He looks back up with tear-stained cheeks. “I still love her, Eli, despite what she did, or what someone did to her. I know I can’t go through with the marriage now, but I still care for her.”

“You’re not angry?”

“Of course I’m angry!” Joseph blurts out emphatically. “Happiness has been ripped from my heart and has left it raw and bleeding.” He shakes his head. “But she’s not to blame. I know our custom is for a woman to protect her purity, but how can a woman do such if a man wishes to take it from her?”

Joseph suddenly stands. “Thank you, Eli and Rebecca, for your hospitality. But I’m not hungry. I just want to go home and be alone.”

Eli stands. “I’ll walk with you.”

Joseph shakes his head. “No. Thanks anyway. I just want to think.”

Eli nods and they both watch Joseph leave looking more forlorn than they have ever seen him before.

Joseph Accepts His Role

Eli comes in and plops down at the table where Rebecca and Rachel are kneading dough and gives a sigh.

“How did the town council meeting go?” Rebecca asks.

Eli shakes his head. “Not well.”

He glances at Rachel. “Sweetie, can you give your Ima and me some time alone to discuss?”

Rachel gives her mom a pleading look.

“Uh, Eli, she already knows everything.”

Eli’s eyes widen. “Everything?”

Rebecca nods.

“Is that wise? I mean. She’s still young.”

Rachel sighs and sits next to her father, wiping her hands on a cloth. “Really, Abba. I’m only a year younger than Mary and I saw you talking to Jesse’s parents the other day. That was about me, right?”

“Well . . .” He gives a glance to Rebecca as if to say, ‘help me.’

She simply gives a shrug. “Well, she has a point, Eli. In another year, she’ll be going through something similar.”

Eli sits up straighter. “Similar? Well, I certainly hope not!”

Rebecca gives a dismissive wave. “Oh, you know what I mean. All the township scrutiny she’ll be subjected to. They talk about you because of something you did or didn’t do. We protect our daughters, which I certainly agree with, but then don’t really prepare them for what marriage is really like. And the women of the town, rather than support, criticize until the new bride learns to develop a backbone and stand up for herself. We can do better for Rachel.”

“I hear you, but I don’t think anything would have prepared Joseph or Mary for this scenario.”

“No, probably not,” Rebecca says.

“But why not?” Rachel asks. “Isn’t it part of Scripture?”

“Now, Rachel,” Eli begins, “This is different.”

“Is it? I don’t mean any disrespect, Abba, but I had a long talk with Mary.”

Eli sits more upright. “You went against my wishes?”

“No!” She shuffles in her seat. “I mean, yes. I . . . I guess.” She gives a slight shrug. “Mary was so desperate for an ear. I just had to, Abba. I just had to. Joseph has you to talk to, but she has no one. None of the women in this town will talk to her or try to understand her point of view. They shun her at every turn and won’t even be seen at the well with her. They feel her guilt is cut and dry. Some even question why she’s still alive.”

“What?! Who? Who would say that?”

“The wives of the men who are saying the same thing,” Rebecca says. “You must admit, Eli. Not many are on their side.”

Eli sighs. “And probably even less after today.”

Rebecca stops her kneading and sits while wiping her hands with a damp cloth, giving Eli a questioning look. “What happened?”

“He admitted the child was his.”

Rebecca sucks in a breath. “No!” she says in disbelief. “Why would he do that?”

Rachel looks from her mother to her father and shakes her head. “Why wouldn’t he? After all, he is the child’s earthly father.”

“That’s a strange thing to say,” Eli says. “What did Mary tell you?”

“Abba, she’s scared. She knows the angel told her she would bear the Messiah. He even told her what to name the child. Why can’t everyone just believe her?”

Eli puts his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Dear, it’s just, that is not how babies are made.”

“But this is not any baby. It’s the prophesied baby. You’ve told me the story so many times. Didn’t you believe what you told me?”

“Well, yes, of course. But to have that fulfilled here in our small town with people of no consequence? That seems a little . . .”

“Strange?” Rachel asks.

Eli nods.

“Don’t you think Mary and Joseph feel the same way? Abba, you’ve told me of many prophets who went against what was popular with people to tell the message God gave them. Is this any different?”

Eli rubs his chin but then chuckles. “You sound somewhat like Joseph today.”

“What do you mean?”

“He said he has no idea why God chose him but that night after he left our house after talking with Mary’s parents, an angel also visited him in a dream and told him the same story the angel told Mary, and even said the child would take away the sins of his people.”

[An angel of the Lord said: You are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. (Mt 1:21, NIV)]

Eli’s eyebrows raise as he cocks his head. “And that went over poorly with the council, I might add. Yet ever since his dream, he’s been adamant that the child, while not his physically, is his because God deemed it so. Therefore, he is not going to go against God just because some . . .” He does air quotes. “. . . narrow minded old men . . . would not believe that Scripture could be fulfilled in their lifetime.”

Rebecca’s hand goes to her cheek. “Oh, my! He didn’t really say that, did he?”

Eli chuckles. “I cringed when he said it. But I have to say, I admire him for his stance. He believes this wholeheartedly. He’s going to take Mary to Bethlehem for this new census that’s been imposed on us.”

Rebecca’s eyes narrow. “Why does he have to go to Bethlehem?”

“He’s from the tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David,” Eli says, with a chuckle to follow. “I knew I always liked him. That makes me a friend of royalty.”

Rebecca smiles. “Well, I don’t think that gives us any advantages, though.”

“But that proves it, don’t you think?” Rachel asks. “It’s like you tell us, Abba. The Messiah will be a descendant of King David but the curse on King Jehoiachin, who is in the Messianic lineage, put many Jewish leaders in a quandary to explain it.”

Eli looks at his daughter with admiration. “Rachel, that’s profound. So, by Jospeh claiming the child as his own, this makes him a legitimate heir of King David, but not from the lineage of King Jehoiachin.”

Rachel nods, giving a smile.

“And how did you get so smart?” Eli asks as he chuckles. “I may have to reconsider marrying you off to Jesse.”

Rachel puts her hand on her father’s forearm. “Oh, please don’t, Abba.” Her cheeks turn a blush. “I think you made a wise choice.”

Eli looks at Rebecca and they both grin.

After gaining her composure, Rachel asks, “So, what happens now?”

Eli cocks his head and gives a small shrug. “It’s all up to God now.”

Leaving Nazareth

Eli continues his discussion with his daughter and wife. He knows Joseph has a long and dangerous journey ahead of him.

“How long will it take them to reach Bethlehem, Abba?” Rachel asks.

Eli tilts his head in thought. “Hmm. Several days, for sure. Even longer with Mary being pregnant. Yet I know Joseph is anxious to get away from all the stares and whispers directed toward them by many of the townsfolk.”

Rebecca shakes her head. “A lot of risk with her being with child, though.”

“Perhaps. But there will be many traveling in their direction. There is always more safety in numbers.”

Rebecca nods. “True. That’s at least a comfort. But where will they stay once they get there?”

“Joseph and Mary will stay with one of his relatives in Bethlehem until the census is over,” Eli says.

“As long as she doesn’t deliver while there,” Rebecca replies. “Our purity laws can make things complicated.”

Eli pauses in thought. “Well, if God has given them this commission, I’m sure he can work out the details of the child’s birth as well.”

“Midgal Eder,” Rachel says.

“What, dear?” Eli asks as he gives her a questioning look.

“Remind Joseph of Migdal Eder. You told us many times that some of your religious teachers said the prophet Micah was predicting the coming Messiah would be born at Migdal Eder, the watchtower of the flock. Isn’t that near Bethlehem?”

Eli nods. “Yes, just outside the city limit, I believe. That’s where the Bethlehem shepherds take care of the temple sheep the priests use for their various offerings and feast days. These shepherds ensure the sheep are without any blemishes so the priests will accept them for temple sacrifice.”

“Maybe that’s where Joseph is supposed to go so his son can be born,” Rachel says, giving a shrug. “Sounds like the right place.”

“I’ll certainly mention it to him. It could at least be a contingency plan.” He chuckles. “You surprise me, Rachel. I never knew you paid so close attention to the stories I tell you and Hannah. Speaking of Hannah. Where is she?”

“Oh, she’s next door playing house with some of her friends.”

“Hmm,” Eli says as his eyes twinkle. “Maybe you should get some tips from her then of how to be a homemaker since she’s getting so much practice for domestic duties.” He then raises his eyebrows and says in a teasing manner, “Jesse wants the very best, you know.”

Rachel gives her father a silly face. “Not funny.”

Eli reaches over and kisses her on her forehead. “The two of you will be good for each other. He’s a hard worker and you’re a brain. You’ll make him look good to all his peers.”

Rebecca nods. “And he’ll adore you all the more.”

“And if the Messiah is finally here,” Rachel says, “then it seems we’ll be living in awesome times.”

“Interesting times at any rate,” Eli says. “Let’s have an early dinner and get ready for bed so we can see Joseph and Mary off on their journey to Bethlehem in the morning. Joseph wants to get an early start tomorrow. My guess is that they will not have many supporters for that.”

“It’s so far for someone in her condition, though,” Rebecca says.

“True,” Eli agrees. “But it will give them time to know each other better and get any hard feelings out of the way. They will only have themselves to lean on. That has to be a good thing, doesn’t it?”

Rebecca nods. “Yes, I suppose so. Both dangerous and exciting at the same time.”

“I just can’t wait to hear of her adventures when she gets back and tells me of all the different types of people she met while there,” Rachel says. “You think they’ll meet anyone of importance?”

Eli rubs his chin in thought. “Well, I don’t think anyone more important than the Messiah, for sure.”

Rachel smiles. “Then maybe God will let others know our Messiah is here so they can visit him.” Her eyes widen. “Like shepherds, for instance.”

Eli’s eyes narrow as if he is in doubt of her statement. “What makes you say that? How would they know?”

Rachel looks at her mom. Rebecca shrugs. “Don’t look at me. You two seem to be the ones putting this puzzle together.”

Rachel turns back to Eli. “Well, I’m sure God can inform them somehow. Yet if Mary’s son is born at Migdal Eder, the watchtower of the flock, then the shepherds will most likely know they are there and become curious to their visit and will go see why they have come.”

Eli gives a slight nod. “Perhaps. Also, I do recall some of our Jewish teachers reading some passages from Psalms and Isaiah which indicate, or at least imply, kings from the east will bring gifts. I recall the passage in Psalms saying: ‘Young camels of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD’ (Is 60:6, NIV). Some say this refers to King Solomon.”

“Oh, like the Queen of Sheba who brought gifts to him?” Rachel asks.

Eli nods. “Precisely, but the tense of the words by Isaiah seem to indicate some future time of such an event. He said, ‘Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. All from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD’ (Is 60:6).”

Rachel’s eyes widen. “Like now?”

Eli cocks his head. “Could be. Maybe we’ll hear what happened on their journey once they get back.”

“Well, I can hardly wait,” Rachel says, looking excited. “I just know it’s going to be epic.” She pauses, but then blurts out, “Can you believe it? Our Messiah is almost here! How much more epic can it get?”

They each hug. Rachel goes to get Hannah, and Rebecca begins getting dinner completed. Eli sits in thought. He always believed Scripture but is now realizing that he is going to be living Scripture now.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The previous blog posts have talked about the Mosaic Law requiring eight sacrifices and each dealing with a specific heart or relational issue. Only through Christ can we be transferred from Satan’s kingdom into which we are all born and be able to enter Christ’s kingdom. This is the fulfilled symbolism of the burnt offering. By partaking and learning from him we can grow in him which is called the process of sanctification. This is the fulfillment of the grain offering. Christ’s sacrifice has restored the fellowship with God which was severed due to Adam’s sin. And this is the fulfillment of the peace or fellowship offering. And because we now have fellowship with him, our communication with him has been resorted—representing the need for the sin offering. And not only between God and us, but with each other with the guilt we suffered removed as symbolized by the guilt offering. God is pleased with being able to do this for us, which is represented by the drink offering, and he can be joyful because he no longer remembers any of our sins any longer, as the scapegoat represents. Even though he has paid for all our sins, past, present, and future, we still become unclean by living in a sinful world and because of our human nature, so he provides us continual cleansing if we only confess to him thereby making us clean again as symbolized by the ashes of the red heifer.

While the sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law was quite cumbersome, we can see through this that each was necessary because sin entraps us in more ways than one. Yet, Jesus Christ was able to untangle us completely, declaring us righteous, and thereby fit to be with him forever with the approval of the Father and with the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

So, what does all this mean for us? Christ is now fulfilling his second role for coming. We find this in Hebrews: “Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‘See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.’ But in fact, the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises (Hb 8:1-7).”

What are these better promises? Let’s compare the promises from the Old and New Covenants. We could likely make a litany of promises to list, but here are a few key ones:

Old Covenant: Holy Spirit was not permanent; New Covenant: Holy Spirit is permanent. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come and go. This is one reason David prayed for the LORD to not take his Spirit from him. Today, once we accept Christ as our Savior, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us forever.

Old Covenant: justice was required by the Law because of one’s actions; New Covenant: mercy is applied instead. Because Christ paid for our sins, we can receive mercy rather than justice because Christ’s blood paid what justice required.

Old Covenant: there was no victory over death (all went to Sheol whether they were just or unjust, although there were different places within Sheol for each category); Yet neither were with Christ, their Messiah. Satan still controlled the keys to death and Sheol. New Covenant: we have received victory over death because, once we die, if we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we will be with Christ our Messiah at that moment and forever. Christ took the righteous to heaven and gained back the keys to death and Sheol.

Old Covenant: no power over sin; sacrifices were required and had to be repeated often; New Covenant: we have power over sin because Christ paid for our past, present, and future sins. We can have the mind of Christ and can operate within the same power that raised Christ from the dead because we have the Holy Spirit within us.

Old Covenant: people lived with a hope of their coming Messiah; New Covenant: we have an assurance of an eternity with Christ, our Messiah, forever.

What is Required? Romans 10:10 says, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and be saved.”

We must first realize something. What does that mean? It means to become aware of something as a fact. What is that fact? That we are wicked at heart. Jeremiah tells us the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jr 17:9).

We then need to believe. What does that really mean? It means we accept something as true. What do we need to accept? That Christ died on the cross for our sins and has freed us from the power of sin over us.

That leads us to confess. Meaning what? We must admit we are at fault in some way. We confess what we just realized: that we are a sinner and cannot change that fact on our own. Then we confess our belief in what Christ did for us knowing there is no other way or no other hope for us.

Next, we accept. And that means to take something offered to you. Christ paid the debt required for our sin and did so as a gift to us, but that does us no good unless we accept this gift. While it is free to us, it was quite costly for Christ. How can we not accept something so preciously obtained? By doing so, we receive the Holy Spirit which dwells within us, guides us, and helps us to be more like Christ as we walk with Him.

Then, we live with assurance. How is that done? One makes one’s home in a particular place with a particular person. By accepting this precious but free gift of salvation, we can know with certainty that our home will be with Christ forever. His presence dwells with us now and forever.

It has always been about the heart. The real question is: to whom does yours belong?

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Christ came with the purpose of fulfilling three roles that are laid out for him in the Old Testament: Prophet, Priest, and King. Each must be fulfilled in a successive manner because each subsequent role was built upon the fulfillment of the previous role.

Moses stated, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him” (Dt 18:15). Jesus Christ came as a prophet like Moses. How like Moses? He cared deeply for his people, he was patient with them and taught them, he was also harsh at times with the Jewish leaders because they distorted the true intent of Torah; some people adored him, and others ridiculed and despised him. This role of Christ was necessary for him to come and pay the price for the sin of rebellion that Adam placed upon the world and its inhabitants and to fulfill all requirements of the Mosaic Law. Christ could not fulfill the other duties until this one was complete. He came not just for the Jews, but for the entire world.

The writer of Hebrews said, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess” (Hb 4:14). Christ fulfilling his role as prophet set him up for this next role as our high priest to make intercession for us, cleanse us as we sin, and as we are sanctified and carry out his plan of building his Church, his bride, until his return. His Holy Spirit then provides the unity in his bride so she will be pure and without blemish at his return.

Once Christ’s role as our high priest and intercessor is fulfilled, he will come as King of kings and set up his earthly rule. The book of Revelation tells us, “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rv 19:16). This is what the Jewish leaders were expecting from Jesus when he first came because the Scriptures prescribed these actions to their coming Messiah. Yet, these duties had to be performed in a certain order to accomplish God’s plan for the entire world.

So, at Christ’s first coming, he fulfilled the eight sacrifices we have been discussing over the last several posts. Join me next time and I’ll summarize this, how Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law, and how he set up the way for his New Covenant with us.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

There are three places where Christ’s crucifixion was possible. There are pros and cons to each of them. Some are quite adamant about one of these three. Yet I don’t think there is hard-fast evidence of either one. Each has merit. Let’s see where they are located.

One of the most-held beliefs of where Christ was crucified is at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Its location is outside the western city gate of Old Jerusalem and would have been on a main thoroughfare which led traffic to and from Damascus. This is probably the place most Catholics and many Protestants revere and celebrate as the place of Christ’s crucifixion. It receives thousands of visitors each year. It is located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City and close to both the Jaffa and Damascus Gates.

The second most-held belief of the place of Christ’s crucifixion is the Garden Tomb. It is located not far from the Damascus Gate on the north side of the city. Its location would have been near a main thoroughfare going into the city. It is quite peaceful and beautiful there. Probably more Protestants than Catholics revere this site as the place of Christ’s crucifixion and burial. The city’s bus depot is just on the other side of the garden wall and adjacent to it is a place that looks somewhat like a skull and the main reason it is thought to be the place of Calvary where Jesus was crucified.

Some people believe that neither of these places are correct. If Christ was to fulfill all eight of the sacrifices mentioned in the Mosaic Law, then he would need to be crucified near where the red heifer was sacrificed and that would be on the Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane. Near the base of the mount is the Church of Nations (Basilica of the Agony) and the Garden of Gethsemane is right next to it. This would also be near a main road to get to Jerusalem coming in from Jericho, through Bethany, and then through Bethphage at the top of the Mount of Olives (although that town is not there today). Jewish graves would be below the bridge and could be a potential place for Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Many Jews clamored to be buried here. Therefore, typically, only the wealthy could afford the price to be buried here. Most Jews believed their Messiah would enter Jerusalem from the east when he came to set up his kingdom and resurrect the faithful. Then they would be among the first resurrected so they would then be able to enter the Eastern Gate with him.

No matter which of these places you believe is the place of Christ’s crucifixion, it is important to know that this was an actual event of history and set the stage for his New Covenant. But was this the only role that Christ needed to fulfill when he came? Join me next time and we’ll discuss that subject.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens