Finishing the New Testament!
I finished reading the whole New Testament last week. So it took me about three weeks to read it and absorb it in as a whole body of work. It is quite impacting to read the whole Text straight thru and reading everyday and not stopping. It puts a great deal of perspective in the whole deal and brings some things home. One thing that I was taught, and had always assumed was the truth, was that Jesus was separated from God on the cross. I had never second guessed this before until it was mentioned on a lesson I heard on a website that somebody had given, and when he said that, after I just read the whole New Testament, it sounded wrong. So I asked him to provide the scripture that gave him that conclusion. As it turns out, the bible doesn’t say that Jesus was separated from God on the cross, but if you look at some different scriptures, you come to that conclusion. You can find in scripture that Jesus became sin for the world. You can also find one that says sin separates us from God. And then there is that statement from Jesus on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Well, it turns out that the scripture used for sin separating becoming sin for the world, also can be interpreted as Jesus became the “Sin offering” for the world. Then, elsewhere, John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God (as does other parts of the bible, including the book of Revelation). Well, to take the whole perspective that Jesus became our Passover Lamb, permanently (Hebrews), then it goes to say that he was just the sacrifice for sin, and not sin. In fact, the bible says that Jesus fulfilled the Law of God, but then it says that the law is what defines sin, but that Jesus freed us from the law when He died on the cross, thus fulfilling the Law (Old Testament). Anyway, Jesus also told the thief on the cross that he would be in Paradise with Him. How did Jesus go to heaven if he was separated from God? Plus, when he said that phrase about being when Jesus says, “…why have you forsaken me?” He is actually fulfilling Psalm 22 which is being fulfilled as he quotes it. I believe that it was a statement of faith. I believe that when He was on the cross He was obeying the will of God, and in fact never sinned (Philippians 2).
Anyway, there are several other matters that I have come to conclusions with. One of which is that I don’t think that ANY of the book of Revelation has to do with ANYthing happening today, or anything past early church history. I believe it was probably completely fulfill by the end of the mid-second century. I think that it is similar to the book of Daniel, where if you look back on history, you can tell that the prophecies we from God and glorify God in his divine abilities and nature. There is a terrific book out there called “The Kingdom of Heaven” by F. W. Mattox that I highly recommend. He is a Mainline church of Christ person, but the history in his research is extremely interesting to us Christians (or at least it should be!).
Another conclusion I have made, is that the Beatitudes in Matthew 5-7 are addressed to first century Palestinian Hebrews. So often, we look at the scripture that says, “You are the salt of the earth…” and as Christians, we think that He is addressing us. But in fact, I think he was talking to the Jews. The Jews were the Salt of the earth, and salt, losing its flavor is referring to the Jews loosing their righteousness, or something like that. The “flavor” being the fact that they have the Law, and no other nation did. It is congruent with the rest of the stuff being said there. For example, them being the light of the world giving light to the whole house on the hill. Let your light shine before men…then he goes straight into, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Oh, did you say that the Law and the Prophets were the topic? Oh, I see, we are talking about the Law and Prophets (the Hebrew bible!). This is further confirmed the further you read right there. Actually, right after that he reinstates the Law, but with the heart in mind. It is quite a thing.
Anyway, I have also started reading a book called the Poet’s Tutor or something like that. It basically quotes the greatest twenty poets of American History and their poetry; about 20 poems each, including the long ones. It is a great book that came in with a group of books that my wife bought me.
Well, it turns out that the scripture used for sin separating becoming sin for the world, also can be interpreted as Jesus became the “Sin offering” for the world. Then, elsewhere, John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God (as does other parts of the bible, including the book of Revelation). Well, to take the whole perspective that Jesus became our Passover Lamb, permanently (Hebrews), then it goes to say that he was just the sacrifice for sin, and not sin. In fact, the bible says that Jesus fulfilled the Law of God, but then it says that the law is what defines sin, but that Jesus freed us from the law when He died on the cross, thus fulfilling the Law (Old Testament). Anyway, Jesus also told the thief on the cross that he would be in Paradise with Him. How did Jesus go to heaven if he was separated from God? Plus, when he said that phrase about being when Jesus says, “…why have you forsaken me?” He is actually fulfilling Psalm 22 which is being fulfilled as he quotes it. I believe that it was a statement of faith. I believe that when He was on the cross He was obeying the will of God, and in fact never sinned (Philippians 2).
Anyway, there are several other matters that I have come to conclusions with. One of which is that I don’t think that ANY of the book of Revelation has to do with ANYthing happening today, or anything past early church history. I believe it was probably completely fulfill by the end of the mid-second century. I think that it is similar to the book of Daniel, where if you look back on history, you can tell that the prophecies we from God and glorify God in his divine abilities and nature. There is a terrific book out there called “The Kingdom of Heaven” by F. W. Mattox that I highly recommend. He is a Mainline church of Christ person, but the history in his research is extremely interesting to us Christians (or at least it should be!).
Another conclusion I have made, is that the Beatitudes in Matthew 5-7 are addressed to first century Palestinian Hebrews. So often, we look at the scripture that says, “You are the salt of the earth…” and as Christians, we think that He is addressing us. But in fact, I think he was talking to the Jews. The Jews were the Salt of the earth, and salt, losing its flavor is referring to the Jews loosing their righteousness, or something like that. The “flavor” being the fact that they have the Law, and no other nation did. It is congruent with the rest of the stuff being said there. For example, them being the light of the world giving light to the whole house on the hill. Let your light shine before men…then he goes straight into, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Oh, did you say that the Law and the Prophets were the topic? Oh, I see, we are talking about the Law and Prophets (the Hebrew bible!). This is further confirmed the further you read right there. Actually, right after that he reinstates the Law, but with the heart in mind. It is quite a thing.
Anyway, I have also started reading a book called the Poet’s Tutor or something like that. It basically quotes the greatest twenty poets of American History and their poetry; about 20 poems each, including the long ones. It is a great book that came in with a group of books that my wife bought me.
posted by P. Allan Frederick at 1:36 PM
4 Comments:
The name of that Mattox book is actually "The Eternal Kingdom", I got confused.
Paul,
I think your right about Revelation. I can't remember the book I have on it but the guy who wrote it is really thorough. I started out reading his Ezekiel book. Anyway, Rev is all done if memory serves. I'm not sure about Daniel, I think there is one part that talks about the end of the age which may be but just going off old memory which isn't good most of the time!
Hi Byron! Let me clarify what I meant about the book of Daniel. In Daniel, from chapter 10-12 it describes in detail through prophecy what will happen to the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Egyptian, and Roman Empires! I’ve been told that almost every detail can be traced in history. Anyways, at the end of Daniel 12 it says, “8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” This is referring to the Resurrection of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem. If taken into context, it becomes self evident that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD is the final judgment on the Jewish people who don’t convert to Christianity. In this scripture above it says that the “daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination is set up…” If you think about it, since the destruction of the Temple, a Jewish person couldn’t Practice Mosaic Law if their life depended on it, because there is no temple (or arc!). Also, it is a fulfillment of prophecy that the tribal lineage will be lost. This also happened in the 70’s AD. There is no longer a Levitical lineage to perform these sacrifices. Anyway, this has all come true, and Daniel is full of prophecy that has happened and can be proven through historical documentation. JohnE has written a study that follows the history of several of the Roman emperors through Revelation. Personally, if you read Daniel then Revelation, you will see some parallel imaging and prophecy, and I think that Revelation is about the destruction of Jerusalem under Roman rule in 70AD (plus early chruch history)! Moreover, it makes it clear that your only hope was to convert into Christianity, the NEW Judaism! For all intensive purposes’, God ended the Jews relationship with Him as the sole chosen people. However, I also believe because of the promises made to Abraham, the Jews were allowed to survive as a race, thus making the scripture and God’s promises fulfilled. The book of Daniel plays a huge role in the history of Christ as king. Daniel played the role of model for the coming Messiah, and as a prophet, he told of the coming of the true Messiah, Christ Jesus!
I still haven't looked up my book. Still in a box some place from moving. It's been awhile since I've studied that stuff but it sounds right.
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