Tag: Messiah

Never Die Forever

On By TimIn Death, Eternal Security, John 11Leave a comment

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die ⌊forever⌋. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25–26 (LEB)

Most Bibles will miss something profound in this text. I know this is not the normal version I read, but is one of the study bibles I use.

I draw attention to bracketed weird. This hints at something important. That bracketed word forever indicates a Semitic style emphasis in the Greek. The emphasis of this Hebraism is usually not translated. In the surrounding context, Jesus is speaking to Lazarus’ sister after he has passed. He was assuring her that her brother would live.

Jesus is saying that the one who believes in Him, even if such dies, they will live. That’s a promise of resurrection.

Furthermore, everyone who lives AND believes in Him… Those are present tense verbs… such will never-ever die, forever. The profound reality is that believers will not die for eternity.

It is important to understand the significance of what John was conveying from Jesus’ words. It just cannot and will not happen.

That means clearly, if you are alive and believe in Him right now, you’ll never-ever die forever. If you’re worried about some point in the future where you fear your faith might fail… you’re still never-ever gonna die forever.

That is the true freedom Jesus gives. There is no more bondage of death for believers.

Go Boldly

On By TimIn Exhortation, Galatians 03Leave a comment

“Even Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Therefore know that those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel in advance to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” Galatians 3:6-9

Those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. Much has been spoken of a so-called spiritual or true Israel. This is just the well-worn nomenclature of dogma. What I mean is that those terms are contrivances. They are made-up, but sound Biblical. They are not. As with much of Scripture, there are manifold applications. Many of these focus on the chosen people, which is Israel. But Paul is demonstrating something greater in that promise God made to Abraham and his Seed. That is, that God would justify all peoples by faith, including the Gentiles.

“For all who rely on the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them.” Now it is evident that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, for “The just shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, for “The man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us—as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—so that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:10-14

If you are relying on the commandments or other laws delivered to Israel as a measure of how well you perform every day… You’re doing it wrong. In fact, if that is the measure—that is how you justify your own behavior—you’re cursed! None of us can do it. Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4, The just shall live by faith. He is telling us here how to live.

As Christians, having already been redeemed from the curse, we ought to live in the promise of faith. Often, we are stymied and waylaid by our own failures. And that, for far too long than we need to be. This is just a trap of the adversary, who will not miss a chance to neutralize us, sidelining us from the race set before us. We end up wallowing in and glorifying our own sin.

“Brothers, I am speaking in human terms: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is ratified, no one annuls or adds to it.” Galatians 3:15

Let’s talk turkey, as they say. A covenant is not changed by anyone. Once validated, the covenant exists. Think of it like a Last Will and Testament. Once a will has been ratified and the testator validates it by passing on, no one can cancel it or add conditions to it. The covenant exists between the testator and his heir(s.) A mediator, usually called an executor, ensures the covenant is put into effect. Though we know, in human terms, the covenant is often contested—at law. (This is really something profound.)

“Now the promises were made to Abraham and his Seed. He does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your Seed,” meaning one, who is Christ.” Galatians 3:16

Paul is telling us that God is making a covenant with Abraham and One Other. It isn’t to many, and not necessarily a nation. It is to the Messiah.

“And this I say, that the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul the covenant that was ratified by God in Christ, to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise. But God gave it to Abraham through a promise.” Galatians 3:17-18

Do you see how the covenant – that promise—to Abraham supersedes the law in so many ways?

First, it came before the law. The inheritance, the land, the blessing, etc., is to Messiah.

“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator.” Galatians 3:19

Here we see another difference between the law and the covenant. Whereas the covenant was made by God, the law came by angels and a mediator, Moses. It was to a particular people, in a particular location, at a particular time. It served a purpose. Paul will explain in some detail.

“Now a mediator is not a mediator for only one party, but God is one.” Galatians 3:20

This statement proves difficult. I think Paul is showing another distinction that separates the law and the covenant. Whereas the law came by a mediator between two parties, making at least three… The covenant to Abraham was made by One to the Heir. The Heir is also God. (And if we can extend this hint of three, the executor would be the Holy Spirit, see Ephesians 1:13-14.)

“Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? God forbid! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the Scripture has confined all things under sin, that the promise through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” Galatians 3:21-22

Sin existed before the law. It existed before the covenant. In Romans 11:32, Paul says that “For God has imprisoned them all in disobedience, so that He might be merciful to all.”

You might think that this was punishment. Paul clearly has stated that those under the law are cursed. If a law had been given that could give us life, then certainly righteousness would come through it. Righteousness comes another way, by covenant.

“But before faith came, we were imprisoned under the law, kept for the faith which was later to be revealed. So the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:23-24

The purpose of the law was as a tutor… A guardian of sorts. It was to point us to Messiah.

Think back to Leviticus; all the offerings were to point out our deficiencies. The remedy by offering of animal blood didn’t cleanse. It was the faith that did. Again, the just shall live by faith. The law was to teach us to look toward Christ. But there was always a gruesome reminder of what sin brings. The end of sin is always death. The soul that sins, it shall die. That is not the law. It was the purpose of the law. When we sin, we must turn to Christ by faith.

In practicality, before Jesus… Israelites had to give sacrificially, of the sweat of their hands. If a live offering, it was killed at the altar. But before it was killed, an Israelite had to travel, sometimes a considerable distance. And it was always with a mediator between man and God. What the law teaches is where we need to go for justification. It has always been to Jesus.

“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:25

Hallelujah!

“You are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, and there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29

Stop living in defeat. Stop looking back toward sin. Confess, and keep going. Note the condition: If you are Messiah’s, you are no longer cursed under the law. Stop measuring yourself by it. You do not have to have your bags packed for the guilt trip. It isn’t necessary. Provision has been made for your journey already (see 1 John 1:9.)

Instead, go boldly! Just as you are instructed, go into all the world and make disciples.

One God, the Truth That Is Foolish to Deny

On By TimIn 1 Corinthians 08, Jehovah, Jesus, Triune GodLeave a comment

But for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist. And there is one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  (1 Corinthians 8:6, MEV)

The theology in the New Testament comes from the Tanakh. It is not new theology at all. Consider the verse above as a starting point. Paul is using a profound truth from the Old Testament as It spoke of Jesus Christ. To understand that will require a look under the hood, that is to look at the underlying mechanics of translation from Hebrew to Koine Greek, then finally English.

Paul says God is One, the Father. The Greek word Theos is translated to the English word God. In other words, he is saying Theos is the Father.

Paul goes on to apply the term One to the Lord Jesus Christ. The English word Lord comes from the Greek word Kyrios. That is, there is one Kyrios, not multiple ones… And He is Jesus Christ.

Putting it together, reveals the simple truth. There is one God, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how did this theology come about?

In the time that Jesus walked the Earth and during that first century when the New Testament was written, the Scriptures commonly used by Israelis was a translation called The Septuagint. It is a translation of the Tanakh. The title conveys the idea behind he it came to be, The Translation of the Seventy. It was actually 72 Israeli translators who worked to convert the Hebrew and Aramaic into common (at that time) Koine Greek. The work was done in the third century BC by request of Ptolemy II.

Why is that important?

Paul would have been very familiar with the Septuagint. In fact, many quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament are from the Septuagint. Paul, like every Israeli, knew the Shema… Shema Yisrael… Literally “Hear, O Israel.” This is found in Deuteronomy.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4b, LES)

That citation is from an English translation of the Septuagint. It uses exactly the same English words as the translation of the Bible that I use. (One caveat when using to Septuagint: chapter and verse divisions won’t match the traditional Old Testament in Bibles today.)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God. The Lord is one!  (Deuteronomy 6:4, MEV)

Referring to the Septuagint’s use of the Koine Greek, connect it to the original Hebrew.

First, in Deuteronomy 6:4, the English phrase The Lord usually indicates that the original Hebrew word translated from is YHWH, the Tetragrammaton. Generally, I use Jehovah for that. The 72 translators used the Koine word Kyrios as the Hebrew YHWH. Kyrios is used twice in that verse.

Next, in the phrase our God, God comes from the Koine word Theos. Theos is translated from the Hebrew word Elohim.

Finally is the word one. It comes from the Koine word heis. That word provides a hint to the reality of what Paul is saying and Jesus said Himself. Heis conveys the idea of a unity of parts. It is a cardinal number. It is translated from the Hebrew word echad, which means one, as in a unity.

Putting it all together reveals a profound truth that is obvious in the New Testament.

The Kyrios is Theos. Kyrios is a unity.

In other words…

Jesus Christ is God the Father. Jesus Christ is the unified One.

That is why Jesus said:

My Father and I are one.”  (John 10:30, MEV)

Which leads to another theological truth that is derived from that idea. One that Jesus expounded on in John 10, pointing back to Psalm 82.

God is elohim. One One Elohim is God.

Jesus did clearly say, He is Jehovah God.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”  (John 8:24, MEV)

Why Did God Take His People Out of Egypt?

On By TimIn Exodus 29, Holy Spirit, Israel1 Comment

That’s a question that reveals much more than one thinks.

I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

Exodus 29:45–46

God took His people out of Egypt because He could not dwell with them there. This was revealed to Moses as he was given instructions for the people to build the tabernacle. That tent would be the place where the presence of God dwelt among the people.

As Israel wandered in the wilderness, God did dwell with them. When they crossed into the Promised Land, God dwelt with them there. When Solomon built the Temple, God’s presence dwelt in Jerusalem among the people of Israel.

Knowing the Tanakh, it is clear Israel as a nation stumbled much. The struggles Israel had with sin eventually made it impossible for God to dwell among them. It’s not so much that He couldn’t or wouldn’t… It’s that their sin made them forget about Him.

I’m not saying they forgot He was there or even Who He is, they forgot to maintain that intentional relationship with Him. As even we are prone to do today, even with His presence inside of us. The corrupting influence of sin is real. It suppresses the Truth.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth through unrighteousness.

Romans 1:18

Unrighteousness has a dangerous way of interference. With it we tend to forget about the goodness of God. In the place of that comes the reminder of the wrath of God. That knowledge can become burdensome if left to fester. As I said before, this can and does happen to believers today. We become caught in things, forgetting to maintain that relationship, and then procrastinate. The enemy uses it to shame us.

But… There is always a quick cure. Stop and fix it. Run to Him and confess your sins. Keep the tally sheet blank.

The patterns associated with this had some real consequences for the Israeli people. When the advent of their expected King came, they didn’t even know the time of visitation.

When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known even today what things would bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Luke 19:41–42

Eventually they were given over to their blindness. Just as the Temple and Jerusalem were sacked and the people taken captive to Assyria and Babylon, it would happen again just as foretold in Daniel.

Though Israel’s lament would eventually become a blessing to the entire world. In the day of her expected visitation, Jesus taught a parable of the vineyard and vinedressers. He used it to show how the leaders of Israel were actively plotting to kill Him. They clearly understood what He said. The relationship between the vineyard owner and the vinedressers was broken, despite all that the owner had done for them. With that in mind, Jesus followed was this declaration to them.

“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing its fruits.

Matthew 21:43

What did Jesus mean by that?

Well, just as God called His people out of Egypt, He is calling another people out of the nations of the world. All of the privileges of Israel would be taken away and given to another. Paul addressed this.

I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers, my kinsmen by race, who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises, to whom belong the patriarchs, and from whom, according to the flesh, is Christ, who is over all, God forever blessed. Amen.

Romans 9:1–5

One of those privileges is that God dwelt among the people. Another was that they had the privilege to share God with the whole world. The early church in Jerusalem knew this.

God, who knows the heart, approved of them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and made no distinction between them and us, and purified their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:8–9

But unlike in Israel of before the death of Jesus where the presence of God dwelt in a physical place, the presence of God would now be in the individual believer. Each of us is now the temple of the Living God.

He calls all of us out of the world. Egypt is idiomatic of the world. He does that so that He may dwell with us. The Holy Spirit is ours forever. Jesus said it.

I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may be with you forever: the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, for it does not see Him, neither does it know Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you, and will be in you.

John 14:16–17

Daniel 9 and Holy Week

On By TimIn Daniel 09, Last Days, Prophecy1 Comment

I will endeavor to look at Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks in a new way to me, as it intersects Holy Week. The center crux of the prophecy is the presentation and then cutting off of the Messiah. That single event is precisely foretold.

It comes as Daniel is praying for his people. He knows the end of exile is near, as he pondered the writings of Jeremiah. His intercessions for the nation called for Hod to be merciful and restore the people. Before he could finish praying, Gabriel swiftly arrived and gave an interpretive answer to Daniel’s prayer.

It is my opinion that since Daniel was interceding for his people, that the answer involved Israel. I also think that the interpretation is solely for Israel, which means the 70 weeks would accomplish the restoration of Israel. In the entire prophecy, the odd thing is that Israel is not completely retired until the end. A second temple would be rebuilt and the city destroyed. Then it is foretold that the restored city and sanctuary would be destroyed yet again. I think it will be clear that the final week of years for Israel to come at the end, sometimes yet future.

Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Daniel 9:24

At the start, Israel’s weeks are established and the summary of accomplishments for those are given. At the close of the 70 weeks, there are six things determined to be completed.

  • Finish the transgression
  • Make an end of sins
  • Make atonement for iniquity
  • Bring in everlasting righteousness
  • Seal up the vision and prophecy
  • Anoint the Most Holy Place

I will note that these things are to be accomplished in Israel and not some task or extended program for Gentiles, or that the universal church is the completeness or replacement of Israel. It is clear from some New Testament writings l that the first three of these things were accomplished by Jesus’ death in Jerusalem. The last three have not yet happened. Yet it follows that they will, and they will most likely happen in Jerusalem.

The list also provides the first hint of a division here. (There are more divisions or gaps in the prophecy.) It’s something that must be kept in mind, as three of the above list have not yet seen fulfillment. It points to something yet to come. As it does point to the future, the fact that the Most Holy Place being anointed one can assume there is a need for a physical temple. It is a real suggestion that a temple must then exist. One in need of cleansing, perhaps say from an abomination of the Most Holy Place.

Previous chapters in Daniel have outlined the abomination by Antiochus. Daniel was written far before that event occurred in 164 BC. The precision of that prophecy leads to the precision timing Gabriel gives of a seminal event in history, the first advent of Messiah. If this list is ordered, then the anointing of the Most Holy Place in the Temple happens last.

Sunday 10 Nisan

The seven-day week was established by God at creation; six days of work, followed by the seventh day of rest. As that week of days was established, it then follows that a week of years in the same pattern can be established. And it is.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruit, but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. That which grows by itself from your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your unpruned vines, for it is a year of complete rest for the land.

Leviticus 25:1–5

The natural extension of the pattern of a week also seems to extend and apply to millennia (a thousand years.) Some hold that the amount of time given to Earth before makeover is 7,000 years. (A week of millennia.) 6,000 years of work, and 1,000 years of rest, the Millennium. As Biblical types go, the Promised Land is an analog to the Millennium. Well, the Millennium is the fulfillment of the Promised Land of rest.

I think those things are an important concept to keep in mind. The patterns have real significance. And if the significance is real, could there be a similar starting reference?

What I mean is, that this pattern of a week of days has a starting reference. It is Sunday. In the same way, so does a week of years, it is Nisan.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: This month shall be the beginning of months to you. It shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: On the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a household.

Exodus 12:1–3

As the month of Nisan becomes the first month of the year, attention is drawn to the significance of the tenth day of that month. It is the day that the Passover lamb was chosen and brought into the household. It is also the day that the Israelis entered the Promised Land. When Joshua led the camp into and out of the Jordan River, the priests and the Ark remained. When all had crossed, Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan!” This is another significant pointer to Nisan and specifically the tenth day.

Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho.

Joshua 9:19

The Israelis were instructed to begin counting their weeks of years “When you come into the land that I give you.” That happened on 10 Nisan. It follows that the starting reference for a week of years will be 10 Nisan. This date is foundational in discussing these weeks of years. Just as Sunday is the first day of the week, 10 Nisan becomes the first day of the year.

The Triumphal Entry of Messiah

“Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of trouble.

Daniel 9:25

Gabriel gives a starting reference. He also provides a breakdown that involves the first 69 weeks of years. It is broken into two segments… 7 weeks and 62 weeks. These are weeks of years. Generally, the first is one group of 49 years and encompasses the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. There is another period of 434 years following when exiled Israelis returned to Israel.

From the reference and the year count, there is a precise day foretold. It is the advent of the Prince Messiah. Using the 360-day lunar year of the ancients, 483 years total 173,880 days until the Messiah comes. We know Jesus entered Jerusalem. We commemorate that day as Palm Sunday. Some scholars think the day of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was on 6 April AD 32.

Gabriel clearly says to Daniel that the interval between the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the presentation of the Messiah as King would be 173,880 days. The commandment to restore Jerusalem was given in the month of Nisan by Artaxerxes Longimanus. No exact date is given, which is taken to mean the first day of the month of Nisan. That date is 14 March 445 BC on the solar calendar. Note that the command is the one to rebuild Jerusalem, not just the temple.

Now, do some mathematical calculations from 14 March 445 BC. From that date to 14 March AD 32 is 476 years. 476 x 365 days in a year = 173,740 days. Correcting for leap years adds another 116 days. From 14 March to 6 April is another 24 additional days. The math works out precisely, 173,740 + 116 + 24 = 173,880 days!

That precision is remarkable. Remember the discussion of weeks?

The Holy Spirit offers us another degree of precision. In the Gospel of John, we are provided a reckoning of the date Jesus came into Jerusalem. He says that six days before passover, Jesus went to Bethany. Passover is 15 Nisan, six days before is 9 Nisan. The next day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, making the date 10 Nisan. We can also count the days backward from the resurrection of Jesus, which was Sunday, 17 Nisan. 10 Nisan, the first day of the week and the first day of the week of years all coincide. By the reckoning of Daniel’s prophecy, this was to be the beginning of the 70th week of years.

So many things coalesce on this day. It is precisely the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, really the unwieldy colt of a donkey. The signs were unmistakably precise to the astute person.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! And cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and able to deliver, he is humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the offspring of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow for battle will be cut off. He will speak peace to the nations; and his dominion will be from one sea to another, and from the Great River to the ends of the earth. And as for you, because of the blood of your covenant, I will send your prisoners from the empty, waterless pits. Return to your stronghold, prisoners who now have hope. Today I declare that I will return to you a double portion.

Zechariah 9:9–12

Jesus did ride into Jerusalem in exactly that way. And He came on the colt. It is with a double portion just as Matthew records it.

When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go over into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them.’ And he will send them immediately.”
All this was done to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Look, your King is coming to you,
humble, and sitting on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their garments on them, and He sat on them. A very large crowd spread their garments on the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went before Him and that followed Him cried out:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest!”

Mathew 21:1–9

The First Pronouncement of Delay

As Jesus prepared to ride into Jerusalem, we are given an aside, He wept over Jerusalem. Because of their unbelief and rejection of Him, the truth was hidden from their eyes. They didn’t know the day. He foretells destruction over the city and by extension the Temple, the same that Daniel’s prophecy will foretell.

When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known even today what things would bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you and surround you, and press you in on every side. They will dash you, and your children within you, to the ground. They will not leave one stone upon another within you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41–44

The Israelis were expected to know the signs indicating the importance of this day. Yet they did not. Jesus then proceeded to the Temple. The daylight was then quickly fading away.

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. When He had looked around at everything, as the hour was now late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Mark 11:11

Monday 11 Nisan

Now that blindness had come over the city and the people for their rejection of Jesus, the next day as Jesus returned to Jerusalem, He encountered a fig tree. Here the fig tree is a Biblical type representative of the nation of Israel.

On the next day when they had returned from Bethany, He was hungry. Seeing from afar a fig tree with leaves, He went to see if perhaps He might find anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard it.

Mark 11:12–14

It can seem trivial to the disciples who heard it as recorded here. Mark will later add more information to show the significance of this. Jesus is showing yet again, that the kingdom would be delayed because of the fruitlessness of Israel. Other Gospels record the tree withering.

As the day progresses, Jesus again goes to the Temple. He cleanses the place of money changers. Then He and His disciples leave the city.

Tuesday 12 Nisan

Returning to Mark for his recording of the events of the next day.

In the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter, calling to remembrance, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

Mark 11:20–21

The fig tree is dried up, unable to produce fruit. The message being conveyed is that Israel is dried up. That the ministry and privileges it now enjoys are gone.

To compound the problem, the people don’t recognize the One they’ve been waiting to see. The days interlaced with the underlying intrigue of the leaders of Israel. It is overtly revealed that they are looking for an opportunity to kill Jesus.

As the day progresses, Jesus is questioned as to the origin of His authority. His interlocutors are hoping to trip Him up. Jesus answers that question with another to them.

Jesus answered them, “I will also ask of you one question. Answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”
They debated among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for everyone held John to be a real prophet.
So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
Jesus answered them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Mark 11:29–33

They could not answer, so Jesus did not answer their question of the origin of His authority. They remain in the dark

Jesus teaches through many questions designed to trip Him up. Amongst the answers are parables. Each has significance as it pertains to the Holy Week and what Daniel wrote. I leave that for the astute reader to explore. But I draw attention to one of these that is necessary to understand.

The Delay of the Kingdom

“Listen to another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and built a wall around it. He dug a winepress in it and built a tower. Then he rented it to vinedressers and went into a distant country. When the season of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers to receive his fruit.
“The vinedressers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did likewise to them. Last of all, he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
“But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they caught him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”

Matthew 21:33–40

I know most understand this parable. The season of fruit drew near. The Messiah was presented as King. The parable reveals that Jesus is also prophesying of Himself and His impending death. It is the answer to the question that becomes fascinating.

They said, “He will severely destroy those wicked men and rent his vineyard to other vinedressers who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Matthew 21:41

Jesus has their answer that they knew the vineyard will be given to another. So He continues to show them from their Scriptures exactly what is happening right before them.

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing its fruits. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. But on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

Matthew 21:42–44

They didn’t know their visitation. They didn’t know the Messiah on the day they were to expect Him. They didn’t know He would be killed at their hands. They didn’t know the Kingdom would be delayed. Yet they knew Jesus was talking about the nation of Israel in the parable.

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But as they tried to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they held Him as a prophet. In the midst of the Holy Week, Jesus is meticulously showing that the double-portion kingdom coming to Israel will be delayed.

Matthew 21:45–46

The Destruction of the Temple

As the day wound down and Jesus and His disciples exited the temple. Even His disciples had not really caught many of the things Jesus was saying.

As some spoke of how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts, He said, “As for these things which you see, the days will come when not one stone shall be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

Luke 21:5–6

Jesus then teaches those disciples present about what will happen in the coming end of days. This private briefing is known as the Olivet Discourse. It is recorded in the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke.) It is Luke’s version where a short synopsis is given, followed by an interruption.

“But before all these things, they will seize you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will turn out as a testimony for you. Therefore resolve in your hearts beforehand not to practice your defense. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your opponents will be able to neither refute nor resist. You will be betrayed by parents and brothers and relatives and friends. And they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake, but not a hair of your head shall perish. In your endurance you will gain your souls.

Luke 21:12–19

While this is yet future for the disciples hearing it, the fulfillment of that is recorded for us in history and the Bible. These friends of Jesus endured some severe persecution. Along with the foretelling of that persecution is the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple of God. This is also part of the prophecy of Daniel.

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation has drawn near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive to all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:20–24

For the astute reader, it is clear that there is an extended period of time that comes with the last phrase, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This also tracks with everything Jesus taught in that Holy Week, that the program for Israel will be delayed and given to another.

Following as if this were narrative, is what happens next:

“There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth. For the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21:25–28

The ideas conveyed here are often confused. But make note of the distinctions. First is between the groups of people… They and your. What they witness is going to be perplexing. The second is the before and after these things begin to happen. Jesus says clearly that when these things begin to happen, redemption comes for believers.

Why aren’t the fearful and perplexing happenings the hallmarks of the nearness of redemption?

Jesus clearly states that it is before these things happen. So as redemption comes for believers, concerning and foreboding disasters will follow for the world. Everything will be shaken, and then Jesus comes in judgment. In another place, the people mourn His return.

The Delay of the Kingdom Will Be Revoked

Coupled with the idea of before the bad stuff happens, is that the withered fig tree Jesus cursed. It is going to produce leaves.

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are sprouting leaves already, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So in like manner, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Luke 21:29–31

This is the precursor to the restoration of the kingdom. The culmination of which will be the fulfillment of the last three items from the list above.

“Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Luke 21:32–33

Those in the generation that witness the new budding of the tree will not pass away before these things are done.

Wednesday 13 Nisan

Now the feasts of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread were two days away. And the chief priests and the scribes looked for a way to seize Him secretly and kill Him. But they said “Not on the feast day, lest there will be an uproar among the people.”

Mark 14:1–2

The narrative now enters the days of Passover and the Feast. The days before, people are to prepare. They are to remove leaven from their homes.

The Betrayal

As with the underlying tension in all of the accounts of Holy Week, there is the intrigue of those in power. They are looking for an opportunity to seize Jesus and kill Him. Enter the one to betray Him. This will be by one of those He chose to be His friend.

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. When they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him silver. So he looked for how he might conveniently betray Him.

Mark 14:10–11

Now the plot is afoot. I will not give a comprehensive account, but the crucifixion of Jesus is central to this discussion, as are some of the events that immediately precede it.

The Preparation for Passover and the Feast

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

Mark 14:12

Here is where we encounter some blurriness. Each of the Gospels relates details that are not always chronological nor identical. I also think that some other details that are lost in translating from Aramaic to Hebrew and then to English. What is known is that the day Passover Lambs are slaughtered is 14 Nisan. The first day of Unleavened Bread is 15 Nisan. This means that given the word for word translation above, it may be a loose account of an idea. Maybe even a type of synechdoche. The underlying Greek can mean something like, “Now at the beginning of the time of Unleavened Bread.” In my mind, this makes a bit more sense.

When looking to the other Gospels, they do not alleviate the seeming confusion, either. The word day is inserted but can be left out.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will You have us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

Matthew 26:17

There are other contextual problems. Passover, as originally instituted, is on 14 Nisan with the celebrations being kept in homes. Later provisions added to Passover required it be kept in Jerusalem. This presents a logistical problem. According to Josephus, he records that over 250,000 lambs were sacrificed for Passover in 4 BC.

So He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you there. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it as He had told them. And they prepared the Passover.

Mark 14:13–16

In my mind, it would seem that there may have been a Passover season. One in which people prepared for Passover and then the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These texts may indicate that. Nevertheless, it is my speculation. If some seders were kept in homes, as the one Jesus held, it could be the day before with a private slaughter of the lamb. Though noticeably absent are the other traditional items at a Passover meal like lamb and bitter herbs. So I like to think on Wednesday, they prepared for the meal, which would occur that evening. Others speculate that because of the sheer number of lambs needed, it could not all happen on that one day, 14 Nisan.

Thursday 14 Nisan

Remember the days for Israel begin at evening. Jesus would sit with His disciples for a seder meal, the Passover meal in the evening. That means the Last Supper would come on Wednesday, 14 Nisan after sunset.

The Passover With the Disciples

In the evening He came with the twelve. As they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.”

Mark 14:17–18

There are other accounts of the events that happened at that meal. I will leave that for another time.

Judas did betray Jesus. He was led away, and questioned by many. The people of Jerusalem were adamant on having Jesus executed even though the governor did not find anything He could assign guilt to Jesus. At least no guilt worthy of capital punishment.

Messiah Shall be Cut Off

After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined.

Daniel 9:26

As it has come to that point in the week where the Messiah is betrayed, and then cut off at Golgotha. Many times Jesus told the Jewish people present with Him that the kingdom for them is delayed. It will be given to another. They understood this, and in their blindness did not see the prophetic patterns in play. Jesus did indeed die with nothing.

When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Listen, He is calling Elijah!”
One man ran and filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”
But Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the spirit.

Mark 15:33–37

Beyond Holy Week

After the death of the Messiah, the city and the Temple would be destroyed. History informs us of this as happening in AD 70. What I hope is clear, is that the patterns in Daniel 9 have not yet all been completed. There are still three things that remain from the list:

  • Bring in everlasting righteousness
  • Seal up the vision and prophecy
  • Anoint the Most Holy Place

The New Modern Temple

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Mark 15:38

After Jesus died, the veil in the sanctuary that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn. This signifies that the presence of God is no longer veiled. It foreshadows that God’s dwelling place and temple will now be in men’s hearts.

What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Though the temple of God exists today in every believer, there will be a future building in Jerusalem called the Temple of God. That is overwhelmingly attested to in prophetic writings. Things are going to happen in that temple, namely sacrifice and offering, which will cease. This will be clear from what Gabriel spoke to Daniel.

The Prince Who Shall Come

And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:27

After this other prince arrives, he will make an agreement with many. Many is often a rhetorical device used to mean the nation of Israel. The unspoken idea is that Israel accepts this impostor as Messiah. He makes an agreement. One which allows Israel to make sacrifices and offerings. Presumably, it is the reinstitution of the Mosaic system. With those things comes the necessity of a sanctuary. The Temple is necessary to the Mosaic system.

A sudden change in situations occurs as this prince reveals his true self. He stops the offerings and sacrifices. Gabriel offers a reference to abominations that make desolation. The Tanakh tends to describe the idols of other nations as abominations. It follows that this abomination is an object for worship. It is not unlike before where Antiochus stops the sacrifices. The appalling event becomes another pattern. One that is dastardly reenacted in history and culminates at some future point. Paul foretells the same event to the church in Thessalonica.

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and concerning our gathering together unto Him, we ask you not to let your mind be quickly shaken or be troubled, neither in spirit nor by word, nor by letter coming as though from us, as if the day of Christ is already here. Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–4

I believe that the resumption of the Mosaic law is part of the covenant established with the impostor prince. I hold that the falling away described here is not an apostasy of believers from the universal church. The gist of that is Paul’s use of the Greek word apostasia. It is used only twice in the Scriptures. The only other occurrence is in the New Testament is here. It is used in the context of forsaking (or abandoning) the law of Moses. So it follows that when the man of lawlessness is revealed, it will come with a breaking of the covenant, and the compulsory forsaking of the Mosaic Law. He won’t allow sacrifices, but to himself as he sees himself to be God to worship. These multiple abominations reveal the desolator. And with this event is the defilement of the sanctuary. Precision timing markers indicate this happens in the middle of a week of years.

He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And he was given authority to wage war for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to wage war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe and tongue and nation.

Revelation 13:5–7

For One Week

The covenant made is for one week. It is the final missing week of years from Daniel’s prophecy. It doesn’t go with the first 69 weeks. It is not Holy Week. It comes after Messiah is cut off. It comes after the city and the sanctuary are destroyed. It comes after the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles.

One week of years is 84 months. The prince who shall come breaks his word in the 42 months into the final week. He was given authority to wage war with the saints for 42 months after. The timing markers are precise, to help identify the time, place, and person. Yes, there will be saints in the last week of years. But because this is Israel, these will primarily be Jewish in nature. This is deduced from this text, and in that last week of Daniel 144,000 evangelists are revealed from the twelve tribes of Israel.

Don’t be tricked into thinking God gave or granted the authority this false prince. He comes with the work of Satan and that power, signs, and false wonders. It is the dragon who grants his authority.

One Week Yet Future

After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:26–27

The decreed destruction poured out on the desolator is the end when Jesus returns and destroys this appalling abomination. It is the end of the war. Jesus consumes those who oppose Him with the breath of His mouth. This is the underlying answer to Daniel’s prayer. His prayer included petitions to God to restore Israel. Israel’s restoration comes after the war is ended and the desolator is gone.

The restoration of Israel is the Millennium. In Gabriel’s answer to Daniel’s prayer, there is no real revelation of the restoration for which Daniel interceded. The foretelling of the deliverance of the people seems to come a bit later in the book, though in the same time-frame as the first year of Darius. Daniel 9 is written to have occurred in the first year of Darius. The deliverance of the people comes after a time of great trouble.

“And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who shall be found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who turn the many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Daniel 12:1–4

The premillennial nature of this is difficult to ignore. Yet, as we’ve witnessed Jesus attest to the delay of the Kingdom. Just as it was foretold to Daniel. The Kingdom is restored to Israel, which is also foretold to Daniel. One of the best witnesses of the premillennialism comes as a dispute arose among the early church holy ones.

The controversy being addressed was whether Gentiles needed to be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas were dispatched to Jerusalem. Leave it to the Pharisees’ legalism to point us in the right understanding. And it is not about circumcision.

Then some believers of the sect of the Pharisees rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”

Acts 15:5

There was much discussion on the matter. There was no lack of dissension.

After much disputing, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago God decided among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, approved of them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and made no distinction between them and us, and purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why test God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”

Acts 15:7–11

After Peter spoke, Paul and Barnabas relayed what God had done with the Gentiles. The matter was heavy and amidst some silence, James spoke up.

After they had become silent, James answered, “Brothers, listen to me. Simon has declared how God first visited the Gentiles to take from among them a people for His name.

Acts 15:13–14

James is retelling a specific encounter Peter had. Most know of the account in Acts 10. When Peter returned from Caesarea, it was not without controversy. As many had heard that the Gentiles also received the word of God. As Peter expounded on what occurred in Caesarea, this is the conclusion:

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as He fell on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard these things, they were silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then God has granted to the Gentiles also repentance unto life.”

Acts 11:15–18

I thank God that He has chosen to take a people for Himself from the Gentiles. When the Jewish elders of the church heard that these were baptized with the same Holy Spirit that came upon them, there was silence. They did glorify God, but why was there silence?

Perhaps they had suddenly recalled Jesus’ words from Holy Week, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing its fruits.” Yet it was James who made the connection of this to what the prophets say, and he cites Amos:

With this the words of the prophets agree. As it is written:
‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tabernacle of
David, which has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will set it up;
that the rest of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
says the Lord who does all these things.’
Known to God are all His works since the beginning of the world.

Acts 15:15–18

After This

God says, “After this I will return.” After what?

All of what is ascribed in the answered prayer, then interpreted as prophecy, and given to Daniel by Gabriel.

Prince Messiah came first, precisely at the end of the 69 weeks of years. After Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Holy Week, He spoke many times of how the kingdom was going to be delayed, and even given to another people. Then Messiah was cut off with nothing.

The city and sanctuary would then be destroyed. And until the end of the war, the desolation of Israel will remain. The many will then fall for a charismatic leader who will give them a covenant for one week of 7 years. He will allow them to build a new temple and reinstate the Mosaic sacrifices. In the middle of that covenant week, this leader will make an appalling move that desolates the temple. These things culminate in the determined complete destruction of the desolator. At which time, the people would be delivered.

After this… I will return, says Jesus. The throne of David will be restored with the rightful promised King. He will bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy Place.

Jesus Christ, Whom You Have Sent

On By TimIn Jehovah, Jesus, John 17Leave a comment

This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

John 17:3

This is one text taken from the prayer that Jesus offered to God on the night before He was crucified. The real need for people is to have eternal life. Many use the term being saved, but that term has some baggage. Eternal life is a gift given to believers by God Himself. That gift comes by knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ.

There is a point often debated, “Did Jesus really say He was God?“

Yes. He certainly did.

The idea is clearly laid out in His Own words. As it is said, oftentimes the Pharisees lets us know when He does that. They took up stones to kill Him.

This eternal life is knowing God and Whom He sent… Jesus Christ. Back during Jesus’ ministry, there was one of those episodes where the Pharisees took up stones. It was then that Jesus said:

My Father and I are one.”

John 10:30

The Jewish leaders tell us exactly what Jesus said:

Again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, claim to be God.”

John 10:31–33

The Pharisees have verified Jesus’ saying He is God. Look back up to the introductory text from John 17. Keeping that in mind, I want to consider other ways that plainly show Jesus as God. To know God is to know Jesus, Whom He sent and it is to have eternal life.

Jesus often used words that echoed those expressed in the Tanakh. I know that might be shocking. Yet Jesus knows the words of the prophets, and He knows the writings of Isaiah.

Listen to Me, O Jacob
and Israel, whom I called:
I am He;
I am the First, and I am the Last.
My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth,
and My right hand has spanned the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.
Assemble, all of you, and listen.
Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord has loved him;
he will do His pleasure on Babylon,
and His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.
I, even I, have spoken,
and I have called him;
I have brought him,
and his way will prosper.
Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.

Isaiah 48:12-16

Already, it may be clear to see some familiar phrases that we know are applied elsewhere to Jesus. I will start with the first, “I am He.” Jesus said that.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:24

In the context of this passage, Jesus is speaking of the Father Whom the Jewish folk know as God. The text is clear, that unless one believes “I am He,” they do not have eternal life. For clarity, those that do not have eternal life will perish in their sins. Jesus is unequivocally saying, that one cannot have eternal life unless that person believes He is God.

The next has many witnesses. Here is the first…

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and “What you see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

Revelation 1:10–11

While in exile, the apostle John is caught up in a vision where he meets God. God calls Himself Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. Most know that this Person is Jesus Christ.

Part of the reason for this post comes from a conversation over whether Jesus is now God. He is, but the protagonist in the conversation believes Jesus was God and is not now because of His location at the right hand of God. I get that these types of discussions are difficult for our minds to comprehend. God is like no other. That is why, there are none like Him. We have no frame of reference except what He says of Himself. It then becomes important to understand Him as He reveals Himself.

We know Jesus is Alpha and Omega. He offers something else about His identity. These are the key things to remember.

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though I were dead. Then He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, though I was dead. Look! I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 1:17–18

This Person addressing John says, “(T)hough I was dead, Look! I am alive forevermore.” This is an indicator to identity. He identifies Himself again as First and Last. Putting both together with He died and rose again, there is only One Person that matches. It is Jesus.

Which leads to another objection that my protagonist scoffs at. He denies the idea that God has died. Clearly, Jesus as God says He died and lives forevermore.

There is one more witness from Revelation to examine.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me to give to each one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Revelation 22:12–13

Once again, this Person identifies Himself as Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last. It has already been established Who is speaking. Yet another witness to identity is this One is coming again. We know the One Who returning to Earth again is Jesus Christ!

Back in the passage of Isaiah 48 above, it says I am He, the First and Last. From the context, Jehovah is being spoken of in third person. Yet clearly the One narrating is God. Israelis in the day would know this well. They were very familiar with the Tanakh. Note, when connected from Isaiah to the Gospel of John and then Revelation, the idea coalesces. It is clearly conveyed that when Jesus says “I am He,” He is saying He is God.

But as it is in the Bible, things get a bit blurry…

Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.

Isaiah 48:16

This is the same invitation from Jesus in the New Testament. The God of the Tanakh is the same God that Jesus is. And He is this same God that sent Jesus Christ. Keep in mind, the same God that sent Jesus is the First and the Last.

In my mind, it seems there can only be One Who identifies as Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last. The phrase leaves no room for others. That’s God and He is Jesus.

Jesus is not-so-secretly declaring that He is Jehovah. That same Jehovah Who sent Him!

This testimony of the Alpha and the Omega in the last book of the Bible connects it to one of those books in the rough middle of It, Isaiah. The text seems to draw the reader to closely examine the beginning. It is there that yet another witness identifies that Jesus is indeed Jehovah God.

All things were created through Him, and without Him nothing was created that was created.

John 1:3

John testifies that all things were created by Jesus. And God testifies in Isaiah that He spoke very clearly from the beginning. What does that mean?

Well, if all things that were created were created by Jesus… Jesus is not created. Which means He is the One Who created all things. Once again, in my mind that leaves no room for another creator.

Thus says the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel and his Maker:
Ask Me of things to come
concerning My sons,
and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
I have made the earth
and created man on it.
I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and I have ordained all their host.
I have raised him up in righteousness,
and I will direct all his ways;
he shall build My city,
and he shall let My captives go,
neither for price nor reward,
says the Lord of Hosts.

Isaiah 45:11-13

Thus says Jehovah, that is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) translated as Lord. He testifies He has made the Earth. All this was spoken by the Lord of Hosts (Jehovah of Hosts.) That’s the military title of Jesus Christ. He is Jesus, the Son of God, and He is God.

It is like everything is pointing to the beginning. It might just be beneficial to check it out.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

I assume most are familiar with this verse. What many may not know are the not-so-secret things hidden just behind the translation into English. Here is the verse in transliterated Hebrew.

Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz

I tend to be a bit nerdy. I’m no Hebrew scholar. But I’m certain many see the word Elohim. It is well known as one of the names of God.

It is that two-letter word et, which is not translated into any English Bibles. There is much controversy over what the ‘word’ means. I am one that does not think it is a word, but is more of am identifying signature.

See, that two-letter et, in the Hebrew alphabet is also two letters, those being the aleph and the tav. The significance of those two letters is like the signature. It is as if it is literally saying, “In the beginning created God Aleph-Tav.”

The aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The tav is the last letter. Has God spoken not in secret from the beginning?

Yes!

Jesus the Son, is the Creator God. The same Elohim Aleph-Tav Alpha-Omega Who spoke creation to be. The same God Who died and lives forevermore!

The Name: Yours

On By TimIn Isaiah 62, RedemptionLeave a comment

For the sake of Zion I will not keep silent, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. And you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons shall marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God shall rejoice over you.

Isaiah 62:1–5

As Isaiah writes, it is easy to see the love that God has for Israel. Even though her disobedience produced many problems and the land became forsaken, God promises restoration. With that restoration also comes another surprising promise. One is this principle I want to explore.

Years ago, I wrote a small series of posts on the idea of The Name. It was to show the importance of names, and specifically related to the promises of God. With redemption and restoration, God gives new names. Just as the one we bear now passed on to us by our parents, the Father will give new names to His children.

Back to Isaiah, the prophet is relating how God perceives Zion. That is, the mountain of God… Jerusalem. Sometimes when names like Zion, Jerusalem, and others are used, it is as a rhetorical device. In this case, Jerusalem is a synecdoche for the people of Israel.

Many years ago, Mark Twain visited the Holy Land and wrote a travelogue entitled “Innocents Abroad.” There is some controversy in quoting him. Some say it is out-of-context to make it appear as some sort of proof of what the Bible says. But much of what he described in his experience of traveling through the Holy Land is that the land did appear forsaken and desolate. He said of the city of Jerusalem, that it could be circumnavigated on foot at a normal pace in about an hour.

That was long before Israel became a nation in the early 20th century. For almost 2,000 years, there was no nation. The Israeli people were scattered among the nations of the world. Even though they retained their national identity in diaspora, it would be apt to describe their plight as forsaken.

We have had and continue to have the privilege to witness firsthand this saga of redemption as God promised would happen. Isaiah wrote much of the future for Israel. There are controversial opinions that the prophecies have been fulfilled, while others think there is yet a future consummation of these. Yet since the birth of the nation in 1948, much seems to bloom as we watch.

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God.

Isaiah 35:1–2

It is a controversial statement to say that the modern state of Israel made the desert blossom. That’s because the world wants Israel to be thought of by her old names Forsaken and Desolate. Perhaps it is just a bit of jealousy. This seeming increasing favor to Israel becomes a silent portent of urgency. I think deep inside, we all know the time of the end is near. It is Israel that is God’s timepiece.

We mere mortals living now have witnessed an extraordinary move of God in our lifetimes. Some of you may be a bit older than I… Many perhaps younger. But there is no mistake. It is now almost 80 years into the existence of Israel, and the land has had remarkable and noteworthy changes. It is hard not to acknowledge those. It is almost as if Israel were a bride being gussied up for a wedding!

And what happens to a bride when she gets married?

Well, traditionally… She takes on a new name. After all, the name is what I am writing about.

Israel will have a new name. It will be given by the mouth of the Lord. It is a promise of the Lord’s delight in His people.

Recently, in our small group as we study the book of Exodus, we chatted about how most people perceive the God of the Tanakh as different than how Jesus is portrayed. Having read through the Old Testament many times, it is remarkable how quickly one can be disabused of that idea. He is the same God. Jesus attested to the fact.

Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”

John 8:19

If one knows the Father, they would immediately know Jesus. It follows, if one knows Jesus, they would know the Father. It is an inescapable conclusion that they are the same God with the same purpose.

Some call it the romance of redemption. As Israel is redeemed, a new name will be given. Yet surprisingly, this is a principle that applies to each of us as individuals. God wants to redeem us in the same way He redeems His people collectively. This is one of those promises that is for you.

I know for me, the world programmed my inner voice to go along with the names it wanted me to go by… Ugly, Fat, Unimportant… Whatever. But now, since I have been redeemed… God calls me His son. Jesus calls me a brother. Yet I know there is something greater in store. Something that is intimately between God and I.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except he who receives it.

Revelation 2:17

There is far more than just getting a new name… Being redeemed means to never perish and to never be forsaken. Things the promise to Israel. It is the same promise that Jesus extends to each of us. Jesus Himself will publicly proclaim the name He gives to me before others.

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Revelation 3:5

As extraordinary as all of that sounds, I will also be inscribed with Jesus’ own new name.

He who overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My own new name.

Revelation 3:12

What does this mean?

Well, I think if you’ve ruined your reputation, there is redemption in Jesus for each of us. I also know, as we watch Israel become more prosperous, it is a reminder of the urgency to be right with God. And that is easy.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing… You can stop and acknowledge God right now. Believe that He came to redeem you. He sent His Son Who satisfied your moral failures taking them upon Himself. He died taking them to the grave. And He rose again, giving the gift of eternal life to any who wishes to have it. Then confess that belief out loud. You may also confess your sins and He takes them away.

Salvation is easy…

Acknowledge He is. The Bible calls this repentance.

Believe He died and rose again for you.

Confess, tell others about it.

His Anger Kindles in a Flash

On By TimIn Jesus, Psalm 002Leave a comment

Now then, you kings, be wise;
be admonished, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear;
tremble with trepidation!
Kiss the son, lest He become angry,
and you perish in the way,
for His wrath kindles in a flash.
Blessed are all who seek refuge in Him.

Psalm 2:10–12

I am often fascinated by the idea that the God of the Old Testament is somehow different than Jesus. They are the same God, Jesus testified to the fact that had one known the Father they would have known Him. Here, Psalm 2 provides an interesting glimpse into an intimate conversation between two Persons as God.

I draw your attention to the closing stanza. Specifically to the idea that Jesus’ wrath kindles in a flash. How does that comport to the loving Jesus you know when His anger explodes instantly?

The more important point to weigh… Why would His anger kindle at all?

Could it be that when leaders don’t lead properly, that is pointing people to Jesus, there is trouble afoot?

Clearly, the stanza is addressed to kings and judges, generally the leaders of the people. These are instructed to worship Jesus before He becomes angry. These Psalm implies that there is a limit to the time available. Perhaps it points to when Jesus returns to vanquish His enemies. It is going to be a swift and rather brutal thing. Or it is just a general exhortation that God will not let you ignore Him forever. Nevertheless, it informs us that there is a time limit to His mercy.

Personally, I think there may be a bit more in view. Especially when considering that part of this is quoted in Hebrews.

For to which of the angels did He at any time say:
“You are My Son;
today I have become Your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be a Father to Him,
and He shall be a Son to Me”?

Hebrews 1:5

The Son is Jesus. The text is also speaking of the angels not being like Jesus. When looking back at Psalm 2, those kings and judges may very well include spiritual beings. The next verse in Hebrews 1 seems to point to an indicator of that.

And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

Hebrews 1:6

The desire of God is that all angels worship Him. We know there are some that fell away. The Hebrews passage also cites another Psalm…

All who serve graven images are ashamed,
who boast in worthless idols;
worship Him, all you gods.

Psalm 97:7

In that last line, seeing the word gods, one can assume it is the Hebrew word elohim. Reading it for understanding, “worship Him, all you elohim.”

For some, this may be an introduction to something not considered. That is, the word elohim is not necessarily a name for God. It describes a class of being much like the English word god. When God is capitalized, we know it is the Most High. When not, it is any of the lesser gods. I want you to think elohim are spiritual beings.

There are plenty of resources available on this site and can be found by exploring the tags and categories. But for a deeper explanation, this article serves well enough.

It kind of makes sense that spiritual beings are included and encouraged to remain loyal to the Son. His anger would be kindled to those who do not, and consequently they cannot seek refuge in the Son having no kin relationship to Him.

But, the greater point is that we humans can take refuge in Him. As long as we are breathing, He is a place of safety and comfort no matter what you’ve done and where you are. If you’re running away, the way back to Jesus is easy. Just turn around!

And if you’ve never taken that step to worship Jesus, start now.

The offer will expire.

It’s not Over

On By TimIn Matthew 26, The CrossLeave a comment

When evening came, He sat down with the twelve. And as they were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
They were very sorrowful, and each of them began saying to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

Matthew 26:20–22

I noticed something as I read this. When reclined at what is called The Last Supper, there was a simple exchange of words that reveal a depth of profundity. This Gospel records it succinctly describing that, which would be followed by a meaningful gesture.

Since an Easter Sunday service in Greenville, SC over a decade ago, I cannot ever shake this idea that It Was Unexpected. What I mean is that earlier in the text, Jesus spoke of His being prepared for death and burial.

When Jesus perceived it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor always with you, but you do not always have Me. In pouring this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told in memory of her.”

Matthew 26:10–13

As it is always my way of seeing this, the statement seems to go largely ignored. Jesus spoke plainly of His impending demise and resurrection. I get that it’s an argument from silence, but the Gospels clearly demonstrate that Jesus’ talk of death and resurrection wasn’t understood well at all by His followers. It was always with a focus on the death and not the resurrection.

In like manner, there is something similar here. And it also comes with a bit of aloofness in the disciples not quite understanding what is happening.

Lord, is it I?

When Jesus speaks here about betrayal by one of His followers, it was received with sorrow, while they wondered who amongst them who it would be. Yet many times He told them that His betrayal must be, “The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him(.)”

He answered and said, “He who has dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

Matthew 26:23–24

The meaning is that it was the determination in eternity past that the Son of Man would be betrayed and die for the lot of humanity. It is not that Judas was fatalistically chosen to have this lot. The way Jesus identified that betrayer proves it.

In that time, the sharing of the dipping of bread was a sign of intimate honor. It signified that the one receiving the gesture was really loved. Here, it was offered by the Messiah to the one who would betray Him that there was still time to believe.

The gesture also came with the assurance of reaping what is sown. That moment was not the culmination of a determination that Judas was the man. It was also an assurance that he was not remanded to eternity in perdition. The grace that Jesus gave to Judas included the same idea that God used to approach Cain.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, shall you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it.”

Genesis 4:6–7

I want you to pause reading and really think about that. Judas was given the sop. Cain was given a physical mark on his body. Both of these are signs of the abiding love of God toward both of them. In the moment, they were loved without regard to their future endeavors, by a God Who is present with each of them already IN those yet dastardly future endeavors.

Sin is not to Rule

One can always say no.

Yes, this pokes holes in fatalism and determinism. I am also certain there are going to be silent accusations of open theism. Yet it is the truth that the Bible presents. It’s not over until it’s over.

But the Scripture has confined all things under sin, that the promise through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Galatians 3:22

As long as one is breathing… There is still time to believe. Sin is not the inescapable prison.

For God has imprisoned them all in disobedience, so that He might be merciful to all.

Romans 11:32

Yes, it brings death. But death is delayed. Why?

Do you despise the riches of His goodness, tolerance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:4

It’s the goodness of God! The grace that is extended to both Cain and Judas exceeds their betrayals.

Sin is Rights

The scriptures say clearly not to give a foothold to the devil. Sin is the foothold. It’s the way he gets in.

From other Gospel narratives, at some point that night Satan entered Judas. He didn’t master his sin and extirpate it with faith. In a way, Satan’s entry into Judas mocks the Spirit God puts in us Christians. The sin Judas held gave foothold to the enemy, Judas extended him that right. One Gospel narrative pinpoints that this sop is the very moment Satan entered him.

Now, recall how the group responded with sorrow and wanted Jesus to point out the betrayer.

Then Judas, who betrayed Him, answered, “Master, is it I?”
He said to him, “You have said it.”

Matthew 26:25

In my mind, I am thinking these are not the words of Judas, but those of the commandant of his body. I can hear the mockery.

The Goodness of God

The history is clear. Cain rebelled and never really sought after the things of God. Judas rebelled to the end.

Considering the grace that is extended in both circumstances. Each lived after their betrayal. They were given stern warnings about the exceeding sinfulness of sin and one reaps what is sown.

Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Galatians 6:7–8

Giving in to sin reaps death… Always. The fact that death doesn’t come suddenly is proof of the goodness of God. Because one has life after they sin, there is still opportunity to sow to the Spirit and reap eternal life.

The admonition to Judas was to do quickly his intentions. But Judas lived after he did that, proving the goodness of God still gave him time for repentance. Judas still had a choice.

Do not Comply

Though it’s over for them, it’s not over for you.

Yes, Satan entered and rebellion escalated. Judas still had life, he still had opportunity to master sin by faith in what God says.

That’s the message to you. If you’ve read this far, and you’ve embraced the lies of the enemy… That you’re too far gone… There is great hope in Jesus. There is no rebellion that hasn’t been covered at the cross.

Maybe it’s embracing the message “You’re not good enough.” Perhaps it’s, “Nobody likes me.” Or it’s like, “I am not very attractive.” Other struggle are body dysmorphia, where the message is “You are not like ____.” These thoughts runs amok in your mind like an incessantly looping program. You can be free with one word, “Jesus!”

Even if you made a covenant with your own blood, there is a greater covenant that God made with His!

The Bible says He erased the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and nailed it to the cross. Those you’ve made agreements with have been exposed to not have any real power…

And having disarmed authorities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them by the cross.

Colossians 2:15

The enemies trick you into giving rights to them. That is the only way they have it. And you have the authority in Jesus’ name to revoke and renounce it at any time.

No longer comply. Resist the devil, he has to flee.

The Deliverer of God’s People

On By TimIn Acts 07, MosesLeave a comment

He supposed that his brothers would understand that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.

Acts 7:25

I stumbled across this while reading Stephen’s testimony to refresh my memory for another task. As God would have it, something caught the attention. This verse was a flashing neon sign that said, “Look at me!”

We know that Moses was chosen as the deliverer of Israel from Egypt. Stephen tells his audience that Moses knew his calling long before it was revealed to him by God. From where did Stephen get that idea?

In our small group, we are going through the book of Exodus verse-by-verse. In the part of the narrative to this point in Moses’ life, it is very difficult to even get a hint of that idea. That is, unless one pokes around the interactive of the Hebrew language and the cognates of the languages at the time.

It is intriguing to look into the origins of his name. In Hebrew, the name Moses is roughly spoken as Moshe. We get the terminal s from Greek language rules that do not allow a vowel to end a masculine proper noun.

Moshe

The underlying evidence is that whoever named Moses knew the Hebrew language well. The context in Exodus also provides some clue as to what the meaning of his name entails and how he received it.

Now a man of the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw him, that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. When she could no longer hide him, she took for him a container made of bulrushes and daubed it with tar and with pitch. She then put the child in it and set it in the reeds by the river’s bank. Then his sister stood afar off so that she might know what would happen to him.

Exodus 2:1–4

Clearly, there is intrigue. A Levite couple bore a Levite son. It was at the time the Egyptians forced infanticide on the Israelis for fear of the strength in their growing numbers. The baby was put in the basket and sent into the river. His big sister Miriam watched to see what would happen to the infant.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river while her maidens walked along by the river’s side, and when she saw the container among the reeds, she sent her maid, and she retrieved it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying. She had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call for you a nursing woman of the Hebrew women so that she may nurse the child for you?”
And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the young girl went and called the child’s mother.

Exodus 2:5–8

There is more here than meets the eye of the casual reader. Miriam had to be very close to all of this. As she watched the Egyptian princess’ handmaiden draw her brother from the water, she witnessed the compassion of the young woman. Perhaps that is what drew her. She was close enough that she would even suggest summoning a wet nurse for the new baby.

The princess wanted it to be so, and sent Miriam.

Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

Exodus 2:9

It is the goodness of God that in such terrible circumstances when all Hebrew infants were brutally murdered, a mother was able to care for her own infant son and earn a paycheck for doing so. It is easy to see how God Himself lifts up motherhood and sees the importance of intimate bond between a mother and child.

Now the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Exodus 2:10

Moshe (Moses) would be under the care of his own mother until he was weaned. That would be somewhere between two and three years old. So now there is a bit of an understanding of the time that has elapsed until the naming of the child. The text says that the Egyptian princess names Moshe. The text also gives a hint to the meaning behind the name.

That is where the intrigue is. Moshe is more than just a name. Could it be that his Hebrew mother gave him his name?

The meaning of the name given in Exodus points to the Hebrew origin of the name. Exodus was written by Moshe. The text also hints at punnery. The meaning give makes it sound as if the word Moshe is passive in nature. Much like one drawn out (of the water.) To be etymologically correct, the word would be Mashuy. But the name Moshe has an active participle in it which changes it from passive to active. Thus the meaning of the name is one who draws (out of water.) Or better understood as the deliver.

Pharaoh’s daughter would Egyptianize the name with a cognate Mose. This word means child or offspring. In this way, Moshe’s name is prophetic. It is aligning directly from the promise given in Genesis 3:15 to the advent of Jesus. It is this (yet future) Child of the woman Who would be Deliverer.

It would be interesting to know if they had any idea of the eternal implications of what they were doing by living their own lives. Nevertheless, this is some tantalizing evidence that Moshe’s name pointed to him as deliverer of the Israelis long before God called him personally.

Mashah

The Egyptian princess claimed “I drew him out of the water.” This is in Exodus 2:10. The Hebrew word used for drew is mashah. That word is used only two more times in the Bible, both references are to being drawn out of the water.

He reached from on high and took me; He drew me out of mighty waters.

2 Samuel 22:17

He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.

Psalm 18:16

My mind reels at how similar those two separate verses are. They connect the idea that the Deliverer draws one out of the water. Biblically, water is symbolic of chaos.

Mose

Perhaps the Egyptian Princess used the name Mose because she thought it conveyed a meaning similar to being drawn out of the water, not quite understanding the nuances of Hebrew. On the other hand, maybe it was more of a claim of her naturally giving birth. The Egyptian word Mose derives from a verb that means to give birth.

Unlike any other Egyptian name, Mose is missing a theophoric element. That is the idea that a name contains a salute to a god. In Egypt, Ramose means born of Ra. Thutmose is child of Thoth. Much in the same way Michael and Daniel end in El. Which salutes the One True God.

Moses

The name Moses is quite unique. I think that tends to validate Stephen’s assessment of what Moses knew when this happened:

In those days, when Moses was grown, he went out to his brothers and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. He looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, two men of the Hebrews struggled with each other; and he said to him that did the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”
He said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known.”

Exodus 2:11–14

Could it be that the impetus for Moses avenging that Israeli by killing the Egyptian be a hint that even at that time he foreknew of his role as deliverer of God’s people?

Stephen, moved by God, said Moses did know at that time.