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[ddstantheman]

John Baptist

Greetings everyone,

We continue our study of Matthew 3.

The worms had finished off Herod! Joseph was called home and Jesus shall be called a "Nazarene". According to the Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, this declaration cannot be found in the Old Testament or elsewhere. The commentary describes it as wordplay and suggests that this refers to the Hebrew word "netser" translated: branch. This Hebrew word occurs in Isaiah 11:1, where "netser" refers to a son of Jesse [David's father]. The term was used to evoke messianic hopes, emphasizing Jesus as Messiah, son of David, the hope of Israel's restoration.

Joseph followed the voice of God through his dreams. When men follow the voice of God their purpose is assured but dangers still lurk around every corner. We can be certain that when Joseph was received into glory, he was greeted with a loud shout and our Lord praising him, "well done, good and faithful servant".

Fast track 30 years later. Elijah returns in the person of John the Baptist to prepare the people to receive their king. Another man who walks God's path in word and action.

John walks in the wilderness of Judea. The promised land had become a wilderness again. The people's hearts were more Greek and pagan than Jew. They had turned to religion rather then to their God. The Holy of Holies was but a vacuous space! Religion, men's rule book, was the standard, but as with the days of old when Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea into the wilderness of Shur and Elijah confronted Ahab breaking the drought, the hand of God is on his people defeating the prophets of Baal.

Repent! Turn from your secular ways for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Where Jesus is, the kingdom is! Heaven has invaded earth and remains here today in the form of the true Church and I'm not talking about that building down the street. (check out blog one for clarification) The kingdom of God will come to its completeness at the parousia.

I find it interesting that we get a physical description of John the Baptist. Dressed in camel's hair and a leather belt, not embroidered in fine cloth like the Pharisees. So consumed with his calling that John would've paid little attention to his physical adornments.

Check out 2 Kings:8 and you will quickly realize that the Bible is screaming at us that this John the Baptist is the predicted return of Elijah the Tishbite who let the fire come down from heaven to consume the ungodly.

Wake up you brood of vipers, you people who drive nice cars, dine at fine cafés and discuss the latest gossip. The axe is at the tree. Repent or bear the wrath of the law! The choice is yours!

Yours truly DW Stan!

[ddstantheman]

Herod the not so great

The prophet Micah spoke from ages past (700 years prior to fulfillment) In Micah 5:2 ESV "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."

Most people do not realize that there was actually two Bethlehems; one Bethlehem Ephrathah in Judea and another Bethlehem of Zebulun in northern Palestine. The Bethlehem of Zebulun is mentioned in the book of  Joshua (19:15). When you consider that the Old Testament Cannon was complete around 100 BC and that its' prophecies are very specific and measurable, it is easy to see the hand of God move through His scriptures and His people Israel. Micah spoke of a specific place and that a ruler from ancient days would come forth. If that is not a picture of Christ then I will eat my hat!

The bread of life emerges from the house of bread, the birth place of David, and Satan begins to try to thwart God's plan of redemption for His people. Herod is lucifer's henchman!

Who was this Herod the great? Why would we give this man the emblem of greatness? Why would God put that man in his position and allow this despot to try to thwart His plan. By any surface or worldly measure, Herod the founder of the Herodian dynasty kingdom of Judah  (37-4 B.C.), was great. An Idumean (an Edomite or of the line of Esau, a historic enemy of the Jews), appointed ruler by the Roman senate in 40 BC.

He was described as having a commanding presence; he excelled in physical exercise, he was a skillful diplomat, but above all else he was prepared to commit crime in order to gratify his unbound ambition. He commissioned many great buildings, with the temple as his crowning jewel. However Herod saw fit to place at the main entrance, a huge roman eagle which pious Jews saw as sacrilege.  A group of Torah students promptly smashed this emblem of idolatry and oppression.  Herod had them hunted down, dragged in chains to his residence in Jericho, where they were burned alive. Herod took pains to make sure the temple would be run without future problems of this kind. He appointed his own High Priest, having by then put to death forty-six leading members of the Sanhedrin, the rabbinical court.

Herod tortured without remorse, family members, priests and anyone that threatened his reign of terror. No wonder the Bible records that when the Herod was troubled, all Jerusalem was as well. Herod had in succession 10 wives, therefore it is easy to infer this megalomaniac's unbound lust for everything the world could offer. It is the lot of man to view the surface and judge the appearance of success and wealth while ignoring the inner rot.

Why would God put that man in his position and allow this despot to try to thwart His plan? This, in fact is the harder question to answer. The explanation may be tied in with the biblical account of the wisemen. While Herod the king was troubled with the news of the star while the kings of the east were fascinated, rejoicing and worshipful. Herod's reaction was one of subterfuge, with the result the annihilation of the innocent. The kings of the east bended their knee to the two-year-old child sacrificing their time and treasure to secure safe passage for Joseph's family.   They were blessed with communication with God through a dream and bore witness to the Son of God. Herod on the other hand, as written by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus died a painful and debilitating disease that caused breathing problems, convulsions and rotting of his body from worms. Indeed he was rotten on the inside!

May this be a lesson for every one of us! Judge not the surface of wealth and success. Honour those who are of a godly character. Save the emblem of greatness to those who deserve it not to those who are the most popular or appear on the TV screen.

Above all else praise the one, the maker of the universe, to Him alone be the glory, to Him alone my soul shall bend, Immanuel, Ayesha.

I hope you're enjoying my blog as much as I am enjoying writing it as I slowly work through the Book of Matthew. Don't hesitate to leave a comment.

Yours Truly DW Stan  

[ddstantheman]

The birth of Jesus

The birth of Jesus

Matthew's account focuses on Joseph. Mary is rarely mentioned. This may indicate Matthew's Jewish audience. It is interesting to consider the risk in human terms what God the Father took. An illegitimate helpless child and a supposedly adulterous Mary could have been easily stoned by the population under mosaic law. However our omniscient God knows the beginning and the end, therefore risk is not in His vocabulary. Instead He entered time wrapped in death rags predestined to die in the most painful and humiliating way.

The angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph, referring to his royal lineage and declaring "Do not fear but take Mary as your wife". Where fear is banished, obedience begins! Joseph knew who Jesus was!

When Joseph awoke he does what all just men do after an encounter with a Holy God. They walk in obedience! Joseph married Mary and he did not consummate the marriage until after Jesus' birth. He adopts Jesus, formally bringing him into the royal Davidic line. He names the child according to what the Lord instructed. "Jesus" or "Joshua"  means "God Saves". He shall save his people from their sins.

Notice it says his people, not the world. His people are the true Israel called the church, the believers, by the Holy Spirit and redeemed by the blood of Christ. After all if you don't believe what Jesus did for you, the cross is useless to you. You have chosen to remain under the law and the perfect law condemns every time. You have chosen to breach the ramparts of hell. Let me be very clear on this point. Our holy loving Father will never send anyone to hell, but He will allow it. It's your own choice! As the old song by Frank Sinatra sings hollow: "I did it my way". You can do it your way too!

The French would say "the piece de resistance" is that the prophet Isaiah foretold the whole story 700 years earlier (Isaiah 7:14) "Behold, The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel". A miraculous light is shed on this document or a better phraseology would be the endorsement of the Holy Spirit.

God chose a "just man" obedient to the Holy Spirit. Much can be written about just men. In Genesis 6:9 Noah was a just man; Mark 6:20 records John as a just man; in Luke 2:25, Simon joins the elusive group of just men, and even a gentile, a Roman no less Cornelius the centurion, in Acts 10:22 is announced as a just man. What an illustrious title to be recorded in the Holy writ as a "just man". So what is a just man? These men were under the law [Torah] and as such strove to keep it. Not only to the letter but to the heart of the Torah. Pharisees kept the letter but neglected the heart of the law.

The question I ask myself is this: would I be counted as a just man?  This is a sobering thought for any person who counts themselves among the chosen. Joseph had every legal right to abandon Mary according to the Mosaic law in Deuteronomy 24. Mary had not shared the vision concerning her pregnancy with Joseph. The betrothal contract was binding and an unfaithful wife would have been stoned to death.

The story however has just begun. In the space of 33 years, God's revelation to his people takes a giant step forward as the Old Testament prophecies are filled one by one by the Nazarene rabbi. The unfolding narrative of God's plan for God's people continues this day through His Church and the Holy Spirit. The cry throughout the land is answered by just men like Isaiah. Isaiah 7:8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" "Then I said, "Here I am! Send me".

Here I am!,  send me, may that be your cry!

 DStan

[ddstantheman]

Matthew 1

Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Christ firmly establishing His inheritance. Showing the link to the Davidic throne fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy of an eternal kingdom. [2Samuel 7: 13–17] This is an incomplete genealogy written to establish a point not a historical chronology.  E. Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (p. 175), makes a great comment about how Matthew's genealogy is structured. 1. the Patriarchs – first fourteen names 2. Israelite kings – second fourteen names 3. unknown ancestors – third fourteen names

Right out of the gate Levi drops the proverbial bomb on his Jewish audience with the phrase "the son of David".  "Messiah" The heart in each Jewish breast would be beating wildly. The promised King that would free Israel. This pronouncement alone would shake the foundations and send the Nazarene to the cross. These few lines of text say it all: The Christ, the Anointed one, the root of David and Messiah! I could go on forever, however let us turn back to the genealogy and see what other goodies God has for us.

What is also interesting in my mind is the invasion of gentiles, women and sin into the heritage of Christ. If I were crafting a story to portray a historical saviour I would not include such loathsome details to a Jewish audience. Thankfully the Holy Spirit guides the pen of Matthew.  Three of the women listed―Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth―were gentiles and the fourth, Bathsheba, was married to a Hittite. Making things worse, we have Rahab the Canaanite prostitute and Ruth a Moabitess.  Moabites were forbidden from entering the congregation of Israel (cf. Deut. 23:3). The wife of Uriah refers to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon (cf. 2 Samuel 11 and 12), who, like Rahab and Ruth, was not Jewish. To make matters even worse, Matthew reminds the readers of  Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah who was reputed to be the most evil king in Judah's history (cf. 2 Kgs. 21:2-7). Interestingly, He also reigned the longest-fifty-five years (cf. 2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33).

Why would Matthew include these unsavoury details in his manuscript? We begin at the apex of the mountain and are dropped off the cliff of humanity! Why?

Now, shut the screen off and open your Bible, yes it's that book that statisticians report that only a very few believing Christians actually open it. Invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to His word. Prepare to hear from your Holy Father! Chronicle what you have received and add it to your comments on my blog. If you are like me when the Holy Spirit speaks the ink just flows from my pen.

Here are some of the thoughts I received: (A) You have heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. God shows us that He can use the most messed up, degenerate human beings to bring heaven to earth. I look back on my life and I see the tangled web of sin, yet God loved me so much that he selected me to be his son, adopted into the royal priesthood. He washed me clean by the blood of the Lamb. (B) My earth Dad is a bit of a genealogy buff. We can trace our heritage back to earls and lords in England. We used to half joke that blue blood ran through our veins. However what struck my wife and I as we gazed at the family tree was the number of suicides and illegitimate offspring. It seems like the earl was busy doing other things instead of taking care of the affairs of the state. Our families are unsaved and yet here I blog about the Creator of the universe at 6 AM. Who would have ever guessed? (C) A day to the Lord is a 1000 years to man our Heavenly Father uses everything to the good of his people. He steps into time to call his people Israel to make their paths straight. Follow him and you shall be a lamp, a city on a hill and your salt shall season the mind and the hearts of men.  Spread the good news; the bread of life is born in Bethlehem, "The House of Bread".  All to His glory, He directs the path of the Saints [that's you and me by the way] that we would come to the realization of ESV Job 42: 2  "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted".

(D) This genealogy speaks to the truth of the manuscript. It is easily tested historically. Levi does not concoct a complex argument but merely and plainly states the truth. Jesus the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham is the declaration of who He is similar to Genesis 1:1  "In the beginning, God". The foundational concept inherent in the text is the understanding of who He is without that the text is just a novel. The Trinitarian doxology states it well "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen."

As the reader you must decide what to believe.

[ddstantheman]

The Book of Matthew

I am confident that here in the West, most believers don't appreciate how radical this document we call the "Canon" actually is. I am also convinced that modern Christian believing scholars who rip apart the Word of God trying to find its meaning or flaws have forgotten the fundamental premise of the sacred text. The inerrant Word of God was written by men guided by the Holy Spirit to point to the Truth. And by the way “inerrant” means incapable of having flaws.

We see both of these characteristics in the Book of Levi. The Book of Matthew was written or not written by Matthew prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Romans, during Nero's reign. This date will play a huge role in our understanding of Matthew 24 and our resulting eschatology but let us not get two mired in controversy just yet. Instead let us satisfy our appetites with the more important meat of God's Word.

The Synoptics  are quite similar with most theologians believing that Mark was written first. They even use the same rare Greek words and phrases. Others believe that there was a fourth source which they nicknamed  "Q" or Quelle [German for source]. Personally I call Levi's source the big "H", the ultimate source being the Holy Spirit, the third person of our triune God. [John 14:26].

The Book of Levi provides a beautiful bridge between the Old and New Covenant. Levi clearly proves that Jesus Christ is God's chosen Messiah and the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy. The Davidic line is secure in Christ just as our salvation and glory is cemented by "the Rock of the church".

Who was this man we call Levi son of Alpheus? Matthew was the worst kind of parasite you would never associate with. Driven by greed, he sold out to the Roman occupiers and swindled his brothers, adding to their tax burdens. With the weight of  the "Pax Romana" on his side, no one dared to question Levi on the main highway to Capernaum. But praise the Lord,  the God of the universe who looks through the filth and stench of sin down deep into a man's soul and counts him worthy. Matthew, on that fateful day answered the call and displayed one of the most radically changed lives in the Bible.

He never hesitated; he never looked back; he left behind a life of worldly wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty. He invited his friends, his fellow tax collectors and reclined at the table with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The Holy Word records it so plainly in Matthew 9:9–13. Do you appreciate the scandalous picture of the call? Who is this Nazarene that consorts with the dregs of society?

Have you answered the call?

[ddstantheman]

The Church

Welcome to my first blog! Hold on and sit tight! This first blog captures some of my pet peeves  when it comes to our North American evangelical practices. Don't misinterpret my words, I love the Word, the church and am confident that hell will not prevail! If I were to be critical of some of the modern Bible translations it is that they wrap their translation through the lens of political correctness or a hidden agenda. They strip the maleness characteristic out of the text when the cultural bias at the time clearly favoured men as women were considered chattel. Their efforts to sanitize the Holy text reduces the radical nature of who Jesus is. And how He came to set all people, including women, free from oppression. The King James version chose the word "church" instead of congregation. The word church is so bastardized from the pulpit that some believers think you can actually commute to a church. The abuse of the word has allowed denominations to spring up dividing the body of Christ even to the point where congregations will verbally attack neighbouring brothers and sisters in Christ. Some people will actually try to justify this sad state of affairs by calling the congregations "tribes" purporting that this situation is somehow what God intended. The church is one body, one people, brothers and sisters justified and glorified by our Savior Jesus Christ. Any other form of or use of the word is blasphemy and from the depths of hell! The word "sanctuary" too gets abused on a Sunday. Allowing the idea that four walls and hard oak seats are somehow special is anathema to New Testament thinking. We enact programs as the infamous "plan to protect"to dance to the insurance companies tune and neglect the true sanctuary which of course is the people. On a Sunday we have a chief executive officer, the board, the members, the headquarters  and the tax! It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why so few are walking into the building! Of course I use hyperbolic language but consider the underlining truth. Personally I enjoy attending a building and worshiping our Heavenly Father, it is the highlight of my week! I also strongly believe that we Christians are called to corporate worship however I bemoan the fact how North American believers have fallen asleep allowing  the world to be the template for the Bride. Our bodies are the temple and sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. I know dispensationalists out there want to re-establish the old temple and the temple sacrificial system but I believe what Jesus did on the cross was everything. Our infinite God paid for our infinite sins once and for all time! The Covenant of works and the Davidic Covenant is fulfilled. The Covenant of Grace reigns supreme in and through Christ. The basic mistake dispensationalists make is that they interpret the New Testament through the lens of the old. We must do precisely the opposite. However this mistake is not fatal! Only blaspheming the Holy Spirit is fatal! Therefore rejoice with me brothers and sisters of Christ the last days are upon us, the parousia awaits, Come Lord Jesus! Come! Messiah! Come walk with me through the Book of Matthew in my next blog. I look forward to your comments and our journey of learning together because I certainly do not pretend to know it all. Yours Truly D Stan