Created--The Message of Bara

 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

Bara, the Hebrew word for created, is the second word in the first sentence of God's word.  Up to this point in prior posts we noted that the Gospel and prime number patterns were present as a sort of Divine watermark.  Truly, this short seven word sentence is one of the most amazing works of art in all literature, and we have yet to even scratch the surface of its depths.  Bara, itself, has another message hidden below the surface pointing to the great sacrifice of Christ our Redeemer.  Truly, the Lord Jesus is the creator which makes His loving sacrifice even more poignant.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Colossians 1:16-17

Hebrew letters were derived from pictographs in their most ancient form. You might remember that the Aleph was an ox head in that original alphabet.  It carried with it the idea of a sacrifice as the Ox could be used as a sacrificial animal (Deuteronomy 18:3).  It is also the first and primary letter, the literal "head" of the alphabet.  Many of the sacred names of God begin with this letter such as Elohim and El Shaddai being examples. Consequently, this brought about the letter often being used as a stand alone acronym for God, Himself, since traditional Jewish law forbade the writing of the sacred names of the LORD. In that sense in context, aleph equals God. 

Above to the left is the modern form of aleph.  A mystical branch of Judaism noted that the upper right "yod" points towards heaven pointing to the presence of God.  The lower right yod is pointing towards the earth signifying the presence of God reaching down.  Between them is a diagonal vav.  Vav was the letter that was a nail in that ancient paleo-Hebrew form.  It denotes God is linked to both the heaven and the earth--BY A NAIL.  Isn't that actually just another shadow of the cross of Jesus?

In paleo-Hebrew the letter bet was a house.  It, too, is filled with shadow and symbolism.  For instance, the house reminds us that the universe is the dwelling place of the Almighty. There is much more to say, but for the sake of time, the idea of the house is enough for now. There will be more to come on the letter, bet, in time. 

The middle letter above is the letter, resh.  It was originally the head of a man facing left.  It usually carried the idea of a person with strength and power.  For instance, the Hebrew word, rosh, means a leader or chief.  As of this writing, yesterday was the Hebrew holy day of Rosh Hashana--or the head of the year.  

Now lets take a moment to look at the word and its meaning.  Yes, it does mean created and this denotes the omnipotent power of our Creator.  Truly, with God all things are possible. Reread the verses from Colossians above that affirm that Jesus is the Creator.  This is just one of many verses confirming His omnipotence.  Did you notice that last phrase, and by him all things consist.  Jesus literally holds the universe together as He is the Word of GOD. 

That is the absolute message found in that small three letter word above: bara symbolizes that the Head of the House is GOD!  If you want to dwell with GOD then the only way is through the Son, Jesus Christ.  Actually, that message is also there in the word bara.  Bet and resh, together, spell the Hebrew word bar--or SON!  Bara can be interpreted as God the Son.  Truly, by Him all things consist.  Maybe it is not an accident then that the proper nomenclature for protons and neutrons is baryons--a name that means created things.

Do you want to dwell in the house of the Infinite God?  There is ONLY ONE WAY, through the sacrificial atonement of God the Son.  Please accept Him today as your only Lord and Savior. The head of God's house is God the Son.  Lest we forget, Jesus Christ, the head of God's house, is Soon2Come!

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1 Corinthians 8:6

The Central Message

 What is the overall purpose of the Bible?  Clearly, it is the redemption of man by God.  Who and what, then, is the central message of redemption? Jesus Christ and His cross.  He is that precious vicarious atoning sacrifice for all.  The Word of God literally revolves around this plan of salvation from Genesis to Revelation. It is found in the plain text, in types and shadows, through chiastic structure, and even just under the surface in the original languages to name just a few ways the LORD revealed this truth.  God doesn't want anyone who is sincerely seeking His redemptive salvation to miss it. Truly, He doesn't want any to perish.  

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 

2 Peter 3:9 

 Guess where the good news of redemption, the Gospel, is first found in the Bible? It is found in the original Hebrew wording of the very first verse.  Serving as a seal of authenticity, it clearly shares the central message of Holy Scripture for all who wish to see.  From creation, no even before creation, God had your salvation on His mind.  His love for you is eternal. 

It is fairly safe to assume that Jesus' native language was not Greek.  Actually, there is a scripture that corroborates this.  The Apostle Paul had a life-changing encounter with Jesus, "...I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 26:14)  Jesus spoke to Paul in the Hebrew tongue.  

Later, the Apostle John had a similar encounter with Jesus as recorded in the Revelation. He writes what he sees and hears in Greek, the common language for all in that era so all could understand. He records, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega...(Revelation 1:10-11a)." Again, it is safe to assume that Jesus was speaking in Hebrew and John wrote the record in Greek for all to understand.  Regardless of the language; however, the term alpha and omega has a clear Hebrew counterpart, the Aleph Tav.  The aleph is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet and tav is the last letter. Together, they also form an untranslated direct marker in Hebrew that is found twice in the first verse. The positioning of this word in the sentence and the fact that Jesus called himself the Aleph and Tav speaks volumes. Its use throughout the Bible is an amazing study but alas...

The first three Hebrew words in Genesis 1:1 declare God and His power.  In English, they are interpreted as, "In the beginning God created."  The last three words of the sentence read, "the heavens and the earth."  Between almighty God the Creator and the creation sits the Aleph Tav.  This Word is in that special middle place that holds the Creator to the creation. 

In the oldest form of Hebrew, paleo-Hebrew, the present day letters were actually a pictogram.  Aleph, it that form, was the head of an ox.  It speaks of power, strength, the primary one, and a sacrifice. Sacrifice? Deuteronomy 18:3 lists an ox as an acceptable sacrifice.  The letter tav looked like a cross.  It spoke of covenant, a sign, a mark.  If you put these two together with their symbolic meaning they speak of a sacrifice on the cross, a new covenant between God and man, between the Creator and His creation.  Since an aleph can represent God, guess who the sacrifice on the cross was?  That's no secret. It's Jesus, the central person of the Bible, who shed His blood on the cross, the central message of the Bible, to save you and me. It is Jesus Christ, the Aleph-Tav who stands in that special middle priestly position holding the Creator to the creation. God the Son holds the Godhead to the creation by His work on the cross--this is the Bible's central message.

For a couple decades, it was the second appearance of the aleph-tav in Genesis 1:1 that was a bit confusing as it was translated as "and."  Often during studies on Hebrew in the Bible the words appeared with "extra" letters with a different spelling. It turns out that the extra letters, usually at the front of a word, are there to help interpret the meaning.  This happens at least three times in the picture above.  First, the letter bet, the first letter, denotes "in."  In the Beginning...  Later, the letter "he" appears before heavens and earth.  This letter implies the use of "the", so it is the heavens and the earth.  Now the second use of the untranslated aleph-tav makes sense.  The letter that represents "and" is in front of it.  That letter is the Hebrew letter "vav."  Since the Word (See John 1:1) is untranslated, "and" is the correct interpretation. 

Vav in paleo-Hebrew was a nail or peg.  It also carries the idea of confirming or establishing.  Now it makes sense.  The nailed aleph-tav stands between the heavens and the earth.  It is the second reference to the Gospel and Jesus being the intercessor for all humanity.  Christ, Himself, holds the heavens to mankind on earth. His vicarious atonement and those precious nail-scarred hands establish our relationship with Heaven. 

In the first appearance it speaks of His deity.  He is the Son of God, the great intercessor who holds the Creator to the creation.  In the second usage, He is the Son of Man who was nailed to that cross and literally was suspended between the heavens and the earth for our salvation.  Only Jesus stands in this position.  As God, he is the power of God for salvation.  As man, He bears our petitions to heaven as our intercessor.  He is the ultimate High Priest.  He is the priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.   Melchi...that means King and the King is Soon2Come. 

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself for all, to be testified in due time."

1 Timothy 2:5-6 

A Prime Example of Inspiration

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  Genesis 1:1

Arguably, Genesis 1:1 is one of the most controversial verses in the Bible.  Some see it, and the first 11 chapters, as ancient Hebrew creation mythology.  Atheists ignore it and consider it a fairy tale.  Many Bible believers deny its truth and add time to the verse that is simply not there attempting to be compatible with an atheistic evolutionary timeline. Very few see it as the inerrant, inspired Word of God.  Yet, this seemingly simple verse is one of the most complex sentences in all literature.         

 §  It includes complex numeric patterns that can’t be duplicated.

 §  There is deep prophetic insight just under the surface.

 §  Even the entire Gospel of Christ is revealed in this single verse repeatedly.

These patterns are simply there, and they seem to serve as a Divine thumbprint or watermark attesting to their inspiration from the infinite mind of the Lord.

§  Some of the patterns manifest when considering that Hebrew letters also served as their numbers at the time of the writing of scripture.

•            Of note, Greek letters also served as their numbers in ancient times.

§  While the patterns begin in the first verse, they continue through the entire text of scripture in all languages from Old to New Testament.

 Prime number patterns:

Prime numbers are numbers that are only divisible by themselves and one.  In essence, they are indivisible.

§  The first twelve prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37….

·         2 stands alone as the only even prime number. 2 also represents Jesus—the second person of the Eternal Trinity. He is the Great High Priest and Mediator between God and man in that special middle position.

·         5 stands alone as well since all other numbers ending in 5 are divisible by 5. 5 also represents the grace of God and the Holy Spirit.

·         The list of prime numbers is infinite, but after 5, they all end in 1, 3, 7, or 9.

·         Also, one is not a prime nor composite (a divisible number) but is a unique unit.

§  Prime factorization is the process of breaking a number down into all of the individual prime numbers it is “made” from.  Here are a few numbers broken down to their prime factorization for example:

 

·         38 = 2x19

·         37 = prime

·         36 = 2x2x3x3

·         35 = 5 x 7

·         34 = 2x17

·         33 = 3x11

·         32 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2, etc.

Prime numbers are highlighted purposefully in the first verse.  This is an astonishing revelation and the beginning of the complex number patterns that permeate the Bible under the surface.

 How many letters are in the middle untranslatable word?  2—the first prime number. Remember, the theme of redemption  revolves around this word pointing directly to Christ on the cross and that foreshadow is in that special middle place. *More on this in a future post, the Gospel in Genesis 1:1.

How many letters are there in the second and sixth words? 3—the second prime number.

How many letters are in the third and fifth words?  5—the third prime number.

Now look, how many letters are in the third and fourth words? 7—the fourth prime number. This repeats also with the fourth and fifth words as well making a “mirror”—7.

Also, how many words in total? 7

Just as the building blocks of the universe are found in the first verse, the initial building blocks of mathematics are found in the first verse also.

Take a moment to look at the first verse and its numeric values above:

What is the value of the entire sentence?

§  I’ll add left to right: 296 + 407 + 395 + 401 + 86 + 203 + 913 = 2,701

§  What is interesting about this number?

§  Remember the beginnings of a mirror image in this verse?

·         Much of the Bible is written in as ancient literary device known as a chiastic structure.  Other names include symmetric structures, palistrophes, or concentric structures.  Whole books, chapters, verses, and phrases have this pattern that is hard to see for those who can’t read Greek or Hebrew.

·         These structures are sort of mirror images.

§  Let’s look at the prime factorization of the value of the words in Genesis 1:1.

 

·         2,701 = 37 x 73

·         There is a numeric “chiasm” here reflected.

·         When we look at these two mirrored prime numbers, there is another interesting find.

·         37 is the 12th prime number (and the reason I counted the first twelve above).

·         73 is the 21st prime number.

37 73

12 21

§  37 73 is mirrored again in the position of the numbers in the set of primes—12 21. This Divine watermark is absolutely breathtaking when you consider all it requires.

·         First, before the verse was written one would need to:

¨      Design the Hebrew alphabet with the numeric values.

¨      Design the entire system of mathematics including primes, composites, triangular numbers, etc.

¨      Make these deep patterns appear in a single sentence that makes sense and is the beginning of a system that would run through 66 individual books.

·         No human could do this. It is the thumbprint of a Divine Mind!

§  Second, these deep numeric patterns only begin in Genesis 1:1, they continue throughout the Bible in the plain text and below the surface.  For instance, how many times are the first four prime numbers mentioned or patterned throughout the Bible in the plain text? 

·         2 = two great lights, two become one (man and wife), clean animals two x two, etc.

 

·         3 = three days in the whale, three days in paradise after the cross, these three are one, etc.

 

·         5 = five books of the Law, David’s five stones, five books of Psalms, etc.

 

·         7 = seven lampstands, seven trumpets, seven bowls, etc.

 The mirrored counterpart:

As noted above, the sum of the letters in Genesis 1:1 is 2,701.

The prime factorization of 2,701 is 37x73—palindromic primes.

God uses that mirror reflection a lot in scripture—a wonderful study beyond our scope here. *Consider a study on how Genesis is found in Revelation backwards.  In a future post, we will discuss how Genesis and John parallel each other.

If you take the numerals of the first verse, reverse them and then add the two to find a sum, something very interesting happens.  

2701 + 1072 = 3773 *What is the chance this being random?

It seems that in this age when so many feel that the Word of God is simply a collection of myths, fables, and fairy tales collected by the Israelites and preserved, it seems that God is revealing the true, deep secrets of the arrangement of His word as a means to authenticate the overall true message of the life, death, and continuing ministry of Jesus.  Truly, He is Soon2Come.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  2 Timothy 3:16

Israel's Turning Point

  America, as well as other “Christian” nations, seemingly is becoming more and more ungodly by the hour.  Just a quick scan of daily news articles and consideration of current trends will more than support this conclusion.  With that in mind, there is probably no greater book to address this concern than the often dismal but ever important Book of Judges, and a better understanding of its literary structure will assist in unlocking its much needed far-reaching message.  The overall theme of this book is one that every believer needs to consider personally, prayerfully, and carefully.  Of course, that theme is apostasy. 

      The structure of the Book of Judges is amazing.  A careful study will reveal that the judges, in the order of their appearance, are getting further from the truths taught to them in the Word.  An even closer study will reveal that this book is written in a chiastic structure that is meant to call attention to this drift.* When the main judges are charted and compared the pattern becomes obvious and the true message of the entire book becomes clear.  It is not how you start the race that counts, but how well you finish it!  While our performance as believers does not diminish the grace of God, it does injure our witness and effectiveness for the Lord.

     Briefly, a chiasm is an ancient literary device that placed a symmetric pattern into the text.  The purpose was to highlight a specific theme with thematic support before and after.  This device is very common and is found in the New Testament as well (As an example, the entire Book of Revelation is presented in a chiastic structure).  Patterns of this sort revolve around a center point, a point of reflection, and the life of Gideon is the point of reflection in Judges.  Every judge before Gideon has predominately positive characteristics while those following him are mostly negative.  In future articles these comparisons will be shown and many of the judges will be compared and contrasted as the text calls for.

     Before we go on, the word apostasy tends to be a controversial word the moment it is mentioned.  This is not going to be a series on all of the theological arguments and implications this word evokes.  The purpose is to see what we servants of Christ can do to bring much needed change to our society given that we are clearly at a crucial time when righteousness is mocked but godlessness is praised.  Are there areas in our lives where we can deepen our commitment at the foot of the cross and receive grace to end well in this time of cataclysmic moral need? We, the church, must be shrewd and not feud as it is certain that if it is rude, nude, crude, or lewd, today, it is now glorified in our nation and on our watch. It seems that sin and wickedness have poisoned the very soul of our society.  In Christ, the church is the light this lost nation needs—but can we burn brighter and bring greater glory to Jesus?  Again, the Book of Judges can help us rise up to answer these challenges.  We must then consider the example of Gideon.

     It was a grand day as recorded in Judges 6.  In a beautiful Christophany, Jesus visits Gideon and calls him to be a judge in order to answer the cries of His people and bring vital deliverance.  Furthermore, as He calls Gideon to battle God’s enemies, Jesus reveals himself as the “LORD our Peace” even as He is calling Gideon to war (a book could be written here as most of us are very unsettled by the advances of the enemy around us but let's stick to the pattern.  Just remember, Jesus is your peace even though it seems that the earth is being moved and the mountains are being cast into the sea).  Gideon then arises, builds an altar at Ophrah of the Abiezrites, and offers a sacrifice.  He is on the mountaintop spiritually and ready to take on the oppressors.  Rising from the altar of worship he then casts down the nearby altar to the idol Baal which led to a revival in his family.

      Now turn to Judges 8:27.  It is there one reads these terrible words, "And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it..." Where did he fall into idolatry?  The very place he arose in victory was the very place he fell in defeat.  Very soon he was meddling in areas which were forbidden and this assuredly was less than a God honoring witness.

     After Gideon defeats the Midianites and assures his position as a judge of Israel, things were looking up for the Lord’s people.  It truly was a glorious day for Israel.  Well, Almost!  Gideon forgot to call the tribe of Ephraim to battle.  They were not given a chance to be a part of the valiant 300.  It was at this point that the flesh and the adversary took over.  Petty jealousy arose and before you know it the valiant judge of Israel was found “chiding” with other Israelites.  His judgeship went downhill from that very moment, and soon he was in Ophrah where he made the ephod that led many astray.  From this point onward in the Book of Judges there are more frequent arguments that eventually led to armed battles between the clans.  Remember, the tribes were unified in chapter one as they prepared to fight Adonai-Bezek just like the Christian churches across America were mostly gospel preaching entities during the nation’s early years.  However, by the end of the book the sin of sodomy nearly caused the extinction of the tribe of Benjamin—need we consider that comparison to our current circumstances?

     Many start well in their walk with the Lord but the flesh gets in the way and hinders a great testimony.  Rising from the altar in victory they only fall on it continually in defeat while woefully sobbing over their latest episode of outright rebellion.  Bitterness, jealousy, gossip and a whole host of nasty, fleshy sins seem to continually plague them and they never fully allow the image of Christ to be perfected in them.  It is as if they forgot that there is a list of the works of the flesh that are found shortly before the fruit of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5.  More time is then spent on arguing and fussing with other believers and less time is spent sharing the truth of the Gospel to those who need Christ before it is too late. Too many constantly find themselves praying the repentant Psalm of David but never find the power of God’s grace that makes them to walk with hind’s feet on high places.  God has better for us all, and His Spirit pleads with us to live a life of surrender to Him.  Is this not the very call of Paul in Romans 12:1-2?  Seeing the overwhelming price Jesus paid for us at Calvary it is more than reasonable that we wholly sell out for Him.
  

     What can we learn from Gideon?  Strive!  Thank God for the great gift of salvation!  Even ol’ Gideon was given a small mention in the Hall of Faith listed in Hebrews 11 even though it does not appear that he finished well.  Yet, it is only a mention of his name among others whose antics often caused a duplicitous witness.  Again, thank God for grace.  Paul, however, had a much different concept of devotion to Christ.  He would follow the Master in a relationship of total surrender.  His life would be devoted to Christ in ways that maybe even made others think he was a fanatic.  Paul teaches that we need to fight a good fight of faith. 

     What will you cast at the feet of Christ?  Will there be many trophies of victories fought and won in, by, and through His presence and power; or will you stand at his throne, glad to be there, but empty handed?  What crowns will you have to toss at His feet in worship, or will there only be a pile of ashes left after the Lord sifts through your works? 

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”  2 Timothy 2:4

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8

*If you are interested about learning more about chiasms and chiastic structure, I highly suggest the following work as a beginning point:  Dorsey, David A.  The Literary Structure of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2004

Argyroneta Aquatica

He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

John 3:31

Argyroneta aquatica, the diving bell spider, is the only known species of spider to live nearly all of its life under water.  It is such an amazing creature and it reveals the amazing intellect and creativity of the mind of the LORD.  Furthermore, there is much we can learn about our relationship with God and our witness to this lost world if we just take a bit of a closer look at this tiny 8 legged critter.  Take a few moments and consider the Lord’s handy work!

First, it is important to understand that this arachnid is like all others in that it breathes air and would drown in water.  So how does it live underwater in what should be an uninhabitable environment?  Surrounding the spider are tiny hairs that are hydrophobic.  Simply speaking, there is no attraction between the hairs and the water.  This allows the hairs to seemingly repel the water and create small pockets of air around the spider.  However, the spider must return to the surface to replenish its air supply at least once a day.  If it does not, the oxygen would be depleted in the bubble and the spider would die.  This world is just as uninhabitable to spiritual life as the spiders would be without air from above; furthermore, Psalm 23 calls this world the valley of the shadow of death.

Christians should consider their prayer life when thinking on this spider’s actions.  If we are to maintain an ongoing relationship with the Lord of Life that makes a difference to the world around us then we must stop daily and go “top side” to breathe in Heaven’s presence.  Ironically, the Spirit of the LORD literally means the “breath” in both Greek and Hebrew. He is the breath of the Holy One. Living in this world below is just as deadly to our spiritual life as what would take place should the spider lose its “diving bell”.  We must cultivate such a relationship with Christ that we literally take in His life giving power so that we can live as a topsider in an upside down world.  As a man, this was Jesus’ secret to living a life that glorified Heaven!  “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”  Mark 1:35

Many times this spider will work tirelessly to bring bubble after bubble down into the water and use webbing to assist in holding them in place.  He changes the atmosphere.  Have you ever been around a person who spends so much time in prayer that their very presence changes the atmosphere around you?  This reminds me of the story of a region changing revival that broke out at Oriskany Creek, NY during the 2^nd Great Awakening.  The intercessors for Charles Finney, Daniel Nash being one of them, had been earnestly pleading to  God for a change in the spiritual climate of the environs.  As he entered the area where the prayer warriors were fast at work, Finney went to visit a cotton factory in nearby Whitesboro where his brother-in-law worked.  Walking through one of the rooms where many women were sitting behind sewing machines, two ladies suddenly seemed very agitated at the presence of the evangelist.  Soon, the ladies throughout the mill were sobbing under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.  The mill had to be shut down and a great revival ensued.  Just the presence of Finney had changed the atmosphere, who was backed by prayerful believers. They had changed the atmosphere.  Like the hairs on the spider that dispel water, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives should dispel the darkness around us and allow the presence of the Holy Savior to invade.

Then scientific name, Argyroneta Aquatica, carries an interesting meaning.  Aquatica, of course, means water and reminds us of the spider’s habitat.  Argryo is a form of the Greek word for silver while "neta" means spinner.  This gives a rough translation to water silver spinner.  Interestingly enough, silver is the metal in the Bible that is a type of redemption.  For how much money was Jesus sold out for?  It was for thirty pieces of silver--the price of redemption.  Though the spider is actually a dull brown/grey color the presence of the body bubble causes it to have a shiny silver appearance.  It is the air bubble that affects its appearance.  Shouldn’t the presence of Heaven’s Redeemer also cause believers to shine brightly for His glory!  Wouldn’t it be amazing if we all were so filled with Heaven’s presence that all could see Christ in us, the hope of glory?  Shine brightly for Him as He is Soon2Come!

PS--Did I mention that this spider catches fish?

"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."
Mark 1:17

Jesus—The Amen

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:8

Amen!  It is the Bible’s last word.  Jesus, Himself, will ultimately get the last word.  With astounding insight Jesus declared that He was the Last Word.  Once the KING of Kings and JUDGE of Judges speaks there will not be anything left for anyone to say.  There will be no appeal.  There will be no rebuttal.  There will be no second chance.  His verdict is final.

This truth was proclaimed to a church that was in a lot of trouble.  It was the infamous church of the Laodiceans found addressed in Revelation 3:14-22.  The first portion of this compound Greek word is laos. Laos simply means people.  The second portion, dike, is Greek for justice.  Put together, the name means the “people’s justice”.  The letter reveals that the one who shed His blood to purchase their salvation had been left out of this human organization bearing His holy name.  The people, not God, were in control.  The devices, strategies, thoughts, ideas, doctrines, and methods of this professional church were men's inventions and not of the Holy Spirit's direction.  Therefore, Jesus immediately introduces Himself as "the Amen."

Jesus’ point was that He alone will get the final say.  While they might think they are in control and they know what is best even to the point of redefining God’s word, will, and way, The Lord wants them to understand the there will come a day when He speaks and all opinions, ideas, philosophies, and godless stratagem will be silenced before His majesty.  Christ went on to acknowledge that He also was the faithful and TRUE witness.  His point is well taken.  God has clearly spoken about righteousness, truth, and His ways.  All attempts to alter or change the truths of God are utterly vain and will be met with Divine justice in time unless one repents at the foot of the old rugged cross.

Truth!  Pilate asked the question, “What is truth (John 13:8)”?  Earlier in John's gospel, Jesus had already revealed what truth is, and like “amen”, He personalized it as well.  “Jesus saith unto him, "I am…the truth (John 14:6).”  Jesus Christ is the truth to the exclusion of all other “truth”.  The word truth has an interesting spelling in Hebrew and it speaks a similar message as the word amen.  It is the word “emet” spelled with the letters aleph, mem, and tav in that order.  The aleph is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet while tav is the last.  Sandwiched between these two is the letter mem—the central letter in the Hebrew alphabet.  Truth is spelled with the first, middle, and last Hebrew characters. An old Jewish proverb says that truth is the beginning and the end and everything else in between.  Jesus was informing us that truth begins in Himself, ends with Himself and to Him all knowledge will be compared. 

His statement above in Revelation 1:8 is actually a statement of His ultimate power and Godhood.  He is the Alpha and Omega.  Being a Hebrew speaker as Paul mentioned in Acts 26:14, Jesus would have said "I am the Aleph Tav" giving us the framework for the expression of truth being that truth is usually expressed by language.  He is revealing that He is the Omniscient One--the source of all knowledge, wisdom,and understanding.  When He judges it will be with perfect knowledge for there is nothing hidden from His sight.  He then mentions that He is the beginning and the end who was and is and is to come, a time reference.  In other words, He is the Omnipresent One and there will be no place to run and hide from His presence.  Finally, He reveals that He is the Almighty—the Omnipotent One.  He has power to enact His retribution. 

May the entire world hear His voice! America—you need to hear His voice!  May it be clear to you!  Jesus Christ is the Amen and His Truth will prevail.  Before Him, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess the He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.  Call on Him as Lord and Savior now or bow in utter shame at the foot of His Great White Throne and proclaim it later—but you will bow to HIM that is Soon2Come!

24—The King is Coming

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein…Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come.  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Psalm 24:1, 7-10

If you have been following this series, the relevance of numbers and their biblical symbolism has been considered.  Specifically, we have been looking at 22, 23, and 24. The number 22 pointed to the suffering of Christ for our sins and shadowed His ministry as God’s Great Prophet.  The shadow of death is related to 23, and this number actually points to the service of Jesus as our Great High Priest.  It is certain that the ministry of Jesus has three distinct phases—prophet, priest, and king.  If 22 pointed to the prophet and 23 pointed to the priest, then it follows that 24 will point to Christ the KING of Kings.  This is exactly what is found in scripture. 

The value 24 follows the similar pattern of 22.  Remember that 22 was the product of 2 and 11.  The number 11 points to confusion caused by the sin of humanity and 2 relates the suffering and/or fellowship of Christ with our sin.  In Genesis 22 Isaac was offered as a type of Christ while Psalm 22 was a graphic picture of the crucifixion around 1000 years before that fateful day when Jesus hung between Heaven and earth for our sin.  Correspondingly, 24 is the product of 2 and 12.  Twelve is a well known number signifying the perfection of God’s government.  In short, 24 is the number portending the reign of the 2^nd Adam, Jesus Christ.  It is a prophetic picture of the soon coming King who will reign for 1000 years from His throne in Jerusalem fulfilling His role as the Son of David while at the same time having an eternal reign as the Son of God. 

At first glance, Genesis 24 may seem to deviate from the pattern.  It is the wonderful retelling of Abraham sending out an unnamed servant (probably Eliezer of Damascus) to a distant land to find a bride for Isaac.  Isn’t this the same Abraham who was given the promise of a special heir through whom all the world would be blessed?  Genesis 24 is a beautiful shadow of the bride of Christ being drawn by the Holy Spirit to their Savior.  Every King needs a kingdom, does He not?  He also needs a queen at His side (hence a rapture shadow for the next post). More on this passage another day, but let’s suffice it to say that there is much more in this beautiful love story than meets the eye.  “And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them (Genesis 24:60).”

This brings us to one of the most obvious passages of Christ the King in scripture, Psalm 24.  Dovetailing perfectly in the trilogy of Psalms sharing the ministry of Christ, this Psalm foretells the second coming in stunning detail including the triumphal entry of Christ through the currently closed Eastern Gate.  Jesus isn’t returning as the Lamb that was slain nor is He returning for a group hug. No!  He is returning as the Lion of Judah, the Supreme Ruler of all humanity.  He will reign with a rod of iron and all will be done in holiness and righteousness.  Jerusalem will be His capital and to Him all will bow.  Only those with clean hands and a pure heart will enter that glorious reign.  Jesus is coming to straighten out this sinful world once and for all. The other Psalm of the King, Psalm 2, gives even more detail as does Psalm 12 (2x12=24). He arrives at a time when the godly men cease upon the earth even as Psalm 12 mentions.  It is at a time when the ungodliest of all men, the antichrist is usurping the throne of Christ. Jesus' promise of justice comes with Him!  “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him (Psalm 12:5).”

What a beautiful trilogy of Psalms.  Psalm 22 is the Psalm of Christ the Prophet.  Psalm 23 is the Psalm of Christ our Heavenly High Priest.  Psalm 24 is the promise of our Soon2Come
King! 

In 22 He is despised and rejected of the people and forsaken due to our sin. In 23 He is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the saints leading them through the valley of the shadow of death.  In Psalm 24 He is the glorious King returning with the armies of Heaven in tow. 

In Psalm 22 He died for you!
In Psalm 23 He lives to pray for you!
In Psalm 24 He is coming for you!

We see the cross with its shame in Psalm 22.
We see the crook and staff with their watchful care in Psalm 23.
We see the crown and its resplendent glory in Psalm 24.

His cry is in 22!
His comfort is in 23!
His claim is in 24!

By His death He was left strength less for us in Psalm 22.
By His intercession He is found strengthening us daily in Psalm 23.
By His return He is found to be the strongest of the strong in Psalm 24.

Bless the LORD Jesus Christ--Prophet, Priest, and King!  He is certainly Soon2Come and fulfill His ministry as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Bless the Lamb of GOD!  Bless the Lion of Judah, mighty to save!