Kingdom of Ahasuerus vs. Kingdom of Heaven

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Book of Esther

Throughout the book of Esther, the narrative vividly described the power, riches, and politics of the Persian Empire during the reign of Ahasuerus (or Xerxes). Established by conquests and known for political unrest and unpredictable rule, the Persian kingdom offered an earthly monarchal government, temporal wealth, whimsical decisions, violent acts, and privileged class conditions.

Alongside the depiction of the king Ahasuerus’ worldly dominion and grandeur, the account illustrates the unwritten principles of God’s kingdom. What the book of Esther hides, it reveals by contrast without mention of the kingdom of heaven. Contrary to Ahasuerus’ rule, the kingdom of God presents a sovereign king with an immutable nature–the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim 6:15) characterized by His divine, providential rule “sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Heb 1:3). Having rich mercy and great love for all, He made His kingdom accessible to all people by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:4-10).

Though hidden by name in Esther, the Book points out God’s divine natures: His providence in ordering His salvation plan and immutability in keeping to His promises for redemption by delivering the people of Israel. God is at work, even when He is silent. The God of Israel operated in the background through His providence to fulfill His unchangeable covenant promise (Gen 17:1-8). As a result, Esther reveals He Who is, He Who was, and He Who is to Come (Mal 3:6; cf. Isa 44:6); which in turn, the New Testament ascribes to Jesus with the same title and purpose as God Himself–Jesus, He Who sits on the heavenly throne (1 Tim 1:16; Rev 1:7-8; 4; 22:3-4).

Even though the kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven) never ceases, its hiddenness in the book of Esther brings to bear the same in the lives of many believers today. The illusion and self-aggrandizement of wealth, power, and grandeur present in the kingdom of Ahasuerus still can attracts contemporary believers. It tempts believers to change their citizenship from the kingdom of heaven (God) to the kingdom of Ahasuerus (world). Like the lukewarm church of Laodicea, some believers even may reside in two kingdoms with dual citizenship. Christ followers exclusively must inhabit the kingdom of the One who dwells within them.

King Ahasuerus–Jan Paron, 2019

Kingdom of Ahasuerus

Ahasuerus’ vast empire ranged from India to Cush (the Upper Nile Valley region), including 127 provinces. At the peak of his reign, approximately 50 million people lived in the Persian Empire in 480 BC or about 44% of the world’s population. He held the most power of any ruler in that period.

The king possessed abundant riches and prided himself on his acquisitions. Esther 1:1, 3-4 tells that King Ahasuerus displayed them in two feasts. One feast spanned 180 days to allow sufficient time for those of higher rank to view his wealth—military, nobles, and leader—from the 127 provinces in the empire. The other lasted seven days for those present in the palace, the more common people (1:5).

Feast guests at Ahasuerus’ Susa palace reclined on couches of gold and silver, resting on marble pavements with mother-of-pearl, porphyry, and precious stones in the courtyard. They drank from gold vessels, each unique from the other (v. 7). White, green, and blue wall hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings on marble pillars also adorned the area (v. 6).

The palace itself had walls of molded, glazed bricks depicting the spear bearers of the king’s bodyguard. Seated sphinxes and pacing lions lined it, while the splendid thirty six-columned audience hall featured a magnificent raised golden throne (see Esth 5:1). The royal builders brought cedar timbers from Lebanon and ivory of Ethiopia and India.

The riches of the kingdom did not offer wealth to its citizens. Kings of that day determined who would acquire citizenship. Jews lived an exiled life, aliens in a foreign land amid the Great Dispersion across the Persian Empire. Most did not return to decimated Jerusalem and sought opportunity elsewhere in the empire. Migratory streams moved in all directions, Jewish communities living in pagan territories. The fall of the temple causing a spiritual crisis among them, drawing them yet farther from God as the people of Israel floundered without His kingdom. The wealth and power of Ahasuerus (and his gods) tempted the Jews with their loss of faith. Paganized, they resided in an worldly kingdom with values contrary to God’s holiness.

Kingdom of Heaven

While the New Testament does not define the kingdom of heaven in a direct manner, Scripture explains who it is. John the Baptist announced the King would soon appear in the term’s first occurrence: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3:2). In Luke 17:21, Jesus confirmed His identity when the Pharisees asked Him when the kingdom of God would come, He answered, “For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” The kingdom of heaven was in their midst. Jesus is the kingdom of heaven.

The New Covenant offers a reestablished kingdom of heaven through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom in the fullness of time as the Messiah, Israel’s awaited King (Mark 1:15); redeemed the kingdom’s people through His death and resurrection (Col 2:14-15); and returns the kingdom to completion during His final, righteous reign (Dan 7:14; Rev 19:16). No earthly kingdom can compare in greatness to the heavenly kingdom; neither could the earthly match the heavenly grandeur. Preferences and prejudices do not exist in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus, the express image of the invisible God, makes those who follow Him citizens of His kingdom with full benefits. He invites all people and gives equal privileges of citizenship to the riches of His grace (Luke 8:1).

The below table one compares the differences between the kingdom of Ahasuerus to the kingdom of God–one temporal, the other eternal. The kingdom at hand fulfills God’s design for redemption. The hope of Israel lives in Jesus Christ and extends to Gentiles as well.

Table 1. Comparison of the Kingdom of Ahasuerus to the Kingdom of God

Kingdom of Ahasuerus (World)	Kingdom of God (Heaven)
Ahasuerus—King (Esth 1:1-2)	Jesus—King of kings (1 Tim 6:15)
Ahasuerus—Man	Jesus—God robed in flesh (both divine and human) with the full character, personality, and quality of the one God (John 10:30; 15:9-10)
Ahasuerus inherited the kingdom after King Darius’ death	Jesus inaugurated His kingdom in the fullness of time as the Messiah, Israel’s awaited King (Mark 1:15); redeemed its people through His death and resurrection (Col 2:14-15); and returns the kingdom to completion during His final, righteous reign (Dan 7:14; Rev 19:16)
Ahasuerus was king until assassination	Jesus as God existed from eternity, King before the earth began and King after it passes away (Isa 44:6; 48:12; Rev 21:6; 22:13)
Ahasuerus ruled from Ethiopia to India (Esth 1:1)	Jesus has all authority over heaven and earth (Matt 28:18) Jesus is the kingdom (Luke 17:21)
Ahasuerus showed his and his kingdom’s greatness by displaying its wealth (Esth 1:4-7)	No greater kingdom—God owns everything in all realms through His Word at creation  (Gen 1:2; 2:4; Isa 45:12)
Jews considered aliens, not citizens—the king determined who would be a citizen	Jesus makes those who follow Him citizens of His kingdom with full benefits, He invites all people (Luke 8:1; Phil 3:20-21)
Ahasuerus was the image of power and wealth (Esth 1:4, 8, 11, 22)	Jesus is the express image of the invisible God (Phil 2:9-11: Col 1:15), while a servant in His human role “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:25)
Obedience brought temporal reward, disobedience resulted in punishment such as death	Obedience brings rewards in heaven, forgives sin (1 Cor 3:8; Eph 2:4-5; Rev 2:23; 22:12)
Concerned with outward, material beauty (Esth 1:1:4, 6,11; 2:2, 4, 17)	Concerned with the heart of inward man (1 Sam 16:7; Matt 5:17-19)
Lived in a palace (Esth 1:2)	Lives within those baptized in His Spirit and identified as the One on the throne in heaven (Rev 1:7-8, 11, 17-18; 4:2,8; 5:6; 7:17; 22:3-4)
Displayed his own wealth, power, comfort, and pleasure for the king’s benefit (Esth 1:17)	Gives the riches of His grace to kingdom citizens for their benefit transforming His kingdom through redemption (John 18:26)
Ahasuerus acted impulsively and wavered in opinions and actions (Esth 1:22; 3:9; 7:5-6,9)	Jesus as God remains unchanging yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Ps 86:15; 119:89; Mal 3:6; John 1:1, 14; 10:30, 38; 14:10-11; Heb 13:8; Jas 1:17)
Ahasuerus gave authority only to the highest ranking in the kingdom, Haman and then Mordecai (Esth 3:10)	Jesus delegates His authority to all citizens of His kingdom to operate in His name as His ambassadors (Luke 10:9)
No one could go to Ahasuerus’ inner court and request anything of him unless the king first called for one’s presence and he held out the golden scepter (Esth 4:11)	Citizens can place their petition directly to the King at anytime (1 John 5:14-15)

Queen Esther in a Pagan World

Despite the fact that the book of Esther hides God within its text, He very much remained visible through His providential actions. While a pagan land and customs surrounded Queen Esther, the hand of God directed the miracles of the narrative’s events. God always makes Himself available even when one does not seek Him. The contrast between the two kingdoms not only illustrates the sovereignty of God, but also the rich, continuous mercies He offers by grace through Jesus Christ.

Like Esther, the contemporary believer lives as an alien in a foreign and pagan land. The cup of iniquity fills rapidly there, while end-time prophecy comes to completion with each passing day. Queen Esther largely relied on herself and other people to address the events that unfolded in the book of her namesake even though God worked silently. However, just as God gave Esther free will to select the kingdom in which to reside, He does so with His elect. The urgent question in these Last Days for the believer is, which kingdom does one choose–the kingdom of Ahasuerus (world) or kingdom of God (heaven)?

Jan Paron, PhD

July 12, 2019

God’s Immutable Purpose: The Revealed Redemptive Jehovah Titles in the Incarnate Jesus

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Apostolic Pentecostal, Immutability, Redemptive Jehovah Titles

Introduction

Jan Paron, PhD|November 14, 2017

          God’s nature does not change due to His immutability: “I am the Lord, I change not (Mal 3:6a KJV; e.g., Num 23:19; Isa 46: 9-11; Jas 1:13). His nature remains unchanged across the dispensations of time grounding itself in the same redemptive purpose with humanity. Thus, the very attributes in God’s titles expressed in the Old Testament manifested themselves in the substance of Jesus Christ in the New (Exod 3:14-15; John 8:56-59).

          The forthcoming essays discuss God’s immutable purpose in the revealed redemptive Jehovah titles in the Incarnate Jesus, as well as overview the progressive revelation of the Name Jehovah. Each will examine the Lord’s revealed redemptive purposes, unchangeable throughout the covenants. They seek to accomplish three goals: (1) explain the doctrine of God’s immutability; (2) exegete the attributes of the seven Jehovah redemptive titles in light of their fulfilled revelation in the person of Jesus Christ; and (3) interpret how the Gospels illustrated the progressive unfolding of God’s immutable nature by means of the seven redemptive titles of Jehovah.

          Revelation denotes an uncovering (Vine, Unger & White, 1996). God progressively uncovers His identity through His Word. For a comprehensive understanding of God’s immutable nature, one finds a portrait of His fullness in the single biblical story from the eyewitness accounts the inspired Gospel authors wrote.

          The key to grasping the progressive manifestation of God’s immutable nature in the Incarnate Jesus comes with examining the compound, redemptive titles of Jehovah in tandem with innertextual and intertextual messianic analyses of Old Testament text and canonized Gospels. To understand the titles’ entirety requires more than relying on the reader’s perspective in front of the text. One also must delve into aspects from the biblical author’s world behind the text and analyze the literary elements of Scripture within the text (Tate, 1997; Paron, 2013). Further, each distinct Gospel emphasis shapes God’s immutable nature into a complete biblical portrait of a covenantal God in His expressed image (character) in the person (substance) of Jesus Christ. The Gospel’s purpose, interpreted events, messianic sayings, covenantal fulfillment, linear prophetic fulfillment, and New Covenant establishment put the paintbrush in the reader’s hand.

Overview: Progressive Revelation of the Name Jehovah

          The name Jehovah in combination with titles, uncovers His immutable, redemptive nature ultimately made visible in Jesus with the Church and then the nation of Israel at the fullness of time when the Church Age ends. In historical Old Testament order (Bullinger, 2007), Scripture shows seven titles expressing His redemptive nature:

1. Jehovah-jireh (LORD that provides: Gen 22:14; cf. John 1:29; Heb 11:17-19)
2. Jehovah-rapha (LORD that heals: Exod 15:26; cf.; Jas 5:14)
3. Jehovah-nissi (LORD my banner, victory: Exod 17:15; cf. 1 Cor 15:57)
4. Jehovah-shalom (LORD is peace: Judg 6:24; cf. John 14:27)
5. Jehovah-tsidkenu (LORD our righteousness: Jer 23:6; cf. 1 Cor 1:30)
6. Jehovah-shammah (LORD is there, the Ever Present One: Ezek 48:35; cf. Matt 28:30)
7. Jehovah-raah (LORD my shepherd; Ps 23:1; cf. John 10:11)

          In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare posed the question, “What’s in a name?” explaining it does not typify one’s feelings or intent (Insel, 2010). Conversely, a name in the Bible does define a person’s character and nature. Thus, to understand the redemptive nature of Jesus all names reflected in the redemptive titles of Jehovah illustrate the fulfillment, identity, and purpose of God’s salvation plan for humanity in Jesus. Jehovah of the Old Testament shows continuity of His redemptive nature revealed in the incarnated God in Jesus. With the titles Jehovah-jireh, rapha, nissi, shalom, and raah, Jehovah expressed Himself as Jesus to the end of earthly matters. As Jehovah-tsidkenu and shammah, He identified Himself in His final Kingdom reigning in righteousness (Isa 32:1). Thus, Jesus fulfilled the totality of the seven redemptive titles of Jehovah with the I AM: “and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob” (49:26), therefore, immutable.

References

Bernard, D. (2010). The essentials of oneness theology. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Bernard, D. (2016). The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Dorset, UK: Deo Publishing.

Bernard, D. (2007). The oneness of God. Florissant, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Bullinger, E. E. (2007). The divine names and titles: In the Old and New Testaments. Bible Students Press.

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Graves, R. (2009). The God of two testaments. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Insel, T. (2010, April 19). What’s in a name?. The outlook for borderline personality disorder. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2010/whats-in-a-name-the-outlook-for-borderline-personality-disorder.shtml

Kaiser, W. (1995). The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Norris, D. (2009). I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal theology. Hazelwood, MO: WAP Academic.

Paron, J. (2013, January 19). The three worlds of text. [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://wordpress.com/post/specs12.wordpress.com/2017

Reeves, Kenneth. (1962). The Godhead, book 1 (Revised) Seventh Printing. St. Louis, MO: Trio Printing Company.

Segraves, D. L. (2008). Reading between the lines. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Tate, W. R. (1997). Biblical interpretation: An integrated approach. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

Thayer, J. T. (2009). Thayer’s Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament (9th ed.) Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. 

Vine, W., Unger, M., & White, W. (1996). Vine’s complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testaments. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

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Doctrine of Immutability

Tags

Apostolic Pentecostal, Immutability, Incarnation, onenesstheology

Jan Paron, PhD|November 13, 2017     

          Malachi 3:6 offers a strong statement about God’s own revelation of His name, “I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Lord in Hebrew means Jehovah—The Unchangeable One: He Who is, He Who was, and He Who is to Come (cf. Isa 44:6). The New Testament ascribes this same title and purpose to Jesus (1 Tim 1:16; Rev 1:7-8).

  Image: shaynageorge

          God’s covenant restoration forms the basis of His name. The Unchangeable One has sought to reconcile His people into covenant with Him across the dispensations of time. Jehovah will fulfill His final covenant promise of crushing the serpent’s head and saving His people (Gen 3:15) to restore them to covenant with Him in His Millennial reign. As the immutable I AM, Jehovah vowed the promise of redemption to His people so “the sons of Jacob are not consumed” (Mal 3:6b), meaning perish (Brown, Driver, & Briggs, 2006). In an ever-changing world, Jehovah will remain unchangeable into the Everlasting.

Redemptive, Faithful Husband of Israel

          The Prophet Isaiah remarked, “For your husband is your Maker, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of the whole earth” (Isa 54:5 AMP). The prophets described how God’s redemptive name revealed His unconditional love as the faithful Husband who sought to restore covenantal relationship despite His wife Israel’s adulterous actions.

          In Ezek 16, the prophet told of himself laying on the plywood with a model of Jerusalem on one side of his bed and him naked and facing away from her.  Israel played the harlot as the unfaithful bride to her Husband, putting herself out there to Egyptian, Assyrian, and Chaldean gods with spiritual adultery. Israel even sacrificed her own children and delivered them to the images of men (16: 21). The Prophet Ezekiel in chapter 16 painted a picture of Israel’s idolatry with blunt, graphic descriptors: harlot, fornication, whoredom, whore, whorish woman, abomination, and sin greater than Sodom’s. He cried out, “How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;” (v. 30 KJV). Yet, despite Israel breaking the marriage covenant, God kept His divine faithfulness by renewing covenant with her from the days of her youth and make it into an everlasting covenant (v. 60; cf. Gen 17:7-8; Jer 31:31-34).

          In the Book of Hosea, the prophet relayed God’s marital struggles with the wanton, whorish wife Israel. Despite her infidelity, God yearned for a renewed intimacy with His disobedient bride. Hosea described Israel as committing great whoredoms (Hos 2:2), indicating a departing from the Lord. His wife knew Baal (13:2). The God of Israel declared “Yet I am the Lord God from the land of Egypt, and thou shall know no god but me: but there is no savior beside me:” (Hos 13:4). Israel had turned from God by falling from their iniquity and backsliding (14:1).

          God’s showed mercy once again for Israel. Though He once called Israel children of a harlot, He would regather them as future sons of the living God. He likened their number to the sand of the sea that cannot be measured or numbered (Hos 1:10).  Even with Israel’s chronic unfaithfulness, God assured their restored covenant on the day of Jezreel (1: 11; cf. Rev 16:16).

          The unfaithful Israel also caused the Lord to lament in Jeremiah: “Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord” (3:20). Once again the ever faithful Husband, the Holy One of Israel, robed Himself in flesh as Jehovah-Savior to redeem the House of Israel fulfilling His promise of a Messiah for His people.

Redemptive, Chosen Son of the Two Covenants

          God made covenants with Abraham and David (Gen 12:2; 2 Sam 7:8). When the Lord placed His expressed image behind Jesus, He revealed the Chosen Son of the two covenants—the descended Son of Abraham and David (Gen 22:17-19; 2 Sam 7:8; cf. Matt 1:1; 17; Luke 1:32; Acts 13:22, 23). God revealed His manifested character as well as His dual fulfillment when He raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him as Lord (Eph 1:16-23). The title Lord attributed to Jesus in His exaltation and biblical expression “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” identified Jesus as the Incarnation of God and Father. Christ blessed us in Him as well as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed us in the person of Jesus who would bring forth a new and better covenant. The expression “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” recognizes Jesus as the Chosen Son of the covenants and the Incarnation of Jehovah, the God of Israel of the two covenants.

Redemptive Word Robed in Flesh

          “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent:” (Num 23:19b). Repent means to change one’s mind. The I AM did not retract His promise of redemption when He revealed His nature in the person of Jesus Christ. Neither did God change His mind about His purpose for humanity when He robed Himself in flesh uniting divinity with humanity incarnated in Jesus. Rather, Jesus embodies all God’s divine (Phil 2:6a; cf. John 1:14d). Bernard explained Jesus’ divines essence “the incarnation of the fullness of God; in His deity He is the Father, Word, and Spirit” (2010, p. 210) while He also took on the nature of man (John 1:14b).

          Revelation 1:7-8 reveals the Lord subject to time through the Incarnation “the Lord which is; which was; and which is to come, the Almighty:”

• “The Lord which was” revealed the crucified Christ of the Gospels. Christ took on the form of God, the Word in robed in flesh. Jesus’ first birth of a virgin, conceived of the Holy Ghost brought Him forth into time from eternity (Reeves, 1984, Supreme Godhead 11, p. 47).
• “The Lord which is” expressed the Christ of the Gospels resurrected and exalted to the throne (Rev 3:21). Jesus’ birth out of death “who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead” brought time into eternity (Col 1:18).
• “The Lord which is to come” will identify Jehovah as Christ as the coming King of kings, also the Son of David (Isa 44:6; Rev 1:7, 8). In the fullness of the appointed time as the supreme and authoritative head over all things in the Church, Jesus will put in subjection all things in every realm under His feet (Eph 1:22 AMP).

          God’s nature does not change due to His immutability (Mal 3:6a; e.g., Num 23:19; Isa 46: 9-11; Jas 1:13). His nature remains unchanged across the dispensations of time grounding itself in the same redemptive purpose with humanity. Time cannot subject God because of immutability, but does through the Incarnation in the person of Jesus Christ for the benefit of humanity’s redemption. Thus, the redemptive, faithful Husband of Israel expressed in the Old Testament manifested Himself in the substance of Jesus Christ in the New as the redemptive chosen Son of the two covenants and redemptive Word robed in flesh (Exod 3:14-15; John 8:56-59).

References

Bernard, D. (2010). The essentials of oneness theology. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Bernard, D. (2016). The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Dorset, UK: Deo Publishing.

Bernard, D. (2007). The oneness of God. Florissant, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Bullinger, E. E. (2007). The divine names and titles: In the Old and New Testaments. Bible Students Press.

Carpenter, G. (2012). God’s covenants: A study guide in Bible symbolism. Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Conner, K. & Malvin, K. (1997). The covenants: The key to God’s relationship with Mankind. Portland, OR: Bible Temple Publishing.

Conner, K. (1980). Interpretation: The symbols and types. Portland, OR: Bible Temple Publishing.

Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Ferguson, E. (2003). Backgrounds of early Christianity (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Graves, R. (2009). The God of two testaments. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Haney, N. (2004). Daniel’s 70 Weeks. Stockton, CA: Nathaniel Haney Publishers.

Haney, N. (2006). The times of the Gentiles: Biblical prophecy series, volume 4. Stockton, CA: Nathaniel Haney Publishers.

Kaiser, W. (1995). The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Keener, D. (2003). The Gospel of John: A commentary, volume one. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Keener, D. (2003). The Gospel of John: A commentary, volume two. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Moltmann, J. The crucified God: A Trinitarian theology of the Cross. 278-299. Sage Publications. doi: 10.1177/002096437202600302

Norris, D. (2009). I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal theology. Hazelwood, MO: WAP Academic.

Paron, J. (2013, January 19). The three worlds of text. [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://wordpress.com/post/specs12.wordpress.com/2017

Reeves, Kenneth. (1962). The Godhead, Book 1 (Revised) Seventh Printing. St. Louis, MO: Trio Printing Company.

Rydelnik, M. (2010). The Messianic hope. Chicago, IL: Moody Bible Publishers.

Segraves, D. L. (2008). Reading between the lines. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.

Tate, W. R. (1997). Biblical interpretation: An integrated approach. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

Thayer, J. T. (2009). Thayer’s Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament (9th ed.) Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. 

Understanding Prophecy

Tags

Prophecy, Sybolism, Typology

The Old and New Testaments epitomize Jesus Christ as prophecy’s centralized theme. The apostles did not have the New Testament as a source to teach about Jesus during the early church’s formation. Instead, they used Hebrew Scripture that foretold of the coming Messiah to support their eye-witness accounts about His life, death, and resurrection. What does prophecy mean? Scripture explained that God’s Spirit moved the Old Testament prophets to foretell Christ’s kingdom and its triumph (2 Pet 1:21; Thayer, 2009). Therefore, prophecy originates from God Who inspired the prophets to convey it as His messengers. Thayer (2009) defined prophecy (Greek transliterated as prophēteia) as a divinely inspired communication that declares God’s purposes for future events. Thus, prophecy not only originated from God, but also suits His purposes. 

Jan Paron, PhD with Ken Arcand/August 21, 2014

At the Hebrew Scripture’s core, it contains messianic prophecy (Segraves, 2008). Its redemptive language relates the nature of salvation from covenant to covenant. The New Covenant fulfills the messianic prophecies from the Old. How can today’s believer understand Christ in prophecy? By carefully examining prophecies with the Holy Spirit’s illumination, one can interpret God’s progressive revelation of the Messiah. This article presents the framework for understanding Christ in prophecy by providing the meaning of fulfill and foretell as well as basic explanations and examples of the three types of prophecy–Direct, typological, and symbolic.

Fulfillment in Prophecy

The word fulfill, (Greek: πληρόω; plēroō ) appears “twelve times in Matt, two in Mark, four in Luke, eight in John, two in Acts” (Blue Letter Bible, 2014, para. 1). Thayer’s Lexicon defines prophecy’s biblical meaning as “sayings, promises, prophecies of the Lord to bring to pass, ratify, or accomplish” (e.g., Matt 1:22; Mark 14:49; Luke 24:44 (Thayer, 2009, p. 517). The lexicon also gives another meaning, “universally and absolutely to fulfil, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment” (See Matt 5:17; Figure 1). Prophecies of Jesus’ first coming already occurred, while those of His second coming have not been fulfilled yet. Two New Testament key passages give insight to fulfillment’s meaning, Matt 5:17 and Luke 24:44. Jesus revealed God’s divine will for Israel in the former, while He projected His fulfillment as necessary to establishing His Church for all nations in the latter. Both verses showed believers in Christ must accept, obey, and follow Him in faith as the fulfilled Messiah.

Based on internal evidence from the Book of Matthew, many theologians argued that the gospel author wrote to a predominantly Jewish Christian audience (Beale & Carson, 2007; Harrington, 2007). Blomberg supported this argument reasoning that Matthew used a high amount of Hebrew scripture.–This gospel author quoted 55 Old Testament scriptures in Matthew, as opposed to the three other authors who quoted 65 in their combined three books (Cited in Beale & Carson, 2007). He also explained that of the 55 direct quotations from the Old Testament, 25 remain exclusive to Matthew and 12 refer to fulfilled Scripture. Further, the gospel author Matthew did not explain his quotations suggesting that a Jewish audience would have had the background to understand. Also consider that Matthew wrote this gospel after the second temple’s destruction in 70 A.D. during a conflict when Jews were trying to define their own identity. With this high emphasis on Jewish text, Matthew may have sought to counter their beliefs and convince them of Jesus’ fulfillment as the Messiah. This all comes on the heels of Matt 5:17. Prior to this passage, the gospel author heralds in the idea of fulfillment with five other Hebrew quotes, beginning each an opening like “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying” (Matt 1:22):

• “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt 1:23; cf. Isa 7:14);
• “And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel” (Matt 2:6; cf. Gen 49:10);
• “Out of Egypt, have I called my son” (Matt 2:15c; cf. Hos 11:1);
• “In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentations, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not” (Matt 2:19; cf. Jer 31:15);
• “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”(Matt 3:3; cf. Mal 3:1); and
• “The land of Zabulon, and the Land of Nephthalim by the way of the sea; beyond Jordan Galilee of Gentiles; the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is spring up” (Matt 4:15-16; cf. Isa 9:1-2).

Matthew repeatedly used Old Testament quotations (Matt 1:23; 2:6; 15; 19; 3:3; and 4:15-16) to support Jesus as the fulfilled Jewish Messiah directed at the original audience of this text. As the author continues, he reinforces Jesus’ fulfillment again with a quote from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught this sermon at Galilee to His disciples and a large crowd who had followed Him throughout this region (Matt 4:23-25). Jesus ended His teachings focused on fulfillment, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (5:17 KJV). What significance does this verse hold? Jesus did not come to undo or eliminate the law of Moses and teachings of the prophets, rather to complete God’s promises and make them come to pass. He also stressed an even greater revelation about His fulfillment. The audience should obey and follow God’s will for them because His fulfillment was universal and absolute as the law’s Authoritative Interpreter (vv. 19-20). What astonishing revelations!

Fulfillment also acknowledged Christ’s completion for commission (Luke 24:44-48). After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught again on fulfillment. This time He imparted its importance to His disciples just before His ascension, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the Law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Luke 24:44 KJV). All Scriptures had to be fulfilled to bring salvation in all its fullness to all people. The next verse (v. 24:46) tells how Jesus thoroughly opened the disciples mind to reveal its meaning: The Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. Then, Jesus in the following verse explained the prophecy’s significance (v. 46).–Beginning in Jerusalem, repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations. As witnesses of these foretold events, the disciples would complete its commission. Thus, in order for the disciples to carry out the commission, they first had to understand and accept the fulfillment of this prophecy in faith. Then, they lived it out by going to Jerusalem and remaining there for the Father’s promised Spirit, “until ye be endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

After Apostle Peter healed the lame man at the gates called Beautiful, the apostle told an already amazed audience, “Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days” (Acts 3:24 NKJV). The Old Testament prophets held the role of “covenant enforcement mediators who delivered God’s Word” (Paron, 2014). God used these prophets to communicate His will, namely, to tell the future about Israel, the nations, and the first and second comings of the Messiah. They communicated God’s messianic message through symbols, types, and direct prophecies that foretold the coming Messiah, which Christ literally and completely fulfilled. Thus, Jesus fulfilled all messianic prophecy recorded in Scripture with absolute accuracy and authority in every detail.

Interpretation of Prophecy

Scripture interprets Scripture for a harmonious, united message that narrates God’s Big Story. Students of the Word interpret prophecy via the grammatical-historical approach by exegeting prophetic passages in their historic and literary context for a literal meaning. This approach brings literal meaning out from the text, but never adds to it. Exegesis answers the question, What did the biblical author mean? The historical aspect seeks to answer this question by examining words and expressions according to their intended meaning at the time written. In doing so, it considers prevailing biblical geographical, social, political, archeological, political, cultural, philosophical, and religious views and/or events (Bernard, 2005). The grammatical aspect of this interpretation approach looks to words, grammatical forms, and relationships for meaning.

Under the umbrella of the historical-grammatical approach of exegeting Scripture, the interpreter looks to direct, typological, and symbolic features of prophecy to exegete literal meaning. All three concern themselves with literal fulfillment of prophecy. The revelation from the Holy Spirit illuminates understanding during interpretation with these three features, but God’s Spirit will not contradict His own Word.

Direct (New Testament Use of the Old Testament)

The New Testament authors used Old Testament material for various reasons, among them literal fulfillment of prophecy. Their quotes came from Jesus’ direct instruction, the apostles’ witness of Him, and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration. Jesus Himself quoted the Old Testament for literal fulfillment of messianic prophecies, which made references to prophecy in Scripture authoritative. A direct prophecy presents an Old Testament predictive messianic event that foretells Jesus’ first coming or His second yet to come. With this type of prophecy, prophets clearly foretold of the future king in plain language, which in turn, Jesus literally fulfilled with His first coming or will fulfill with His second.

One easily can recognize a direct prophecy because the New Testament authors quoted or rendered their own from the Old Testament in the New Testament. Sometimes passages contain a combination of one or more Old Testament foretellings. (See point three below.) However, a direct prophecy may contain signs and types within it. Nonetheless, Jesus literally fulfilled prophecy. The below show examples of different direct prophecies.

• Prophet Zechariah described the coming of Christ: “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (Matt 21:5 KJV) and “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech 9:9; cf. Isa 62:11)
• Jesus came as a God of the living regarding the resurrection and future state to come. “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err” (Mark 2:36) and “Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God (Exod 3:6).
• “Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me” (Matt 27:9-10; cf. Jer 32:6-9; Zech 11:12.

Typological (Foreshadow of Christ in the Old Testament as Identified in the New)

Typology prefigures or foreshadows an event, person, or institution from the Old Testament that serves as an example of another of the same in the New. Ramm further explained typology as the “interpretation of the Old Testament based on the fundamental theological unity of the two testaments whereby something in the Old will shadows, prefigures, adumbrates something in the New” (1981, p. 223). Adumbrates means foreshadows or something to come. A type has divine intention and purpose (Bernard, 2005). The type foreshadows things from the Old Testament to greater truths in the New. It predicts and looks ahead for the antitype. For every Old Testament type, a greater exists with a New Testament antitype. The antitype always is greater and superior than the type.

The type’s fulfillment occurs in the good things from the person and work of Jesus ;”Christ, the antitype which corresponds to something prior. One example of a type comes from Heb 10:1. It supports the Old Testament “law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the realities themselves” (NIV). The law of Moses (type) foreshadows Jesus Christ, the Law fulfilled (antitype). The Old Testament type with the New Testament antitype divinely reveal Jesus throughout the covenants, bringing unity to the message of redemption.

Types come in the forms of persons, things, actions, events, institutions, and offices (Bernard, 2005). The below shows examples of each.

• Persons. All in Adam die, but those in Christ will be made alive (1 Cor 15:22). 
• Things. The bronze serpent in the wilderness (Num 21:4-9) foreshadows the cross of Christ (John 3:14-21). The one promised deliverance from the venom of fiery serpents, while the other provides deliverance from the curse of sin.
• Actions. Noah and his family submerged in the ark during the Flood were the type from the Old Testament that prefigured those who submit to submersion through baptism as the antitype in the New Testament. God delivered the former from an evil and sinful world washed by the flood waters (Gen 6-9), while He saved the latter from the curse of sin through Jesus Christ by washing away their sins in baptism (Acts 2:38).
• Events. It rained 40 days during the Flood (Gen 7:4) and Israel wandered the wilderness for 40 years (Num 14:33), both a type for trials and testing for Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days (Matt 4:2).
• Institutions. Giving a sacrificial burnt offering of the herd, a male without blemish at the door of the tabernacle (Lev 1:3) foreshadows Christ, without blemish, as the sacrificial offering on the cross (John 1:29). Another example involves covenant. The type is the Mosaic Covenant in Jer 31:32. The New Covenant is the antitype because the former had been faultless (Heb 8:7), thus, the second is a better covenant with better promises established upon Jesus as its Mediator (8:6-8). The old is ready to vanish away (v.13).
• Offices. Melchizedek (Gen 14:17-20) prefigures the kingship and priesthood of Jesus Christ (Heb 5:5-10; 6:19-20; 7:1-22)

Symbolic (Representation of One Thing in Scripture With Another)

Prophecy contains a symbolic feature that one can understand only through proper interpretation of a symbol. A symbol shows a thing that stands for something else. It differs from a type because a symbol might represent something past, present, and future. One finds two rules to follow when interpreting symbols that involve understanding multiple meanings and using biblical context to define the meanings. First, Ritenbaugh (1992) said that several different symbols may represent the same reality in the Bible. The church symbolizes as a woman, living stones represent Christians in a building, human body of which Christ is the Head, and family of which Christians are brothers. Bernard (2005) pointed out that a particular symbol may take on various meanings. The lion means Satan in 1 Pet 5:8 and Jesus in Rev 5:5. Let Scripture interpret itself to understand the symbol (Bernard, 2005; Ritenbaugh, 1992). Look to the context of the biblical passage, both parallel and surrounding, for interpretation. For example, Christ explains the meaning of different symbols, seven stars, and seven lampstands in Rev 1:20.

Symbolic prophecy uses eight categories of symbols that are objects, creatures, actions, numbers, names, colors, directions and places (Conner, 1980). See below for examples.

• Objects. The wind symbolizes the Holy Spirit (John 3:8; Acts 2:2).
• Creatures. A lamb of God shows Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to take away sin from the world (John 1:29).
• Actions. Baptism symbolizes salvation in Jesus Christ (Acts 22:16; Rom 6:3-4; 1 Pet 3:21).
• Numbers. Seven signifies perfection, completeness, or fullness (Gen 2:1-3; Josh 6:1-5; Luke 17:4).
• Furniture. The brazen altar suggests Jesus’ redemptive work for the atonement for sin on the cross (1 John 2:1-2).
• Names. Jesus symbolizes His function, “for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21b).
• Colors. Purple signifies royalty in Mark 15:17.
• Directions. The Promised Land means a person receiving the mind of Christ, the new earth–Abraham looked for a city, which has foundations whose builder & maker is God (Heb 11:9-10).
• Places. New Jerusalem symbolizes the holy city of heaven (Matt 5:25; Rev. 21:9-10).

Closing

Prophecy originates from God who inspired the prophets to convey it as His messengers to suit His purposes. Their fulfillment brings salvation in all its fullness to all people. Fulfilled prophecies come in different forms such as parables, double references, and figurative language. However, the basic framework for understanding Christ in prophecy fundamentally resides in three basic types: Direct, typological, and symbolic. Understanding these, with revelation from the Holy Spirit, brings greater understanding of the hidden things of God.

Inspired prophets clearly communicated what God intended to be understood, embraced, and acted upon to suit His purposes. The Old Testament contains 1,239 prophecies of different types. About 300 of these relate to Jesus (Barton, 1973; Fairchild, 2014). The volume of prophecy indicates the focal point of God’s revelation, the incarnation, life, and teachings of Christ–all fulfillments of prophecy in their own right. The force behind these messianic-prophecies lay within all their various forms, across so many periods, and funneled through such an eclectic array of personalities. When one examines messianic prophecy, with openness to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the understanding becomes clear, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor 5:19). He foretold it in great and varied detail and fulfilled it by dotting every i and crossing every t.

References

• Bernard, D. (2005). Understanding God’s Word: An Apostolic approach to interpreting the Bible. Hazelwood, MO: Word Aflame Press.
• Conner, K. (1980). Interpreting types and symbols. Portland, OR: Bible Temple Publishing.
• Duvall, J. S. & Hays, J. D. (2005). Grasping God’s Word: A hands-on approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• Fairchild, M. (2014). Prophecies Jesus fulfilled: 44 prophecies of the Messiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Retrieved from http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm
• Harrington, D.  (2007). The Gospel of Matthew: Sacra Pagina. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
• Lloyd, Jones, D. (1976). Studies on Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
• Pentecost, D. W. (1958). Things to come: A study in biblical eschatology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• Ramm, B. (1970). Protestant biblical interpretation. (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker House Book.
• Ritenbaugh,  J. (1992). Biblical Symbolism. Bibletools.org. Retrieved from http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/PERSONAL/k/678/Biblical-Symbolism.htm
• Thayer, J. (2009). Thayer’s Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

 

Learning from Paul in Acts: Post-Pentecost Witness

Tags

Baptism in the Holy Ghost, Infilling of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost

“Jesus sent His apostles on a disciple-making mission” (Matt 20:18-20).”[1] Originating from their very witness, early Christianity rapidly expanded from 1.1% worldwide by 100 AD to 10.5% in 310 AD.[2] In particular, Apostle Paul’s missionary work stands at the forefront. What key strategies can we learn from him to apply today with Jesus’ same mission?

Jan Paron/May 19, 2013

We might find 21^st century statistics for worldwide Christianity lower than expected. Considering modern communication conveniences, the worldwide count stands at about 19.5%. The PEW Forum 2010 survey not only shows Christians represent roughly a third of the estimated world population, but also cannot claim any single continent or region as their global center.[3] Further, the study indicates that U.S. Christians number 246,780,000 people or 79.5% of the national U.S. population. Pew bases its survey results on people who identify themselves as Christian.[4] The figures may not represent the real count. Another study by the Barna Group reveals an emerging post-Christian America. They closely examined the so-called “Nones —the increasing percentage of adults who claim no religious affiliation.”[5] While these figures certainly caught my attention; however, ancient disciples triumphed in mission by faith in the Name through the power of His Spirit. Obstacles like travel, displacement and persecution did not impede witness. How can we recapture fervent growth found in the early church? By examining the Lukan account of Saul’s (Paul after Acts 13:9) encounter with Jesus, we find bold and authoritative witness for Spirit-empowered mission with timeless application.

1. Saul Followed the Way

Luke uses multiple meanings for the word way in the Book of Acts. In Acts 8:26 he refers to a specific road that the angel of the Lord directed Philip to travel, “Arise, and go south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is a desert” (KJV). Because he followed the way, Philip met an Ethiopian. This provided opportunity for Philip to teach the Ethiopian about Jesus and baptize him after he believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Luke gave a different meaning to way with Saul (not yet Paul), designating the term to represent those who follow the messianic movement of Jesus. Saul set out to Damascus intending to lead “any of this way” bound to Jerusalem (9:5-6). Of course, the Lord had other plans for Saul instructing him to, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (9:6b). The very person who sought to destroy those of the Way became one of the Way. He not only preached, “Christ is the Son of God” (v. 20) in Damascus, but also proved “that this is the very Christ” (v. 22).

ARISE AND GO IN WITNESS. Imagine this scenario about a person’s walk on the way, as one of the Way. I’ll call this person Vera. After a long day at work, Vera felt the Spirit leading her to stop for a cup of coffee at a nearby eatery. Generally, she went straight home. Just as Vera relaxed at the restaurant counter, she spotted a woman intently reading. She couldn’t help but notice the woman laboring over the print. Just at that moment, the Holy Ghost quickened Vera’s spirit and told her to sit next to the woman. So, Vera obediently moved to an adjacent seat. After Vera struck up a conversation, the women candidly revealed she doesn’t read well and needs help understanding the church flyer someone gave her. The woman then asked Vera, “Can you tell me who Jesus is? I have a paper about Him, but can’t understand it.” Vera realized the reason for her coffee stop on the way home. Nodding her head she said to herself, “I am here, Lord.”

The Lord tells us to arise and go. An angel of the Lord told this to Phillip (8:26a), while Jesus instructed the same to Saul and Ananias (9:9:6c, 11a). Don’t hesitate to follow the way and preach Jesus. Carpe diem, seize the moment. Like Ananias said, “Behold, I am here, Lord”(9:10; 22:14-15)[6] Yield to Him. Arise and go. The Lord’s Spirit will prompt and guide you in witness.

2. Saul Acted in Faith

Saul visually and audibly encountered the Lord on the road to Damascus. In a heavenly spotlight so to speak, the Lord revealed that He is Jesus Whom Saul persecuted (22:8, 10; cf., 9:5-6) and then told him go to Damascus for his appointment. Saul walked for three days without sight, dependent on others to guide and help him on the journey. Jesus revealed Saul’s divine purpose to Ananias through a vision (9:15-16), who in turn relayed it to Paul that, “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou has seen and heard” (9:17; 22:14-15).

LET THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE YOU. I quit my job several years ago due to an injury. Being honest, I felt somewhat despondent at first. One day, I was on the floor when I felt a light on me. Jesus told me in a vision that He would heal me quickly. He completely flipped what I knew as my world, calling me to a different appointment. Little did I know that Jesus would take me on a journey to a new place during healing. Though I often felt sightless, He built my faith with each step as I leaned on Him. Jesus also sent many to help me during the  process. We often walk to a destination unknown, but should move forward acting in faith. As we make disciples, Jesus will speak directly to us or through those He sends with support and directions. The Holy Spirit comes upon us to empower believers (Acts 1:8). His indwelling gives us the spirit of wisdom, revelation of knowledge, hope of His calling and riches of the glory of His inheritance (Eph 1:17-23). Hold to your faith and don’t let it fail you.

3. Saul Witnessed with Power

The Lord worked through Ananias in Damascus as he laid hands on Saul to recover his sight and fill him with His Spirit (9:17b; 8:17). Shortly thereafter, Saul began to preach Jesus is the Son of God in the Damascus synagogues (9:20) and amazed those who heard him there. As his strength increased, he proved Jesus was the Messiah and confounded the Damascus Jews. Saul had the same power (1:8) and spiritual revelation (Matt 16:17) as Peter, whose witness repeatedly brought people to Christ (2:14-21, 38 and 41) and garnered the ire of Jewish officials. Saul initially taught what he saw and heard (22:15) endued with power from the Holy Ghost (22:15-16; 1:5, 8). The Amplified version says that as Paul gained strength he compared and examined evidence, proving that Jesus is the Christ. We see examples of Peter, a Galilean, speaking eloquently after the Spirit came upon him. Acts 2:41 tells of the baptism of 2,000 souls after Peter testified.

SPEAK BOLDLY IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Every believer plays a key role in building Christ’s church. We can have the same boldness as Saul from the incarnate Jesus through baptism in His Spirit speaking in tongues to fulfill His commission to make disciples (Matt 28:19; Mark 16:15). Jesus promised to send His Spirit to indwell within His believers to speak His name boldly and assuredly (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4b-5, 8).

Baptism in the Holy Spirit did not occur just with the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2:4). Besides Paul, Luke records many post-Pentecost outpourings of the Holy Spirit over an extended time period such as Samaria (Acts 8:15-17), Damascus (Acts 9:17), Caesarea (Acts 10:44-46); Ephesus (Acts 12:2b-6). This same divine phenomena continues in modern times.

4. Saul (Paul—Acts 13:9) Endured Trials

Audiences often reacted aggressively to Saul announcing the good news of the Gospel. Not everyone welcomed him, the persecutor turned proclaimer, when he preached Jesus is the Son of God. In his early ministry days the Jews plotted to kill Saul (9:23) and Grecians wanted to slay him (9:29-30). Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the Lystra crowd against Paul to stone him (14:19). Further, he faced harsh travel conditions. Acts 27 records that Paul sailed to Italy under a centurion’s charge. In route, Paul’s ship battled the wind. First, the boat met contrary winds (28:4); then, slow-sail wind (vv. 7-8); later, a typhoon-like wind (v.14) and finally, forceful winds causing cross currents that shipwrecked it (v. 41). Amid many inconveniences, Paul changed ships, went without food for several days and swam to shore.

STAY FOCUSED ON YOUR WITNESS. Saul, later Apostle Paul, never ceased his mission. I find it amazing that even with hostile mob action, he still stood firm in the battle. After a mob thought they left him for dead, he later went back to that same region (See Acts 14:19-21). Sometimes we go through trials. What are your storms? An ordinary leaky faucet to the more complex relationship conflict can distract us. Some people shut down when their family stands off because of their Christian lifestyle change. Others quit witnessing when someone rejects their testimony. In Paul’s words, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom 8:47 NIV). The devil may know the rules for engagement, but does not have access to the Lord’s playbook. Jesus will always be with us, “even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20b KJV).

5. Saul Witnessed Out

Luke tells of Paul’s three missionary journeys (Acts 13-14; 15:36-18:22 and 18:23-20:38) and the variety of experiences during each. He began preaching not long after his encounter on the road to Damascus. Unlike today’s comfortable and quick transportation system, early Christians dealt with much different conditions. People commonly traveled by foot. A person covered about 17-23 miles under normal conditions in a day’s travel. Paul (then Saul) walked about 150 miles from Jerusalem northeast to Damascus; three days of which he depended on travelling companions to lead him by the hand since his was without sight[7] (9:3-7). He also made the 22-mile trip from Troas to Assos by foot (Acts 20:13) and Malta to Athens while under guard. The average American walks about five miles a day.

MAKE DISCIPLES OUTSIDE YOUR OWN COMMUNITY. God chose Saul to carry the name of Jesus before the Gentiles, Gentile kings and children of Israel (Acts 9:15-16). God calls us, His chosen vessels. He has an appointment for every believer, too. We cannot fulfill Jesus’ commission, though, if we only mix with the saints within the four walls of the local church. We may not feel comfortable separated from our comfort zone, but must move outside it.

6. Spirit-Enabled Miracles and Signs Followed Saul

Mark 16:17-18 says that, “signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Miracles, signs and wonders gave credence to Paul’s witness” (See also Acts 14:3). God worked special miracles through Paul’s hands. When people put handkerchiefs, towels or aprons that touched his skin on the sick, diseases left and evil spirits came out (19:12).[8] Paul healed many people of diseases on an island called Melita. Also, a viper “fastened itself” onto Paul’s hand while he warmed himself at the fire there (28:1). Paul just shook off the snake, without harm. In another account at Salamis, Elymas the sorcerer lost his sight for a season when he interfered with witness to Sergius Paulus (13:6, 8, 11). People believed in the Lord after each of these instances (13:12; 19:18, 20; 28:6).

LET THE HOLY SPIRIT FUEL WITNESS THROUGH YOU. Sometimes people say that miracles, signs and wonders ceased after the Book of Acts or believers have no need for them today in witness. I am here to testify that Jesus empowers my witness with evidence of miracles, signs and wonders from my time of new birth. I would need a lot space to tell my testimony. God will go to great lengths to catch the attention and open the eyes of those who would believe. When we invoke the name of Jesus, we have His authority from the power of His Spirit. God rules in our world the same today as yesterday. He does not operate with a diminished ability. People see Jesus when we let Him work through us. When Annas the high priest and others demanded to know how Peter and John restored a man’s health, the council asked, “by what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” (4:7). Acts 4:7 says that Peter was “filled with the Holy Ghost” when he answered them. Because of the apostles’ bold and eloquent response, the council marveled at these “unlearned and ignorant men” (cf., 2:7) and “recognized they had been with Jesus” (4:13c AMP).

Conclusion

Through baptism in the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues–the Spirit’s enablement–Jesus equips His people in the same way as Paul and the other apostles. What we learn from Paul’s experiences in witness results from the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). Paul did not witness of himself, but from the fullness of the incarnate Jesus Who dwelled within him. Jesus gives the promised Spirit to those of His community. Today’s believers engage in bold witness (2:41; 4:31), perform miracles, have signs follow them, prophesy and experience divine guidance through visions and dreams as His Church. Luke describes the church in Acts as a “community called and empowered for mission through the Spirit,”[9] Further, he gives instructions for living out witness based on the “apostles’ authority for experience, teaching and practice of the New Testament church.”[10] Apostle Paul held to the same Gospel as the original apostles (Gal 2:1-10; cf., 1:8-9). We likewise must follow. Yesterday’s apostolic reality for the New Testament church remains an unchanged norm for witness in modern times.

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[1] Jan Paron, “Examining the Reality of Jesus,” PerSpectives 12, n.p. [cited 5 May 2013]. Online:  https://specs12.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/examining-the-reality-of-jesus/

[2] Alan Hirsch and Darryn Altclass, The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Guide for Missional Churches (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2009), 28. See also statistics on world population. Colin McEvedy and Richard Jones, Atlas of World Population History (London, GB: Penguin, 1978).

[3] Conrad Hackett et al., Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population. n.p. (cited 5 May 2013). Online: http://www.pewforum.org/Christian/Global-Christianity-exec.aspx.

[4] Conrad Hackett et al., Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population (Washington DC:  Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life), 46.

[5] George Barna, “How Post-Christian is U.S. Society?” Barna Group. n.p. (cited: 17 May 2013). Online: http://www.barna.org/culture-articles/613-how-post-christian-is-us-society

[6] Barnett in David Peterson’s book, The Acts of the Apostles” remarks that “Behold, I am here, Lord” (idou egō kyrios) shows “both his presence and his readiness to carry out the Lord’s will.” Barnett, The Acts of the Apostles. (Cited in David Peterson, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2009), 306.

[7] Brian Rapske, The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting. (eds. David W. Gill and Conrad Gempf, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1994), 6.

[8] Signs follow those who believe. Consider the evil spirit that leaped on the seven sons of Sceva when they falsely tried to cast out evil spirits (19:14-18).

[9] Roger Stronstad, The Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999).

[10] David Bernard, Understanding God’s Word (Hazelwood: Word Aflame Press, 2005), 76. 

Photo Credit: One Man’s Journey in the Spirit, kzlam36@blogspot.com

DNA of Kingdom Greatness

Tags

Holy Spirit, Servant Leadership

Jesus’ taught greatness as a need for Kingdom leadership. He emphasized two key traits that form the backbone of greatness common to all His disciples. Let’s study the DNA for greatness by examining diakonos and doulos as a servant to understand greatness values in the Kingdom.

Jan Paron/March 1, 2013

(Photo Credit: DNA Under the Magnifier, Presenter Media 2013)

A magnifying glass enlarges an object for the viewer’s eye. Typically, a magnifying glass provides two to six times the original visual power. When you view print through a magnifier you see larger and sharper letters and words. This enlargement enables you to negotiate textual meaning. Using this same principle, let’s enlarge the word great for a clear image of its DNA.

Investigating Greatness

“But having called them, Jesus said, ‘You know that the rulers of the nations exercise lordship over them, and the GREAT ones exercise authority over them. But it will be not so among you. But whoever desires to become GREAT among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to become first among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:25-28 LITV).

In the still of worship, I heard the Lord under His Spirit’s unction.—“In ME, you find freedom. In ME, you find all you need. In ME, you live. I AM THE LIVING GOD.” In that instance, the Lord enlarged, and then revealed the meaning of greatness! The Lord defines greatness by the manifested Promise from the inward interior, rather than the visible worldly accomplishments on the outward exterior. God came in flesh as Jesus to minister and ransom Himself for many (Matt 20:27; John 1:14). Jesus, God with us, desires to dwell in His beloved through the presence of His Spirit’s infilling (Acts 1:5; 2:38). We find freedom in Christ by chaining our will to Him. With this newfound freedom God’s Spirit reshapes and renews our character to Kingdom greatness as servants of Christ. He exchanges the old DNA of great as ‘ruler’ over the nations with ‘lordship’ (Greek: katakyrieuō) and ‘authority’ (katexousiazō), for the new DNA of great as a ‘servant’ (Greek: diakonos, διάκονος and doulos, δοῦλος). Servant includes two different traits: minister and bondservant. Simply stated, one with DNA of Kingdom greatness has leadership backboned by both.

The first trait shows the qualities of a minister (diakonos; Matt 20:26). A minister seeks nothing more than unselfish ambition to God’s service as His subordinate in all humility, love, and submission. A person who ministers waits on and carries out the commands from the King. “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt 23:11).

On the other hand, the second reveals a bondservant (doulos; Matt 20:27) with Kingdom criteria as first. A bondservant gives up self interests and will to advance God’s mission as a slave for the sake of Christ, approaching enslavement with joy, devotion, obedience, yielding, and sacrifice. “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all’” (Mark 9:35).

(Photo Credit: Matthew 20:25-27 KJV Chart, Jan Paron 2013)

Common DNA of Greatness in Koinōnia

Partakers of Christ must activate their common DNA of greatness to strengthen koinōnia and create synergy for mission.  Synergy occurs when the combined effect of two or more people is greater than the sum of their efforts. Members in koinōnia must converge in one mind and one accord, representing the authority of the name of Jesus in greatness. Think for a moment about geese in a shared flight formation. When geese stay in the “V” formation they move faster, more efficiently and go a longer distance as a team. Geese even share leadership this way. When the lead goose tires, it flies back into the “V” for another to take its place. All these different actions contribute to the synergy and subsequent success in completing their destination. Both traits of greatness in koinōnia, the two being diakonos and doulos, contribute towards the faith community successfully following God’s vision and mission for humanity. One trait without the other weakens the whole of koinōnia. When the common DNA of minister (diakonos) and bondservant (doulos) merge, they form a strong and unending chain that binds koinōnia to shared purpose in Christ. We become one in totality as ambassadors for Christ, seeking to reach all tribes and nations for the cause of the Gospel (2 Cor 5:20a).

Closing: Endued with Power for Greatness

The Amplified version of Matt 20:18b reads “All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” The name and authority of God is Jesus. Jesus commanded His disciples to wait for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4) until they “were endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49 KJV).[1] Jesus was going to transfer the power of God to His disciples through the Promise. The Book of Acts further tells that “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). The same applies to today’s believers. What’s on the inside, the indwelt Promise through baptism of the Holy Ghost (as part of New Birth), empowers us to represent the Name in greatness with our outward expression. Reverend Terry Black says “When we signed on to this Holy Ghost thing, and when it began to fill us, something began to take over in us that’s more powerful than us. And, it has the ability to take over our weakness and supernaturally accomplish its divine purpose in our lives.”[2] He describes it as 33 A.D. When 33 A.D. takes over, greatness becomes a reality in our lives to bring synergy to God’s vision and purpose…Amen! Let all God’s people say so be it.

ENDNOTES

[1] Jan Paron, “Heating Pad Prayer,” PerSpectives 12, n.p. [cited 3 March 2013]. Online: https://specs12.wordpress.com/2013/02/25/heating-pad-prayer-for-unity-of-the-body/

[2] Rev. Terry Black, Sermon, 3/2/13: 33 AD, (Alsip: Lighthouse Church of All Nations, 2013).

The One God, Part 2: The Incarnation

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Incarnation, Oneness of God

Pastor Daryl Coxexplains the incarnation in relation to the oneness of God, from his earlier post, The One God, Part I.

Daryl Cox / October 30, 2012

Revelations 11:15 enlightens the thought of God’s oneness begun in the previous article, the One God:

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (KJV).

The Jewish confession of faith called the Shema, found in Deut 6:4, declares God as the one God to the exclusion of all others that are called God. This verse declares that God is one. The Hebrew echad [1] shows a numerical oneness, indicating unity of all components that complete the total picture. God is God alone; and He has revealed Himself in diverse ways throughout Scripture by different names, titles, covenants and visions. This diversity defines His identity, character, purpose, will and power, but one must understand that this diversity finds its ultimate unity in one person, Jesus Christ the Son of God.

(Image: Jan Paron, All Rights Reserved 2007)

Revelations 11:15c, announces that “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” It is our Lord and His Christ who will rule the nations here on earth for a thousand years. Now, this verse calls our Lord and His Christ a he and not they. It is not a unity of plural persons in the Godhead that is being addressed here but the unity of the incarnation. The word he from 11:15, is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the union of the Lord God Almighty and His Anointed in one human person. The Apostle John shows in John 1:1, 14 that, “the Word was God” and that “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” He also clarifies that the Word made flesh is called the Son of God. Scholars describe this uniting of God and man in one person as the incarnation. The word incarnation by definition refers to the act by which God became man. John 1:14 and Rom 1:3 confirm this meaning. The distinction is clear. The Word was God. The flesh is the Son of God begotten from the human ancestry of King David. John further enlightens the reader that he and the other disciples beheld Christ’s glory in His humanity, and His glory was full of grace and truth. The Old Testament prophets and Israelites saw the glory of God in diverse forms, but God did not fully reveal His glory to them until the birth of His Son (1:14). The glory of God revealed in the person of Jesus Christ is God’s truth for us today. Believers must seek to know and understand God in the context of the incarnation and not in the context of three persons. The knowledge of the Son of God is essential to bringing the church to the unity of the faith

Revelations 11:15 demonstrates two truths. One truth shows the union of the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ, declaring Jesus as the Lord our God and God’s anointed King. The incarnation gives truth that Jesus is the one God. Do not allow this truth to obscure the second truth–the relationship that exists between God and Christ. From the perspective of His deity one sees Jesus as the Sovereign God, the Creator and Lord manifested in flesh. From the standpoint of Jesus’ humanity one sees Him as called and anointed by God to fulfill all that is written of Christ in both the Old and New Testaments. When the Son of God was revealed in the fulness of time, He was revealed as a man made of human lineage who learned obedience to fulfill the scriptures. This explains Christ’s prayer life, His compassion for the oppressed, His statements of submission to God, His sufferings and His death and resurrection. He grew in His relationships with God and man. These statements and accounts are answered in the context of the scriptures that address them, but never to the denial of Jesus as the one God. Jesus always spoke as a human servant under the anointing of the Spirit of God, but His anointing revealed Him to be God by the things He both said and did.

Jan Paron, in her writing about the oneness of God, makes an important observation about the Word dwelling among us (1:14). She says that

Some scholars suggest that the Gospel of John specifically shows an ancient form of biography of Whom the subject is Jesus. Indeed this Gospel chronicles the earthly ministry of the “Word,” according to the recurrent theme of following (Greek: ἀκολουθέω) Jesus to where He dwelled among the people in fulfillment of the law. Through the “Word,” Jesus, comes grace and truth” (1:17). John states in the opening verse that “the Word was God” and the “Word was with God. Jesus parallels this statement in John 14:10 with “I am in my Father, and my Father is in me…I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth within me…”[2]

Though called of God, Jesus was not speaking of Himself as a servant when He made the great I AM declarations of John’s Gospel. He was speaking of the Father in Him. Servants do not declare their greatness only their masters. For Jesus to speak of the Father by declaring who He is demonstrated His identity as the Father though He were a servant here on earth. The I AM statements of Christ in the Book of John identify God in the person of Jesus Christ. The fulfillment of the Law and prophets required a human called of God and obedient to the will of God (2 Cor 15:21). The incarnation and trials of life made this possible in Jesus Christ. His obedience brought about the redemption of man and restoration of God’s creation.

God is called in Eph 1:3, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This statement speaks to the covenant God made with both Abraham and His descendant Son after the flesh, Christ. It also speaks to the literal begetting of the Son of God by the Spirit of God in both birth and resurrection (Luke 1:34-35; Acts 13:33).  Each of the covenants of scripture ordains blessing and fulfillment to diverse peoples. Sin hindered humankind’s complete partaking of these covenants until the death of Jesus Christ dealt with sin and made the fulfillment of God’s covenants possible and accessible to mankind by faith. The covenant blessings God ordained in Christ would be given to men and women of all races who are in Christ or united to Him by baptism into His name and the infilling of His Spirit (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor 15:22). Christ in His humanity is the heir of all the covenants of Scripture for the human race. In Him, believers partake of all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ revealed Himself in the person of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ…Revealed Himself to make covenant with the elect through the blood of Christ’s death and resurrection…Revealed Himself in the unity of God’s fulness.

Finally, understanding the incarnation and recognizing the relationship between God and His Son in this context brings about a more cohesive understanding to the Word of God. It allows believers to understand the relationship of Christianity’s teaching to Judaism, as well as establishes believers in the present truth of God’s Word. Many incorrect statements have been made and some truthful statements taken to the extreme have led to incorrect thinking. If the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Father, does one say that Jesus prayed to Himself, or that the second person of the Godhead prayed to the first person? In the language of the Scripture, Jesus “prayed to God” and “prayed to the Father” (Luke 6:12; John 14:15). It is best to say it as the Scripture states it, while also recognizing that yes, Jesus is our Father. According to Heb 5:7, Jesus prayed in the “days of his flesh to him (God) who was able to save him from death.” In the same book, the author goes on to say that the Son of God is addressed as both God and God’s Anointed (1:8-9). The expressions of Father, Son and Holy Ghost pertain to the person of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). These designations also give a biblical knowledge of God in relationship with His Son and all New Testament believers in Christ. The union of deity and humanity in the person of Christ allows a human and divine interaction between the Father and the Son. This same thought exists with Christ and the Holy Ghost. In light of this understanding, the scriptures return one to the original premise that there is no separate knowledge of God apart from Jesus Christ.

(Image: Pentecostal Pope)

I will end this writing with the words of the great apostle, Paul. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:8-9).

Pastor Daryl Cox

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[1] F. Brown, S. Driver, and C. Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, (Peabody: Hendrickson Publisher, 2010), 25

[2] Jan Paron, Word Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us, Part I, Cited: 30 October 2012, Online: https://specs12.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/the-word-was-made-flesh-and-dwelt-among-us/

The One God, Part I

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Apostolic Pentecostal, Oneness of God

In general, Christianity confesses its belief in one God and some in Jesus Christ’s deity; however, since the days of the apostles to our current day many modified that belief, resulting in debate and divisions within. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, “Hear O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (KJV). This passage of Scripture declares that there is no other God but one. It also testifies to unity of a diverse, progressive revelation that finds its completion in Him Who is called the LORD. In this post, I examine this passage and others for the biblical message of the oneness of God and Jesus Christ’s deity.

Daryl Cox / October 5, 2012

There Is One God, and He Is One

What does the Scripture mean when it states there is one God? Why does it say He is one? God is a Spirit. He is invisible and revealed Himself in His creation of all things and by His Word, the Bible. Deuteronomy 6:4 declares that the God of Israel is the true God to the exclusion of all others. Mark 12:28-34 endorses this interpretation.  A scribe asks Jesus, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus responds, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord” (12:29b). Then, the scribe follows with, “Well Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he” (v. 32). Finally, the discourse concludes with “And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him Thou art not far from the kingdom of God” (v. 34b). Jesus endorses this man’s understanding of Deut 6:4, also known by the Jews as the Shema, the Jewish confession of faith. It is interesting that Jesus told the scribe that with his understanding he was not far from the kingdom of God. Now what understanding would have gotten him in the kingdom? Jesus said in another passage, John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Had the scribe recognized Jesus as the God of Deut 6:4 he could have come to the kingdom in that point of history. The Shema recognizes no other God but Jehovah.

Old and New Testament Unity of Meaning

Other Old Testament authors declare the same message. In Isaiah 45:5, it says “I am LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.” Further, two passages in Jer 10 speak to this message, “Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great is great in might” (10:6); and “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king” (v. 10c). The Old Testament gives us the belief in one God, Who is sovereign to all that exists. We are to love Him with loyalty to the utmost.

When we go to the New Testament, it reiterates the same thought. There is one God and He is one. Jesus and the authors of the New Testament establish profound thoughts with regards to God’s oneness. These authors acknowledge mankind’s belief in more than one God, but they state that the gods of humanity are not gods by nature. Their theologies cannot match the theology of what the Bible says about God. Galatians 4:8 says, “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are not gods.” When the New Testament authors say there is one God, they addressed Him as Father because He is the Creator. Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee (The Father) the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” It is the Father who called the only True God. Paul in 1 Cor 8:6a says, “But to us there is but one God, the Father.” The Scriptures see the one God as Father and this one God seeks true worshipers of Himself. The church of the Book of Acts retains the monotheistic belief of the Old Testament. There is no hint of radically changing this truth in the New Testament writings. Retaining the Old Testament view of God’s oneness was the early church’s (of the Book of Acts) way of safe guarding itself from idolatry and error. It is the same safe guard for us today.

Closing

Finally, the oneness of God is the biblical truth that the God of the Bible is the only True God. This excludes the ideologies declared by men to be the True God. He has no distinction of persons in His nature. Scripture addresses Him as the Father because He is Creator of all; however, He has revealed Himself diversely and progressively throughout Scripture to conclude His revelation in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the truth that keeps us from error. God desires to make Himself known to all, but only those who respond to His call and seek Him will find.

Pastor Daryl Cox

This writing explains the oneness of God, the center point of the Apostolic hermeneutical framework, as a companion piece to the Word Was Made Flesh, and Dwelt Among Us.  Part two follows with greater detail on the oneness of God and incarnation.

Pastor Daryl Cox

Pastor Cox is one of the faculty members at All Nations Leadership Institute (ANLI), as well as an assistant pastor at Lighthouse Church of All Nations. As one of the ANLI staff members, he teaches From Calling to Covenant: The Story of David and Jesus Across the Gospels.

All Nations Leadership Institute prepares and equips men and women for ministry in an urban, multicultural environment. It offers a wide array of classes in theology and leadership. Affiliated with Lighthouse Church of All Nations, the Institute hallmarks bridging the gap leadership.

By: C. P. Kilgork