The Beauty of Holiness

I woke up this morning with a phrase in my heart: the beauty of holiness. Then I opened up my Bible to the Psalm of the day (Psalm 29 for the 29th day of September). "Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness."

Ultimately, I have very little understanding of this. What I do know is this: the Greeks worshipped the holiness of beauty, whereas the Jews found beauty in holiness. The Greeks found beauty as something to prize and adorn. But how do we define beauty? Is beauty objective?

I can't fathom that beauty would be objective. Actually, I assume that it is not. In the Greek form of beauty, we aren't going to be able to define what beautiful truly is. I like brunettes, but does that mean that blondes are not beautiful? Obviously it would be absurd to say that. But why would it be absurd? In the Greek mindset, beauty is skin deep. Beauty is the ultimate, and never the penultimate. The absolute end to humanity is to strive to be beautiful. Whatever that means, that is one of our primary objectives in life. If we are naturally beautiful, then we have been blessed by the gods.

There is another way to look at it. The Hebrews saw it that there is beauty in holiness. The phrase is actually, "the beauty of holiness." Beauty does not come from appearance, but from substance. A sunset is not beautiful because of the colors, nor the blend of those colors. A sunset is beautiful because of what it is: a reflection of the Divine glory (Psalm 19:1). Peter tells wives to not adorn themselves like the pagans do. You don't need all of that make-up and jewelry. Put on the beauty of holiness. What does that beauty look like?

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of old who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear," 1 Peter 3:3-6.

Dear brethren, this is not a text for women only, but for us who are the Bride of Christ as well. It is as much for we men to gain learning of how we ought to obey Christ as it is for wives to obey their husbands. I'm not going to get into that now, and I'll instead focus upon what it says for we who are Christ's Bride. What is the 'beauty of our inner self?' Peter defines it as a gentle and quiet spirit. But gentleness and quietness don't mean timidity, shyness, or weakness. You can be gentle and yet be strong. You can be quiet and yet make powerful statement.

This is the beauty of holiness. In the Old Testament, Divine holiness and beauty are encountered in the sanctuary. But now there is no Temple built with human hands - we are living stones built up together for God. We are the Temple. God dwells in us. The Divine holiness and beauty are not found by going to a sanctuary, but rather found in the day to day interactions between the saints. When we behold one another's faces, we are beholding the very image and glory of God. In my life, and in my character, and in my conduct, I display Christ. When I don't, it is known by all who see me. This is part of what it means to be community. I need the brethren to tell me in love when I am in fault.

"Worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness." Isn't what is truly being asked here is to worship Him in spirit and truth? We cannot do this in our own strength and ability, but instead through the truth of our relationship unto Him and unto those other believers He has placed around us. We worship in the Spirit that God has sealed us with. Our worship is not our own, but ultimately stimulated by Him. As John puts it, "He has loved us first..."

While I sought to understand the phrase, "the beauty of holiness," I am actually coming to the idea that maybe what I need to understand is beauty. Beauty itself is not something external, but rather internal. The scandal of beauty is that we don't "see" it, but intuit it. Some of the women that I know that are not physically attractive are some of the most beautiful women after you get to know them and their heart. I noticed in high school that the more I got to know the girls I was crushing on, the more attractive they became.

To some, our beauty is actually an affront. The character that we live from is something to despise. Gentleness and quietness are things that the world sees as weak and foolish. They don't see the strength in weakness. They don't see the statement in quietness. They don't see the authority in gentleness. They don't see the beauty of holiness.

We ought to be of a different caliber. Our hearts and lives covet the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We don't desire the strength of the world, but rather the adoration of our Husband. Christ Jesus is the one we are submissive to. Because He had the servant heart displayed manifestly unto the world, we too display that servant heart. It is grotesque when the Body will then take a servant's heart and use it as a term meaning that we are to abuse our brethren.

The beauty of holiness is the beauty of God with us. It is Christ in us - the hope of glory.

What is Election?

I wanted to write a blog on the book of Ephesians. Specifically, does the book of Ephesians teach Calvinism? This should let the cat out of the bag: I'm not a Calvinist. With that out in the open right away, what do we do with the verses about predestination and election? If we toss them to the side, then we are guilty of not taking the whole counsel of God. If we embrace them and elevate them to saying that God has predestined every even in history and future, then we also run the risk of not taking the whole counsel of God.

These two words - election and predestination - are extremely important to define. This isn't a bit of "doctrine" in which we can ignore or be tolerant with. This actually affects the Gospel, which is to say, it affects our perception of God. If we have a wrong perception of God, then we have a wrong perception of everything.

This thought came when my cousin asked my comment on a recent event. The video he shared and asked my opinion on is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSvyv0urTE

Why do people seem to despise Israel? This was my comment:

Unconsciously we all have this. Israel is not a state, but a statement. It is a statement about a God that is specific enough to predestine and elect a certain people, thus condemning all other people. Lest we be grafted into Israel, we shall not rule and reign with Him. If we aren't ruling and reigning with Him, then we are in submission to Him. Submission is not desired of any nation. Abraham's calling out of the nations and into the Land that God would show him is more than a calling for "blessing." God took a man out of the nations to establish His own nation called Israel.

To hate Israel is to hate God. We need to be ruthless with this in our own hearts before condemning others because any sentiment and self-effacing love for Israel will one day be found out to be fraudulent. Sentiment turns to hate really quickly when they are in place and power to find us out. They will find us out.

It is easier for us to stand on the bench and hear such conflict. We can be appalled by it. But to what degree will we stand with Israel? To what degree will we truly love them? The truth of our love for them is to actually tell them of the coming calamity and devastation that awaits them if they go back to Israel. There is a final judgment, and many Jews know it. Something is coming. A civil unrest is rising into something much less than "civil," and much more gruesome than "unrest." When that havoc breaks upon them, are we willing to stand with them and also suffer the same fate as they? That is identification, and that alone constitutes love and intercession.

I want to focus on that first statement. What do I mean when I say that God has predestined and elected a certain people, thus condemning all other people? Let us back up and view this from a much bigger perception. In Genesis 11, the nations' first act is in rebellion to God. They come together as a one-world government to build a tower that will reach to heaven. God did not ordain this; the evidence is both that God had previously said to multiply and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1) and that they made bricks for stone. What altar have you ever read of in the Bible that was made out of brick? They not only went against God by making this out of brick, but also baked them. They could not even allow the sun to dry them, but had such urgency and imminence that they baked these bricks.

What is God's response? We know that He came down and confused the language, but ultimately His response was to take one man out of nations, and to establish Him as God's nation. It is through that nation that God has said, "I will bless all the families of the earth." Or, "I will bless all other nations." God says over and over again to Israel in the books of Moses that He does this and establishes this so that the nations will see and know that He is God. The prophets speak much about how God's ultimate redemption plan is that He will redeem Israel, and all nations will then know that He is God.

Ultimately, when I say that God has elected a specific people, I do not mean that only those whom God has elected will make it into Heaven. I see that in the Millennial reign of Christ that the nations continue. We know this from Scriptures like Zechariah 14, Daniel 7:12, and Isaiah 2. God's election pertains to the people that He has put His name upon: Israel. When we come to Christ, we are grafted in to being the people of God. This is why Paul says in Ephesians 2 that we who were afar off have been brought nigh by the blood of Jesus. But brought nigh into what? Ephesians 2:12 says it plainly: the commonwealth of Israel.

Romans 11:16-24 indicates that God has cut off the natural branches - those who are genealogically Israel - to graft in "wild branches," namely, the Gentiles. We are not a new phenomenon called the Church, but instead are the remnant of Israel. God has brought together the two - Jew and Gentile - to make of them one new man. We find in Romans 11:7 that only the elect have obtained the fulfillment of the promises (that is, Jesus the Messiah), but we find later in Romans 11:26 that "all Israel shall be saved..." So what Paul starts with in Romans 11 is that not all of Israel is part of the election, but then explains that God has elected both Jews and Gentiles to be grafted into the root that is holy, and then ends Romans 11 with saying that "all Israel shall be saved."

Who is this elect? It is the remnant of Israel. God has ordained in His sovereignty that there should be both Jews and Gentiles elected into the remnant of Israel. We are not some new phenomenon called the Church, but instead we are now grafted into that holy root - the same root that stems back to the beginning of time when God called Adam His son. It is all about being sons and daughters. We are not "people of God" in some abstract sense of the wording. We are the people of God because we are His children. He has adopted us all, whether we were Jewish, Greek, Italian, English, German, or Palestinian. Whatever our heritage, and from whatever people we came, God has ordained a specific people to be His remnant. It is that remnant, that election that will bless all of the families of the earth.

How?

We drive the Jew to jealousy (Romans 11:11, Deuteronomy 32:21). It is by our witness that drives them to jealousy that causes "all Israel" to be saved. At a future time, I might explore more deeply the fullness of the Gentiles, what it is, and how all things tie together so that when they come in, all Israel shall be saved (Romans 11:25-26). For now, I just want to make the point that those who are outside of the election are not necessarily those who are cast into hellfire.

At this present moment, here and now, the only way that you will not die and go to Hell is to be converted. In a sense, it is true to say that those who are outside of the election are going to Hell, but in a much larger sense, that is wrong. During the Millennial Kingdom, there are a people that are outside of Israel, but somehow are coming up to Jerusalem to worship God. They are not part of the election, but they are not cast into the lake of fire with the Antichrist. They don't suffer the same judgment as the army that marches against Jerusalem.

You might say, "Yeah, but that isn't heaven."

Okay, lets look at Revelation 22. After the Great White Throne, there is the New Heaven and the New Earth. It has been thought that the only way to get into that, and to escape the lake of fire, is to be saved. I don't have an absolute statement here, but I do have a question. In Revelation 21:24-22:5 we find that there are these people outside of the New Jerusalem that must come up to the Holy City. They are somehow not a part of this City that is called "The Bride of Christ" (Revelation 21:9), but are considered saved. They are somehow not mentioned as being in the City, but must come up to the City to take of the fruit of the tree of life and find healing. Those that are a part of this City (the Bride) rule and reign with Christ forever.

Rule and reign over what?

I would like to suggest that maybe being saved isn't everything. Maybe there is a bigger step than salvation. Maybe election and salvation are different and distinct. Maybe God has predestined that this people will be His people, and that this people will rule and reign with Him, and that all other people are welcome to be saved and glorify God in where He has called them, but not all other peoples are elected or predestined to be a part of that Bride. God desires that all shall be saved. This isn't a hope in universalism, because I still believe that there are those that are cast into the lake of fire for eternity. I haven't come to any good or solid conclusions as to where the distinction is, or how to even make a distinction. It is quite clear that those who are currently saved are grafted in, and therefore are a part of this election. What is not so clear is that everyone who has been saved and grafted in will be a part of the City of God, nor that everyone who has been saved and grafted in will be a part of the first resurrection during the Millennial reign of Christ.

When we're talking about election and predestination, I'm not entirely sure I grasp the concepts thoroughly, but it sure seems like neither does anyone else... One thing I do know for sure: Paul understood. He had a view that was larger than anyone else that I know. His perception was cosmic and eternal. It spanned from eternity to eternity - everlasting to everlasting. He knew the beginning from the end, and the end from the beginning. Of course, this revelation from God came with a price. Paul himself remarks that because of his incredible revelation and understanding God gave him a thorn in the flesh. I don't have these revelations that Paul had.

It seems to me that we all are quite far from the ultimate meaning and interpretation of such verses. I hope that maybe this helps some who are trying to understand better how all these things fit together. Maybe someone else can take this and run with it. As for me, I am not capable of comprehending such majestic thoughts, and I fall desperately short of having a conclusion.

Pre-Eschatology Theology

I want to give a very basic overview of the necessary mindsets to have while reading the prophetic text. In discussing the theological framework of understanding the End Times, we can better be one more step forward in understanding before we even start. The topics I’ll look at are covenant, Israel’s destiny, theocracy, principalities and powers, our in-grafting (Romans 11), and hopefully be able to touch on the character of God.

The best place to start would be with the Kingdom of God. First and foremost, we must understand that this concept is a Jewish concept. There is nothing about it that is Gentile. The entire faith itself came out from Judaism. All of the disciples were Jewish. Though they were scattered and though some held positions that were contrary to respectable Judaism (like a tax collector), that does not relinquish them from being Jewish. Most scholars would agree that their names were Hebrew names like Mattityahu (Matthew in English), Jochanan (John in English), Jakov (James in our English versions), or Bar-Talmai (Bartholomew).

It is from this understanding that the faith is Jewish that we can move on. Have you ever noticed that some Jewish authors, scholars, or rabbis will not say or write “God?” They will write G-d. It is from a practice that stems back millennia. If you cannot see the face of God and live, then we ought to have the utmost respect for all aspects of God – including His name. Many people won’t say His name, and when it comes to saying or writing God, they find another way of addressing Him. In the 1^st century, one of the ways they would address God is by addressing His habitation: heaven. Thus, when we read in the Gospel of Matthew (which was written to the Jews), we find that Jesus refers to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is not different than the Kingdom of God. They are the same thing – the one respecting God’s name, and the other unafraid to pronounce God’s name.

So what was the Hebrew thought when speaking of the Kingdom of God? They didn’t have the New Testament to tell them it was “within you.” Jesus’ statement here is typically taken out of context to make a point that the Kingdom is invisible. But is it really? We find the Kingdom of God stems back to the first book of the Bible:

² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 12:2-3

This is the first time that God promises a blessing of all the nations – or “families of the Earth.” It is going to be through a people/nation that come from Abram. When we trace this story, we find that these people were known as the people Israel. In this passage everything hangs.

Certain aspects of doctrine that we claim in Christianity come from this passage. It even bears weight on the question of circumcision asked in the New Testament. Paul makes the argument that the promise was given to Abram before the covenant of circumcision. Therefore, if you have not been circumcised of body, but have been circumcised of heart, then you are under this Abrahamic Covenant.

The importance of this passage that God will have a people for Himself stretches through to the very end of the Bible. But lets for now take it bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece. When you reach Exodus, God brings His people Israel out of Egypt. They are called to be His people. Lets examine a couple of Scriptures and glean from them the importance.

And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Exodus 19:6

⁸When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

⁹ For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9

²⁹ For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
Romans 11:29

I suggest looking into that last passage a bit more. Read Romans 11 for the whole context. You’ll see that I’m not pulling it out of context, but actually bringing it into a more precise context. The point is more upon the first 2 Scriptures. Israel was called to be a nation of priests. In Deuteronomy 32 it claims that the boundaries of the other nations were actually set up according to the number of Israel.

Why would God select this people? What is it that they have to offer that is so different than the rest of the world? The answer, strangely, is exactly the same reason why God chooses anything. Why does God choose to take John Wesley from the rich and send him out to preach to the poor? Why does God choose the Land of Israel over any other land in the world? What is it that God sees in David that he didn’t see in his brothers? What did God see in the cross that we have missed? Why would God choose the cross as the execution of His Son instead of some other form of suffering? Why would God choose suffering anyway? Isn’t this unbecoming?

And here lies the intrinsic characteristic of God. God suffers. He doesn’t suffer because He has to suffer. He suffers because He chooses to suffer. Notice I did not say He wants to suffer. No one wants to suffer. Suffering isn’t what God desires; it is, however, what He has chosen. Why? In the foolishness of suffering, we see clearly the wisdom of God. God is not afraid of suffering. He is willing to suffer in order to attain the greater good. What is the greater good? The best and highest good is the glory of God. There is nothing loftier than for God to be glorified, for in it is the creations greatest good.

Here we have a problem of semantics. The question could be posed, “Why?” Why is it that God’s glory is the greatest earthly good? Have you ever heard the statement, “Don’t be too heavenly minded, or else you will be no earthly good?” It is quite the contrary. Unless you are heavenly minded, you are no earthly good. How else do you explain Jesus? Was he too heavenly minded? Nothing was spoken out of the mouth of Christ that did not have its inception within heaven.

So why would God choose Israel? Here is where the Biblical scholar must understand. You sacrosanct saints that want a cheapie and a nice lackadaisical understanding and grasp of the faith cannot comprehend the beauty of the eternal purposes of God. Who else have you ever heard speak this way? What is Israel? What are the Jews? Is it the people? Is it the Land? Is the nation? Is it a religion? What is it for heaven’s sake?

When we desire to define terms, know that I will only refer to Israel as the people in this writing. However, there is a much larger usage of this word. Israel, from the perception of God, is the people, within that Land, as a kingdom of priests to all nations. This requires something. It requires that they be in the Land. It requires that they are God’s people, and God is their God. It requires that they know their God as He in fact is. It requires that they do not break the Laws given; otherwise they will be exiled from that Land, and therefore no longer the people (Deuteronomy 28). It requires that they are priests. The Israel that is God’s inheritance is the people, Land, Torah (teachings), God within the people, and the covenants between God and that people.

Unless all of these things are fulfilled, God has gone against Himself in revoking (or repenting) His gifts and callings. This is crucial to understanding. There must be a time when Israel is saved and they know their Messiah Jesus. There must be a time when they are the priesthood to all nations. There must be a time when they possess the Land and will never be uprooted again (Amos 9). If these things do not happen, then God is not God. He chose these things because they are despised. They are foolish.

We see the character of God revealed within His choosing of this people and that land and their calling and their purposes. The Kingdom of God is not complete without them. We, as the Church, are in need of them and they are in need of us. We are for now a different people, but will be one under the same Head in the end. I would even argue that we are not a different entity from Israel, but that they are the separate entity from Israel. Israel can only be Israel when all of these things are met. Anyone who rejects the Messiah cannot be Israel. But we know from Romans 11:26 that “All Israel shall be saved, as it is written.” Is this mere homiletic mysticism and rhetoric?

What is the ultimate form of the Kingdom of God? What is it that we should be striving toward and looking toward? The Kingdom of God is and always will be a theocracy. Theo- means God and -cratic is rule or government. It is the government of God. He will forever be the supreme ruler. We find later in the Old Testament how God intends to be this:

¹² And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³ He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son.
2 Samuel 7:12-14

God is speaking to the Israeli King David. The Messiah must be a descendant from David. But He can’t just be a descendant of David. He has to surpass David. He has to be greater than David. It says in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord.”

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Psalm 110:1

Here we see a Psalm of David where David actually calls the Messiah “Lord.” How can the Messiah be both the Lord and also a descendant of David? We find answer in that Jesus was born of a virgin. He was without human father. He only had God as His father. This is important. The rule of God depends upon one who will be able to rule the nations with an iron scepter (Psalm 2), but at the same time be a human descendant of David, and at the same time be God. But it isn’t enough that He is King. He must be a priest, for Psalm 110 continues:

⁴ The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Psalm 110:4

In the Book of Hebrews, there is an excellent exposition on this very thing. The Kingdom of God is best summed up as follows: The government of God ruled by the Davidic King and Melchizedek Priest out of Israel and upon Zion. How about them apples?

Now, when we’re talking about the theocratic kingdom, we’re discussing something that we have a piece of today. The full expression is yet future. But we do experience a taste (or foretaste if you read King James) of what is ahead. Our very salvation and sealing of the Holy Spirit attest to the future glory that is to come. Words cannot express the depths. I would be willing to bet that words are unlawful to speak about what glories are to come (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

What is it that we need to apprehend in order to get there? This is going to be a bit of eschatology, but it won’t necessarily be commentary on Revelation. Ultimately, this view that I have is a view of covenant – covenant failure, covenant obligation, covenant blessing, and covenant curse. This idea comes from Deuteronomy. It plainly states (especially within Deuteronomy 28) that if the people Israel follow and obey the covenant, then they will keep the Land, and all these blessings will come upon them. However, if they disobey this covenant, then they will be uprooted from the Land, and they will suffer curse and judgment from God as chastisement.

It is to this that I speak. There will be a final judgment or chastisement that the Israel of God must undergo. It is for the lack of understanding of both the future calamity and the ultimate glory of Israel – and thus the glory of God – that people misinterpret Scripture after Scripture and hope that the Jewish state will change its tune and come to God and find Jesus and everything will be groovy.

If we think that priesthood comes from some sort of calling or some sort of ordination without appropriation of character, then we have lost the biblical mindset. Priesthood requires something ultimate. The priest must identify with those to whom he is ministering, taking upon self their guilt and sin. It takes a very certain kind of person – one that states, “I am the chief of all sinners” – that can minister in a priestly way. It requires the deepest breaking over sin and understanding that we in our humanity are only too easily deceived and ready to snatch up any sin. Nothing is too off limits. There is nothing too risqué. There is nothing too provocative. We are all capable of the same grotesque sins, and we are all guilty before God.

In order for the people Israel to be priestly, that kind of mindset and character must come upon them. I believe that Paul’s apostolate to the Gentiles was a foretaste of Israel’s ultimate call to be an apostolic entity to the nations. The Gentiles hung upon the neck of Paul and wept when they heard the news that he would be bound in chains at Jerusalem. Imagine a nation of Pauls going out into the world and the Gentile nations having the same kind of love and adoration of them.

When we browse Isaiah 35 we find an End Time stratagem for that people:

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Isaiah 35:1

⁴ Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isaiah 35:4-5

⁷ And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

⁸ And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
Isaiah 35:7-8

¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 35:10

Their return shall be with “everlasting joy.” Why everlasting? Because, they will never sorrow again. God will wipe away every tear. But how do they come to such a place? It is in the judgment of God upon their sin. They will be cast out into the wilderness places, and God will meet with them face-to-face. How does God meet with them face-to-face? He does it through a servant Body that is already upon this Earth, though it is not a part of the Israel that is being judged…

Do you see how the pieces fit together yet? Our role and function as the Church is to be that priestly nation to them. Paul even says, “…to the Jew first, and then to the Greek,” Romans 1:16. Our call and chief role is not to be the priesthood to the nations like we have thought. That does not come until the Millennium with them. Until that time, our calling and role is to drive them to jealousy (Romans 11). We are to be priestly in identifying with them in their sin and possibly going to our death in that identification.

When this end time calamity is upon us, I don’t doubt that there will be persecution of Christians. It says this blatantly in both Old and New Testament. Daniel says the Antichrist will overcome the saints, and again will wear out the saints. Revelation 13 says that the Antichrist will war against the saints and overpower them. It says in Revelation 12, though, that the dragon makes war with the woman first, and goes after the believers in Jesus after (Revelation 12:17). The woman is undoubtedly Israel. A woman almost always (I can’t think of any exceptions off the top of my head) means Israel in the prophetic writings.

If the persecution comes upon Israel first, then why do we not expect them to receive any kind of persecution? Why do leading speakers seems to indicate quite the opposite? So many believe that Israel won’t be uprooted again and that they are indestructible. From what biblical bases does this come? Their history has only shown the opposite. They rejected God and were carried away to Babylon. They rejected the Messiah and were scattered through the nations. Why would this be different?

¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

¹¹For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

¹²Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

¹³Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

Jeremiah 31:10-13

Virtually every time that this Millennial blessedness of Israel’s is mentioned, it makes mention that they will sorrow no more, they will be comforted, they will have peace, they will suffer no more terror and violence, etc. It eventually starts to make sense that this time of blessedness happens immediately after a time of persecution.

²Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

³For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Isaiah 54:2-3

Here is another statement of millennial promise: “Your descendants will possess the nations,” and before the sentence is concluded, God adds, “And will resettle the desolate cities.” In the whole redemptive program of God, His intention is to bless the nations. He is the God of the nations. They shall come to know God through a redeemed Israel, and they will come to the brightness of that nations rising:

¹Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

²For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

³And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

⁴Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.

⁵Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.

Isaiah 60:1-5

¹⁰And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.

¹¹Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.

¹²For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.

Isaiah 60:10-12

²³Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

Zechariah 8:23

¹⁸Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.

Isaiah 60:18

²¹Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.

Isaiah 60:21

Notice here what I have been saying all along. There will come a time when Israel will inherit the Land forever. But that cannot happen if the covenant will continue to get broken. If they continue to reject God, then they will never be His people in that Land. This qualifies for a definition of terms. There is an immense difference between appropriation and inheritance. An inheritance is only given to those in right relation with God. Appropriation can be given to whomever. The redeemed nation is given an everlasting covenant that cannot be broken, and in that condition, the Land can be inherited as “the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.” There is something about the Lord planting that gives the mind an image of peace. It is not exacerbating to the neighbors of Israel (unlike what we see today), but instead brings them peace and blessedness.

In that day, there shall be one King, one kingdom, and one Lord over all. But that cannot come unless Israel suffers her own road to Calvary experience. There must be a putting to death all that would trust in the arm of the flesh. She must go down out of the Land and into the wilderness places. It is in that wilderness that she will meet her God. But if we’re raptured out of this world, then I suppose that means that Israel will need some other way of coming to know her God.

This is where I’ve heard ridiculous theories. Some say that the rabbi’s will have a revelation and start teaching about Jesus (because that worked the first time?). Others say that Israel has no part. Still others say that they will come to Christ by our witnessing to them before the Tribulation, and then they will preach the Gospel during the Tribulation. For reasons that I think we’ve already been through, I have immense problems with these. I think the one thing I hate more than any other is the idea that we’re beyond chastisement or undergoing suffering. If God did not even spare His own Son, then why would He spare you? By what means of reasoning do you honestly believe that God will rapture His Church out at all?

It is in this end time scenario that we are met face-to-face with our own inadequacy. It haunts us. We aren’t mature enough to struggle this. We aren’t ready. We’re complacent and lazy. We’re too lukewarm and pampered to endure to the end. It will take a certain kind of person to be able to handle the grit and trauma of this extreme. It is one thing for me to give Scripture evidence and speak of this calamity, but how will I react when it actually happens? Will I be able to handle it? Will I collapse under the weight of hearing stories and meeting people and watching gruesome tales play out before my eyes?

It is to this that I wish to speak in the next segment.

Persecution - the Heart of Davidic Worship

            When we desire to understand the heart of David’s worship, there is no better place to turn than to the Psalms. In Psalm 56 and 57 (to only examine two), we find them both starting with persecution. The one is persecution from the Philistines, and the other is persecution from Saul. In this we have symbols of persecution from the world and persecution from the backslidden Church. I find it interesting that even with both of these two very different oppressors, the first few verses in both the Psalms reference David being “trampled.”

            “Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; fighting all day long he oppresses me (Psalm 56:1). He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me (Psalm 57:3).” This is the unfortunate fate of a “David.” David symbolizes the man of faith – which is ironically the one that always gets trampled upon by men of the world, whether religious or otherwise. Though in both Psalms David is being trampled, his cry is to God and God alone. He does not raise his voice against the Philistines or against Saul.

            In Psalm 56, we find that verses four and eleven repeat one another. In verse 11 we read: In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? In another translation it uses the word “flesh” instead of man. What is the “flesh” and who is the “me” being spoken of? We have already seen from verse one that David is being trampled upon. So obviously flesh is doing something to him. Not to mention, if David is taken, there is a lot of torture that man can do to another man. Yet David insists that man can do nothing to me.

            The “me” must mean something more than the physical body that can indeed be harmed by men.  However, what he is in God, the essential David, cannot be harmed. In this we have the basis for why we shall not fear. This is the basis for worship. Who we are in God cannot be taken from us. We are something very distinct and different from our bodies. Though we are contained within our physical bodies, the reality of who we are is not destroyed with our body. This is why in the midst of persecution we can find solace in God.

            In all of the saints of old, whether Old Testament or New Testament, we read that the glory of God is revealed in both their lives and their deaths. Martyrdom is not merely in death, but a lifestyle. When we can live as though we have already died, then we are truly living. Our lives are not our own. God is somehow in control and is bigger than our lives. Everything we do is to the glory of God. Nothing is for self.

            In this, our death is taken in a way to say, “There is something more important than self-preservation.” In order to die at the hands of persecutors and make that kind of statement through your death does not come at the end of your life. You aren’t going to somehow find the gusto to endure pain. This kind of manifestation is displayed through your life – your death is only the final enactment. Any persecution that is faced, whether to the death or we live through it, will display full well the wisdom by which we truly are governed.

            King Zedekiah was promised his life if he surrendered to Babylon. There was a problem. He feared men more than God. Because he feared what the people of Israel would say, he was brutally tortured and ultimately killed. His death was not valiant. Isaiah, tradition says, was cut in half while hanging upside down. While they hacked him asunder, he was still prophesying. Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego took “death” (fiery furnace) without wavering. They claimed, “Even if God does not deliver us, oh king, we still will not bow down to your stupid antichrist statue!”

            When we view Acts 16, we see the story of Paul and Silas. These two men are beaten and thrown in prison unjustly. At midnight, they start singing songs of praise to God. In the midst of their worship, the prison doors swing wide open. What is it about the worship of Paul and Silas that would cause for such a phenomena? When you can give testimony of God like that to the world in the midst of adversity and trials, then you have given the ultimate witness of God that glorifies God and can be used as a witness to save the nations.

            When our worship comes from a heart that knows God’s character and that He would not allow anything to befall us if it did not glorify Him, we have stepped out of the realm of music as worship and into the realm of Davidic worship. Even in the midst of prison and death, Paul and Silas rejoiced in the God who saved them. Death could not keep them from Him. Why fear? If we die, we go to see the Lord. If we are tortured, then we should count it privilege to be found as worthy vessels to take the same torment that Christ received. Isn’t this why Peter and John rejoiced after being beaten by the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:40-42?

            Probably the greatest travesty of our age is the use of manipulation during worship to rile up the emotions and senses during the music time. True worship should be a spontaneous expression of a reality that has been obtained corporately, by a people who have been long enough and intensely enough together to obtain it. Choruses should be the expression of joy, not its substitute. Music can be a powerful thing, but when music becomes a means to feeling, we have forsaken the holy worship in Spirit and truth.

            There is a wickedness beyond human capacity, which is of the principalities and powers of the air. If we do not recognize (and wrestle) them now, then we will not recognize them during the time of persecution. We will assume that mankind is purely corrupted, and in that we will possibly lose heart. But what do we lose heart in? It is ultimately that we lose faith in God, and we therefore lose our own humanity as well.

            Our lifestyle must be born out of the real belief in a soon coming Tribulation and return of the Lord. With this, our view is properly centered to not fret with the things of this life, and to endure patiently until the end when we shall receive reward. My struggles in daily life are things to rejoice in. I know that the tougher the struggle the greater the work of sanctification it will bring. I rejoice that in pain there is comfort, in struggle there is ability to overcome, in persecution there is endurance, and in torture there is a crown.

A Summary of Theocracy

It was over the weekend that I hosted a few friends. Within our discussion, we examined a multitude of things. One of the subjects that came up was Israel and the last days. I think that this topic comes up frequently when I have opportunity to talk, because it is probably one of the biggest aspects of my theology. However, As I mused upon it, I realized that it wasn't about Israel and eschatology that is really a big part of my theology, it is the Kingdom of God.

The one topic that it seems as though the entire Bible is devoted to is this subject. God's Kingdom and rule upon this earth is the focal point. It was set up in the beginning that God would rule as God by having fellowship with mankind and teaching us to be priests unto the very creation itself. We were created in His likeness to display Him unto all things - including the angelic beings.

With the fall of mankind, the kingdom of darkness was thus expressed. It had taken captive humanity. It had somehow become the authority over this fallen world, and if it can keep that authority, then it can attempt to overcome the kingdom of light. We have this saga at the heart of the Bible. Everything is a progression forward. Mankind falls, thus sin enters the world. God's promise is that He will one day punish that serpent and rid the world of that sin. We find that as the Bible progresses, the sinfulness of humanity increased. God sent a flood, and only saved 8 people.

Out of those 8 people came all nations of this earth. Some came from Ham, some from Shem, and some from Japheth. Each of these names have different significance, and we can see in the various cultures throughout the world these different names represented. We find in Genesis 10 the "table of nations." That description of where the nations come from and where they settled is referred to throughout the Bible. It is in the next chapter that we find all nations coming together to establish a one-world government system. What was their hopes in doing so? They wanted to make a tower that would ascend up to heaven.

Where does such a thought come from? If we think that mankind in their sinful state would promote such an idea, we have deceived ourselves. There is an entire kingdom behind the scenes. It promotes selfishness and exultation. The rule of this kingdom of darkness is self. For them to build a tower that would rival the heavens is a statement of deifying humanity. And this deification of humanity is not from depravity, but ultimately from the pit of hell. Satan has influenced and manipulated the whole thing. He has sway over any kind of institution, and that sway is what caused for humanity to have such antichrist thoughts.

The question that the Bible promotes is this: who will rule over this cosmos? Will God rule, or will Satan rule? It is the plan of the devil to manipulate mankind for his own devices. We are merely tools being jerked and forced into establishing his kingdom. There is no remedy from this outside of Christ. But God confused the languages of these nations, and in so doing foiled the plans of the enemy.

Now, thousands of years later, we're back at the same scenario. We have mankind coming together and striving to promote a one-world government that will somehow rival the heavens. It is the same plan that was used at the beginning. And what was God's answer to that plan at the beginning? God's answer was a man named Abram. God called Abram out of the nations to become a nation. While Satan has his own kingdom at work in the world, God has established a kingdom as well. We trace through the Bible this man Abram to the nation Israel. We find prophecies concerning that people at a specific point in time where God Himself will come to earth and rule over them, thus defeating the kingdom of darkness and promoting everlasting righteousness.

Though I agree with the theology that teaches of "the Kingdom of God within you," at least to a degree, this mentality has actually caused us to forsake the understanding of our fathers. Because we are under the impression that God's Kingdom is already established invisibly on the earth, we are not seeking for a future time that God will rule and reign. He has established very specific places where He has chosen for His government. If we do not know, or do not examine, such claims made by God, then can we truly say that we are seeking first His Kingdom?

Many times it is that we simply don't know. This isn't a question about salvation or even somehow being eternally secure. The question that I promote is whether we are truly living in a way that would expect and fully believe that there is a time coming - and soon coming - that God will rule and reign, and He will call on His people to rule and reign with Him?

This is important because the whole of the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, seeks to establish the answer to one question: How and why is God now able to dwell on the earth? God walked with Adam in the Garden, but there was no sin. How is it that God will somehow come down and manifest Himself on this earth with sin still present? The answer, of course, is found in the man Jesus Christ. But we mustn't stop there. Yes, He came 2000 years ago, but there are still prophecies and promises that have been stated to happen that are yet to come to fruition.

The problem of eschatology (the study of the end) is to seek an understanding of how God can come, Israel can be redeemed, the Church can be united with Israel under the same Head, and we can rule and reign from Jerusalem together. That is the question at hand when studying the Kingdom of God. We know that God will rule over this earth, but how? What must take place for His Government to be established? What must happen for the cosmos to be able to embrace His coming?

In a few days, I will be joining some brethren to discuss such a topic as this. Pray for me, and pray for us all, that we might be given the understanding that God has decreed from the beginning.

Why I Have Left "Church"

Dear "Church,"

With all of the recent articles and blog posts describing why "youth" are leaving the church, I thought it necessary for me to put down my own ideas. To be entirely honest, it was my wife who wanted to write out why it is that we have decided to leave "church" and never go back. After reading many of these related articles, she has decided that she doesn't want to write & address this 'nonsense' (in her own words), and so I'm taking the task.

In all honesty, I want to give reason to why I have left without giving any kind of hook or rude/offensive statement about church. There is absolutely nothing in me that desires to be mean or vicious, even though there have been many vicious articles written about me - since I am one of those "youth" that has left. This journey started a long time ago. I went to church, and I got burned. I think that this is true for many people that leave. Unlike many, however, I didn't leave because I got burned. I left because I realized that the system will only use and abuse, and will never allow someone like me to flourish.

How about I start with some basic thoughts? 

For someone that grows up in youth group, they are taught the same truth that they learned in the nursery. By the age of 13, they have exhausted the faith. By 16, they can lead Bible studies. By the time they are 20, they are probably youth leaders. Is this all that Christianity has to offer? When you have figured everything out, you go to seminary to learn original languages, what others have written, and maybe relearn everything that you already know? Is Christian life about relearning over and over again because humanity is too stupid to learn the first time?

But the truth is that this isn't even necessarily the reason that we are leaving. The whole thing is cheap, and it seems like what others are offering is so much more authentic... That isn’t to say that we need something more intellectually stimulating. The show must go on, but we aren't here for a show. We came to your "church" to hear reality. We came to hear the words of God. We came to hear what it is that God might be saying to this generation, but all that seems to protrude from the pulpits are "we can worship our way into heaven." Other times, we only hear a pre-packaged message. I have yet to be to one church that gives reality instead of falsity. By reality I mean a reiteration of the resurrection life. Falsity, therefore, is a life lived out of our own ability.

Generally, the objections that are being raised in these articles are fallacious. “Kids are just liberal. We didn't really let them "go to church." All they got were nursery and youth group hours. They think we're hypocritical, judgmental, and insincere. They think we're shallow. We're antagonistic to science.” The list goes on of things that really are surface issues.

These issues that people are writing only go to show the true problem. The real problem is that the articles describing how they out there who are leaving just don’t understand us who are here. It is completely the attitude. It is as though there is no problem with church as we know it, and the entire problem and blame lies on they youth. They are perverts and desire materialism and carnal pleasures. They want their gay friends to come and feel comfortable. They want to live like hellions and still have heaven. They want, they want, they want.

The real issue is the very core of what we call church. The system itself does not allow for truth. There is a remnant Church that has ever and always been present, but the vast majority of Christian "fellowship" is really only there as religious exercise. We don't need "hipper" worship, or more powerful sermons, or to be able to answer difficult questions. We need reality. We lack honesty and truth. The Church at the beginning met daily, going from house to house breaking bread. They lived according to their convictions. By and large, we "put faith" in our convictions, but we do not live from them.

You didn't need to tell the people in the first century to sell their possessions; they did that naturally. You didn't need to tell the people in the first century to meet daily; they did that naturally. You didn't need to tell the people in the first century to lay down their lives for their brethren; they did that naturally. The law of love that was shed abroad in their hearts caused for them to live and move and have their being in a very unique manner. Their lives were transparent before one another. Truth reigned supreme. And they engaged the culture by the reality of their lives. 

Why are the "millennials" leaving? It can only be because the "church" is seeing them go, and telling them, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." I cannot tell you how many people I have spoken with where they start by saying, "I would love to believe, but..." Too many of these articles only seem to talk about how great we are, and how those rotten kids don't understand. They call it a "lost" generation, and they really believe it. There is no point in trying to save them, they're a lost cause. The problem is not that we need to be more relevant. We need to be more authentic.

Paul said that he was crucified with Christ - it is no longer he that lives, but Christ that lives in him. The extent that we say that this is only rhetoric and playful word games is the extent that we have forfeited the faith. We have an entire Christianity that is based off of applauding Paul for his faith, but then rejecting that anyone today can possibly achieve such a state in God today. Perhaps there are simply too few who have witnessed or seen the reality of the crucified life. 

The whole of the Christian life is to be lived out of the life of God. We do not perform out of our own ability, but instead lean not on our own understanding. The beauty of Christianity is that when we lose self (Luke 17:33), we actually obtain it. The paradox is that when we forfeit self, we find self. True humanity is the marriage of spirit and flesh, male and female, Jew and Gentile, black and white, slave and free - that they be one as God is one. 

Christianity has nothing to do with "doing," and everything to do with "being." Ultimately, the reason that I have left "church" is because there is the lack of "being." All of the things that are applauded and accepted as truth are typically displayed as symbols, metaphor, and sometimes sentiment. Sometimes you can find a "church" that tries to put these things into practice, but even in these circumstances they fall short for reasons that I'll address later. 

The majority of church-ianity has only allowed and applauded far too often the religion performed out of our own ability. We have not truly died, and therefore we have not been brought to a place of resurrection. To defer to myself instead of trusting in God - in any moment - is to fall short of the glory of God. The glory of God is eminently and always a resurrection phenomenon. 

Speaking for myself, it is the lack of that glory that has caused me to leave. When we are starving for truth, and all that is given are cheap cliches and forgeries of truth, it is time to leave. 

In conclusion, I want to say that I have not left God. I have left "church" to find God. I have left "church" to find The Church. What is desired is reality. Our lack of reality and conviction in what we say we believe is true has driven the youth away. They see through our false identity. They watch as we say that we believe the Bible, but then live lives completely contrary to that Bible. It doesn't have to be something abominable. When we set up church services so that we can be done in time to go home and watch sports, we have lied to God.

God desires that we be progressing toward an ultimate end. There is a time that He desires to call upon us, as His Church, for ultimate purposes. We cannot fulfill those ultimate purposes if we are busy playing games and singing songs. If our Christianity is known by our Sunday services, then we have become apostate. But there is a reality that the youth are searching for, and I don’t believe that the fat woman has started singing yet.

In love, wishing you grace and peace,

Tommy Comer

The Book of Romans pt 13

It is at this point that Paul starts to expound true and false religion. From chapters 4-8, Paul seems to only have one thing in mind: separate the precious from the vile. We've looked upon how all are under sin, whether Jew or otherwise, and thus all are in need of salvation. Toward the end of Romans 3, Paul has stated the mechanism by which salvation is obtained - namely, the blood of Jesus Christ. Through faith in Him, we have received our eternal reward.

If salvation is obtained by faith, then what does faith look like? And so we pick up in Romans 4 as Paul starts to expound the great man of faith: Abraham.

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Note that the main point that Paul presses right from the get-go is that righteousness and faith are intertwined. Why is this so?

Lets first consider our faith in God. Then we'll move to God's righteousness. Then we'll talk about the consequence this has for community.

Our righteousness is not constituted by our deeds. It is solely constituted upon one thing: our faith in Christ. We'll discuss what this faith looks like as we continue through Romans 4 and 5. At this moment, we'll focus upon why our righteousness is only constituted upon faith in Christ.

To put faith in something is not to simply trust it. I can trust that the chair I am sitting in has enough strength to hold me up. But that doesn't necessarily mean I have faith in the chair. Faith constitutes a change in the individual. The person moves from unrighteous to righteous, and thus faith cannot be mere trust. I can trust that God will provide, but that does not mean that I have faith. I can know the principles and subscribe the to truth that God provides without ever coming to full acceptance and being changed by the belief that God provides.

Faith takes more than belief. It takes more than trust. It is only faith when the inner most fabric of our being fully subscribes to it. To have faith in Christ is to have complete and utter surrender to the character of God. It is more than trusting God that you will make it to heaven. You have complete trust that every experience that comes is from the hand of God. He is sovereign, even through the free-will of men. Nothing comes apart from God. This statement is made by Paul, who suffered lashes at the hands of the Jews 5 times, 3 times he was beaten with rods, once pelted with stones, shipwrecked 3 times, spent a day and a night in the open sea, had been constantly on the move, had been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from his fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, in danger from false believers, had gone without sleep, had known hunger and thirst - often going without food, and has been cold and naked.

This man who has suffered more than anyone else that I know - save Christ - was able to then stand on Mars Hill and tell them about the "God who gives all things."

Does your faith look like that? Do you have that kind of faith in God that you can bear such a suffering and still not attack the character of God?

Righteousness is indeed constituted upon faith. We forfeit our glory for the glory of another. We lay down our lives for the life of another. Our comfort and convenience doesn't matter. What matters is the glory of God forever. Anything that we say, do, think, or teach that is separate from the glory of God is brought under question and immediately repented of. We all have blind spots and we have all temptation. It is how ruthless we are to be converted to the image of God and how desperate we are to display the glory of God that speaks louder than our failures.

In this sense, I can understand why it would be that righteousness and faith are intertwined. But how is God righteous? Does God have faith in Himself?

Don't forget that God is 3 persons.

Jesus was always about glorifying the Father and proclaimed that His words were Spirit. He never did anything that He hadn't seen His Father do, and never spoke anything that the Spirit didn't first give utterance. In this way, He laid aside His own glory for the glory of the other two persons in the Godhead. He cast Himself aside for the sake of His Father and the Holy Spirit.

God the Father was about glorifying the Son. The way that He spoke to Jesus and the way He speaks to us is through the Holy Spirit. He does nothing of His own, but continues to display Himself through His Son and through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does not speak anything to us that has not been spoken by the Father. The Holy Spirit doesn't have its own words, but is only the messenger from the Father to us. In this way, the Spirit has denied herself (the Hebrew word ruach is feminine) in order to promote the Father. But the Spirit also has the passion to glorify the Son. She speaks concerning Him and leads us into all truth.

Thus because God defers to the other two parts of the Godhead, He both places faith in the other two by giving them all glory and honor and is credited as righteous for it. One of the most challenging aspects to understand is that in deferring glory to the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Father gains a greater glory. So it is with the Son and the Holy Spirit as well. In forfeiting our glory to glorify God, we find that we are all the more glorious.

Don't think that I am speaking of humanity as being gods. Any glory that we receive can only be a reflection of God's glory; for apart from God there is no glory. Apart from God there is no righteousness. We can only truly understand righteousness in the context of God's righteousness.

And how does this pertain to community?

When we are willing to give up our names and reputations for the sake of promoting our brothers and sisters, then we have obtained to righteousness beyond the conventional dimensions. It is amazing to me how unwilling many are to give up their own names and honor. They have worked so hard for so long, why would they allow all their toil to be in vain?

It is such a worldly way of perceiving. The heavenly perception reasons that in honestly giving up our names and reputations for the sake of others - and not in hope of regaining that reputation and honor - that we find deeper manifestations of honor and glory. If there is any other reason for our humility than to honor and promote and respect those brothers and sisters around - out of our love for them - then we are the greatest deceivers. It is manipulation and deception - which are both of the devil - to try and use people so that we might gain honor and respect.

God knows our secret hearts. I haven't yet obtained to this calling. It is something altogether more pure than I have become. By God's grace, I pray that I might be able to match this one day - maybe even today - but for now I continue to fall short.

I think we ought to all be humiliated and cut to the quick whenever we read the book of Acts. Our Christianity is utterly anemic and does not even bear comparison. These men - fishermen and louts - turned the world upside down. Our Christianity doesn't come close. And I think it all comes down to this one point that Paul is making: our faith is not a faith unto righteousness.

We might be able to put faith in God, but to put faith in another believer that we only see once a week is absurd. We have not been made on as He is one, and the result is that we officially have been made into a Christian culture instead of a Church. We have a Sunday Club. Some places around the world there are people that are required to meet more than Sunday and a midweek Bible Study. In those communities, God has wrought a likeness that our Western Culture cannot comprehend.

What is it that would cause such men - as unlearned as they were - to be so equipped by God to even debate against the most pristine that religion has to offer? The Holy Spirit had its own logic and law. The law of Grace compelled them to love one another. That love was not cheap. It cost everything. It cost honor and reputation for the sake of a higher one's honor and reputation; namely, the honor and reputation of God, but secondly the honor and reputation of those believers that you are with daily.

This is what we're called to.

Do you have faith for that?

The oil of the virgins

In our charismatic Christian "concerts" that we call worship, I believe that this story in Matthew 25 is paramount. I don't mean to call names, nor do I mean to point fingers, but I must admit that I see this more in the Pentecostal and charismatic scene than anywhere else. During Sunday services, we play music for the worship time. This isn't wrong in any way. What is wrong, however is that we will rev up our amplifiers and crank up the bass in our sound systems to try and make an atmosphere that is separate from the anointing and presence of God. In our loudness, we hype up the audience. Even in the preaching, by saying certain words or phrases, such as, "I can really feel the Holy Ghost tonight," we deceive those listening who are either ignorant, or naive enough to believe that all words spoken are of truth. It is obvious that by attending a few meetings and revivals, any good actor could become an evangelist and make millions.

In Matthew 25, starting in verse 1, these 10 virgins have oil in their lamps. 5 of them have enough oil to last until midnight, and the others have an abundance. The 5 without ask the 5 with to share their oil. They are denied, and so the 5 without oil must go buy more. While they are gone, Jesus returns. The 5 return and see a door. The other 5 had already gone through this door, and so the remaining 5 knock and ask to be let in. They are told, "Depart from me, I never knew you." And, of course, this is our Lord Christ Jesus answering.

I believe the oil is the anointing of God to be able to minister with His Holy Spirit, and the power that comes from it. This oil is obtained from anything that requires a cross to bear, such as prayer, accepting rejection from those you speak to, denying yourself pleasure of this world, etc. Essentially, its a suffering that is born in obedience to the Lord. Now, the fact that Jesus said, "I never knew you," begs the question of what kind of oil did the 5 without have? Was it some kind of synthetic, "surrealist" oil? Or, and this is my belief, maybe they had gotten the oil in prayer and petitions that were only for their own need.

The "residue," or abundance, of oil would be those prayers that go beyond our need and to the needs of God. They would be the offerings to not ask God to sacrifice of Himself for our behalf, but for us to offer ourselves as sacrifices on God's behalf. A perfect display of this is to listen to testimonies. Most of the time, it is a testimony of how God has done something for them, and they not only expect, but require God to keep doing things for them. This is self-centered, whereas we should be God-centered. The true testimony is not of what God has done, so that we almost say that He is the giver and never asks of anything. It is true, and I've been a recipient of God's giving, but when our whole Christian viewpoint is upon what God not only has done, but will continue to do for "me," it is a surreal authenticity. It is a copy of the real, but is in the end a mirage.

What is sad is that even when believers pray for revival, what they really mean is a hype, or a shot in the arm that would benefit and bless them. They are willing, and desperately hungry enough, to allow anything that seems "real enough" to be brought before them so they may obtain this blessing. If people are falling down, if there are shouts of tongues, if there are testimonies of healing and miracles, then we equate that with God, when we can read in Matthew 7 that that might not be the case. "Many will say to me in that day, 'Have I not prophesied in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and done many wondrous works in your name?' And my response will be, 'Depart from me, I never knew you.'" Now, that is not to discredit healing or miracles, but to say that we need to use a bit of discernment. If the person praying over you is embedded in carnality, that which he/she has can, and will, be imparted unto you. What kind of shows were they watching the night before the "revival?" What kind of music do they listen to? What kind of character do they emit when outside of the church arena? If it is not authentic Christianity, according to the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5, don't let them touch you.

I must admit, there is a lot more to be said, but I have nothing else to write. I hope that this is something you can ponder over and enjoy digesting while celebrating the Christmas and New Years.