Good scriptural content

Whatever Is Not from Faith Is Sin

Scripture: Romans 14:23 Topic: Sanctification & Growth

The Old Testament (Psalm 32:1, 2) and the New Testament (Romans 4:7, 8) agree: “Blessed (or fortunate) is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity.” Therefore, both, by implication, agree that the person whose transgression God does not forgive, and whose sin is not covered but open in all its offensiveness before the face of a holy God, and to whom the Lord does impute iniquity—this person is not blessed but is very, very unfortunate. Even if the unrepentant and unforgiven sinner prospers in this age, we may be sure on the authority of God’s Word, he will not escape judgment. For it says in Romans 2:4, 5, “Do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”

The Deceitfulness of Sin

If this is true, and if our worst imaginations of what the outpouring of the wrath of an infinite creator might be like are but a shadow of its real horror, then there is nothing more important for any person in this building or in the world than to recognize his sinfulness and find a way of forgiveness before God. But one of the characteristics of sin is that it is deceptive. Hebrews 3:12, 13 says,

Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day as long as it is called ‘today’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

At the heart of all sin is a lie. The lie says to all of us in our sin, “The act you are now doing, the desire or attitude you are now feeling is not very bad because there are much worse things, not very bad because everyone else experiences the same things, not very bad because you can’t help it, not very bad because there is no God, or, if that won’t work, God knows you are but frail and weak and he will tolerate and pity your sin.” There are a thousand distortions of the truth which sin brings with it into the human heart, so that Jeremiah cries out, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?” (17:9).

Sometimes I despair at the subtlety of the sin in my life; how it manages to distort reality and blind to truth and spark foolish and evil inclinations. And when I look at the world, the small world of my neighborhood with its thievery and drunkenness and sexual promiscuity, or the larger world of horrible torture stories from Garcia Meza’s Bolivia or the Gary Hastings slaying their wives and then trying to blow their own brains out with a shotgun but instead leaving themselves alive with no face—as it were, a symbol of the horror of sin in the world—when I look at the subtlety of sin in my own life and its iron clad grip of deception on the world at large, I sometimes ask what hope there is of opening anybody’s eyes to the ugliness of sin and to the awful peril of condemnation if we fail to repent and be forgiven.

But then I remember the promise concerning the power of God’s Word in Hebrews 4:12, 13.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Nothing exposes our sinfulness like the Word of God. It blows away the thick fog of deception and lets us see sin for what it really is. Not that we might wallow in it, but that we might flee from it.

Therefore, my goal today is to let the Word show us what sin is, and why it is sin. There is seldom a cure to any disease without a diagnosis. That is what I want to offer today: God’s diagnosis of our human disease called sin. If we don’t know what it is, it will have a great deal more power over us. If we do know, then we will be able to avail ourselves of the Best Physician, who is a sin specialist, and of his medicines which are needed to keep the disease in check.

What Is Sin?

The most penetrating and devastating definition of sin that I am aware of in Scripture is the last part of Romans 14:23: “Whatever is not from faith is sin.” The reason it is penetrating is that it goes to the root of all sinful actions and attitudes, namely, the failure to trust God. And the reason it is devastating is that it sweeps away all our lists of dos and don’ts and makes anything, from preaching to house-painting, a candidate for sin. In the original language, this is stressed even more than in our versions: it says, “Everything which is not from faith is sin.” Anything, absolutely any act or attitude which is owing to a lack of trust in God is sin, no matter how moral it may appear to men. God looks on the heart.

In Romans 14, Paul addresses a situation in which some believers thought it was wrong to eat meat (they were vegetarians) while others thought that all foods are pure (they ate everything). Some were teetotalers; others drank wine. Paul agreed with those who saw all things as pure in themselves but something was more important to Paul than making all the Roman believers into meat-eaters or wine-drinkers. He wanted both groups to walk in love and not do anything to injure the other’s faith. Notice verses 2 and 3:

One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables; let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.

Then verses 14 and 15:

I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.

Then verse 21:

It is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother stumble.

Therefore what Paul is doing in this chapter is redefining sin for these people. Sin cannot properly be defined in terms of mere acts like eating and drinking, it must be defined by its root. An act of eating meat may or may not be sinful according to whether it springs from love (verse 15). But there is yet a deeper root than love or lack of love and that comes out in verses 22, 23: “Do you have faith? Keep it to yourself before God.” I think Paul means here that if your faith frees you from feeling guilty about eating meat, for example, don’t think you have to flaunt your freedom at the expense of injuring others.

Then he goes on, “Blessed is the person who does not judge himself for what he approves.” In other words, it is a joy to have a clear conscience, not to feel guilty for what we choose to do or not do. Then he concludes, “The person who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act from faith; everything which is not from faith is sin.”

What Paul is saying here is that if you are not sure whether eating meat is wrong and you think it might be, but you go ahead and eat it anyway instead of denying yourself to avoid what you think might be sin, then you are condemned, that is, guilty of sin. The reason he gives is that such eating is not from faith and whatever is not from faith is sin. Now the assumption here is that to go ahead and eat meat when you think it may be wrong is an eating which does not come from faith. Why? Why can’t such eating be from faith?

The Nature of Saving Faith

If we can answer this question we can know more precisely what Paul means by faith in verse 23 and in turn what the nature of sin is. Why is it that we are not acting from faith when we go ahead and do something we think may be wrong? The answer jumps out at us, I think, when we ask another question, namely, “Why do we go ahead and do something we think may be wrong or harmful to others?” Isn’t the answer that we feel that if we don’t do it we won’t be as happy? We are willing to risk hurting someone or doing what we feel may be wrong, because that course of action seems to hold out the most happiness to us. We do what we do because we think doing it will make life more pleasant or at least bearable. But if that is so, it is easy to see how our behavior is not from faith. Faith would see the possible wrong or injury which our action may cause and would feel no need to risk it in order to make our future happier, because faith trusts God to construct a future for us which is vastly to be preferred to the one we could make for ourselves. Therefore, it is obvious that when we try to make our own future happy at the risk of wrong or harm, we are certainly not acting from faith, for faith rests in God to shape the best future for us.

Here we get a glimpse into what Paul means by saving faith and why it is that genuine faith always changes lives. What comes out of verse 23 is that faith is confidence in God to work in the affairs of our lives so that only what is best for us happens to us. What a power would be unleashed in your life and mind if we really believed that the almighty God, whose counsel cannot be frustrated, is this very minute, as I preach, busily at work making sure that what happens to us this afternoon and tomorrow at home and at work is only what is best for us!

There is a grave error in the church today which says that saving faith focuses mainly on what God will not do to us, namely, hold our sins against us. This is a grave error because in the Old and New Testaments an essential (not optional, but an essential) element of faith focuses on what God will do for us now and in the age to come. Saving faith is confident not only that God has forgiven our sins through the death of Christ, but also that God is now at work in the everyday affairs of our lives to do us good. According to Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” Yes, he will, and saving faith is confident of this. Of course, “all things” means all things that are best for us, including all sorts of tribulation. Which is why Paul said in Romans 5:3–4, “Let us rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance approvedness, and being approved produces hope.” Saving faith is primarily future oriented. And I don’t mean merely heaven-oriented. I mean it is oriented to tomorrow morning and is confident that God is going to work that worrisome situation out.

Abraham was justified by his faith. He stood clean before God. But what was his faith? Romans 4:20 says, “He did not doubt the promise of God in unbelief but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised.” Saving faith means resting in the promises of God. What promises? All the promises, including, God works everything together for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28); he will follow you with goodness and mercy all your days (Psalm 23:6); he will not leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Saving faith is confident in the promises and power of God. Therefore, it is not anxious about tomorrow but has joy and peace, taking God at his word. So Paul says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Trusting the God of hope gives joy and peace. And the reason it does is because our confident hope is that God is at work right now and tomorrow in the everyday affairs of our lives so that only what is best for us happens to us.

This, I believe, is what lies behind Romans 14:23. Sin is anything, any act or any emotion or attitude, that does not sprout from the soil of such confidence in the God of hope. “Whatever is not from faith is sin.”

Unbelief: The Root of Sin

There are three implications of this definition of sin which I want to try to drive home. First, the all-pervasive fault in every sin is its character of unbelief. Let there be no confusion here. By unbelief I do not mean a refusal to accept the truths of the Bible. We are not saved by giving mental assent to the promises of God. We are saved by whether we hope with our hearts in those promises. The failure of the heart to be confident in the promises of God and to rejoice and find pleasure in his provision for the future is the root and essence of all sin. Unbelief is what mainly displeases God in every sinful act. As Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

And rightly so, because unbelief is a terrible insult. If a friend offers to do you a favor and promises by his honor to see it through, but you decline the offer and say, “No, friend, I’ve decided I just can’t trust you any more,”—if that is your response to his promise, the friendship is over. You have insulted his integrity and robbed him of his honor. And there is just cause for animosity against you to rise in his heart. Moreover, the offensiveness of your insult would increase in direct proportion to the dignity of your friend. In other words, the greater his wisdom and honor and dependability, the uglier and more inexcusable would be the insult of your failure to take him at his word.

This helps me feel a little bit of how horrid sin is, because God is infinitely wise and infinitely honorable and infinitely dependable, and has paid an infinite price to put all this at our disposal for our good. What an intolerable offense it is then for a puny little human, absolutely dependent on this God’s grace for every breath he takes, to say with his behavior to God, “I don’t really think you can be counted on to make a better future for me than I can make in following my own way.” If such unbelief persists there will be judgment (which is what I want to talk about next week). A failure to delight and trust in the promises of God is the greatest insult you can pay to God and therefore the primary offense in all sin.

Sin Is Not a List

The second implication of Romans 14:23 is that we cannot view sin any more merely as breaking the ten commandments or transgressing a list of dos and don’ts. “Everything that is not from faith is sin.” Coming to church may be sin, staying home may be sin. Eating steak may be sin and not eating steak may be sin. Sexual intercourse with your own wife may be sin and the refusal of sexual relations may be sin. One of Satan’s most successful lies is that sin can be limited to a manageable list of dos and don’ts. The reason this is so satanic is that it causes thousands of churchgoers to think that things are OK between them and God because they avoid one list of don’ts and practice another (much shorter) list of dos; but in fact may be sinning all day long, incurring the wrath of God, because their attitudes and actions do not come from faith in the promises of God.

Please don’t think that this cannot happen to people in the church, in our church. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “When I could bear it no longer, I sent that I might know your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor would be in vain.” Among churchgoers, Satan is primarily in the business of replacing vital faith with mere morality. He loves to take a life flowing from happy confidence in God and turn it into a perfunctory religious regimen. Don’t let him do it! For “whatever is not from faith is sin,” including religion.

The real battle of life is not fought at a low-lying delta where the river of our inclinations flows into action, but at the high, less accessible spring of faith. If the stream doesn’t start in the spring of faith, it does not matter where it flows, it will issue in sin. Therefore, as Proverbs says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (4:23).

All Things Are Sin for the Unbeliever

The third and final implication of Romans 14:23 is a warning to those who have not sought Christ for forgiveness or placed their hope in him. If there are any among you like this, do not say to yourself, “‘My sins are slight, or my sins are few.” For according to Romans 14:23, everything you do is sin. If you are not trusting Christ for forgiveness and are not resting in his daily work on your behalf, then none of your actions comes from faith, but every one of them (even the most noble) is sinful and an insult to the infinitely trustworthy God. And I hope, if you have not received Christ with all his forgiveness and all his hope, that this week you will not be able to shake loose the thought that everything you do is sinful in God’s eyes, for whatever does not come from faith is sin.

I have a better suggestion for you who have not entrusted yourself to Christ or received him as your Savior and the Lord of your life. Do it right now, and you can enter the week with no condemnation.

I am going to pray a prayer which I hope every person in this room will pray with me. If you are Christ’s already, the prayer will confirm it. If you are not and now want to be, this can be the moment of your conversion. Pray with me silently if you mean it.

Almighty God, I cannot escape from your pursuit. You have found me and inclined my heart to believe in you.

I confess my great sin and I know I deserve to be condemned for insulting you by my lack of faith.

But I believe now in Jesus, that as your Son he died to bear my sin and punishment, so I could live forever and walk in newness of life. I take him as my only hope and acknowledge him as my Lord.

Thank you, Father, for your forgiveness and your promise to be with me. Guard me now from the evil one.

Amen.

Travailing Prayer

What Is Travailing Prayer?

Keys to the Kingdom: What the Bible Says about Travailing Prayer

By Betty Miller

What is travailing prayer? It is crying in the Spirit which can take on several different manifestations. Before discussing this let us look at the Bible definition found in John 16:20-22:

Verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. John 16:20-22

Jesus, speaking here to his disciples, leaves them with a beautiful promise. He tells them He is going away, but He is not going to leave them comfortless as He plans to send the Holy Spirit. They later will cry at His departure, yet when they experience the new birth and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, they will rejoice.

Travailing prayer is a manifestation of the grief of the heart of God. This also has a parallel meaning when applied to prayer that cries out unto God. Perhaps we can understand this better if we realize that we now have the Holy Spirit living in us, and He has chosen to use our mouths to speak for Him. Since He has chosen to use us in His great plan to spread the gospel, He uses our mouths to witness to others and our hands to help people. Another beautiful truth that is often overlooked is that He also uses our hearts and emotions to weep and “cry through.” The Spirit of God expresses His grief in this manner.

Most Christians have experienced this without ever realizing it was a work of the Holy Spirit. At their conversion they sometimes wept and cried, grieved over their sins. Then later they got a burden for the salvation and deliverance of others, and cried over them also. This is known as travailing prayer. When we have a burden for others and become sorrowful over them, it is usually the Holy Spirit crying through us over the situation.

There is another kind of weeping and crying, but it is in the flesh and stems from our own selfishness as it is from self-pity. Fleshly crying is always concerned over self. Crying in the Spirit is Godly sorrow for others. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). If we cry in self-pity it brings depression and fear; but crying in the Spirit brings life and joy after it is finished. (Just as a woman cries to bring forth a child during labor, yet she is rejoicing as soon as the child is born.)

We do the same as we yield to the Spirit and take prayer burdens for others. God’s heart is burdened for people, and He is looking for hearts that He can cry and weep through, hearts that are concerned for a lost and dying world. So, in essence, travailing prayer is when we weep and cry over something the Holy Spirit is grieved about. Jesus said they would weep and cry for a little while, but then their sorrow would be turned into joy.

Travailing prayer works on the same principle. We do not understand all the principles in God’s word, nor why they work, but because they are a part of His plan, they work. This neglected principle and key is of vital importance in order to see things “born” in the Spirit. When we weep and cry over others while we petition God on their behalf, it breaks something in the Spirit so that the answer for their lives can come forth. If they need salvation, healing, a miracle, deliverance or whatever, grieving in the Spirit releases them to be able to receive their need. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).

Sometimes this spirit of travail does not manifest with visible tears or crying, but it occurs deep within us and it cannot be uttered. We just hurt on the inside for others.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

The Lord is searching for hearts that will intercede and He will use them many times to travail. We also travail for our own infirmities (moral and physical weaknesses). Many people after receiving the Holy Spirit have a siege of crying and grieving. This is the Holy Spirit cleansing their spirits and souls with the water of tears. We are so full of the things of this world and the sins of the past that we need this cleansing. We should not resist this, but yield to it until all is washed away and we come into the place of joy and peace.

We have not been taught much in this area, so many times the Lord tries to give us a burden for someone or something and we do not recognize it as such, but think that something is wrong with us. We pray to have a burden for lost souls and when we get one, we rebuke the Holy Spirit (thinking He is the enemy) because we do not understand the form of burden that travail takes. Often, we become depressed for no logical reason and, not recognizing it as travail, endure it or ignore it rather than praying until it lifts. The Lord tries to get us to pray; and when we do, not only does that depressed feeling leave, but we can break through spiritual barriers for someone else. The Lord also brings people to our hearts or our minds, and we need to be sensitive in the Spirit as to what the Lord speaks to us about them. They may be in need of prayer and the Spirit could be trying to get us to pray by bringing them to our remembrance. This is especially true if they remain in our thoughts for awhile. Praying in the Spirit like this is an invaluable tool.

We may have a burden for someone but not know his need. We should keep praying until we are released from that burden. Sometimes, we get the prayer victory in a matter of minutes; in other cases it may be longer. As we are led by the Spirit, He directs our prayer lives. He never puts a burden on us that is so heavy that we are unable to get freedom from it as we pray. The Lord knows we have earthly chores that must be attended to, so many times He gives us a burden that comes and goes so we can pray at those times when it is intense, and still attend to our earthly duties at other times. There is a time for travail, for work and for praise. The Spirit of God will balance us in all if we are sensitive to Him. “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

What is the purpose of travail? Travail produces spiritual children. Isaiah 66:8 says, “…for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” Christians are spiritually referred to in the Word of God as Zion (God’s people). As we travail, things are birthed in the Spirit. Many souls become “born again” through someone’s travail. Things happen as we pray and travail.

Paul was a man who travailed. “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). Paul had already travailed for them to be born into the kingdom of God, and now he was travailing for the remainder of the work to be done, Christ being formed in them. Paul knew that the destiny of baby Christians was to ultimately come into the fullness of Christ. Those little children were not to remain “babes,” but were to be brought into maturity becoming sons of God. Travail produces sons.

Travail is also a form of suffering for Christ because we choose to endure the pain in our hearts in order that others may be set free. Our flesh suffers, yet it produces life in others. Paul was willing to do this for Christ. “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Colossians 1:24).

There are many different forms that travail may take and varying depths of pain involved. Some of these are mild sensations of heaviness or depression, or just the general feeling of a burden. Some people weep, cry, moan or groan. Others even experience symptoms like birth pains or heart pains while in deep travail. One can experience any of these feelings separately or in combination.

Examples of these same experiences can be found in the lives of Bible saints. Daniel was a saint who experienced travail. In Daniel 7:15, he is seen grieving in the spirit. “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.” Also in Daniel 8:27 and Daniel 10:8, we find him feeling faint, sick, and weak during the time he was in prayer. He was fine, though, after he finished praying. Hannah is another example of a travailing saint. We find her story in 1 Samuel 1:5-18. It shows her weeping and in such agony that the priest accuses her of being drunk.

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore…Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:10, 13-15

Hannah’s travail produced a son in her life. Our travail will produce spiritual sons. Most travailing is done privately because people who are not walking in the Spirit do not understand this type of prayer. Just as babies are born in private, most birthing of spiritual things are also done in the privacy of an individuals prayer closet or in a small group setting. However, as our understanding opens up to this truth in God’s Word, more and more groups of believers will intercede with the spirit of travail upon them all, thus sharing the burden corporately.

The degrees and depths of travail span the mild forms to the very, very deep forms. One deep form incorporates the actual feeling of birth pains (the same pains that accompany the labor of a woman giving birth to a child). These “birth pains” are experienced by men as well as by women. (In the spirit there is neither male nor female.) Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” We must have Scripture to support all spiritual experiences, so where is this to be found in the Word of God? In Jeremiah 30:5-6, we find an account of men travailing as women: “For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?” Here we find that after travail, they were released from their bonds, the yokes were taken off their necks and they were free to serve the Lord. Travail brought freedom to these men!

If we have a question as to whether it is the Lord presenting us with a burden that needs travailing prayer, or whether it is the enemy seeking to put depression on us, we can simply seek Him for the answer. Prayer is the way to rid ourselves of all kinds of depression. As we begin to pray, the Lord will show us if the depression is in us or if we are carrying a prayer burden for someone else. As we yield to God and resist the devil, we will get the victory.

One account that shows Jesus in travail is found in John 11:32-44. We are all familiar with this account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. However, many of us have not noticed the travail that preceded this miracle. Beginning in Verse 32, we read:

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. John 11:32-34

We see that the Lord had such a burden that He not only wept, but also groaned in the Spirit. He certainly was not crying because Lazarus was dead, for He knew that He was about to be brought back to life. He was crying in the Spirit, breaking the bonds of Satan, so that this miracle would come forth and bring life back to Lazarus. Verse 38 says, “Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”

He was still in travail when he approached the grave. He then spoke the words for Lazarus to come forth, and the miracle took place as he was raised from the dead.

The greatest travail of all time was the Lord’s travail of soul in the Garden of Gethsemane before He went to the cross for the sins of the world.

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:41-44

This travail was so agonizing and painful that it caused Him to sweat blood. The Lord knew what awaited Him on the cross of Calvary. He could never have faced the crucifixion without first praying through and getting the victory in the spirit. This great travail gave Him the serenity and courage to face the traumatic events of the next day. He had won the victory in the spirit before He ever faced the enemy in the flesh.

We too can learn from this to fight our battles in the spirit. Then we will not have to resort to fleshly means of dealing with problems. Changes occur when we pray and travail. We find that when Zion travails, children are brought forth. The Lord wants us to take His burdens as our burdens. By doing this we are identifying with Him in His sufferings. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12). We know that as we are willing to suffer with Him and travail for others, we also will reign with Him, reaping the reward of joy by seeing the travail of our souls come forth even as Jesus did.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:11-12

True intercessors will have the spirit of travail come upon them, for truly this is one of the keys that will bring the kingdom of God to the earth. The overcomers will be men and women who experience the same sorrows that our Lord experienced and who also will inherit the same things Jesus did.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Revelation 21:4-7

In Ezekiel 9, we see the Lord calls for a mark to be placed upon all who sigh and cry in prayer because they are burdened about the condition of God’s people. These intercessors are given the “mark of God” and thus are protected when judgment comes upon sin. “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezekiel 9:4). We too can experience deliverance as we cry and travail for others. Travailing is yielding to the sorrow of God’s heart over a situation. Travailing prayer is a mighty spiritual weapon.

What Is Travailing Prayer?

Keys to the Kingdom: What the Bible Says about Travailing Prayer

What is travailing prayer? It is crying in the Spirit which can take on several different manifestations. Before discussing this let us look at the Bible definition found in John 16:20-22:

Sometimes this spirit of travail does not manifest with visible tears or crying, but it occurs deep within us and it cannot be uttered. We just hurt on the inside for others.

He was still in travail when he approached the grave. He then spoke the words for Lazarus to come forth, and the miracle took place as he was raised from the dead.

The greatest travail of all time was the Lord’s travail of soul in the Garden of Gethsemane before He went to the cross for the sins of the world.

Ga zhetot o mnedo

Beginnings (2): Genesis 1

By Julia Blum January 8, 20202 comments

As we advance with the days of this year, we are also advancing with the days of Bereishit and continuing to watch in awe God’s work of creation. Today, first of all let us consider different verbs that describe His work during these days.

VaYomer – and He said

And God said: “Let there be light.” And there was light.

Nine times, during six days of creation, we read: “And God said” – וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים. For me personally, these verses are the most wonderful evidence of that glorious beginning—that glorious order of things, when everything was so different from now. In our fallen world we live by faith, by the evidence of the things not seen, and seldom in our lives do we experience this amazing turn of events: “God said” – and that is how it was, without any pause or delay in between. There are many things that we know God said – and we also know that these things will eventually come to be; but this glorious immediate embodiment of God’s word, this immediate visible fulfillment of what He said, is called and perceived as a miracle in our fallen world. Mostly, we see these things by faith, not by sight. But it was not a miracle then—it was the normal course of events in a world not distorted by evil.

Moreover, from this verb VaYomer – and He said – we see absolutely clearly that not only is God the only one who has life-giving power, but the source of this life-giving power is His word—that He gives life by the authority of His Word only. According to the New Testament, Jesus is the Word of God, and therefore, we are not surprised to find almost the same description of the beginning of the creation in the New Testament—in the Gospel of John. The language of John clearly and purposely echoes the language of Genesis 1:1: both in the Genesis account and in John’s Gospel, it is the Word of God that brings forth life. This is one of the foundations of New Testament faith: “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.”[1]

For instance, we see a huge difference between how people restore life in the Tanach, and how Jesus restored life. Read, for example, the description of how the prophet Elisha raises a child from the dead. He prays, he stretches himself out on the child’s body to warm him, he prays again—then the Lord answers Elisha and the child is restored to life.[2] Jesus, on the other hand, restores life in exactly the same way God creates it, by the authority of His Word only: In every gospel story where Jesus raises the dead, He simply speaks: “Talitha, kumi!” “Lazarus, come forth!” “Young man I say to you, arise!” This means that the gospel writers clearly saw His spoken word having the same life-giving, creative power as in Genesis: for the New Testament writers, the same Word creates life in Genesis, and restores life in the gospels.

VeYavdel –and He separated

And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

We have to understand that during the first days of creation, God’s main action is lehavdil, “to separate”. We find this verb “separate” used several times in these verses. It occurs in Gen. 1:2, 6,7,14,18. On the first three days of creation, God separates 1) light from darkness, 2) the waters above from the waters below, 3) dry ground from the waters. The very first fruits of the land come only on the third day, after the work of havdala, separation, is complete. Like everything else in the Tanach, it definitely has profound spiritual meaning: God always wants to separate darkness from light, and in order to do the work of God, we must choose light and separate ourselves from darkness. One can bring forth fruits in one’s life only if the work of separation comes first—only if one separates oneself from the darkness.

VaYikra –and He called (gave names)

As we have already seen, God’s word is the main part of the whole creative process – and this verb, VaYikra, also reflects this.

God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night [3].

And God called the firmament Heaven [4].

And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas [5].

God gives names to elements of His creation, and this becomes an essential part of their existence. In this light, it is extremely significant that the very first thing we see Adam doing is giving names – VaYikra – to all the animals (Gen. 2:19, 20). We will address this subject at length in my next posts, when we will talk about Adam.

The Creation of Man

The First, Second and Third days of creation prepare us for days Four through Six. On these days, He creates by 4) by providing lights in the firmament; 5) filling the sky and sea with winged life and sea creatures; and 6) finally creating animals and man to fill the dry land. Undoubtedly, there is a deep structure to this chapter: a careful reader gets a clear sense that there is a plan, and we are going somewhere with this. The first chapter of the Torah presents the ascent of the cosmic drama culminating in the creation of man. As we read the description of each day of creation, we feel the story building up, then in Genesis 1:26-27 we come to the crescendo: “So God created man in His own image…“[6] Everything that has been created so far, has to be seen now in the light of this verse—according to Jewish understanding, it is only when a man was created that the whole of creation became meaningful.

That is why, by the way, the day Jewish people celebrate as Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) – the first of Tishrei – is not perceived as the anniversary of Creation, it is the anniversary of the sixth day of Creation, when Adam and Eve were created. The anniversary of the first day of Creation would be five days before, on the twenty-fifth day of Elul. Why? – Because once again, in rabbinic tradition it is the birth of humanity that made the whole creation meaningful by adding to the universe the possibility for God to be proclaimed King. Next time, will speak more about this fascinating Sixth Day, and discuss in detail the creation of a man, and his relationship with his Creator.

[1] Heb. 11:3

[2] see 2 Kings 4:32-36

On Prayer

Intercessory Prayer

Intercessory Prayer – What is it?
Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another’s case. One study Bible defines intercession as “holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God’s intervention.”

Intercessory Prayer – The Biblical Foundation
The Biblical basis for the New Testament believer’s ministry of intercessory prayer is our calling as priests unto God. The Word of God declares that we are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:4), a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), and a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:5).

The background for understanding this calling to priestly intercession is found in the Old Testament example of the Levitical priesthood. The priest’s responsibility was to stand before and between. He stood before God to minister to Him with sacrifices and offerings. The priests also stood between a righteous God and sinful man bringing them together at the place of the blood sacrifice.

Hebrews 7:11-19 explains the difference between the Old and New Testament ministries of the priest. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood was passed on from generation to generation through the descendants of the tribe of Levi. “The Melchizedek priesthood” spoken of in this passage, is the “new order” of spiritual priests of whom the Lord Jesus is the High Priest. It is passed on to us through His blood and our spiritual birth as new creatures in Christ.

Intercessory Prayer – Our Model Intercessor
Jesus Christ is our model for intercessory prayer. Jesus stands before God and between Him and sinful man, just as the Old Testament priests did: For there is one God, and one mediator (intercessor) between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us (Romans 8:34). Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

Jesus brings sinful man and a righteous God together at the place of the blood sacrifice for sin. No longer is the blood of animals necessary as it was in the Old Testament. We can now approach God on the basis of the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross of Calvary for the remission of sins. Because of the blood of Jesus, we can approach God boldly without timidity (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Jesus was an intercessor while He was here on earth. He prayed for those who were sick and possessed by demons. He prayed for His disciples. He even prayed for you and me when He interceded for all those who would believe on Him. Jesus continued His ministry of intercession after His death and resurrection when He returned to Heaven. He now serves as our intercessor in Heaven.

Intercessory Prayer – Effective Intercession
In intercessory prayer, we follow the Old Testament priestly function and the New Testament pattern of Jesus – standing before God and between a righteous God and sinful man. In order to be effective standing “between” we must first stand “before” God to develop the intimacy necessary to fulfill this role. Numbers 14 is one of the greatest accounts of intercessory prayer recorded in the Bible. Moses was able to stand between God and sinful man because he had stood “before” Him and had developed intimacy of communication. Numbers 12:8 records that God spoke with Moses as friend to friend and not through visions and dreams as He did with other prophets.

As New Testament believers, we no longer sacrifice animals as in Old Testament times. We stand before the Lord to offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13:15) and the sacrifice of our own lives (Romans 12:1). It is on the basis of this intimate relationship with God that we can then stand “between” Him and others, serving as an advocate and intercessor in their behalf.

Peter uses two words to describe this priestly ministry: “Holy” and “royal.” Holiness is required to stand before the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We are able to do this only on the basis of the righteousness of Christ, not our own righteousness. Royalty is descriptive of the kingly authority that is delegated to us as members of the “royal family,” so to speak, with legitimate access to the throne room of God.

A series on Joseph/Jacob

Joseph’s Saga (1): The Beloved Son

By Julia Blum April 22, 2021No comments

Readers who have been following this blog for a while would know that I love series. Today, we will begin a new series, commenting on the last part of the book of Genesis – Joseph’s saga. To be honest, I myself am very surprised that I have never written anything on this story on these pages, since this is undoubtedly one of my favorite pieces of Scripture. Anyway, I will begin this series today. Originally, I was planning to write just four or five posts in this series; however, there are so many amazing details and delicious nuances in the story of Joseph – and I really want to share with you all these details and nuances – that I have a feeling we might proceed more slowly than I planned, and will need more articles. We will see – but for now, off we go, and I really hope you will enjoy this new series and will discover some new insights in this well-known story!

The Beginning

“Joseph’s Saga” starts in Genesis 37:1 with a very interesting verse, which should not be missed: “And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.” In Hebrew, the contrast between Jacob’s dwelling (וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב) in the Land and the wanderings of his father[1] in the same Land (מְגוּרֵ֣י אָבִ֑יו) is striking and is clearly emphasized: Jacob is already firmly settled in the very land where Abraham was only a guest.

Then, in the next verse of this chapter, we read the sentence, or rather the beginning of the sentence that we have encountered many times before: “This is the history of Jacob” (Ele toledot Yaakov). You probably know that the same beginning occurs many times in the Torah (in fact, twelve times) – and for the very first time, we find it in the second chapter of the book of Genesis, where it opens the second account of creation. Here it forms a peculiar literary bridge, connecting and holding together two accounts of creation: we would not read Genesis 2 without first reading Genesis 1, would we? In this sense, this second verse of Joseph’s saga is also like a bridge connecting the story of Jacob with the story of Joseph: right after these words, the narrative moves to Joseph, but you have to read both parts – Jacob’s and Joseph’s stories – in order to fully understand them.

By the way, we find almost the same beginning in the New Testament. We read in the opening words of the Gospel of Matthew: “The book of the genealogy (of Jesus Christ”). If one knows how many times these words served as a literary bridge in Torah, one would immediately realize that here they also serve as a bridge connecting the New Testament to the Old Testament. In this sense, the words “Old Testament” are actually very misleading: one might think that it is unnecessary to read the Old Testament in order to know and understand the New Testament. However, our bridge shows that they relate to each other in the same way as the two creation stories relate, or as the story of Joseph relates to the story of Jacob: presumably, one would not read the second part without reading the first.

The Beloved Son

As I just mentioned, right after these words, the narrative moves to Joseph. In the same verse, Scripture tells us that “Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers”. He was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah and brought “bad reports of them to his father”. The “bad reports” that Joseph brought to his father, have caused a lot of division in the opinions of Jewish commentators. Were there bad things that indeed needed to be reported, or was Joseph just telling on his brothers? Can we call him talebearer or even a snitch, or was he just a responsible helper, duly informing the father about the problems? Traditional commentators attempt to whitewash Joseph’s behavior by saying that he merely did his job and reported what he saw. On the other hand, we can find a completely different opinion: “Two righteous men were punished on account of the bearing of malevolent reports—Jacob and Joseph. Because Joseph spoke badly of his brothers, he was in prison for 12 years; and because Jacob listened to these reports, the divine spirit departed from him for 22 years. This teaches us that one who speaks negatively of another is punished once, while someone who listens to negative talk about another is twice punished.”[2]

Amazingly, the Bible never tries to embellish the people it describes. The stories of families portrayed here often shock the readers with the details that most families would try very hard to keep private. Parental favoritism is a good example. Today it is considered one of the gravest parental sins, but Torah does not hesitate to tell us that Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved his brothers: “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age”. We might wonder why Torah does not mention the obvious explanation: that Joseph was the son of Rachel, Jacob’s great love. However, if we realize how old Jacob was when Joseph was born, we would understand that indeed, ‘Jacob’s old age’ alone was enough to explain Jacob’s special feelings for Joseph. In order to figure it out, we will need some calculations based on the later events in this story. We read that Jacob was 130 years old when he came to Egypt.[3] How old was Joseph at this time? Torah says that Joseph was 30 years old “when he stood before Pharaoh“[4] and that there were 5 years of famine left (7 years of abundance had passed) when Joseph called Jacob into Egypt[5]. So, Joseph was about 30+7+(7-5) = 39 years old when Jacob came to Egypt at 130. That means Jacob was about 91 years old when Joseph was born—a “son of his old age”^[6] indeed!

Jacob did not hide his favoritism at all: he gave Joseph a very special tunic. In Hebrew, it is called כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים (ketonet passim), and even though translations traditionally render it as “the coat of many colors”, the meaning of these words in Hebrew is not clear at all. Next time, we will discuss in detail this tunic and all the possible ways this ketonet passim might be translated from Hebrew – and, even more importantly, we will find out who else in the Bible was wearing a ketonet passim. We are still in the very first verses of Genesis 37 (we haven’t advanced very far, have we?) – but hopefully next time, we will get to the crime of the brothers and the sale of Joseph. There are many amazing details in this story – so, stay tuned!

[1] Probably, Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, is meant here.

[2] Pirkei d’Rabbeinu HaKadosh

By Julia Blum

After These Events

My dear readers, I have been leading this blog for almost 5 years now, and that means that I am writing an article about Purim here for the fifth time. In previous years I spoke about many different things and told you many different stories related to Purim (here are the links to some previous posts on Purim: https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/jewish-studies/miracle-purim-reversal-evil/, https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/jewish-studies/the-book-and-the-festival-1/ , https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/jewish-studies/purim-the-question-and-the-answer/ ). I thought that by now I had exhausted the topic completely. However, as I was reading the Book of Esther in preparation for this post, I was struck by something that I had not seen before – and this is the first thing I would like to share with you today.

The first two chapters of this amazing tell us how a Jewish girl named Esther became queen of the Persian Empire—and only after that we read, in the first verse of the third chapter: “After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him”[1]. After these things! Think about it: it was only after the remedy was ready for the salvation of Israel that Haman was allowed to be promoted.

Here we come to a point of great importance. You have probably already heard that the book of Esther doesn’t contain the name of God at all? Over the centuries, not once has the question arisen, as to why this book was included in the canon in the first place.

I believe we can find an answer in these three simple words: After these things אַחַ֣ר | הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה . The Book of Esther was included in the canon because, in fact, it is all about God. The evil here is defeated through a series of events orchestrated by God – and that is how God reveals Himself to His people! Yes, the word “God” does not appear openly in this book, because oftentimes God remains hidden in our lives—until we recognize Him and His handwriting in the circumstances and events that unfold. Of course, it does happen sometimes that God’s salvation comes as a miracle, defying natural laws (like in the book of Daniel, for instance). More often than not, however, divine salvation is “disguised” in ordinary events – “hidden” in what can be perceived as a series of “coincidences” – like what happens here in the book of Esther.

The very title of this book – Megillat Esther (the Scroll of Esther) – is extremely profound. I have written about it before, but I think it is worth mentioning again: the amazing dynamic between hidden and revealed is reflected in this title. The name Esther (אסתר) is related to the word “nistar”: “hidden”, “concealed”; while the word Megillah is related to the word “megaleh”: “reveal”. Therefore, the words “Megillat Esther” can literally be translated as “the Revelation of the Hidden” – and this is the message of this amazing book! God’s hand is at work, even when He is hidden and we don’t “see” Him acting in our lives, – and it will be revealed! And so important did this message seem to our sages, that, according to the Talmud, Esther is hinted at and “hidden” in the Torah, even though the story of Purim happened many centuries later. Here is what Talmud says: “Where do we hear about Esther in the Torah? [It says in Deuteronomy 31:18:] “And I will hide, really hide my face from them.”[2]

Descendants of Rachel versus Descendants of Amalek

In the Jewish commentaries, we find a very interesting observation:

Rachel was always meant to be Yaakov’s wife, as opposed to Leah who was initially destined to marry Esav. As a result, her (Leah’s) descendants don’t have the necessary strength to be Esav’s spiritual nemesis [3].

These words comment on a fact that every time the Jewish people fight their great enemy Amalek (who was the grandson of Esau), the battle is led by a descendant of Joseph or Benjamin, the sons of Rachel. It seems that the children of Rachel and their descendants are destined to fight Amalek throughout the history of Israel. The first battle with Amalek, after Israel leaves Egypt [4], was fought by Joshua who was from the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph. The second time Israel faced Amalek, the battle was fought by King Saul, the son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin [5]:

Samuel also said to Saul…. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them… And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur… But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep… and were unwilling to utterly destroy them.

In the Purim story, Esther and Mordechai, from the tribe of Binyamin, confront Haman the Amalekite:

Esther 3:1After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite…

Esther 2:5 In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.

In fact, we can see the story of Esther and Mordecai as a continuation of that story that happened six hundred years before, with King Saul and Agag. Here we can trace one of those amazing spiritual laws that the Bible tells us about: Agag had to be destroyed – and it seems that his destruction was very important in God’s eyes, since Saul was commanded first to destroy Agag “utterly”, and then he was rejected as king right after he had spared him. Moreover, his failure to destroy Agag almost resulted in the slaughter of the Jews by an Agagite six centuries later: Haman was a descendant of Agag; Mordecai was a descendant of Kish and Benjamin; the line of Agag and the line of Kish had to meet again. According to Jewish tradition, Mordecai had to destroy Agag’s descendant, Haman, because Saul didn’t destroy Agag. Thus, the story of Purim began six hundred years before Esther, with Saul and Agag—but this was a hidden beginning. This, perhaps, is one of the brightest biblical examples of the spiritual accountability that each one of us carries: each of us is obliged to remember that what we did or didn’t do during our lifetime can, in the most unexpected way, surface in the lives of our descendants. And this is another profound lesson of this amazing book!

CHAG PURIM SAMEACH, MY DEAR READERS!

[1] Esth.3:1

[2] Talmud – Chullin 139b

[3] Breishit Rabba 73:5

[4] Exodus 17:9

[5] 1-Samuel 15:1-3

I share this story as it was amazing to me as I have studied these same things about the book of Esther and found the facts surrounding everything to be absolutely amazing. God does keep in step with all we do and say.

Nin se Neaseno.

A word from God’s Word

The Power of Our Thought From a Messianic perspective

By Eitan Bar

The thoughts you meditate on are most likely apparent in your everyday life. If you go on thinking the way you’ve always thought, you’ll go on behaving the same way you’ve always behaved. And if you go on behaving the same way you’ve always behaved, you’ll keep getting the same results. In other words, if you want to get different results in life, you need to change the way you think. After all, in many different ways, your thoughts create your reality. How? Because your thoughts later become your actions. Your thoughts are a part of who you are. If you don’t have thoughts – you don’t exist. And if you do have thoughts you must learn how to control your thoughts.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Learning to control our thoughts

If we won’t learn to control our thoughts and emotions, our thoughts and emotions will end up controlling us. Not only do we need to learn how to control our own thoughts. But also, whether we’re aware of it or not, others plant thoughts into our minds as well – advertisements, friends, family, and even the Devil. A child that grows up hearing his parents and siblings call him a bother and an annoying pest, or a girl that is constantly called fat and ugly by her friends will eventually come to think that something is wrong with them, and that the others were right. How do you think these thoughts will affect their self perception as adults? In what ways will these thoughts impact their behavior? How will it affect their manner towards other people? And all this because of lies that were planted in their minds, like poison that fills their minds and affects so many aspects of their lives.

Sometimes, when we’re faced with difficult or uncomfortable situations, out of force of habit or unintentionally, we tend to blame others for our failures. This eventually leaves us angry and disappointed because circumstances are not what we intended them to be. And finally, we find ourselves imprisoned by the negative thoughts of our mind, stuck with feelings of guilt and self-pity. How do we avoid this situation?We need to ask ourselves in every circumstance,

“Do I have control over the present situation?” If the answer is no, we still have control over the way we choose to respond, no matter how bad the circumstance is. Note for instance the words of psychiatrist and holocaust survivor, Dr. Victor Frankl:

“How you respond to a situation is your own choice. You don’t have control over what happens to you, but you always have control over the way you feel and respond to what happens. I can’t control the circumstance, but I can control my response.”

Man is like a boat out on the ocean in the heart of a storm. We have very little control over the things around us, but we do have complete control over the way we choose to respond to our circumstances. It doesn’t matter how bad the storm is around us, our if we’ve experienced traumas in the past, God gave us minds that can cope with any and every situation.

Cognitive neuroscientist and believer, Dr. Caroline Leaf, says: “We all have incredible minds, minds that are able to cope and prosper under all of life’s circumstances as we learn to operate in love.”

The power in our hands

In other words, our minds are able to adapt themselves to every situation. This means that we need to reach a conscious decision that no matter what life’s circumstances are, that we’ll choose to remain optimistic and to see the glass as half full and not as half empty. This isn’t fake happiness that depends on things we have no control over or on our temporary and changing circumstances. This is joy that is based on God’s promises, and that’s why we’re commanded in the New Testament:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

This doesn’t mean that as a believer one never faces challenges, but that one’s security doesn’t depend on one’s circumstances. A believer’s joy in life is based on one’s security in the Lord. This joy isn’t a temporary feeling of excitement or giddiness. This is deep and enduring joy that is based on our security and identity in Christ. A believer is someone who understands that 90% of their life is the way they choose to respond to things that are not in their control. They either chooses to rejoice because of some temporary circumstance or because of the security they have in Messiah:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4)

Every day we are called to make decisions, and sometimes these decisions are not easy to make. It could be a moral conflict, or perhaps we’re asked to act against our principles at work, or maybe we’re given the opportunity to obtain financial advantage by deception, or perhaps it’s choosing whether to gossip or not. In order to navigate our ways through stormy seas, full of ethical and moral whirlpools, we need to know what values and principles we want to live our lives by. Why do we get up in the morning? What are we living for? What is the purpose of our lives?

According to the New Testament, we spend most of our lives trying to fulfil desires, wishes, longings, and inclinations that are not necessities for a happy life.Things like money, a career, and even love are not things we need in order to be truly happy. In fact, in order to be truly happy we need to stop relying on anything that isn’t God. Just as Yeshua said:

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26)

Our thoughts generate our decisions. Therefore, our thoughts are like a ship’s helm that steers us through life. Most people live for themselves, just like everyone else around them. But Yeshua challenges us to act differently:

“If you live for yourself, even if you gain the whole world, what will it matter if in the end you forfeit your soul?”

How to win the battle of the mind

The biggest wars are waged in our minds, because our thoughts determine for what and for whom we live our lives. Our thoughts have incredible power, even the thoughts of our subconscious mind. Have you ever set an alarm, only to wake up several minutes earlier because your body just knew it was time to get up? Or did a certain smell or taste ever cause strong emotions or memories to suddenly surface, suddenly throwing you back in time? Did your body ever overreact to something someone said? Your pulse quickens, your heart begins to beat hard, and you’re suddenly filled with fear and anxiety? These examples, showing the potency of thoughts, are only the tip of the iceberg. This incredible potency functions partly under our control, and partly out of it in our subconscious.

2000 years ago, long before the psychology coaches, psychologists, and personal trainers came along, Yeshua and the writers of the New Testament understood the potency of our thoughts, a conclusion that is only being reached today by leading psychologists. They taught about the incredible power our thoughts possess and about the effect they have on our lives and on the lives of those around us.

Why are our thoughts so important? It’s because our thoughts not only affect our lives, they also become part of who we are:

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Proverbs 23:7)

Putting it simply, you gradually become what you think of yourself as, deep inside. Our thoughts have the potential to become reality. If you constantly worry about getting sick, like a hypochondriac, you really will get sick. If you start believing that everything in life is bad, you’ll sink into depression.

However our thoughts can cause amazing things happen as well. The nation of Israel was established because a man named Herzl thought, meditated on, dreamt about, and hoped for the establishment of our nation! What started as Herzl’s thoughts turned into the reality that we all live in today.

Our mind, or what the Bible calls our “heart”, is like a garden

If our conscious mind is like a tree, our subconscious mind is like the soil out of which grow the roots of the seeds that we plant. If we plant negative and bad thoughts in the soil of our garden, we’ll get rotten and decaying roots, which will eventually grow into rotten and decaying trees. And it’s a lot harder to uproot an entire tree than to just remove roots.

Every time we think thoughts, it’s as if we’re planting seeds. The question isn’t whether we’re planting seeds or not, it’s what kind of seeds we’re planting. We’re either planting good seeds or planting bad seeds. Our words and our actions are the fruit of those very seeds we planted previously in our thoughts, the product of our thoughts. If we plant bad seeds – for instance, if we think of ourselves as worthless, unappreciated, and useless – we’ll become depressed, feeble, and insecure. Bad seeds bear bad fruit, that not only poison us but others as well. Good seeds bear good fruit that not only bless ourselves, but others as well. Every bad word that was ever spoken, every fight, every war, every murder, and every heinous act – began with a thought. All this implies that we have free will.

Free will and free choice

Many times we hear religious people say that fate has predestined everything, that it’s all in the hands of a higher power, that everything that happens, good or evil, happens because God willed it to be so. Yes, we can deny free will, and therefore find an excellent excuse to do whatever we want without bearing the consequences of our actions. It’s easy and takes away the burden of responsibility, because we don’t have control over our actions if everything has already been predestined. But according to the New Testament, we do make decisions – all the time.

We must choose between two different types of thought: between the thoughts of our flesh and the thoughts of the Spirit of God that dwells within us. The thoughts of the flesh are self-centered and focus on ways we can serve ourselves what to eat, what to wear, how we’ll make more money, and other wishes, desires, and lusts of the flesh. The thoughts of the Spirit, however, are motivated by love: care, support, grace, forgiveness, and compassion.

The problem is that these two mindsets are often contradictory to one another, like a never-ending duel, even over the small things, like wanting to pray. When Yeshua asked his disciples to pray, he spoke of this very conflict:

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

Are we helpless in regards to our thoughts? Are we forced to be watchers on the sidelines, to accept every thought that comes? Are we forced to let every thought that pops into our minds to remain there? Of course not! We need to obtain complete control over our thoughts.

We don’t have to dwell on every thought. We can choose to reject them and to dwell on other thoughts instead. The Apostle Paul explains this very issue:

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16-17)

It’s important to understand that even though our thoughts are always present, we choose how to respond to them, what thoughts to dwell on, and what thoughts we choose to accept and believe. We can dwell lies about the world, about ourselves, and about God or we can dwell on thoughts that strengthen the inner man, through love and truth.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19)

When we feel physically drained, stressed, in pain, or lazy we can choose to give in to these feelings, and feel frustrated, annoyed, and miserable, which, by the way, not only affects us, but is also detrimental to those around us. Or we can choose to be aware of these thoughts, and choose to repress every negative, depressing, and stressful thought, choosing instead to declare every morning the words of King David:

“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24)

Be conscious of your thoughts, discern and distinguish them, and train yourself to be aware of every thought, until you get used to subduing and rejecting negative thoughts, replacing them with positive thoughts. The choice between being miserable because of life’s circumstances and between rejoicing according to the will of God is yours alone:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

It’s impossible to remain bitter and upset while thinking thoughts of love, grace, and peace. We need to make a decision. Even if everyone else around you is stressed, annoyed, depressed, and pessimistic – remember:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

Instead of thinking self-centered thoughts, such as: “Nobody appreciates me”, “I’m tired of being taken for granted”, think positive thoughts, such as: “Who can I encourage today? Who can I support? Who can I help?” Instead of thinking pessimistic and melancholy thoughts: “Nothing’s going right! I’m so tired of everything! I hate this! Leave me alone!” think godly thoughts, such as: “Even when things are rough, God still loves me and he is my strength!” Whether we like it or not, we’ll always have to deal with trials and tribulations in this world, and therefore:

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

Of course, we’re not asked to “empty” our minds of thoughts, as they do in the meditations of the Far East, but to reject negative thoughts and to replace them with positive thoughts.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Your biggest battle, whether you’re aware of it or not, is inside your head

Your thoughts have the capacity to encourage, create, and uplift yourself, as well as those around you. But your thoughts can also be self-centered, and can cripple, shatter, destroy, and cause death. In our minds, in our thoughts – that’s where the real war takes place. That’s where the fiercest fighting happens, and it’s there that the Devil attacks us with lies, in attempt to render us powerless and leave us in a state of uselessness.

For instance, we’ve all experienced traumas in one way or another, particularly during our childhood. And we’ve all got skeletons in the closet, embarrassing and shameful secrets and sins we’ve committed. The Devil uses this to plant thoughts in our minds: “There’s something wrong with you! You’re a second-class citizen! You’re not as good as the others, and there’s no way you’ll be successful or find ways to enjoy life! You’re damaged goods!” Even though we might feel like this from time to time, we cannot let ourselves succumb to feelings. It would be tragic to live a life driven by emotions. So before we learn how to live our lives the right way, we first need to learn how to think in the right way. Why? Because our thoughts generate our actions and not the other way around.

If you want to see different outcomes in your life, you need to change the way you think.

You can’t go beyond the limits of your mind. If you’re like the lion who saw himself as a coward, you’ll always think of yourself as some hapless kitten. Modern research in the field of psychology has shown that if we repeat something long enough, it will automatically become a part of who we are.

Dr. David Feldman, a psychologist at Santa Clara University in the United States, gives the following example: “The first 10 times a pianist plays a particular sonata, he or she must think carefully and consciously about what each finger is doing. Eventually, however, playing the piece becomes automatic.”

Now what do you think will happen if we tell ourselves over and over again that we’re damaged goods, that we’re no good, or that nobody really loves us? It will gradually become a part of who we are. We’ll become indifferent, bitter, and unhappy people who deal with constant depression. And what will happen if we constantly distrust others, think that everyone is against us, envy others, constantly plot and plan ways to get revenge and to hurt others, or disparage others and their motives? What will be the outcome of those thoughts? What deeds and actions will these thoughts yield?

The Apostle Paul gives a list of examples of the works that are produced from the thoughts of the flesh:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

As followers of the Messiah, we are called to overcome and reject thoughts of the flesh and to replace them with things from the second list of examples, works that are produced from the thoughts of the Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

It’s an ongoing battle. We’ll always have to deal with conflicting thoughts of the flesh and of the Spirit in our minds. What thoughts we choose to dwell on is a decision we must make every day. The question is whether your thoughts control you, or whether you control your thoughts. Who is the victor in this battle? And are you even aware of its existence? We don’t always choose which thoughts enter our minds. Sometimes thoughts from our subconscious pop into our minds. But this doesn’t mean that we must accept, believe, or even dwell on every thought that comes to mind. We can choose to overcome such thoughts. In other words, our part in this war is to examine every thought that comes to mind and make a decision for each one every single time – whether we accept and believe it or whether we overcome and reject it. Sounds exhausting, right, to stop and check every single thought that comes to mind, to bring it before the Lord and, if necessary, to overcome and reject it. It’s true, and this is perhaps the hardest war that we all must wage. When we choose to follow Christ our lives don’t get easier. Quite the opposite, we have new standards to live up to, and therefore we must work harder on improving ourselves, our characteristics, and our personality.

Steps to improving your thought life

First of all, we need to get rid of all the weeds, all the thorns and thistles that have been planted over the years, whether we’re aware of it or not, in our minds. And then, when we see that bad seeds are being planted anew, we need to stop them for growing any further. Don’t just wait and watch them grow, weed them out and plant good seeds in place of the bad ones. The Devil is pleased when bad seeds are planted in our thoughts, not just because we poison ourselves, but because we end up serving the Devil’s agenda – to poison those around us. The bad seeds that you plant destroy not only yourself, they also affect the atmosphere around you. You know exactly what we’re talking about – those thoughts we all struggle with: thoughts of jealousy, self-centeredness, dishonesty, arrogance, bitterness, anger, and contempt. Those are the bad seeds, the poisonous thoughts that led to the rejection and crucifixion of our Lord and Messiah. But God, in his sovereignty, chose the Messiah to be a seed himself: with his resurrection from the dead, he sowed good seeds on our behalf, that overcame the poisonous seeds. He rose from the dead to give us a new life, not just for future eternity, but starting now, on Earth. Yeshua created a vine on our behalf, to withstand the snares of the Devil. Alone, we don’t stand a chance against the Devil. But if we become a branch in the vine of Yeshua, we receive good nourishment to bear good seeds.

“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:3-5)

So next time the thought pops in your mind – that you just can’t take any more, that you don’t have what it takes, that you’ve run out of strength, that you’re a failure, and that there’s no chance you’ll succeed, choose to reject that thought and replace it with a positive thought:

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Don’t let yourself go to bed thinking, “Nobody really understands me”, or “Nobody really loves me”… Instead, dwell on these thoughts: “God understands me, he knows my deepest and darkest sins and secrets, and yet – he still loves me!” Professional athletes work out every day for countless hours, to improve and prepare themselves to reach their goal of winning the competition. We must behave likewise in a spiritual sense. We’re talking about a mindset change.

We need to develop an inner foundation of spiritual truths: starting with the knowledge of God and basing our identity in him. When you feel like you’re going through spiritual attack go back to that same foundation, remind yourself of your identity in him as a son or daughter of God.

We need to remind ourselves again and again, to meditate on these eternal spiritual truths until they become an integral part of who we are and our identity.

One of the most important things is to know who we are in Christ. Without the knowledge of our identity as children of God, we’ll live in the constant mindset of underserving slaves:

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” (Romans 8:15-17)

We must not only choose our thoughts and change the way we think about ourselves, but also concerning others. We’ve been taught to automatically judge others first. “He’s not the brightest.” “She lacks a sense of style”, “He’s such a pain!” “She’s uneducated” “He’s got two left feet” However, the New Testament teaches us to see each other through the eyes of the Messiah, to see one another as God’s creations:

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17)

The New Testament beat the Psychologists by 2000 years!

In summary, leading psychologists of today have come to the conclusion that the best way to bring about real change is through cognitive behavioral therapy. That is, to change the way the mind thinks through training and re-conceptualization, and thereby bringing about behavioral and perceptional change. These conclusions, that are only being reached by the best psychologists of today, were already concluded in the New Testament, 2000 years ago.

It’s important to remember that our lives are rarely made up of events but of the way we respond to them. We don’t have control over most of life’s circumstances but we do have control over the way in which we respond. We need to choose anew every day whether we choose to dwell on the selfish thoughts of the flesh or whether we reject them and replace them with thoughts of the Spirit, that are intended to uplift, encourage, and bless us. In this world, knowledge is power. The more you know, the more capable you become and the more accomplishments you achieve. Likewise in a spiritual manner.

So now that you know, there are no excuses. Start today! Be aware of every thought that enters your mind and ask the Holy Spirit for help to identify, discern, and suppress negative thoughts, and to replace them with positive thoughts. It’s easier said than done, but in the end – it’s all worth it.

Praise the Lord!

About the comings of Yeshuah/Jesus

The Messiah would come according to a timetable

Reference: Daniel 9:24–27
Fulfillment: Matthew 24:15–16; Mark 13:14–15; Galatians 4:4

Daniel had been taken captive to Babylon as a young man, where he quickly proved himself both competent and godly. By the time we get to chapter nine, Daniel has spent the better part of his life in exile and is now a much older man. He was also a Bible student and had been studying the book of Jeremiah, where he had read that the Babylonian exile was to last seventy years. As that time was drawing near, Daniel began to pray and fast both for himself and for his nation, that God would forgive them and bring them back to Israel (see Daniel 9:1-3). The bulk of chapter nine then gives us Daniel’s heartfelt prayer.

As he prayed, the angel Gabriel appeared to him to bring an announcement: Gabriel tells Daniel not about the 70 years of captivity (which Daniel knew were coming to an end) but about “seventy sevens,” or a period of 490 years, climaxing not merely in the return from Babylon but in the messianic age. What an encouragement that must have been to Daniel!

Here is the part of Gabriel’s message concerning the 490 years:

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (Daniel 9:24–27)

There has been a huge amount of discussion and debate over the chronological details of this passage. In the end, though, no matter what the details come down to, there are only a few main points to be noticed. As pastor Francis Schaeffer noted in another connection, when all is said and done, “There are not many men left in the room.” In other words, the main options are few.

First of all, the “seventy weeks” (literally, “seventy sevens,” understood by almost everyone to mean seventy seven-year periods or 490 years) begin with “the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem.” Commentators have drilled down to the details and dated “the word” at various times in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. In any event, the walls of Jerusalem began to be rebuilt about 457 B.C.

Second, after sixty-nine weeks, Jerusalem and its Temple are destroyed: “The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” After the seventieth week too, we are still talking about desolation and destruction of the Temple: “On the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Therefore, the 490 years begin with the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the fifth century B.C. and take us to the era of the Temple’s destruction which occurred in A.D. 70.

Third, “an anointed one” is mentioned twice. Translations vary: if the punctuation is translated one way, we have two anointed ones, one coming after seven weeks (49 years) and another one – who is killed – after an additional 62 weeks (434 years). If the punctuation is translated a different way, we have only one anointed person, who comes after seven and sixty-two weeks (483 years). A great deal of ink has been spilled over figuring out the best way to translate this, but in the end, the key point is: given the total of 490 years, an anointed one will be killed not long before the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.

As to the term, “anointed one,” though the term “the Messiah” was not really in use during the Old Testament period, the meaning of “Messiah” is exactly “anointed one.” Kings and priests were anointed with oil for their service; the ultimate anointed one was known as “the Anointed,” or “the Messiah.”

And fourth, this is no ordinary anointed person. This one accomplishes six things that Daniel enumerates. Since the anointed one had to come before the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, if we understand Jesus to be this Messiah who was killed—and there is no other candidate in that time period—then the six things turn out as follows (in the ESV translation):

Finish the transgression – meaning, to bring it to a climax, rather than to eliminate sin from the earth. Scripture sometimes speaks of God’s waiting for sin to reach a certain point before He takes action. In Genesis 15:16, God tells Abraham that after enduring slavery in Egypt, his descendants will return to the promised land, “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” As to the sin of Jesus’ generation, he himself said that “on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:35–36). Rabbinic teaching also was that the destruction of the Temple came about because of the sins of the previous generation. God takes action at such a point. But not only was the Temple destroyed, God also graciously provided a means of atonement without the Temple – the atoning death of Jesus.
Put an end to sin – in the context of Jesus being the Messiah, this would suggest his death that atones for sin. As Paul writes to the Romans: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.… For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:8, 10).
Atone for iniquity – At the final Passover meal, the Last Supper, “[Jesus] took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:27-28)
Bring in everlasting righteousness – As Paul says in Romans 5:17, “For if, because of one man’s trespass [Paul is talking about Adam, the first man], death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Messiah Jesus.”
Seal both vision and prophet – the meaning can mean either to authenticate something, or to hide it away. Jesus certainly authenticated the words of the prophets in his life, death and resurrection; while he also spoke of the meaning of Scripture being hidden away for those who rejected him. Either meaning fits.
Anoint a most holy place – literally, “a most holy” which could also refer to “a most holy person.” Interestingly, the medieval sage Nachmanides said that “the Holy of holies is naught else than the Messiah, the sanctified one of the sons of David.”[1]

Another medieval sage, Rashi – the commentator par excellence in Jewish history – also interpreted this passage at least in part about the Messiah, and also saw its fulfillment before the destruction of the Temple. However, Rashi thought that the anointed one who was killed was King Agrippa, but then applied the very end of the passage to the future Messiah.[2] Agrippa, however, did not fulfill the six items that Daniel mentions. If we are going to pick someone in the first century A.D. to be the anointed one, Jesus certainly fits the bill the best!

The New Testament does not refer much to this prophecy. However, we can note these passages:

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Matthew 24:15–16)

“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out…” (Mark 13:14–15)

The “abomination of desolation” is mentioned not only in Daniel 9:27, but in other passages in Daniel where it refers to the desolations of the pagan king Antiochus Epiphanies in 167 BC. But Daniel 9, and Jesus in Matthew and Mark, look beyond that to a greater desolation. Jesus here is likely referring to the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 and may also be looking to the future horizons of history when the ultimate desolation will occur.

The other New Testament reference simply speaks in general terms of the time of the Messiah’s coming:

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law… (Galatians 4:4)

The “fullness of time” reminds us of the verses we looked at, in which God takes action only when the sins of people have reached a climax. Here, it is not the sins of the people but simply the readiness of the time – Jesus came at the appropriate time as designated by God. Daniel 9:24–27 points us to that very designated time, in the first century AD, when Jesus came among humanity as our atoning sacrifice.

Note: For those who want to go into more depth about the details of Daniel 9:24-27, see these resources:

Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, vol. 3, Messianic Prophecy Objections (Grand Rapids; Baker Books, 2003), sections 4.18–4.21.

Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1977).
Hoehner interprets a bit differently, and sees a gap between week 69 and a still-future week 70. While he sees Jesus as the fulfillment of this prophecy, he believes a substantial portion will yet be fulfilled by Jesus in the future. This view, an alternative to the perspective outlined in this article, is shared by many commentators.

[1] Cited by Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, vol. 3, Messianic Prophecy Objections (Grand Rapids; Baker Books, 2003), see section 4.19, note 192.

[2] Ibid., section 4.18.

Please take the time to study the scriptures given and if you have time, read some of the books cited in the notes section. This is an important truth and it will happen. Though many have attempted to lend their understanding to what shall happen regarding the man Christ Jesus, the Messiah, his coming, not only to gather his Church/His Bride, but to come again the 2nd time on Mount Olivet to deal with the Anti Christ, the Beast, the False Prophet and all those who have followed them; this is what is referred to as the 2nd coming of Christ.

His first appearance, he shall not touch the Earth, but with the voice of the archangel, shout the names of those whom he has come to receive unto himself; the dead in Christ and those alive and remaining who serve him. See 1 Thessalonians 3:13-18. The 2nd time he will actually touch the Earth with his foot on Mount Olivet at the end of the Tribulation period.

This is my understanding of the comings of Jesus Christ. I am not through studying this great Truth yet and have dedicated my life to serving him, not to understand him, but to worship him and serve him. It stands to reason though that if we serve him and worship him from our whole hearts, he will also take us into his confidence. Of that, I am hopeful. See Deuteronomy 29:29.

Nin se Neaseno.

Something to think on

Mark of the Beast

Revelation 16:2 and 19:20 cite the “mark of the beast” as a sign that identifies those who worship the beast out of the sea ( Rev 13:1 ). This beast is usually identified as the antichrist. This mark is first mentioned in 13:16-17, where it is imposed on humanity by the beast out of the earth ( 13:11 ). This second beast is the false prophet ( 19:20 ), who forces the worship of the antichrist and brands those who do so with the mark. This mark is equivalent to the beast’s name or number ( 13:17 ; cf. 14:11 ). This enigmatic number is announced in 13:18 as 666.

The term “mark” has no special biblical usage apart from its association with the beast. The Greek term charagma [cavragma] was most commonly used for imprints on documents or coins. Charagma [cavragma] is well attested to have been an imperial seal of the Roman Empire used on official documents during the first and second centuries. This term does not occur in the Septuagint, and its use in the church fathers is insignificant. The only other reference to charagma [cavragma] in the New Testament besides those in Revelation, is Acts 17:29, where it stands for an image formed by art. A more common term for “mark” or “brand” is stigma [stivgma] in its noun and verb forms. Branding was practiced in the ancient world, and even in relation to religious concerns. Religious tattooing was observed (cf. Lucian, Syr. Dea 59; Herodotus 2.113). Third Maccabees 2:29 records an incident in which Jews were branded by Ptolemy Philopator I (217 b.c.) with the Greek religious Dionysian ivy-leaf symbol. The “mark” on Cain in Genesis 4:15 is rendered by semeion [shmei’on] in the Septuagint, the term for “sign.” Paul’s reference to his bearing in his body the “marks” of Jesus ( Gal 6:17 ) utilizes stigma [stivgma], not charagma [cavragma].

The contextual significance of marking those who worship the beast may be accounted for by noting how this motif answers to the seal on the foreheads of those who worship the Lamb ( Rev 7:3 ; 14:1 ). This contrast is particularly noted in 20:4, where those who are martyred for the Lamb are resurrected to reign with Christ. The mark and seal well image the two earthly groups who dominate the narrative.

The interpretive difficulty in understanding the mark of the beast resides in identifying what response John expected by his challenge in Revelation 13:18 to calculate the number of the beast. The process of working from a number to a name was an ancient process called gematria in Hebrew and isopsephia in Greek. Many ancient languages utilized the letters of the alphabet for their numerical systems. The letter and number ratio was known by all. This existing process was used in enigmatic statements to conceal the identity of the person under consideration. An oft-quoted graffito from Pompeii (about a.d. 79) reads “I love her whose number is 545.” Only those who knew the name or the pool of candidates could work out the riddle. The apocalyptic Sibylline Oracles used “888, ” the numerical equivalent of Iesous [ÅIhsou'”] (Greek letters for Jesus), as an indirect reference to Jesus as the incarnate God. Therefore, John could have expected his audience to solve the riddle, but only if there was a shared pool of understanding concerning the enigmatic nature of the reference.

The history of interpretation concerning the correlation of a person with the number 666 has only resulted in endless speculations. One of the most prominent candidates has been the first-century Roman emperor Nero. A rare rendering of his name into Neron Caesar, transliterated into Hebrew as nrwn qsr, renders the number 666 (nun/50, resh/200, waw/6, nun/50, qof/100, samech/60, and resh/200 = 666). This rare form of Nero’s name was actually found in an Aramaic document from Qumran (cf. John’s play on Hebrew words in the Book of Revelation at 9:11 and 16:16 ). It is also noteworthy that a variant reading in Greek New Testament manuscripts exits that cites the number as “616” rather than “666.” The transliteration of the normal Nero Caesar into the Hebrew nrw qsr, renders the number 616. There was also a belief in a revived Nero as the antichrist from the first century (cf. book 5 of the Sibylline Oracles) to the time of Augustine, who cites this idea in The City of God.

Irenaeus, however, wrote within a century of the apostle John and did not mention Nero. He proposed a number of options, including lateinos, meaning a Latin (30 + 1 + 300 + 5 + 10 + 50 + 70 + 200 = 666), and thus a Roman ruler, and teitan, a Roman name with which he was enamored (Contra Haereses 5.29-30). A few modern scholars have noted that the numbers can also argue for a connection with Babylon and Nimrod. The list is expanded with the creative use of numbers during times of modern crises (e.g., Hitler was a major candidate during World War II).

It is possible that John merely intended the number to be symbolic of what the beast and his followers represent: humankind in their ultimate rebellion against God, his Lamb, and the followers of the Lamb. John explains in 13:18 that the number 666 is the number of man. The number 7 is well established as a number of completeness or perfection. The number 6, being one less than 7, may symbolize humankind, which falls short of perfection. Irenaeus notes that the image set up by Nebuchadnezzar was 60 cubits high by 6 cubits wide. The number 666 could well personify the imperfection of man, even implying in the triple number the unholy trinity of the dragon, antichrist, and the false prophet. The identity of those who follow the Lamb or the beast is self-evident to the observer, whether it is the first century or the eschatological future. The vision calls John and his audience to discern the spirit of sinful humanity that accompanies the antichrist rather than to decode his identity.

My comments:

Much has been written by many on this subject and I wonder if folks are not attempting to understand a heavenly mystery from a natural perspective, rather than getting into the Spirit, as John did in the beginning of the Book of Revelations. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, not John. It says that much and those who try to understand something spiritual from a natural point of view are forgetting what was said in 1 Corinthians 2:14, about the natural man/mind receiving not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Rev. 1:10 reveals that John was in the Spirit on the LORD’s Day. If we want to understand what God’s word means, we too should get into the Spirit, as John did. When I do, things begin to make greater sense to my troubled human soul, for he reveals all truth through his Holy Spirit.

Nin se Neaseno.